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Open Question: Is there such thing as having bad luck all the time?

I think im jinxed.... Everytime I try to get ahead in life something comes tumbling down on me. And it isn't little , there is always some sort of drama going on. Example, I had a lock smith come to my home this afternoon to change my locks, well you would think that this would be an easy job, it took the man 2 hours to do and he checked the locks with the new keys and they seemed to be working fine so we left. later i went out and couldn't lock the doors. the keys just wouldn't turn. plus One of the keys is now stuck in the door! I paged the man and left him messages to please come back and or call me. Well he still has not called me or come back. my house is on the market and my realtor has not shown my house the entire time it has been on with him 90 days! Not one showing! So I called him and told him I want to take it off with him (so i can relist with someone else, I didnt tell him i wanted to relist) and he hung up on me! it took him 4 days to finally call me back and when he did he was yelling at me on the phone. gave me some line of crap and then hung up again? i've got so much more but little space here to write my book! I just feel like I cannot do anything right. I feel like the world has gone mad. I don;t know what to do about anything anymore. I've lost hope and am wondering how to get it back and what i can do to stop having such bad luck? Thanks more

Open Question: how would you handle this situation?

my mom has always seems to try to control everything i do and then gets mad if i don't go with what she says. i went and got a loan on my car about a year and a half ago and she had called my cell phone not knowing i was at the bank. she asked me what all i have been up to and when i told her i was getting a newer car then she started gryping me out saying i couldn't afford the payments and that just because i got a new higher paying job didn't mean that i would keep it. i told her i was sure i could pay for it and that i did do some figuring and that it took me a while to even want to try to get another car since the one i had didn't work very good. she didn't like that and got mad and hung up. then she had my stepdad call me back and when he called me back he told me pretty much that i sounded like a gold digger saying don't think i can buy a car with high payments thinking that he or my boyfriend at the time (now my husband) would pay for payments when i don't. it made me upset so i hung up on him. mom called me back the next day and asked me why i hung up on my stepdad and i told her what he had said and she swears to this day that he never did say anything like that. about three weeks ago i called her to brag to her about not having as much stuff to fix on the house as we thought we would when the city inspector came out to inspect before we sale it and she went off on me telling me not to be getting so excited about it because that was just a city inspector and not a loan inspector. also when i had told her that we had it up for market she asked me how come my husband and i didn't call my stepdad first for an analysis of the house so we would know what it would sale it for. when i told her it was because they never called us back about wanting to do the analysis and that the realtor was available very quickly she got upset about that and started asking me how much we were asking for the house. when i told her about the she got more upset saying she never should have recommened the realtor to us and basically was saying my husband and i were stupid to ask for the price we are asking for it and starting going into detail about how we should go driving around our neighborhood looking at houses and their conditions compared to ours and when i told her we didn't have time to do that with both of us working opposite hours and that we talked to the realtor for over an hour about stuff and why we should sale it for a certain price she got all upset and just kept trying to get her point across. finally she got upset with me because i wouldn't agree that she was right and told me that she was just going to drop the issue because i certainally wasn't going to listen to her. well i didn't call her because she made me upset. i don't call her much like i have been because most of the time when i try to call her to talk to her or to invite her to do things it is like she looks at the caller id and won't answer the phone on purpose. she won't even call me back that day or the next day to see what i wanted. it took her 8 days after we had argued last to call us to see how we were doing and it was like she was getting on to us for not callling her during that time. she also has never called us to do stuff with her or to invite herself out unless my stepdad is away. she has also cancelled on us lots of times at the very last minute saying something come up. she contradicted herself because she wrote us an email yesterday morning to ask us to come out to her house today to help her put in a liner of her swimming pool and that alot of family members were going to be there helping and that if we came she would have a cook out. well we had went out there about a month and a half ago calling her and inviting ourselves over for dinner and a movie and she hasn't called us since then except to want to come out when my stepdad wasn't home and then she emailed us asking us to comeout and help her around the house. it offended us because it was like she only wanted us to come out because she wanted us to do something for her and not because she wanted to visit with us. then when i wrote her back and told her we already had plans today and also didn't know if we were going to go out to the house that we are selling to repair it today because we didn't know when we were getting back in she got offendedd by that and wrote us a hateful email saying that we just didn't want to come out because she wanted us to come out and help and to just forget about it. the other reason we didn't go out there today was because when she was moving from one house to another she had only called us that time too after a long time of not calling to ask us to help her move and was actually trying to make us feel guilty saying that it wasn't like we were ever busy or anything. we did try to call her 3 different times the day of the moving because she never did say anything about it and they answered their phone once and let the answering machSORRY THIS WAS SO LONG, JUST ALWAYS THINKING ABOUT DIFFERENT THINGS THAT HAS HAPPENED WITH MY MOM AND I AND NEED YOUR HELP. THANKS SO MUCH!!!machine get it the 2 other times. we were tired of trying to get ahold of them and them not calling us back letting us know when they were going to be out there that day so we could help them so we just said the heck with it. well she calls us the next day and starts complaining to us saying that everyone else came out (another family/cookout type thing) to help her move except her own daughter. i have tried talking to her about the way she talks down to me many different times and about how she seems to never want to call me or do things with me and how it seems like i have to be the one always calling her and trying to get her to do things and how much it hurt me and every time she started going off on me about how she didn't think the way she was acting was wrong then we'd get in yelling matches and hang up on each other. my husband and are like the heck with her then if she can't be nice to me or put any more effort into calling me or wanting to be with me. we willonly see her when other family members are around for things like family reunions and holidays and only because we don't want to ignore other family members because of her being mean. she will just happen to be there and we're not really going there to see her anyways. we want to be able to see our other family members as well since we only get to see them once or twice a year. because it has been about 5 years or more of me putting up with this (well the worst case of it because she has always been this way) i won't answer the phone if she calls and i am by myself nor will i go see her by myself because she won't be mean to me when my husband is around. i don't think it is because of my husband. we have only been together 3 years. my mom started getting worse about being so mean to me about 5 years or so ago. am i doing the right thing? what kind of person does she sound like to you? more

