Home buying can go die in a fire

"SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza" (saigashooter)
01/26/2018 at 17:03 • Filed to: None

Find a house you like? Accepted offer 5 minutes before you found it.

Oh you found another one? That one has an accepted offer from a month ago, no we don’t know why its still listed as for sale, enjoy watching it show up in your search results over and over.

This one looks good! Walk through - Photoshop should be banned.

Hey, how about this one? OK! Walk through - Is this a house for ants? Wide-angle lenses should be banned.

Days of nothing meeting your criteria. House appears in your search results, accepted offer before making it to the real estate sites.

Hmm, I should set a search alert for houses and filter on bathrooms, wait, I can only choose whole numbers, what if 1.5 baths is acceptable to me.

Maybe I should just buy a service garage and add 3 bedrooms to it....

DISCUSSION (21)

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza
01/26/2018 at 17:18

WilliamsSW > SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza
01/26/2018 at 17:21

So, I presume you’re another Seattle Oppo? (I’m not but clearly that market is a debacle for buyers)

SmugAardvark > SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza
01/26/2018 at 17:22

I feel your pain. My girl and I looked for about 15 months before we found the house we wanted and could make an accepted offer on. It sucks, but it really is worth it in the end.

Roadster Man > SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza
01/26/2018 at 17:22

On your second complaint: So many people back out of house-buying after signing a binder that it’s common practice to keep a house listed until there is a signed contract and 10% cash deposit. People even back out after signing a contract and handing over the 1% deposit. That’s why it’s still listed for sale. It’s a mega pain in the ass to take a listing out of the MLS after a signed binder and then getting the listing back into the MLS just because some jagoff gets cold feet. Common industry practice, sorry man.

And I’m only a real estate attorney, so I can’t defend any of that other shit. Some Sellers and Brokers can be sneaky.

SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza > WilliamsSW
01/26/2018 at 17:23

Not Seattle, thankfully, just on a tight budget and things at our price point move hilariously fast.

ranwhenparked > SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza
01/26/2018 at 17:25

Yeah, I’m going through that crap right now.

Found one I like, but its listed with another agency and is an hour from my realtor’s office, and now suddenly he can’t meet me to look at it. Also, he’s acting like he’s unsure whether its a well and septic (sounds like he’s trying to steer me away from it), even though the listing clearly states its on city water and sewer.

SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
01/26/2018 at 17:25

I have to say, I have been enjoying your posts. Not envious of the property values out there though, too rich for my blood.

WilliamsSW > SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza
01/26/2018 at 17:26

I think finding a good buyer’s agent who clearly understands what you want, and is proactive about getting you into houses the instant they hit the market (if not *before*) helps when it’s tight like that.

Good luck!

HammerheadFistpunch > SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza
01/26/2018 at 17:29

House buying, job hunting and dating to find a companion (I like dating my wife though) are things I don’t miss at all.

SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza > ranwhenparked
01/26/2018 at 17:29

Realtor- I can meet you any time to do a showing.

The Next Day

Us - We’d like to see these two.

Realtor - Oh, I’m out of town the next two days.

WTF Dude? Did you forget a family vacation? I kinda hope someone in your extended family died.

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza
01/26/2018 at 17:33

I’ve noticed a huge trend in super polished photos, wide angle lenses, and HDR photos on listings lately. If you make the house look like a fairytale and it is actually just a normal house, it isn’t going to magically be a better house. :-/

Sorry for your pain. Sounds like a frustrating market.

SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
01/26/2018 at 17:38

At least you can usually pick out the HDR photos right away, and the wide angle shots tend to cause things to slope funny, like Windows that get much wider on one end or a ceiling that slopes up one way. It just makes it hard to discern if the house is actually half decent or not.

Decay buys too many beaters > SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza
01/26/2018 at 17:39

I feel you pain, house hunting back in 2015 was one of the most disheartening shitty experiences of my life. I was constantly stressed and anxious, for months solid.

House I ended up buying went up about 8 hours before I put in an offer (I was the 4th offer)

razorbeamteam > SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza
01/26/2018 at 17:40

I gave up on home buying a few years ago. Too stressful, too much money/debt, the whole process takes over your life, and buying condos is a huge dice roll on if your HOA will be garbage or not. I live in Chicago, so a single family home isn’t really an option for me.

I’m content being another avocado toast eating, apartment renting millennial doing my part to ruin the housing market for everyone.

ranwhenparked > SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza
01/26/2018 at 17:57

Pretty much. He’s a straight shooter, seems like a good guy, so I’d prefer to stick with him, but I’m kind of wondering whether I should just call the other realtor directly and see if he can show the house. Dick move though.

Funktheduck > SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza
01/26/2018 at 18:43

When my ex and I were house shopping the demand in the area was crazy. The house she eventually got had 6 or 7 offers in within the first few hours it was listed. People were putting in offers all over town sight unseen just as a way to put a hold on things they might want.

TheRealBicycleBuck > SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza
01/26/2018 at 19:16

From the other side of the fence:

Offer comes in 10% below asking price and they want us to cover 100% of closing.

Counter-offer for asking price + 1/2 of closing. Offer accepted pending inspection.

Buyer trying to get 100% financing through FHA. Discover that FHA changed their rules and even though the house was originally financed through FHA, current foundation doesn’t meet new requirements. Now it needs $4k in foundation work to qualify. Only ONE guy is willing to do the work.

Now they found termites NEAR, but not IN the house. The lender wants it treated just in case. They also found an electrical panel deficiency and want GFCI outlets added and the A/C pad leveled and ....

All together, another few grand of work just to meet lender requirements. Thousands more for nice to have, but not necessary repairs. We priced it with these in mind, but now I have to deal with a changed buyer perception. Hey are already asking for EVERYTHING to be repaired. Did they not know they were making an offer on a 30 year old house? It isn’t going to be perfect.

Galileo Humpkins (aka MC Clap Yo Handz) > SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza
01/26/2018 at 19:40

I’m so glad our home buying process was pain free (aside from the actual pain of my appendectomy at the time). Sounds like so many people have only horror stories.

SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza > ranwhenparked
01/26/2018 at 20:27

We actually just did that today. Nice guy, but always 5 minutes late, has never brought anything to us, and we seem to have to badger him to make sure he does things. His commission will be going to a competitor now. His fault for not having us sign a contract.

SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza > TheRealBicycleBuck
01/26/2018 at 20:29

Note to self, don’t be a jackass when I find a house to make an offer on.

LastFirstMI is my name > SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza
01/26/2018 at 23:10

I’m looking for an old fire station- huge garage, a big kitchen, and a fire pole. Everything you need!