Negotiating

How’d we do? First half of 2015

When the spring market came, it came! The snows in February slowed the beginning, then, wow. Because demand remains high, we are seeing more competitive bid situations (bidding wars) than we did in 2014. We are pleased for our clients who have bought so far this year. Our report card, first half of 2015: All

The mythical super-deal. Don’t be fooled!

When I wrote for Boston.com, I got this from a reader who wanted me to help him and his wife buy a 2-family house. They started to be a bad prospect when I read this: We're happy to wait until the right property comes on the market at the right price...but in this market, we're

Year in review: Successful Buying in a Seller’s Market

We are pleased for our clients who have bought in 2014. They bought a house or condo in eastern Massachusetts without bidding wildly over asking price or throwing away their rights. Many had to make multiple offers before getting one accepted. But, in the end, they got the best property they could at the best

By |2016-12-28T14:01:08-05:00December 17th, 2014|Categories: About 4 Buyers RE, House Hunting, Negotiating|Tags: , , |

Are you the kind of person the seller wants to sell to?

When a buyer makes an Offer to Purchase, it should be clear and complete. It must give the seller the impression that you are a ready, willing, and able buyer. It should reassure the seller that you are organized, have solid financing, and that you are the kind of people they’d like to sell to.

Under-pricing and bidding wars, 2014

At most social occasions, I have been getting a lot of sympathy these days. “Are you OK?” they ask, expecting tales of bankruptcy and nervous breakdown. “I hear there are ten offers on every property and everything sells for $50,000 above asking price.” The stories are true, but they are not true. Some properties are

By |2016-12-28T14:01:11-05:00July 16th, 2014|Categories: Market data and conditions, Negotiating|Tags: , , , |

Crazy market report card

In the most competitive Seller’s market since the late 1980s, how did we do? We are pleased for our clients who have bought in 2014. They did buy a house or condo in eastern Massachusetts without bidding wildly over asking price or throwing away their rights. Summary: No clients waived their home inspections in order

Why are they lying to you about being a flipper?

Both sellers and seller’s agents are lying about houses that were bought, renovated, and sold for profit. This is a disturbing trend. Why lie? Buyers are more leery that houses and condos that are renovated for resale are renovated poorly, or at least not as nicely as a place renovated for the owner to live

By |2016-12-28T14:01:12-05:00May 28th, 2014|Categories: House Hunting, Negotiating|

The seller can take all the light bulbs.

A seller can take all the light bulbs before closing. I have heard tale of sellers doing just that to be spiteful. Is it an urban myth? I cannot say for sure, since it never happened to any of my clients. Real estate has its own norms, which basically conform to law and common sense.

By |2018-12-23T18:24:31-05:00January 29th, 2014|Categories: Energy efficiency, Negotiating|

Winter House Hunting

Winter is a bargain-hunters paradise, but it also house-hunting hell. Between Thanksgiving and Martin Luther King Day (or Super Bowl Sunday when the Pats are in the playoffs), demand dries up, but so does inventory. The drain on demand is usually higher than the drain on supply. Sellers who can wait until the spring frequently

By |2016-12-28T14:01:14-05:00December 2nd, 2013|Categories: House Hunting, Negotiating|