Open Question: Short sale question - Bidding process?

I just bought a short sale house in California. It was on the market for just a few hours and I met the asking price and my realtor told me their would be no bidding process for other buyers to try and overbid me. But I have received conflicting information from another realtor who says there is a bidding process even if I met the asking price of the short sale. Who is right? more

Open Question: How likely would a house bid not be accepted?

My parent's old house went on the market back in March for 218,500 and I recently checked to see what was going on. Well, after calling a Realtor, I found out that the house was in pending. The potential buyer offered 266K for the house. I was wondering how likely it would be for the bank to not accept their offer?I'm not sure if pending is the right word. - But the Realtor said that it still hasn't been decided upon.The actual value of the house is anywhere between 558K-700K - but the bank is selling it for less than 250K. Are they going by how much they can sell it as their value, or by how much the house is actually worth before the bank took it over? more

Open Question: need to refinance is this a good idea?

My husband and I bought our first home last September and two new cars back in 2007 when we first got married. We owe about $23,000 on both cars and $81,000 on the house. My husbands income is $3000-$35000 depending on overtime and extra weeks. We are adding a third bedroom to our home and a laundry room and we're planning on putting it on the market for $130,000, we've already spoken to our realtor. I know that this is a horrible market and we'll probably get less than that, but we need about $120,000 to pay our cars off and our $7500 first time home buyers credit. We don't want to sell unless we pay these things off because it will give us a fresh start with no debt and we can afford a bit of a bigger house, but still stay around $100,000-$125,000 so our mortgage doesn't exceed $1000 a month. Anyways since the market is so bad we've talked about possibly refinancing our home after the addition and taking $23,000 out and paying our cars off and staying in our home until next summer when hopefully the market will pick up a bit and we can try to sell than and make a bit of a profit. Would this be a good idea? This is definitely not a home we are planning on living in for more than a few years. We bought it as a foreclosure to fix it up and we're done everything to the original portion of the house and are ready to do this addition which will cost us about $4000 since my husband is doing all the work him self accept for the electricity. The reason that we want to pay our cars off is because we could get a lower rate since we are currently paying 7.25% for both cars and 6.25% for the home. We currently pay $500 a month for both cars, and $657 for our home. We're hoping to keep pur mortgage around $800-$850 and put the rest into savings. Also how would I go about refinancing? more

Open Question: What does PCHG mean in real estate terms?

