Your dining room table is the scene of high drama. Your home has been listed for sale for six weeks, and finally, the first offer has come in. You are meeting with the agents, and are very excited until they mention the price--it is a lot less than you expected.
Before you feel offended, however, remember that the first offer is often just the beginning of a negotiating process. Your agent can help you weigh the good and bad points, evaluating the price in relationship to the terms or conditions of the sale. Sometimes an offer with a low price can look quite attractive once you understand all of the terms. If you are willing to make some compromises, the buyers may accept a counter offer that will give you more money. A lower price from highly qualified buyers may be better than one from people who may have difficulties with financing. Keep in mind that your first negotiated price is often your best price!
Making An Offer : Low Offers
You have found the perfect house with everything you wanted--and then some--but the price is more than you want to pay. You decide to go for it anyway, and ask the agent to submit what real estate agents call a "low ball" offer.
Low ball offers sometimes work. If the market is fluctuating and the sellers are anxious, they may just accept it. They may be willing to negotiate if they have listed the house at a higher price than is reasonable. Most sellers are open to offers, but they won't give their house away, especially if the asking price is in line with recent sales of similar homes.
What do you have to lose by making a low offer? If the seller yells and screams, the agent will be the focus of his wrath -- and we don't take it personally. If you really want the house, however, a very low initial offer may irritate the seller to the point that he won't consider a better offer, if you decide to submit one. Design your strategy on the basis of how badly you want the house.
First Time Buyers: Credit Card Traps
It is not unusual for first-time buyers to be free of debt. They have been saving for their first home for many months or even years. But after they move into their new home, the new homeowners are often deluged with pre-approved credit card applications from banks and stores offering credit lines. Before they realize what is happening, they can be overwhelmed with debt.
The consumer credit agencies know that mortgage companies do thorough checks before approving a loan, and those who have passed through that process are considered good credit risks. They also know that new homeowners often need to make major purchases of furniture and appliances at a time when they have depleted most of their savings accounts. After years of disciplined savings, new owners may be faced with a tremendous temptation to just say "charge it" for the things they need.
If you have just purchased a home, be aware--and wary--when those credit card applications start pouring in!
Fair Market Value
What is the best price for a piece of real estate? Mortgage lenders, appraisers, and real estate brokers use what is called the "fair market value" (FMV). FMV has been defined as "the price that a buyer is willing to pay and the seller is willing to accept, when both parties are knowledgeable about the property and neither is under any time pressure to buy or sell". Sounds great, but how is this price determined?
The starting point for determining a fair price may be an opinion of the value or "comparative market analysis". Such an analysis uses information on similar properties which are: 1) currently for sale, 2) already sold, or 3) expired properties (those which did not sell). Local, national and international trends and market conditions must also be evaluated.
By comparing similar properties in each of the three categories and the market conditions, appraisers, lenders and agents come very close to the maximum price that buyers would be willing to pay for a house.
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