Hesistant to dip my foot in

[sdgrrl]

This whole thing just sounds weird.

First they bid up the price from $299k to nothing under $375k. They will not pay closing cost.

We come back with a higher bid and asking them to pay 100% of the closing cost and they agree.

Then yesterday they tell our agent that if the home appraisal is under asking price they will only pay $5k in closing cost.

Someone on this thread made a statement that the agent sounds like he is an investor in it. Our realtor tells us the buyer and agent are brothers.

Now today, they want to meet us face to face. My guys is infuriated with all hoops we have jumped though. The only request we asked was for closing cost. He thinks its just weird.

Kurt told our agent if in any way they are persistent

or egg it on that we are thru. Completely over it.

Already looking at other properties.

[Coronita]

[quote=sdgrrl]This whole thing just sounds weird.

First they bid up the price from $299k to nothing under $375k. They will not pay closing cost.

We come back with a higher bid and asking them to pay 100% of the closing cost and they agree.

Then yesterday they tell our agent that if the home appraisal is under asking price they will only pay $5k in closing cost.

Someone on this thread made a statement that the agent sounds like he is an investor in it. Our realtor tells us the buyer and agent are brothers.

Now today, they want to meet us face to face. My guys is infuriated with all hoops we have jumped though. The only request we asked was for closing cost. He thinks its just weird.

Kurt told our agent if in any way they are persistent

or egg it on that we are thru. Completely over it.

Already looking at other properties.[/quote]

I think you’ll look back at this and be thankful you didn’t go through with it. There’s always another house.

[sdgrrl]

I 100% agree Flu.

[(former)FormerSanDiegan]

I have a slightly different take on this. These sellers are difficult to work with, which in the long run reduces the value they will get for their property. The property has dropped out of escrow before, which I would attribute to them being idiots and making hard-line demands which scare away buyers like you. It seems to me that they think they are drawing a hard line and negotiating. But, they are just going to lose another buyer and further taint their property. TO get a max price and gain form a home sale the seller needs to be accommodating and open, at least that was my approach in the past when selling and I think we extracted max profit when selling.

Use this to your advantage. Be willing to walk away, and don’t assume that their take-it-or leave-it caps on closing costs are set in stone.
Once you get an appraisal, ask for whatever the hell you want. If they have demands that don’t line up with your needs, then move on. Their loss.

[Coronita]

[quote=FormerSanDiegan]I have a slightly different take on this. These sellers are difficult to work with, which in the long run reduces the value they will get for their property. The property has dropped out of escrow before, which I would attribute to them being idiots and making hard-line demands which scare away buyers like you. It seems to me that they think they are drawing a hard line and negotiating. But, they are just going to lose another buyer and further taint their property. TO get a max price and gain form a home sale the seller needs to be accommodating and open, at least that was my approach in the past when selling and I think we extracted max profit when selling.

Use this to your advantage. Be willing to walk away, and don’t assume that their take-it-or leave-it caps on closing costs are set in stone.
Once you get an appraisal, ask for whatever the hell you want. If they have demands that don’t line up with your needs, then move on. Their loss.[/quote]

I would agree, if I actually offered a much lower price from the beginning. The problem is the OP basically offered $5k above what seller “says” was the highest offer. Since there’s a question of trust now, you have to wonder if there really is another offer out their at that price. For sanity, I’d just walk because the problem is the OP’s agent also doesn’t have OP’s best interest in mind. OP’s agent is related to the the seller. And it is unlikely this transaction is going to happen with a different agent, if you know what I mean. I’d entertain haggling with this person if this was a short sales or REO with a pretty good discount, but this isn’t the case in this transaction. Move on.

[bearishgurl]

[quote=sdgrrl] . . . Someone on this thread made a statement that the agent sounds like he is an investor in it. Our realtor tells us the buyer and agent are brothers….[/quote]

I don’t think the OP’s agent is a relative of the seller or his agent. I think she meant to say “seller,” not buyer.

OP, are you saying here that your agent told you that seller and his agent are brothers?

Who is “Kristi Stevens” of Coldwell Banker in Santee? What is her role in your transaction? She is listed in your Sandicor MLS pfl as the listing agent for your listing. I’m going to ask you again, have you ever actually met her? Has your agent ever met her??

[bearishgurl]

[quote=bearishgurl][quote=sdgrrl]Wow. I don’t know who said it, but someone thought the realtor was an investor. His brother is the seller.[/quote]sdgrrl, this is typical with flipper teams. Many of them are family affairs, with an “in-house” (related) agent or broker among them. However, the listing agent in your MLS pfl is shown as Kristi Stevens, a female. Have you ever actually met her?

I don’t like the new request. It seems they want to ensure that they have a few thousand in case you walk, for whatever reason. They want you to hang in there as long as it takes your lender to order your VA appraisal, the appraisal to be completed and the report to come back. Think about that. That could take well beyond your 17-day (or 12-day, as the case may be) contingency period.