I'm in the market to purchase a town home/home and am working with a Realtor. One of the listings he sent me had the status listed as PCHG. what does this mean? more

Open Question: Are we being tricked in paying full price for a house?

We recently put an offer on a house $10,000 less than their asking price. Fair market says its worth 217,000 and they are asking 224. Through three different offers, we raised our price to 219,000 and they lowered to 221,000. They required us to: put our house up for sale, raise our interest rate percent to 5.5 (they wanted 6.5) and prove that we've been pre-approved for a loan. We did all of this. During our last offer of 219, we had an open house - for which the sellers came through and asked questions (we didn't know it was them). The rejected our offer of 219 and then told our realtor our house was overpriced, will never sell, and we lied about the year it was built! Because we are a young couple, my wife and I think they may be trying to take advantage of us - but we are wondering, is this a plan to try and trick us into just offering them the full 224 or 221? Any help/advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks! more

Open Question: How much should we offer on this house?

My boyfriend and I found a house yesterday that we want to make an offer on. We have an appointment to meet with our realtor today to sign the papers for the offer, but we are unsure what percentage to offer under the asking price. The house has only been on the market for 3 days. The sellers are extremely eager to sell and our realtor says it's a nasty divorce situation so they want out of it fast. It's already vacant and ready to move in. The husband was there last night when we were shown the house, and he was telling us all the upgrades he made to it and how much work he put into the house. He is an electrician and a contractor and has been making various upgrades to the house since they've been in it. It's in very nice condition, a very good cul de sac location, all of the appliances are included, and it doesnt need anything to move in. We know that the house will not be on the market for long so we want to put in the offer asap. However, the house has the asking price of 99,9000 which is a hair out of our price range. We were thinking of asking 5% less than the asking price which would put us at 94,905, but since they are so eager to sell we wanted to see if we could take advantage of that and see if we could offer 7% less which would be 92,907. Do you think that is too low? We would be offering that with hopes that he would either accept it or counter offer to 95,000. Any advice?? more

Resolved Question: If an attorney lies, claiming to your bank that they are foreclosing on you & they're not, what crime is that?

In this situation, the attorney was hired by a Homeowner's Association (HOA) to collect on a debt for property upgrades the homeowner clearly did not need (and has proof). The evil one is the HOA President -- a Realtor -- who sold the homeowner their property and collected a commission, and who now hopes to put them into foreclosure and secure a commission on that sale too. This question does not ask what wrong the Realtor is doing though. It asks what the Realtor's attorney (acting under powers from the HOA) is doing wrong when they write a letter to the homeowner's mortgage bank to notify them that the attorney is foreclosing on the property -- and the attorney is ONLY BLUFFING. This strikes me as Deceptive Trade Practices or possibly Fraud or Malpractice. As Officers of the Court, Attorneys are held to a higher standard of ethical behavior than the average layman or non-attorney. There would be action possible to bring the attorney before a review board of the State Bar for blatantly LYING in the conduct of their business. And the State Bar could impose sanctions such as fines, reprimand, censure, or in extreme cases, taking away the attorney's license although this infraction would probably not qualify for a penalty that stiff. And these would be ethical issues before the State Bar. But what, if anything, on a CRIMINAL level would the attorney be guilty of? Threatening to have someone thrown out of their home is one of the most harrowing experiences one can go through, so there should definitely be cause to sue for something like harassment and/or mental anguish, particularly when the attorney was bluffing and the entire debt was based on fraud by the Realtor to effect property upgrades that would help her sell more properties in the HOA on a quicker basis in a down market. The Realtor is in desperate need of money and is late in paying her own mortgage so she is engaging in desperate real estate practices to exploit others with her realtor's license. The attorney sent this foreclosure notice to the bank almost 1 month ago but has yet to file a lien on the property (County records are being monitored daily and new liens are reported within 24 hours). And versus sending a notice directly to the homeowner, the attorney only copied the homeowner on the letter the attorney sent to the bank. Therefore, the attorney may never have even sent the letter to the bank so as to avoid accountability while scaring the homeowner, contributing further to their deception and manipulation. But might there be some other foreclosure procedure that the attorney is pursuing BEYOND the filing of a lien on the homeowner's property which the homeowner cannot see at this time? Could the attorney argue that they ARE foreclosing on the homeowner, even without filing a lien on the property as of yet? more

Voting Question: I need to sell my property, how to go about doing this?

