How well do exclusive buyer’s agents do, in the face of a tough seller’s market? Here are results for the hardest seller’s market we have faced, ever! Our report card for the first three quarters of 2015: No clients waived their home inspections in order to buy a house. No clients waived mortgage contingency unless
When is the best time of year to buy a home? RealtyTrac took a big data approach to this question, analyzing 32 million single family home and condo sales over the past 15 years. They compared average sale prices to average estimated market value at the time of sale to determine whether buyers paid a
More data is not better data. I advise my clients to look for indications of negotiation points, like comparable sales, the seller buying another property, and neighborhood issues that are chasing the seller from their property (this is common if a building project is nearby or the taxes just went up… that kind of thing.)
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
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
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
It is no surprise that women are often lied to in negotiations. It is not even surprising to me that both men and women are more likely to lie to a woman than a to a man. People who are perceived as “warm” are lied to less, but that does not make up for the
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.
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
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