Realtors

[Skip2MyLou]

Thank you all for responding.

I know we will have to compromise, just not on that one school system. Thought I made that clear on our initial conversation, but I guess I need to explain that again to her. . Our budget is mainly HUD/foreclosures, because i want yo be able to pay bills on one income. the recession taught me that much. i am getting a listing emailed from realtor,com about every other day. There are plenty here in my area. I just got another one. But I have not gotten a single email from her automated system that she said she would set us up for

Someone asked why I didn't know where we were going. She emailed me about 10 houses. I emailed 4 back. We met at a central location & got in her car. 2 of the houses I picked had contacts on them by then. The 4 houses in the city I don't want to live in we're not on my list. Yes I should have spoken up. I guess I was hoping she had found some great house & was trying to keep an open mind. Instead they matched exactly what I did not want, and stated in that 1st conversation.

Someone else asked if DH is giving mixed signals. He hasn't spoken to her, except when looking at these houses and one other house a few weeks ago.

I get what people are saying about compromise. I know the houses we are looking at will not be "move in ready". I'm not looking for granite counter tops & stainless steel appliances. Or even any appliances lol

I think I just need to have a talk with her again. My main issue is school system. I am not looking for perfection. I know there is nothing in our budget in the top school system. BUT this one city is high crime, the kind of neighbors you don't want. That is the only thing I am absolutely not compromising on. I guess I need to restate that to her.

 

[Skip2MyLou]

Also, since money is so tight, visit your lending institution to run your finances and get pre-qualified. Be sure you and your realtor both know that you can be approved for the homes you're targeting so you don't waste time looking at homes that are not a good fit.

We already dud that before asking friends/ family for realtor recommendations. That's what set the budget.

 

[prncess674]

I think you need to be more tech savvy and do some of the searching yourself. I bought one in August. I started looking online at houses available online and determined if my ideal areas were in my target price range. I set up plenty of alerts with different criteria. Good houses go quickly so you need to learn the market on your own through research.

When going for showings, it was a two way street. I would first send a list of houses I was interested in, then the realtor would set up all the appointments and would also recommend some houses nearby that I may not have considered. Some I would agree to see, others I would reject and tell her why it wasn't a fit for me.

Realtor.com shows tons of photos and you also have the option to drive by prior to determine if you like the area. Also google maps is a great tool. I saw a great house online and then I used google maps satellite images and realized that it butted up next to a big "mega church" and realized that it wouldn't be the peaceful home I was seeking, so it got crossed of the list. Same thing with a house that was all the way up in a subdivision, it would have. Taken Chen minutes just to get out of the subdivision before ever getting on a major road, which would have been a problem for me.

Real estate agents. Are great for helping with negotiations, finding comps, inspections, scheduling showings, talking to the seller's agent.

 

[Skip2MyLou]

I am already doing that. With HUD houses there really are no negotiations. We already learned that, and lost a potentially great house. You have to bid asking price if you want to even have half a chance. It is essentially an online auction. Which I recently learned we could do ourselves to. The only thing I can't do is view the inside of a house without an agent.


I guess I am more frustrated with the business of realtors in general. she didnt listen to my requirements or thinks my expectations are off. i am doing all the work & she will get the Commision lol. Maybe I should go to real estate school lol.

 

[Bob NC]

You sound like you think the realtor LIKES to waste her own time and gas hauling you around to look at houses.

Everyone has their price points and desires when searching for a home, but they aren't mind readers.

Maybe there aren't any homes that meet your requirements. Every time the realtor takes you to a home though, just maybe she thinks she is showing you something that might help you to have more realistic expectations.

Maybe that house that's not in your preferred school district and is 300 less sq feet than you want may have a layout such that you see that maybe you can expand the range of your square foot preference.

Maybe that house in the town you don't prefer is such a good deal that the realtor thinks maybe a trade off could be made.

If you filled out a checklist of exactly what you require and absolutely no deviations are to be made then why does the world even need realtors?

 

[stasijane]

I am already doing that. With HUD houses there really are no negotiations. We already learned that, and lost a potentially great house. You have to bid asking price if you want to even have half a chance. It is essentially an online auction. Which I recently learned we could do ourselves to. The only thing I can't do is view the inside of a house without an agent.


I guess I am more frustrated with the business of realtors in general. she didnt listen to my requirements or thinks my expectations are off. i am doing all the work & she will get the Commision lol. Maybe I should go to real estate school lol.

We are closing on a HUD house in 9 days and we gave them a offer of $5000 off the house we wanted and they are paying a % of the closing cost so dont give up on thinking they wont work with you. It might have just been that one house.

