[beanmaestro]

Well, for shits and giggles, the duplex we’re currently renting has a Zestimate of 1.47M, despite having a total rent of $4100/mo, and being in worse shape than duplexes that have rotted on the market around $1.1M. When they’re off by 50%, you just have to laugh.

[beanmaestro]

Well, for shits and giggles, the duplex we’re currently renting has a Zestimate of 1.47M, despite having a total rent of $4100/mo, and being in worse shape than duplexes that have rotted on the market around $1.1M. When they’re off by 50%, you just have to laugh.

[beanmaestro]

Ray,

I’ll give you the Piggington party line on this.

Prices are coming down fast, so time is on your side. Being in a hurry to buy will cause you to pay a higher price, both because you may look desperate, and because the asking price is falling. Seriously consider renting for year or two while you get to know the area. Then decide where you want to live, then buy.

As for buying with minimal agent help, I would figure that buying from out of state is exactly the case case where you DO want an agent. That way, you can see the most appropriate houses (out of tens of thousands in the county) during your visit to San Diego. My wife and I are planning to do this when we visit potential cities… we also get to “test drive” the agents by seeing if they can refer us to suitable properties)

Also, presenting offers directly to the seller (and bypassing their agent) won’t help if the seller already has a contract with a broker.

[beanmaestro]

Ray,

I’ll give you the Piggington party line on this.

Prices are coming down fast, so time is on your side. Being in a hurry to buy will cause you to pay a higher price, both because you may look desperate, and because the asking price is falling. Seriously consider renting for year or two while you get to know the area. Then decide where you want to live, then buy.

As for buying with minimal agent help, I would figure that buying from out of state is exactly the case case where you DO want an agent. That way, you can see the most appropriate houses (out of tens of thousands in the county) during your visit to San Diego. My wife and I are planning to do this when we visit potential cities… we also get to “test drive” the agents by seeing if they can refer us to suitable properties)

Also, presenting offers directly to the seller (and bypassing their agent) won’t help if the seller already has a contract with a broker.

[beanmaestro]

Ray,

I’ll give you the Piggington party line on this.

Prices are coming down fast, so time is on your side. Being in a hurry to buy will cause you to pay a higher price, both because you may look desperate, and because the asking price is falling. Seriously consider renting for year or two while you get to know the area. Then decide where you want to live, then buy.

As for buying with minimal agent help, I would figure that buying from out of state is exactly the case case where you DO want an agent. That way, you can see the most appropriate houses (out of tens of thousands in the county) during your visit to San Diego. My wife and I are planning to do this when we visit potential cities… we also get to “test drive” the agents by seeing if they can refer us to suitable properties)

Also, presenting offers directly to the seller (and bypassing their agent) won’t help if the seller already has a contract with a broker.

[beanmaestro]

Ray,

I’ll give you the Piggington party line on this.

Prices are coming down fast, so time is on your side. Being in a hurry to buy will cause you to pay a higher price, both because you may look desperate, and because the asking price is falling. Seriously consider renting for year or two while you get to know the area. Then decide where you want to live, then buy.

As for buying with minimal agent help, I would figure that buying from out of state is exactly the case case where you DO want an agent. That way, you can see the most appropriate houses (out of tens of thousands in the county) during your visit to San Diego. My wife and I are planning to do this when we visit potential cities… we also get to “test drive” the agents by seeing if they can refer us to suitable properties)

Also, presenting offers directly to the seller (and bypassing their agent) won’t help if the seller already has a contract with a broker.

[beanmaestro]

Ray,

I’ll give you the Piggington party line on this.

Prices are coming down fast, so time is on your side. Being in a hurry to buy will cause you to pay a higher price, both because you may look desperate, and because the asking price is falling. Seriously consider renting for year or two while you get to know the area. Then decide where you want to live, then buy.

As for buying with minimal agent help, I would figure that buying from out of state is exactly the case case where you DO want an agent. That way, you can see the most appropriate houses (out of tens of thousands in the county) during your visit to San Diego. My wife and I are planning to do this when we visit potential cities… we also get to “test drive” the agents by seeing if they can refer us to suitable properties)

Also, presenting offers directly to the seller (and bypassing their agent) won’t help if the seller already has a contract with a broker.

[beanmaestro]

bjensen-

Being an overeducated engineer, I have a different enough background than you that I’m talking out my ass, but a couple thoughts:

– Being competitive in law school will be awfully hard unless your family is willing to full support you on the home front. Your competition may well have a lot fewer distractions than you.
– Even if you get a $100-150k job after you graduate, consider what it costs. My lawyer friends work 20 more hours a week than I do, and have $100k more loans than I do. They’re welcome to a higher salary.
– Sales is a fine jumping off point to start a more ambitious job, especially at a start-up. You might consider the next such offer, and talk to the principals about your desire to do more than sales. In many of the startups I’ve seen, the initial sales guy becomes the CFO pretty fast. Any small company benefits from someone who can wear many hats.
– If you do go to law school, tailor your education to enhance something you’re already good at, maybe sales. Generic lawyers ARE a dime a dozen, don’t be generic.
– Learn math at some point, just to prove to yourself that you can do it. If hormone-addled teenagers can do it, it can’t be that hard.

