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If you want a garage (many homes in our neighborhood don't have garages), why would you look at a house without a garage? And if you don't want stamped ceilings, don't look at houses built in the 1920s. I've been in many houses in my neighborhood, and none have smooth ceilings.
There are lots of reasons to look at a house that does not meet 100% of your criteria. Sometimes your need can be satisfied by something else (maybe need a garage for storage and the house has a shed).
Sometimes a house has everything you want except one thing, that can be added later. You can't always tell that from the listing. There might be ROOM for a garage, but no actual garage.
Sometimes a house has a feature that you don't particularly like, but you could live with it. You can't tell until you see the actual house.
You have to show your house to sell it. You only need ONE buyer.
I will try to keep that kind of thing in mind. I do feel a little better after discussing it with my realtor yesterday. We've agreed that if after a week we've had too many people listing the same few "reasons" (such as no garage) we'll update the listing to specifically say no garage.
Glad your house is coming together.
I think a property with no garage should be listed as such. To me, that's pretty unusual, and most folks expect one. Other features in the house might be more negotiable as a prospective buyer is selecting a home.
I think a property with no garage should be listed as such. To me, that's pretty unusual, and most folks expect one. Other features in the house might be more negotiable as a prospective buyer is selecting a home.
In our neighborhood of historic homes, people really don't expect garages. If a house has a garage, it will normally say so in the remarks. In the specs it does say parking is off-street, but it doesn't say there is a garage. I do agree that we might want to have the agent spell it out in the remarks. The house is priced accordingly, since we don't have a garage.
There is room to build one. If we decide to stay, we'll probably build a 2-car garage.
Ha...we ended up just the opposite. Thought we didn't want a fixer but feel in love with a house that needed loads of work in an amazing neighborhood. We just do a project every year. I figure we'll be done in 5 more years or so (lived here 7).. Hubby didn't want the house but I loved it so much he agreed. Last year we finally painted the exterior and he finally sees my vision for the house. He's actually excited about what the house will look like when it is "done."
So OP if someone had tried to determine if we were serious buyers for my current house, we would have been ruled out. We didn't think we wanted to take on this much work...until I saw the house.
I had bought and sold 29 homes and swore I would never ever own a ranch. And here I am at #30, in a 60's ranch. There is some truth to the ole adage about once you ranch, you can't go back.
Hee hee, I'm closing tomorrow on a 1960 rancher that's very similar to the little house I grew up in....in the 50's. I can't believe I've gone from upscale condos and luxury townhouses to a little basic 1100 s.f. rancher with a bay window. At this age, however, it's all I need or want.
Oh and P.S. It doesn't have a garage. Some of the homes in that development have attached garages (apparently it was an option) and some have added detached garages. I would LIKE to have a garage, but there were so many other plusses about the house, I can live with just having a driveway.
OP I feel your pain. I have sold 4 houses and each time it was stressful and a big hassle. I had issues with the lockboxes. Be careful of this. My first house sold within 2 days so it was an easy experience. But when we sold our second house it took a few months. We had a lockbox and my realtor assured me that I would get a call from her if anyone was to go through our house. I came home from work and had a feeling someone had been in the house. Certain rooms had lights on that I know I did not leave on before going to work. I called her and she said no one had looked at the house. I blew it off even though it bothered me. A few weeks later I came home from work to find my garage door wide open. I again called her and she said no one had looked at the house. I wasnt buying it. I told her about the garage door being left open and got the excuse that maybe there was a power bump and the door opened from that or maybe I had forgot when I left. We finally sold the house I told myself I would never do a lockbox again.
So 6 yrs later we are sellers once again. I told my new realtor no on the lockbox. She explained that it was a bad idea, how it was easier to show etc etc. I explained my experience with it the last time. She assured me she was on top of that and I would be told if anyone was going to view my home. Everything was fine for the first month, I got the calls just like she said. Then I was transferred to the midnight shift. I explained my concerns that I would be sleeping during the day and getting a call before a showing was extremely important. She again assured me I would get a call. So while I was snoozing I woke up to someone opening my bedroom door. I sat up in the bed and there were 3 people standing there! They said sorry and scurried out. I called my realtor. She apologized and said it would never happen again. A few weeks later I am in the shower and all of a sudden I realized I could hear voices outside the bathroom door. I was scared as hell. I turned off the water, the voices hushed and I heard the door slam. I was pissed. I called my realtor and flipped out. Turns out that previous realtors that were given the lock box code would sometimes drive through the area with clients and decide oh ya, let me show you this house. I showed it last week. They would use the code to get in and not even call the office first!
So then I knew what was going on when we sold the house before. I took the lock box off during the day and put it on when I left the house. I am not a fan of lock boxes at all. I live in a different state now and I like how they do things here. Realtors are given some sort of key pass that is electronic. They wave it over the lockbox and it opens so they can obtain the key. Every swipe is registered so no one can enter a house without it being registered. In fact, they just busted a realtor a few months ago for stealing. The knucklehead forgot about this feature so when several homes had been robbed, his info was on each of those lockboxes and of course without appointments set up. Anyway, be careful of the lock boxes.
People buy stuff they didn't set out to buy.
They make compromises in some aspects, large compromises that allow them to have something that they MUST have.
Or they fall in love with the unexpected.
It's true. I'm a first-time buyer and I'm looking right now and I have my sights set on a TOWNHOUSE of all things. I initially wanted a single-family home with a yard, but I looked at this townhouse anyway because it's in the city and close to everything I like to do and close to work. It has a 2-car garage, it's an end unit, and the layout is great to the point where it doesn't feel like a skinny little shoebox. It's also newer, energy-efficient construction and while I would have never considered it before, I liked the place enough to make an offer. I'm compromising on the yard, which I never thought I would do, but I think the location is more important to me. There is also a large park three blocks away. Also, I've lived in apartments for the last five years, and I did fine without a yard then, and could continue to do without a yard now.
