Seems to me that some agents see buyers as annoying people who should just give agents money and not waste their precious time. I cannot disagree more. Agents, like this author, are annoying people who think the world owes them a living! A real agent’s job is to spend time and energy to help buyers
Why am I talking about heating now? Because a buyer can’t feel how well the system works once it is shut off for the season. Even when we test it during home inspection, it is not the same as when it is fighting the winds howling outside. How they heat: Boilers send hot water or
One-of-a-kind houses have one-of-a-kind problems. A custom house can be exceptionally beautiful and exceptionally well-suited for its primary purpose. But, that same house could be poorly suited for everyday living. How do you decide if a one-of-a-kind house works for you? Case in point: One of my clients purchased a house that was originally built
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
Everywhere, buyers involved in bidding wars think they are being poorly informed -- at best -- or just plain lied to. Buyers are being frustrated by seemingly false information that is often a lack of information during bidding wars. The resentment is huge! I wonder if listing agents realize that they are creating a
Last month, Dave Twombly, wrote to warn you the sellers and their agents are asking you to give up important protections in order to buy a property. As a case in point, I have direct experience of clients being asked to give up their right to mortgage contingency based on a low appraisal. This is
Appraisals were very big news in the last real estate bubble. In that bubble, inaccurate and fraudulent appraisals led to lenders giving money based on insufficient -- and sometimes non-existent -- properties. As the bubble blew apart, stories of mortgages on burned-out or torn down properties emerged. This was not the norm, but there was
Buyers, you can do everything right and wind up with no house. How can that happen? Low appraisals. In the next three entries, I will explain what happens during the appraisal process and why you need to care. Of all the people who suffer a broken deal because of a low appraisal, the ones I
I'll even tell you where to put 'em. Ron Rothenberg 4 Buyers Real Estate Open Houses, how I hate them, for so many reasons. Rona has detailed so many reasons why Open Houses don’t benefit sellers. I think they’re the worst possible way for a buyer to look at house. They’re geared towards
By Dave Twombly Earlier this week I had clients make an offer on a condo in West Somerville. It was a lovely place that was move in ready yet on a well traveled street. Knowing the market is hot our initial offer was about $30,000 over the asking price. As these are strong buyers, able