[beanmaestro]

bjensen-

Being an overeducated engineer, I have a different enough background than you that I’m talking out my ass, but a couple thoughts:

– Being competitive in law school will be awfully hard unless your family is willing to full support you on the home front. Your competition may well have a lot fewer distractions than you.
– Even if you get a $100-150k job after you graduate, consider what it costs. My lawyer friends work 20 more hours a week than I do, and have $100k more loans than I do. They’re welcome to a higher salary.
– Sales is a fine jumping off point to start a more ambitious job, especially at a start-up. You might consider the next such offer, and talk to the principals about your desire to do more than sales. In many of the startups I’ve seen, the initial sales guy becomes the CFO pretty fast. Any small company benefits from someone who can wear many hats.
– If you do go to law school, tailor your education to enhance something you’re already good at, maybe sales. Generic lawyers ARE a dime a dozen, don’t be generic.
– Learn math at some point, just to prove to yourself that you can do it. If hormone-addled teenagers can do it, it can’t be that hard.

[beanmaestro]

bjensen-

Being an overeducated engineer, I have a different enough background than you that I’m talking out my ass, but a couple thoughts:

– Being competitive in law school will be awfully hard unless your family is willing to full support you on the home front. Your competition may well have a lot fewer distractions than you.
– Even if you get a $100-150k job after you graduate, consider what it costs. My lawyer friends work 20 more hours a week than I do, and have $100k more loans than I do. They’re welcome to a higher salary.
– Sales is a fine jumping off point to start a more ambitious job, especially at a start-up. You might consider the next such offer, and talk to the principals about your desire to do more than sales. In many of the startups I’ve seen, the initial sales guy becomes the CFO pretty fast. Any small company benefits from someone who can wear many hats.
– If you do go to law school, tailor your education to enhance something you’re already good at, maybe sales. Generic lawyers ARE a dime a dozen, don’t be generic.
– Learn math at some point, just to prove to yourself that you can do it. If hormone-addled teenagers can do it, it can’t be that hard.

[beanmaestro]

bjensen-

Being an overeducated engineer, I have a different enough background than you that I’m talking out my ass, but a couple thoughts:

– Being competitive in law school will be awfully hard unless your family is willing to full support you on the home front. Your competition may well have a lot fewer distractions than you.
– Even if you get a $100-150k job after you graduate, consider what it costs. My lawyer friends work 20 more hours a week than I do, and have $100k more loans than I do. They’re welcome to a higher salary.
– Sales is a fine jumping off point to start a more ambitious job, especially at a start-up. You might consider the next such offer, and talk to the principals about your desire to do more than sales. In many of the startups I’ve seen, the initial sales guy becomes the CFO pretty fast. Any small company benefits from someone who can wear many hats.
– If you do go to law school, tailor your education to enhance something you’re already good at, maybe sales. Generic lawyers ARE a dime a dozen, don’t be generic.
– Learn math at some point, just to prove to yourself that you can do it. If hormone-addled teenagers can do it, it can’t be that hard.

[beanmaestro]

bjensen-

Being an overeducated engineer, I have a different enough background than you that I’m talking out my ass, but a couple thoughts:

– Being competitive in law school will be awfully hard unless your family is willing to full support you on the home front. Your competition may well have a lot fewer distractions than you.
– Even if you get a $100-150k job after you graduate, consider what it costs. My lawyer friends work 20 more hours a week than I do, and have $100k more loans than I do. They’re welcome to a higher salary.
– Sales is a fine jumping off point to start a more ambitious job, especially at a start-up. You might consider the next such offer, and talk to the principals about your desire to do more than sales. In many of the startups I’ve seen, the initial sales guy becomes the CFO pretty fast. Any small company benefits from someone who can wear many hats.
– If you do go to law school, tailor your education to enhance something you’re already good at, maybe sales. Generic lawyers ARE a dime a dozen, don’t be generic.
– Learn math at some point, just to prove to yourself that you can do it. If hormone-addled teenagers can do it, it can’t be that hard.

[beanmaestro]

Ultimately, the problem is that the house hasn’t fallen the 25% until the agents and buyer accept that it has. They might consider 5-10% under ask, but until they’re lowering the price every week, 25% is a bridge too far. Especially since a homedebtor often doesn’t have that much equity to give (and if so, leverage causes your 25% discount to be a 75% equity cut to them)

I’d be inclined to bypass the realtors when they’re getting in the way… just make your own offers, and consider putting the owner’s name on the address line 🙂

[beanmaestro]

Ultimately, the problem is that the house hasn’t fallen the 25% until the agents and buyer accept that it has. They might consider 5-10% under ask, but until they’re lowering the price every week, 25% is a bridge too far. Especially since a homedebtor often doesn’t have that much equity to give (and if so, leverage causes your 25% discount to be a 75% equity cut to them)

I’d be inclined to bypass the realtors when they’re getting in the way… just make your own offers, and consider putting the owner’s name on the address line 🙂

[beanmaestro]

Ultimately, the problem is that the house hasn’t fallen the 25% until the agents and buyer accept that it has. They might consider 5-10% under ask, but until they’re lowering the price every week, 25% is a bridge too far. Especially since a homedebtor often doesn’t have that much equity to give (and if so, leverage causes your 25% discount to be a 75% equity cut to them)

I’d be inclined to bypass the realtors when they’re getting in the way… just make your own offers, and consider putting the owner’s name on the address line 🙂

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