The Chasm Between Buyers and Sellers

by Kirsten on September 3, 2010

Glen Canyon Arizona by Wolfgang Staudt, on Flickr

Glen Canyon Arizona by Wolfgang Staudt, on Flickr

Lately, Redfin has published, commented in and re-tweeted several articles and blog posts about the chasm between buyers and sellers. The company recently published data they compiled from seven U. S. counties showing that only about half of all homes listed in 2009 actually sold. The resulting articles from everyone from the WSJ to The Motley Fool, told a tale of sellers asking too much and buyers coming to the table with obscenely lowball offers.

So I thought we would weigh in on this for our 4 or so readers and I am here to tell ya… yeah, it’s happening, and in a big way. Surprisingly, with all we have been through in the last three years, sellers still have expectations that they are going to come out ahead even though we are hearing appraisers are still adjusting down in anticipation of a further declining market. Buyers, on the other hand, feel like they are catching a falling rock and want to make sure to mitigate potential losses. It results in a stalemate.

For buyers, in many cases, it’s no big deal. There is plenty of inventory out there and eventually a seller will come along who is desperate or more likely, reasonable. Buyers, after losing a few opportunities, eventually become reasonable too. My only word of warning is… if you find a really special house, like this one, don’t wait. Like Redfin, we are seeing buyers sitting on the fence, watching a particular house like a hawk, not wanting to make the first move. Problem is, if the house is cool enough, somebody will eventually make a run at it and then everyone rushes to the table and a bidding war ensues.

Been there…done that. Great for the seller, sucks for the buyer(s).

For sellers, I have a different tale of woe. Lately, I have heard story after story from sellers who received an initial offer they thought was too low, buyer went away and several months and price reductions later, end up accepting an offer much lower than the first one and kicking themselves the entire way to the closing table. The message here…if you have a bird in hand, be reasonable, listen to your agent (you hired them for this purpose, remember?) and try not to get hung up on recouping your investment.

The take-way..the market is what it is, you either accept it for what it is and deal accordingly or you wait it out.

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I Can Apply This to So Many Things…

by Kirsten on August 27, 2010

From the movie Billy Madison…but so appropriate to the real estate biz these days. Would like to have said this to one particular agent I spoke with last week. Enjoy!

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FHA Raises Mortgage Insurance Premiums

Mortgage insurance premium payments by Kirsten August 6, 2010 Uncategorized

Prepare for FHA mortgages to get more expensive. If you already aren’t aware, the low upfront cost to obtain an FHA mortgage (currently 3.5% down payment) comes with the requirement that a borrower pay for mortgage insurance to cover FHA in case of default. The current Mortgage Insurance Premium, or M.I.P. , is .55% of [...]

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Will Buyers Get Off the Fence?

by Kirsten August 3, 2010 Interest rates

photo credit: limonadaI received a call yesterday from a couple wanting to see one of our listings. This was the second time they had seen the home, having been through the weekend before during our open house. This time they brought Mom with them, and all the kids. As the couple methodically went through [...]

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