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So if said realtor did have a house we liked that we would need them to come down about $7k on, it's not unreasonable to ask that? It's a nice house so I don't think there's really any reason for them to come down, which is why we didn't ask.
About the dirty houses thing, when we bought our first house our realtor (the same one we're using for selling) really seemed appalled at the condition of some of the houses we looked at, because their realtor should've told them to fix things. I'm not talking about a floor needing mopped, i'm talking real filth and problems. We looked at one house, a smoker was occupying it so it smelled but we were like, "Well, that can be cleaned out...", went into the laundry room, and there was a big rotting hole in the wall. We didn't have a lot of money to spruce up our current house, but he had us replace the old mail box and remove a few stumps, and we replace all of the air vents in the house because they were rusty and obviously that's not appealing.
And the $15k is a lot more than our price range, when our price range is around $80k. We're moving to a small town so finding a house for that price that isn't total junk is a challenge, but not impossible. We're moving for school and we have a housing allowance, but it's not a lot and we don't know when we'll be able to get jobs or what kind so we'd rather not buy a house we can't quite afford just in case.
If the only problems with the houses we were looking at were cosmetic, i'd be all over them, trust me. I found a house online where you can see leak damage on the living room ceiling and I actually got excited because it fit 90% of the rest of my criteria.
If you want to know what my standards are for the house, they're pretty loose:
Appliances that aren't too old because we won't be able to replace them right away
The less carpet the better, hopefully wood floors
Paint doesn't matter, having to pull up old carpet to get to wood floors doesn't matter
Fenced yard, or the house has to be cheap enough/the seller pays closing costs so we can afford to get it fenced right away (dogs)
Decent neighborhood, doesn't have to be ritzy (this has been our biggest setback)
Some kind of storage, basement, attic, or garage
There are other things i'd like, but none of them are necessary.
So if said realtor did have a house we liked that we would need them to come down about $7k on, it's not unreasonable to ask that? It's a nice house so I don't think there's really any reason for them to come down, which is why we didn't ask.
$7k on your $80k max is 8.75%. Not unreasonable at all to ask for, at least in my market. Of course, there ae so many things that go into determining the value of a house. It's not just about what you can afford, or what the seller wants. Look at recent sales of comparable homes. See what houses like this have sold for recently. Decide whether you are in the ball park. If you are, go ahead & make an offer.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sendmorecops
And the $15k is a lot more than our price range, when our price range is around $80k. We're moving to a small town so finding a house for that price that isn't total junk is a challenge, but not impossible.
So anything that's not junk is acceptable, but you can find new construction in the same $80k range? There's a disconnect here. Can you enlighten us?
Quote:
Originally Posted by sendmorecops
We're moving for school and we have a housing allowance, but it's not a lot and we don't know when we'll be able to get jobs or what kind so we'd rather not buy a house we can't quite afford just in case.
Not to be a spoil sport, but have you considered that perhaps you would be better served by renting until you are more sure of your employment and income situations? Taking on the long term commitment of owning a home, while not knowing if you will have a job, is not what I would call prudent.
Last edited by Bill Keegan; 11-24-2009 at 01:33 PM..
Reason: typos
I don't know where anyone got that I wanted new construction from - I don't particularly want a brand new house and I have no delusions that I could find a new house for that amount anyway.
We can't rent because we have two dogs and three cats. Even if we found someone to rent to us, we would be paying a ton in deposits and fees. We do have money saved up and like I said, we are getting housing money but renting would drain our savings and then we couldn't afford a down payment anyway.
I don't know where anyone got that I wanted new construction from - I don't particularly want a brand new house and I have no delusions that I could find a new house for that amount anyway.
I got that from this statement in yrou original post;
Quote:
i've seen new houses in our price range go up on realtor websites
I'm seeing now that you mean new listings, not listings of new houses. My mistake.
We can't rent because we have two dogs and three cats. Even if we found someone to rent to us, we would be paying a ton in deposits and fees. We do have money saved up and like I said, we are getting housing money but renting would drain our savings and then we couldn't afford a down payment anyway.
I can appreciate all those facts. It doesn't change the reality that you are putting yrouselves in a really precarious position by buying a house you aren't sure you can afford. Be careful. And good luck.
I can appreciate all those facts. It doesn't change the reality that you are putting yrouselves in a really precarious position by buying a house you aren't sure you can afford. Be careful. And good luck.
That's the point though, we're not going to buy a house that we can't afford! We are lucky enough that my father-in-law will let me and the mutts stay with him for a few months while my husband starts school, it's three hours away so it's certainly not ideal but it's better than renting or settling for a bad house. Thanks for the concern, though.
Also, sorry about the new house confusion - I did mean new listings.
We went through 3 agents before finding the right agent for our new home and honestly, I was ready to dump her as well, but we had too much time invested at that point to turn back! I say, if somethings with your agent is not working then move forward with another agent that best fits your needs.
What if you are the Seller and want to dump your agent? How does that work?
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