Is inventory lower than expected right now? (Dallas, Coppell: for sale, lease)

[WorldKlas]

Originally Posted by vansgirl

Thanks for the feedback! Maybe I misunderstand my realtor. He said it picks up in the spring and I deduced that he meant March

Also, I DO see listings popping up... with pools IMO, small kids and pools do not mix.

I was concerned when my son bought a house with a pool and the baby was just 11 months old at the time. But they had a locked gate and also a floating device called a pool alarm that went off if something fell in. Now the baby is 11 years old and they use the pool daily in warm weather. But, I get that having a back play area is important! Their house has a very small rear grassy area... Enough for a playset, tho, and a huge front lawn so I suggest you look at every home and decide based on your needs.

[vansgirl]

Originally Posted by WorldKlas

I was concerned when my son bought a house with a pool and the baby was just 11 months old at the time. But they had a locked gate and also a floating device called a pool alarm that went off if something fell in. Now the baby is 11 years old and they use the pool daily in warm weather. But, I get that having a back play area is important! Their house has a very small rear grassy area... Enough for a playset, tho, and a huge front lawn so I suggest you look at every home and decide based on your needs.

How much does it cost to install a gate? I thought about this, but assumed that lowering an offer price (to make up for the fact that I'd need to pay to get this done) would hurt my chances in this market.

[mSooner]

Originally Posted by vansgirl

How much does it cost to install a gate? I thought about this, but assumed that lowering an offer price (to make up for the fact that I'd need to pay to get this done) would hurt my chances in this market.

Unless you are looking above the $400K range, I wouldn't try it. You are probably going to need to offer well above asking to even get a contract on any house.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by vansgirl

Thanks for the feedback! Maybe I misunderstand my realtor. He said it picks up in the spring and I deduced that he meant March

Also, I DO see listings popping up... with pools IMO, small kids and pools do not mix.

The majority of homes in the Dallas suburbs have pools. You may need to consider the cost to fill in a pool if you want to find a home. Or to build a gate around the pool.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by vansgirl

How much does it cost to install a gate? I thought about this, but assumed that lowering an offer price (to make up for the fact that I'd need to pay to get this done) would hurt my chances in this market.

This is not how offer prices work. The gate is something you want; it's not a flaw the property has that needs fixing (like a roof with a ton of loose shingles). You don't get to offer less because you want to install a gate or do other cosmetic changes. The house is worth what the market says.

[vansgirl]

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

This is not how offer prices work. The gate is something you want; it's not a flaw the property has that needs fixing (like a roof with a ton of loose shingles). You don't get to offer less because you want to install a gate or do other cosmetic changes. The house is worth what the market says.

Actually, it's a safety concern. And I'm pretty sure I do get to offer what I want... doesn't mean that I'll get it, of course. People offer less all the time (outdated kitchen, ugly carpet, etc)

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by vansgirl

Actually, it's a safety concern. And I'm pretty sure I do get to offer what I want... doesn't mean that I'll get it, of course. People offer less all the time (outdated kitchen, ugly carpet, etc)

It's a safety concern for you, not in general. The only thing an insurance company requires for pool safety is for all house doors that open directly into the pool space to have alarms on them. Ugly, outdated carpet is not the same as a pool fence, sorry.

And yes, of course you get to offer what you want but if you offer below market value because of something like this, you're going to be continuously outbid.

[mSooner]

I just asked my mom--it was $2600 to put up a very nice permanent safety fence around their pool.

But yes--don't expect to get a price discount for this. No one is going to worry about losing a buyer in this market because there will be a line of them behind you that aren't as picky.

A friend is selling in Allen. They kept having buyers ask for reductions due to petty things that were obviously included in the price of the home. The buyers seemed to be bidding above asking price and getting to the top of what they could afford, and then trying to knock the price down later. My friends would just move on to the next offer. Buyer #4 or 5 stuck.

A family we know in Coppell was looking in the under $250K price range last year. They bid over asking on a ton of houses (I think she said their highest bid was $20k over asking) and still didn't get an offer accepted on any home. They ended up having to rent and may try again this year.

[vansgirl]

Originally Posted by mSooner

I just asked my mom--it was $2600 to put up a very nice permanent safety fence around their pool.

But yes--don't expect to get a price discount for this. No one is going to worry about losing a buyer in this market because there will be a line of them behind you that aren't as picky.

A friend is selling in Allen. They kept having buyers ask for reductions due to petty things that were obviously included in the price of the home. The buyers seemed to be bidding above asking price and getting to the top of what they could afford, and then trying to knock the price down later. My friends would just move on to the next offer. Buyer #4 or 5 stuck.

A family we know in Coppell was looking in the under $250K price range last year. They bid over asking on a ton of houses (I think she said their highest bid was $20k over asking) and still didn't get an offer accepted on any home. They ended up having to rent and may try again this year.

Thanks!

[unknown00]

Originally Posted by jdallas

I don't know where you heard that. Most people list their homes just after easter with a goal of closing early summer because of schools. As a buyer, there is less competition to buy homes in February/March but it doesn't mean more new listings.

So yes and no. Summer is when it gets busy for the reason mentioned above - school. However, this is a good amount of inventory right now