 

[Skip2MyLou]

We are closing on a HUD house in 9 days and we gave them a offer of $5000 off the house we wanted and they are paying a % of the closing cost so dont give up on thinking they wont work with you. It might have just been that one house.

Thank you for the hope! Perhaps it was just one house.


And thank you to the PP with the sarcasm. I think she enjoyed wasting her gas about as much as I enjoyed hiring a babysitter for 3 kids.

I think those that suggested some more communication or repeating what is important is what we will do. Im willing to compromise on everything but putting my child in a school system that is notorious for high crime rate. If that doesn't help then, then we will look for another agent.

 

[tvguy]

zillow.com will show you every house for sale and price, what every house is worth, and what every house sold for...(okay, I think that feature only goes back 40 years, so every sale in the last 40 years.)

 

[undertheradar]

You need to narrow the options for the realtor. They don't make money until you close on your home and if you are looking at foreclosures you are competing with investors. You will either have to compromise on expectations or you will be holding the realtor responsible for your lack of choices. Sorry to be blunt, but your expectations are way too high.

 

[runsandjumps]

All I know is that i found the house we have. I knew what I was looking for and would narrow down the choices based on that. When it all boils down, I found the houses and researched the market- the realtor got the keys/ codes and did the paperwork.

Some people are better realtors than others, just like any profession. I would perhaps find a new realtor if you don't want the leg work.

 

[Skip2MyLou]

zillow.com will show you every house for sale and price, what every house is worth, and what every house sold for...(okay, I think that feature only goes back 40 years, so every sale in the last 40 years.)

I am on realtor, zillow, a local MLS website for mid TN area, and hudhomestore

 

[mickeysgal]

I am on realtor, zillow, a local MLS website for mid TN area, and hudhomestore

Good! Now just give her the list and insist on seeing the homes you want to see. Don't let her steer you away from them. You are your best advocate.

 

[kirstenb1]

Is it an option for you to buy a smaller home initially, but with enough land to do an addition? We've added onto our home several times. We've done most of the work ourselves, which is slow, but we also would just save up the cash, and not have to take out loans.

 

[RadioNate]

Thank you for the hope! Perhaps it was just one house.


And thank you to the PP with the sarcasm. I think she enjoyed wasting her gas about as much as I enjoyed hiring a babysitter for 3 kids.

I think those that suggested some more communication or repeating what is important is what we will do. Im willing to compromise on everything but putting my child in a school system that is notorious for high crime rate. If that doesn't help then, then we will look for another agent.

Then you need to say "I will not look in Jonesville or in the Jonesville school district."

Not "well, we'd prefer to live in Smithtown or Summerville because of their schools but we know our budget is going to be tough in those areas and we really need 2000sqft."

Just be honest and direct. You can do that w/out being mean or rude.

They turn down showings and reiterate if you have to if she brings them to you.

 

[Skip2MyLou]

You need to narrow the options for the realtor. They don't make money until you close on your home and if you are looking at foreclosures you are competing with investors. You will either have to compromise on expectations or you will be holding the realtor responsible for your lack of choices. Sorry to be blunt, but your expectations are way too high.

So do I need to narrow my expectations or are they too high? You are contradicting yourself. Sorry to be blunt but other than not wanting to live in a drug invested/high crime community i have not stated here exactly what my numbers are. You really have made some huge assumptions.

As i already stated i am getting alerts at LEAST every other day. Not wanting to live in one small community out of 3 huge counties is not a high expectation. I have stated multiple times that I am willing to compromise on everything but that.

I have taken the advice of some here and written an email that I will send tomorrow along with another property that I would like to look at. That way it will be in writing and hopefully crystal clear.


.

 

[aaarcher86]

Hopefully you can narrow down some options to look at with the resources people have given you here.

 

[sookie]

I am already doing that. With HUD houses there really are no negotiations. We already learned that, and lost a potentially great house. You have to bid asking price if you want to even have half a chance. It is essentially an online auction. Which I recently learned we could do ourselves to. The only thing I can't do is view the inside of a house without an agent.


I guess I am more frustrated with the business of realtors in general. she didnt listen to my requirements or thinks my expectations are off. i am doing all the work & she will get the Commision lol. Maybe I should go to real estate school lol.

I think you are on the right track. Continue to look on your own and funnel those listings to the realtor as well as have the realtor look for you.