I've looked at a few homes and unfortunately might have been considered a tire-kicker.. but for me, it led me to a place that I probably wouldn't have considered based only on the listing.
Otherwise, my reasons for not liking some of the other homes I looked at are truly silly, and I know it.. but it's also my money and my choice.
Hee hee, I'm closing tomorrow on a 1960 rancher that's very similar to the little house I grew up in....in the 50's. I can't believe I've gone from upscale condos and luxury townhouses to a little basic 1100 s.f. rancher with a bay window. At this age, however, it's all I need or want.
Oh and P.S. It doesn't have a garage. Some of the homes in that development have attached garages (apparently it was an option) and some have added detached garages. I would LIKE to have a garage, but there were so many other plusses about the house, I can live with just having a driveway.
What's funny is a 1960s ranch has caught my eye as well! They seem to be built well, unlike some of the new cheap construction. Building a garage is a lot easier than adding on to a house, and it's not expensive either. For instance, one of my neighbors paid $30-$35k to have a garage built, and another did a lot of work himself and paid about $10k. The quality of both is pretty good. If we don't end up selling, we're probably going to build a garage (hire part and DH will do part). Enjoy your new home!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fallingwater
OP I feel your pain. I have sold 4 houses and each time it was stressful and a big hassle. I had issues with the lockboxes. Be careful of this. My first house sold within 2 days so it was an easy experience. But when we sold our second house it took a few months. We had a lockbox and my realtor assured me that I would get a call from her if anyone was to go through our house. I came home from work and had a feeling someone had been in the house. Certain rooms had lights on that I know I did not leave on before going to work. I called her and she said no one had looked at the house. I blew it off even though it bothered me. A few weeks later I came home from work to find my garage door wide open. I again called her and she said no one had looked at the house. I wasnt buying it. I told her about the garage door being left open and got the excuse that maybe there was a power bump and the door opened from that or maybe I had forgot when I left. We finally sold the house I told myself I would never do a lockbox again.
So 6 yrs later we are sellers once again. I told my new realtor no on the lockbox. She explained that it was a bad idea, how it was easier to show etc etc. I explained my experience with it the last time. She assured me she was on top of that and I would be told if anyone was going to view my home. Everything was fine for the first month, I got the calls just like she said. Then I was transferred to the midnight shift. I explained my concerns that I would be sleeping during the day and getting a call before a showing was extremely important. She again assured me I would get a call. So while I was snoozing I woke up to someone opening my bedroom door. I sat up in the bed and there were 3 people standing there! They said sorry and scurried out. I called my realtor. She apologized and said it would never happen again. A few weeks later I am in the shower and all of a sudden I realized I could hear voices outside the bathroom door. I was scared as hell. I turned off the water, the voices hushed and I heard the door slam. I was pissed. I called my realtor and flipped out. Turns out that previous realtors that were given the lock box code would sometimes drive through the area with clients and decide oh ya, let me show you this house. I showed it last week. They would use the code to get in and not even call the office first!
So then I knew what was going on when we sold the house before. I took the lock box off during the day and put it on when I left the house. I am not a fan of lock boxes at all. I live in a different state now and I like how they do things here. Realtors are given some sort of key pass that is electronic. They wave it over the lockbox and it opens so they can obtain the key. Every swipe is registered so no one can enter a house without it being registered. In fact, they just busted a realtor a few months ago for stealing. The knucklehead forgot about this feature so when several homes had been robbed, his info was on each of those lockboxes and of course without appointments set up. Anyway, be careful of the lock boxes.
Wow, that would be horrible to have people enter while you're sleeping or in the shower! Scary. Those realtors also sound very unprofessional. Who just shows up unless it's a vacant house and they know it's ok to "go."
We have the Supra box, which is electronic, so that's a little better than a key. We also lock the screen/storm door so people can't even get access to the lockbox unless we've approved a showing and unlocked the outer door.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cowboyxjon
Otherwise, my reasons for not liking some of the other homes I looked at are truly silly, and I know it.. but it's also my money and my choice.
I just don't want people looking just for the sake of looking. It's a big inconvenience to get two large dogs out of the house. DH and I both work full-time. We have hobbies and busy lives. I really wouldn't be offended if someone didn't like my decor or the layout or something, but I don't like wasting my time when someone knows there is no garage, unless they want to build one, don't look! I also think people need to be realistic. It is their money and their choice, but it's my time.
Believe me, I know how stressful it is! I'm a single Mom with two dogs and a very messy teen-age boy.
And my office is at home too!
Rushing off at a moment's notice with two dogs and the boy got OLD very quickly. My boss wasn't always thrilled either because I was never there when she called!
But it will all be worth it if you find that new house that you love. That is what keeps me going.
PS: I especially hate those calls that someone wants to see it in like 15 minutes! My house is NOT immaculate and it takes me more that 15 minutes to get it that way. I just try to do it as fast as I can.
There are pro's and con's with todays buyers being able to see homes on the internet and many times this actually make our job a lot harder. A buyer will tell us what they want to see when we 1st meet them then when we are planning on seeing homes they will email us homes that are no where near their wish list.
I've had many a buyer who will say I need a house with a 3 car garage and a swimming pool for example then send you a list of homes with no pools and maybe a 1 or 2 car garage.
When you question them it's usually "I know but I'd like to see them anyway". Then they are disappointed because it's not what they want.
Many times it's not only a waste of your time but ours also, But who are we to tell them no you can't see that house.
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