I need to a 4plex property ASAP. It's been on the market before but it didn't sell. How do I look for a good Realtor who will sell quickly? Thanks in advance more

Voting Question: Can I pull out of a real estate offer I accepted on my house from a buyer?

I accepted an offer on my house that I am selling. I am not having sellers remorse and dont want to sell anymore. Can I tell my realtor to tell the buyer I no longer want to sell and take my house off the market without consequences? more

Resolved Question: If I have a realtor and I hire a nother one?

I have had my duplex on market for 2 months and we have lowered the price 3 different times and still nothing and now we hear from people that our agent isn't marketing it right. We would like to get rid of her but we have a contract with her and she says she has put lots of money in for flyers, advertising so we are stuck. I was wondering can we hire another agent and have both and when we sell I would pay her commision and the 2agent and the buyers agent. Can I do that? Since I can't fire her? Has this been done before?? more

Resolved Question: What is a reasonable offer for a house that is listed at $104,900?

I know that you arent familiar with the area that we are looking in, but it is listed at $104,900. On AOL real estate it says the house is worth $98,000...but I dont think that they calculated in that the whole inside of the house was just re-drywalled, painted, and re trimmed. Other houses in the area that just sold were sold for between $80,000 and $110,000. Whatever we offer we need to calculate that we need the 6% seller help for closing costs (which equals about $6000). I was thinking that an offer at $102,000 plus seller help would be a good first offer considering that they will get $6000 less because of seller help. (So after all that they will get around $96,000. Do you think that is a good offer, or should we go more or less? The house doesnt look to need any repairs after we would buy it... Dont say to ask my realtor, she doesnt even like the idea of talking down a house or offering less than what they list at...but I think in this housing market that you SHOULD offer less than asked. Tell me what you think Only experienced home buyers or real estate agents answer. Thanksp.s. It is a duplex.asdbasd....someone else report abuse. Isnt everyone sick of all these phising messages that mean nothing? I reported him...two clicks on the "report abuse" button means his answer gets deleted and he can be reported. Thanks to the other two people who answered so far!To landlord- We are not looking to make this an investment property-we want to live in this home. It is also not bank-owned, so if they are smart they would list it at more than what they expect. I never even made it sound like I wanted to rent it out... more

Resolved Question: Does this sound like a good idea?

Ok so my husband and I were looking around our area for houses. We came across this one home that was under the market value because it needed some serious fixing up. My husband is willing to do the work that is required. Neither one of us have very good credit but the owner was willing to carry the loan for five years. The Realtor had it all worked out to where we would agree to pay the commission fees, and therefore we didn't need any money down. My father in law told us we shouldn't get into a deal like that because if the guy we were buying the house from stopped paying on the loan or if he had any liens on the property and if he were to go delinquent on any of those accounts we would loose our house. Does anybody know anything about that kind of thing? We really wanted the house because it was on some nice land and it would have been our first home. Now we are looking into buying a mobile home to start out with. more

Resolved Question: How much for a foreclosed house?

I live in Ohio and am currently interested in buying a home that is listed as $11,000 because it was a foreclosure. Looking online I found that the average price of the homes in the area is $55,000, but I would prefer to buy a cheaper house and fix anything wrong with it. It's a really great house and looks beautiful, is in a good neighborhood, and just went on the market today, I am the first person to officially look at the house, which will happen tomorrow. I am new to home buying, and the agent told me that there is a ten day bidding period and they evaluate them all on the eleventh day. Should I offer asking price for this house, higher, or lower? I really want it, and I am worried that someone will offer more and get it. Also, do you have any tips for dealing with the realtor, and what questions to ask? more

Resolved Question: Who is the best real estate agent in Santa Clarita or Valencia?

Hi, we need a really good realtor or the best real estate agent in Valencia/Santa Clarita in California. We are looking for an agent who will listen to us and keep us up to date on houses as they come on the market. more

Resolved Question: Home prices and mortgages?