Regarding your budget - have you looked to see if increasing your search by 10k will make a difference in the houses you want to see in the communities you like? Will that help? Make sure you have your financing in order before you get too worried about price points. I would not look at foreclosures unless money isn't NOT tight. They are money pits. Maybe stick with HUD houses????

Honestly, you might find more houses coming on the market in the next 4-6 weeks. People hold off on putting houses on the market in the winter - but they will list in the early spring. This is because no one wants to move in the winter. People are willing to move spring and summer.

We looked every weekend for MONTHS for our home. I was dead set on two towns and a smattering of communities. We were looking at several parts of the city. I liked our realtor, but when she brought us to our town and zip code for our home - I was not sure. I thought we were wasting our time, but we went. It was the last house of the day. Holy cow - when she brought us to our house, it had EVERYTHING. I still can't believe we lucked out in the house lottery. I did take a leap of faith on the school - that night, before we wrote the offer - I drove to the school and like a crazy woman, asked people what they thought of the school in the parking lot (they were parents and kids playing basketball)! Haha! I also scanned the internet. It is apparently the best one in the town. There is always private schools and transfers. That is what I told myself at least. Anyway, continue to look, look, look. I think we looked at 50+ houses in the end. Good luck OP.

P.S. I am not an expert, but I was told that modular homes / trailers depreciate like cars. That is why the financing is difficult.

 

[Bob NC]

And thank you to the PP with the sarcasm. I think she enjoyed wasting her gas about as much as I enjoyed hiring a babysitter for 3 kids.

Sorry, not really sarcasm

I sell a high end line of products. These lines of products are in very different price ranges.

I frequently have customers call me and tell me they are interested in style "C" and that's the only line they have interest in.

When I show them all the options available in all our other lines VERY frequently they end up choosing a line outside their original requirement. Sometimes they end up spending more than planned, sometimes they spend less than planned.

This is what sales people do.

Most salespeople know more about their job and their product line than their customers do. They are there to help and guide.

In your situation you really need to sit down with your realtor and say "Don't show me any houses less than $65K or more than 68K" "Don't show me any houses less than or more than 1500 square feet". "Don't show me a property outside of XXX school district".

But, when you take away the ability for a trained, professional sales person to do what they do best, ie: in this case finding a property with as many of your requirements as possible, then IMHO, you aren't getting your moneys worth.

 

[akcire]

Op


I buy a lot of homes,enough that it made sense for my husband to become a realtor.

You are looking for the holy-grail for investors. Good schools, large enough for a family, and at a good price. Not trying to discourage you but I am set up with MLS searches and by the time a property is on realtor often they are under contract. The searches we have set up send us notifications 4 times per day for new properties. If I see anything interesting I immediately make an appointment. If I am interested I have to put together a cash offer that day,if not I will be knocked out.

I my area nothing with a contingency will be accepted even inspection. The builders/rehabbers will knock me out every time.

Not sure if your area is this competitive, but if so you may consider waiting until you have more money.

I also do some buying from the court house steps. That can be more of a crap-shoot, but I manage risk well. Once I have visited enough houses I can generally look at it and envision the interior layout. I then budget for everything to need to be replaced: roof,windows, doors, kitchens, bathrooms, flooring, etc. ; and bid accordingly. I have been pleasantly surprised a few time. Nothing like the anticipation of opening the door on something you spent 2-300,000 on but never saw. I have also lost money on a few deals.

Good luck, but keep in mind no one is making any money by leaving cash in the bank, so every granny I know that can still use a rake or to paint brush is trying their hand at investing. I pick on granny, because my 70 year old mother (who doesn't particularly need the money) just flipped her 3rd place after removing 2500 square feet of hideous wallpaper.

 

[Disney Doll]

Actually, I think you and the realtor would both be best served if you found a new realtor.

Finding a certain size house in an acceptable town on a low budget is not an easy task. It's made less easy when all the people working on the task are "jelling"...no reflection on you or the realtor....we don't always "jell" with everyone we meet. No sense having the process be difficult for both of you.

Many of the larger agencies in an area have some sort of connection on their website that will take you to the houses that are on the MLS. Many of these also have the ability to allow you to enter specifics...ie-price range, town, #bedrooms etc. so that your search is narrowed down to specifically what you are looking for. zillow.com is often not correct in what information they have. Something that comes directly from the MLS system will probably be more accurate.

When we were house-hunting...well let's just say there was limited Internet activity back then since it was quite a while ago now. I used to drive around in the towns & neighborhoods I liked looking for For Sale signs. If the home appeaed to me I'd write down the address to have DH (realtor) research it to see if it was one we should see.