[quote=briansd1][quote=JBurkett19]Someone else posted a good observation on another place here, and that is there are a ton of eyes on this market and an inactive buyer is even more at a disadvantage than one actively persuing. Even with all of the inventory out there, and the so-called experts calling for more to come, good deals don’t stay for long. Find a particualr neighborhood you’re interested in and watch it closely. If something comes up you like, put in an offer. See how things play out. Stay emotionally detached from the transaction and it’ll happen how it’s supposed to. [/quote]
good recommendation.
But why ever become “inactive”? I think that it’s fun to keep up with house prices just like any other prices.[/quote]
My personal experience is that if you are serious about BUYING, not just looking and keeping your eye on the market, then being “active” doesn’t just mean looking at listings.
You have to get out there and look at homes that fit your criteria on paper, but really, its about the nuances and the devil is in the details and you only know this if you are personally looking at these homes and asking the right questions on the condition of the homes.
I know a lot of people who are only looking at numbers and listings, but you don’t get any perspective on what’s out there and what’s a FAIR price until you go see 100 homes in that neighborhood over the course of time.
I see so many posts about how people got deals on this house or that listing just based on looking at the listing and what it sold for, but how do you know its a good deal? Usually they arent, they are money pits with major issues like foundation, slope, mold. Or they compare 2 homes with similar character, but 1 home that sold 50k higher had a new foundation, new roof, new copper wiring, tankless water heater, forced air, new windows, solar panels installed. Neither get into any of this on the listing description, dont underestimate how poorly some of them are written and also overestimate the quality of the house based on wide angled photoshopped pics. The other home has none of these, but they just look at the price and say what a deal the cheaper home was.
Unless you are actually looking, and ready to make offers, I think you’ll find it hard to find the right house that is a deal. Just my 2 cents if you are serious