I have been looking at buying a home and when I went out today with my realtor he was showing me homes and 5 of them we saw have gone UP in price, example one was listed 99,000 2 weeks ago when he showed it to me today it was 108,900 and another he showed me was 115,000 last week and now its 122,500. Hw also told me interest rates are starting to raise. Why are homeprices raising, I thought this was a buyers market. He showed me the paper work with the date it was listed, all the info on the home and the price changes. so I know hes not BSing me...plus the homes were listed with different realtors. Are the prices and interest rates really going up that quickly, if so then I need to put a rush on finding a home. I live in Southwest Oklahoma if it matters any more

Voting Question: I'm a Realtor but can someone tell me why anyone, buyer or seller enter into a lease purchase in todays market?

I have been a Realtor and a good for 5 years. Though I can not see an advantage for a buyer, except maybe to give them some time to repair credit and this particular home is the one they want. Any thoughts about this from anyone. Please I need some help on this. Rick more

Voting Question: Can I get out of contract if I never signed it?

Background: Listed house with realtor (family friend) 2 years ago Last year took house off market Relisted in March- she brought signs, took pics and listed ad in paper and online. She took 3 weeks to get lock box on house and has yet to bring me the listing agreement to sign-- it's June 4th We have had a few people look at the house, but she rarely contacts us and I feel like I am pulling teeth to get any info out of her. I am wanting to switch realtors...Since I never signed anything, is this ok? more

Resolved Question: Would you use friend as realtor if they live in different city?

My friend's mom is a realtor and she wants to sell my house. Problem is she lives in another city and not so sure she can sell the "charms" of my hometown. I live in a place that is unique and sometimes takes some convincing to have people move there. And I have a home built in 1928, a very cute craftsman bungalow (3 bedroom/2 bath). She lives in and sells mostly 1980-1990 tract homes in HOA and gated communities. Sort of diametrically opposed to the kind of home I like and the type of people who would want to purchase my home. She has in the past made comments that some day I might want to buy a "newer" house and I get the sense she prefers new homes. Still she is a professional...also its a tough market and she is very sweet person, not agressive, and I wonder if the "cheaper" commission is worth it? Plus making waves with my friend who will be hurt I think If I don't use his mother? more

Resolved Question: Is this a good offer to accept for a new insurance sales position?

We are please to offer you the following position: Individual Insurance Sales Consultant; Your job will consist of the following: · Sales of personal insurance including but not limited to o Auto-Home-Umbrella- insurance o Life Insurance o Investments o Individual Health Insurance · You will be required to quote and process the entire application from start to finish on all new sales. · Servicing of the account will be completed by account reps. · Develop and market new ways to sell personal insurance products o Internet o Working with our insurance companies on marketing programs o Referral programs with: § Car Dealers § Realtors § Direct Writers § Email Advertising § Internet quoting · You will also be working with producers who focus in other areas of insurance. · You will contact existing customers to go over their financial needs including but not limited to life insurance and investment planning. Compensation: 1. Base salary of $36,000 per year 2. Bonus after you exceed $36,000 in earned commissions based on the following: a. 50% first year commission on personal lines insurance. ( auto-home-umbrella etc.) b. 50% commission on all life insurance you sell on new accounts to the agency or existing house accounts. c. You will be splitting commissions with the producers that you give you personal lines leads d. 20% referral commission new and renewal for all other lines including i. Commercial Insurance ii. Group Benefits 3. You will receive the standard employee benefit program a. Employee health insurance. Company picks up about 85% of the cost b. 401 K program c. Optional dental more

Resolved Question: What recourse do I have if my realtor doesn't return calls or isn't available to show me homes?

I signed a contract with this realtor guaranteeing him a commission if he helps me find/buy a home. Unfortunately recently I've missed out on two homes (which I found myself) because he wasn't available to show them to me in a timely manner, and isn't answering my emails or phone calls in a reasonable time frame. My contract doesn't expire until the end of August, but I really don't want to miss this window in the market. He hasn't even sent me any listings to review since the first week, I've had to find them all myself. Do I have any recourse and/or what demands can I make on him to uphold his end of the contract/ more

Resolved Question: Home for sale with keyed locks, chains on bars outside of windows and doors?

