dancerjodi (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
dancerjodi) wrote2002-04-10 07:42 am
dancerjodi) wrote2002-04-10 07:42 am
Houses
So B and I looked at our first house last night - not too exciting (small rooms, old kitchen, old and wimpy electrical system and a lot of unusable land). Now that we've started the home search process things are getting excited . . . I want to keep looking and just get this phase of the whole thing done.
But we got our official pre-approval letter (woo hoo)! It was so weird to see such big numbers on paper!
I found another house in Waltham, this one is on the South Side off of Moody Street (only about 5 blocks from where my parents live its not RIGHT on the Newton Line but the realtor is advertising it as such) that we got the address for and drove by last night. Its a pretty big colonial with a nice sized yard for the city and its fairly private (its at the end of a long driveway from the street and there is 6 foot wood fencing giving privacy from the surrounding lots). We're going to look at it tomorrow during lunch - we're actually actively excited about this one (versus the one we looked at last night which we were pretty convinced we wouldn't like).
So - if we see this house and like it and the price and area and all amenities fit what do we do about it? I don't want to make an offer on the 2nd house we tour but on the other hand I don't want to lose one that just "clicks" and would perfectly meet our needs. I'm hoping that if all goes well tomorrow we can tell the Realtor that we're interested but need a few days to think about it and then we can knock out a bunch of other home visits at open-houses over the weekend. Do you think a realtor would be willing to call us if other offers come in (to see if we'll give a better one) or would they just sell to the first reasonable offer? Or is it up to the homeowner? This is a very confusing process to me, being someone that doesn't haggle for price . . .
Weird weird weird!
But we got our official pre-approval letter (woo hoo)! It was so weird to see such big numbers on paper!
I found another house in Waltham, this one is on the South Side off of Moody Street (only about 5 blocks from where my parents live its not RIGHT on the Newton Line but the realtor is advertising it as such) that we got the address for and drove by last night. Its a pretty big colonial with a nice sized yard for the city and its fairly private (its at the end of a long driveway from the street and there is 6 foot wood fencing giving privacy from the surrounding lots). We're going to look at it tomorrow during lunch - we're actually actively excited about this one (versus the one we looked at last night which we were pretty convinced we wouldn't like).
So - if we see this house and like it and the price and area and all amenities fit what do we do about it? I don't want to make an offer on the 2nd house we tour but on the other hand I don't want to lose one that just "clicks" and would perfectly meet our needs. I'm hoping that if all goes well tomorrow we can tell the Realtor that we're interested but need a few days to think about it and then we can knock out a bunch of other home visits at open-houses over the weekend. Do you think a realtor would be willing to call us if other offers come in (to see if we'll give a better one) or would they just sell to the first reasonable offer? Or is it up to the homeowner? This is a very confusing process to me, being someone that doesn't haggle for price . . .
Weird weird weird!
Re: advice part 3
Now how do I find a buyer's realtor? Just walk in to the office and say "hi, I want a buyer's realtor"? How did you two find one?
Re: advice part 3
Actually, i'm not sure a million dollar home is much to shake a stick at in newton area... is it more like 10 million? or more?!?
seriously, it's just a matter of finding one in a realtor office. and i GUARANTEE you that if you went in, talked to whichever realtor was manning the desk at the time, they would NOT suggest, "oh, i think you're a good fit for $PERSON, i'll put you in touch with them." nope, it's cutthroat, they'll keep you for themselves until they think you're dead weight. i think it's a combo of hitting several realtor offices, preferably in person, and talking with many realtors, getting cards (taking notes in the car after "interviewing" each one?)... feeling them out for the area, prices, questions you have, both to inform you and to get a feel for their character, personality, aggressiveness, honesty. then see if any friends (or friends of friends) that live in the area know of any 'good' realtors that cover that area (you'd be surprised how far a realtor will travel! but for your best bang for your buck, you'll want someone centrally located at least somewhat close to your desired location).
when we moved to Acton, we went to a realtor to find a place to rent. when we decicded to buy, we went back to her. she was older, proficient, knowledgable. and also matronly and too, i dunno, businesslike. no real complaints, it was entirely personal. so when we decided to sell, and buy new home, we first went buying hunting, and basically were calling realtors for the listings we were interested in (this was our "We Aren't Buying Now Just Looking To Get A Feel For The Land And Prices" stage). one of the realtors was really friendly, aggressive, young (well, 30's, which was comparably young). we were actually somewhat interested in a house she was representing, which could have caused a conflict of interest (we would have probably gotten another realtor, possibly from same agency, to represent us). but we didn't, and we signed her on (another (semi)legal document) to solely represent us. she did, i think, a great job -- finding listing that matched us, giving us feedback, and also handling the sale of our home afterward (as i mentioned, she got us a 33% return on a 2 year ownership! woo hoo!).
hth.
Re: advice part 3
Re: advice part 3
And you see why I bought a car at Saturn . . . just walk in and pay price on the sticker :)
Re: advice part 3