[Lizzie007]

[quote=ogplife;4401456] I also don't understand how people purchase homes without knowing for sure they are with the employer they want to settle with. QUOTE]

People make a lot of decisions thinking they will be permanent and then things change......Just ask the 50% of married couples who get divorced!

We all know plenty of people that were promised the moon when they took a job and then found out otherwise.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by ogplife

I also don't understand how people purchase homes without knowing for sure they are with the employer they want to settle with. It is like some people feel they are above renting. I am sympathetic to your situation though.

Once you own a home, most people do not want to go back to renting. There are tax implications involved if you don't purchased your next home within a certain timeframe. Also, when you have a family you want to set down roots. Owning a home does that.

I am sorry to hear of your problems and others that have posted on this board but believe me there are other parts of the country that are a lot worse. Just look at the real estate boards or the Florida, Nevada or California boards. Good luck, Jay

[ogplife]

[quote=Lizzie007;4402751]

Originally Posted by ogplife

I also don't understand how people purchase homes without knowing for sure they are with the employer they want to settle with. QUOTE]

People make a lot of decisions thinking they will be permanent and then things change......Just ask the 50% of married couples who get divorced!

We all know plenty of people that were promised the moon when they took a job and then found out otherwise.

If we all know someone that was promised the moon before being hired and found out otherwise than that is all the more reason not to purchase a home upon acceptance of employment.

Any married couple that ties the knot within one year of meeting is asking for trouble in my opinion. I am not saying I dont sympathize with her. I genuinely hope things work out for the OP, but it does not change the fact that I think it was a poor decision.

[Lizzie007]

[quote=ogplife;4405724]

Originally Posted by Lizzie007

If we all know someone that was promised the moon before being hired and found out otherwise than that is all the more reason not to purchase a home upon acceptance of employment.

Any married couple that ties the knot within one year of meeting is asking for trouble in my opinion. I am not saying I dont sympathize with her. I genuinely hope things work out for the OP, but it does not change the fact that I think it was a poor decision.

i'm just saying, s&*T happens and we all make mistakes. i also think it may have been a poor decision but since i don't know the details i won't make any assumptions. i wish the OP the best and hope this all works out!

[chionactis]

Well, we DID have the best intentions when we moved here a year ago. We disliked what our town of 8 years was becoming (and now we are returning - HA! crazy, but the whole situation is quite complicated), and we wanted to be closer to family. The job my spouse took is in the same line he's been doing the past 8 years, and it actually appeared better than where he had been. Anyway, in hindsight, we may have moved too fast but at the time, it all fell into place. We will most likely sell at a loss and that's that. Just stinks that when we came here, we thought we'd be here a long time and turns out, we are not.
thank you for all your suggestions, I will look into the real estate post on city - data.com
appreicate it.

[Rich Lee]

Sellers always want to get at least what they paid. However, this isn't always possible. Say you sold the property for $18,000 less than what you paid for it. This would be equivalent to "renting" it at $1500 per month over the last 12 months.

In other words, we always have to "pay" to live somewhere...whether it be in the form of rent or a mortgage! This line of reasoning usually applies to folks who own a property for 3 years or less.

[HelloSam]

Hmmmm, say you've also been paying approximately $1,500 in mortgage interest per month since you've moved in. Nice tax deduction, but adds to the monthly cost, on top of the $18,000 lost. And then there are the costs associated with buying and selling you won't recoup from the transaction.

Gives one a lot to think about before buying, eh?

[andthentherewere3]

Home values have definitely dropped since spring of last year, so I'm afraid it's likely you will take a loss, especially if you made no improvements. Good luck, though!

[toddb]

I wish you the best of luck in selling -- it's a tough market and some of the buyers are being unrealistic in their demands. They think that the world is theirs and that the house should be in mint condition and severely under priced. Basically, looking for a steal. Also unfortunate is that you've been there for a year, which people are going to interpret as either 1) you have to get out immediately and will take a lowball offer or 2) there's something wrong with the house and/or neighborhood and you want out before someone else finds out about it and home values drop. Like one of the other posters said, you might have your agent push some of the area comps on the prospective buyer agents in order to justify your asking price. The pushier your agent is about justifying the better for you. Also have them try to figure out some other angles that might help better position your house ahead of others for sale in the area.

All that being said, to be competitive, you might want to start doing some updating. A coat of paint, maybe getting your kitchen cabinets refinished, buying new stainless steel appliances (great sales out there now - those guys are hurting too!), new countertops (check out marble.com for granite - they have incredible prices - ~23 linear feet for about $3k, but their customer service is a bit rough around the edges)...stuff like that doesn't cost a huge amount of $$ and, depending on the selling price, might make it easier to justify what you're asking for. It might be the alternative to dropping your selling price. You could also negotiate an after-closing allowance for improvements - splitting the cost (up to a set amount) with the buyer so that they can choose their own style and still not foot the entire bill for the "needed" upgrades.

Good luck!!

[DogLover99]

My two cents -

For every 5 showings, drop your price $2-5,000. If will move!

You might offer a $10,000 into escrow for upgrades. Or offer a flooring allowance. It happens at closing out of the proceeds so you won't have to pay it today.

Reevaluate your price. You can be absolutely right about pricing and the value of your home. Absolutely right.

But you have to stop thinking it's your house and think about it as the buyer's home. Buying a house is a delicate negotiation. If you come in and say 'I'll only accept X for it' you will be in for a long haul. The buyer MUST feel like he's making a good trade! The best deals are when both sides feel they're winning!

You two sit down, figure out how much you need from the home and how much it's worth to stay in a house you don't want in a town you don't want to be in. Is it worth $10,000? Then stay and wait for the buyer.

If it's not, readjust your price, get creative, sell, and start this next phase of your lives.

Good luck!