It appears that you were trying to buy it with a very low downpayment (fraction of the closing costs) or as a VA no no. What does your agent advise you to do?[/quote]Earlier, the OP posted that the (listing) realtor was the brother of the seller. This is the way I understood it.

If this is the case, do you (OP) know why are they used a “straw agent” to list the property on the MLS? She is licensed …. NOT an unlicensed “assistant.”

[sdgrrl]

[quote=bearishgurl][quote=bearishgurl][quote=sdgrrl]Wow. I don’t know who said it, but someone thought the realtor was an investor. His brother is the seller.[/quote]sdgrrl, this is typical with flipper teams. Many of them are family affairs, with an “in-house” (related) agent or broker among them. However, the listing agent in your MLS pfl is shown as Kristi Stevens, a female. Have you ever actually met her?

I don’t like the new request. It seems they want to ensure that they have a few thousand in case you walk, for whatever reason. They want you to hang in there as long as it takes your lender to order your VA appraisal, the appraisal to be completed and the report to come back. Think about that. That could take well beyond your 17-day (or 12-day, as the case may be) contingency period.

It appears that you were trying to buy it with a very low downpayment (fraction of the closing costs) or as a VA no no. What does your agent advise you to do?[/quote]Earlier, the OP posted that the (listing) realtor was the brother of the seller. This is the way I understood it.

If this is the case, do you (OP) know why are they used a “straw agent” to list the property on the MLS? She is licensed …. NOT an unlicensed “assistant.”[/quote]

I BG,

That is correct- the seller is the brother of the listing agent. Our agent is Kristi and we have been working with her for a year now.

As of right now we are officially in escrow. We will see which repairs need to be done, but also what the VA appraises it for. If the VA comes back and says the home is worth $355k that is what the loan will be for.

Our listing is agent is paying for the home inspection ($450) and our broker is paying for the appraisal.

I think our listing agent knows we are on the point of bolting. Our broker messed up on the first home we were in escrow with and told us for the next appraisal he would pay for it.

The seller is giving us a one year warranty.

I do hope we get it if the home is up to par.

Wish us luck!

[mixxalot]

Me thinks that BG and flu need to get a room! Geez, BG, you always rant like crazy.

Then again, lets not feed trolls.

[jfel]

sdgrrl,

So what happened?

[sdgrrl]

Hi jfel,

The VA valuation came through today and the house is $1k more than our offer of $385k.

It looks positive. The inspection went really well. We will still receive a $5k credit for ‘landscaping’.

I honestly doubted the sellers and the bid they made, but it seems now they were being fair in their pricing.

One little caveat is my fiance’s dad gave us a chunk of change to help with appliances- the home has none. This was not a good move. We should have cashed the check after we got the home. Now his father has to show proof it was a gift and also his financial information to prove the gift did not impact his finances negatively. I had no idea.

Spoke to out realtor tonight and she felt confident everything would go well since we can get all the needed documentation. She also said things would start to move fast very quickly now.

I will definitely keep you all posted.

[sdgrrl]

The notary came by and we signed off.

It’s official. We are Southern California homeowners.

Coupon clipping here I come!

Thank you everyone for your input and advice during this crazy ride.

[scaredyclassic]

[quote=sdgrrl]The notary came by and we signed off.

It’s official. We are Southern California homeowners.

Coupon clipping here I come!

Thank you everyone for your input and advice during this crazy ride.[/quote]

its gonna be awesome

[sdgrrl]

Just another recap.

We absolutely love our home. My fiance is a bit of a snob and has was very unrealistic when we were house hunting. He said last night how happy he was and he is not the joyful type lol.

I’m from a small town about an hour outside Houston. I feel a bit like I am in Texas. People really do wave when you drive past. There is the group of retired guys I pass everything morning at 7:20 on the dot doing their team walk around the block.

Hawaii is my favorite place to travel since which isn’t too far away. When I drive down our little windy road each morning, there is a little glimpse of all of the mountains and there is always a little haze on top. For that little moment it feels like I am in Hawaii.

Just wanted to send a quick note.

Thank you all again for your input.

[zk]

[quote=sdgrrl]Just another recap.

We absolutely love our home. My fiance is a bit of a snob and has was very unrealistic when we were house hunting. He said last night how happy he was and he is not the joyful type lol.

I’m from a small town about an hour outside Houston. I feel a bit like I am in Texas. People really do wave when you drive past. There is the group of retired guys I pass everything morning at 7:20 on the dot doing their team walk around the block.

Hawaii is my favorite place to travel since which isn’t too far away. When I drive down our little windy road each morning, there is a little glimpse of all of the mountains and there is always a little haze on top. For that little moment it feels like I am in Hawaii.

Just wanted to send a quick note.

Thank you all again for your input.[/quote]

What a nice story. So great to hear. Congratulations!!

[Author]

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