I asked this earlier but didn't make myself clear so I am trying again. I contacted the real estate agent but haven't received an answer from her yet. I am in the market for a house and spent yesterday doing some drive bys. I found one in a neighbor that looked really nice. It was an area I liked the looks of and also liked the information I saw on the realtors website. Kind of a country setting yet close to the city. When I actually got to the house, it had bars on all the windows and doors with chains secured by keyed master locks. These locks are not the realtor lock box or the window locks advertised for added security. These are the average keyed master lock that you can go to any hardware store and buy. I more

Resolved Question: How do I sell my house with 80% owner financing?

Before I say anything more, I do NOT want to hear from ANY Realtors. Seriously! NO REALTORS! OK. My house is paid off. A colleague of mine wishes to buy it. He is well-qualified (we are both partners in the same firm, but no...we are not lawyers). We would both like to do the transaction without him having to get bank financing, just 20% down, at a lower-than-market interest rate, with monthly payments coming to me. Are there any legal forms available online for such a transaction? Thank you! BTW, the reason we would both like to do it this way, WITHOUT REALTORS/BANKS, is that I would be getting nearly the appraised value of the house instead of taking a huge loss by using a realtor who will undervalue the house in order to sell it (it is a custom-built, 5500-square foot home, being sold furnished), as well as allowing my colleague to get a better rate of interest AND a lower price on the house (since we won't be getting hit with REALTOR fees). more

Resolved Question: How can I find an old (1 year) multiple listing price on a house no longer on the market, without a realtor?

The house was listed a year ago, and we want to find out the price and make an offer. We would rather not involve a realtor. more

Resolved Question: Home buying/home repairs question - please answer!?

I have put an offer on a foreclosed house for $72,000 and it was accepted by the bank last week. My realtor contacted the city yesterday to find out if there are any assessments, etc on the home and she found out that in the beginning of this month there was a letter written from the city to the bank that owns the home that they need to secure permits by June 19 to complete the repairs on the roof and the porch to bring the house up to code (convenient that our closing day is that exact date). The house has been on the market for several months so I figure that if they wanted to complete the repairs, they would have done so already. So my father said being that they obviously don't want to take care of the repairs, and based on this letter, we should tell them that we want them to complete the repairs or reduce the price by a few thousand dollars (not sure exactly how much yet, but something lower than what it would cost them to do the repairs). Our realtor agreed with this plan. My only concern is, if it means there is a chance that they will just back out of the whole thing, then I don't want to do it because I need to be out of my apartment very soon and I really want this house. But the realtor said that the only way we will lose the house at this point is if we are the ones who decide to back out of it, and they will either have to do the repairs based on that letter, or give us the house for a lower amount. Is this true? I would think that if they don't like the stipulations, then they can just walk away. . . If anyone is familiar with all of this please let me know. (Note: we don't actually want them to do the repairs because my dad said they will use the cheapest products and labor they can find, so if they come back and say they will do them, we are going to tell them we will just complete them ourselves. We are simply using this to try to negotiate a lower price.) Additional Details: ** Please note that we have already had a home inspection. These issues were noted and we planned on doing these repairs ourselves anyways. We just figured this letter might give us the upper hand in negotiating a lower price. more

Resolved Question: House buying question - please answer!?

I have put an offer on a foreclosed house for $72,000 and it was accepted by the bank last week. My realtor contacted the city yesterday to find out if there are any assessments, etc on the home and she found out that in the beginning of this month there was a letter written from the city to the bank that owns the home that they need to secure permits by June 19 to complete the repairs on the roof and the porch to bring the house up to code (convenient that our closing day is that exact date). The house has been on the market for several months so I figure that if they wanted to complete the repairs, they would have done so already. So my father said being that they obviously don't want to take care of the repairs, and based on this letter, we should tell them that we want them to complete the repairs or reduce the price by a few thousand dollars (not sure exactly how much yet, but something lower than what it would cost them to do the repairs). Our realtor agreed with this plan. My only concern is, if it means there is a chance that they will just back out of the whole thing, then I don't want to do it because I need to be out of my apartment very soon and I really want this house. But the realtor said that the only way we will lose the house at this point is if we are the ones who decide to back out of it, and they will either have to do the repairs based on that letter, or give us the house for a lower amount. Is this true? I would think that if they don't like the stipulations, then they can just walk away. . . If anyone is familiar with all of this please let me know. (Note: we don't actually want them to do the repairs because my dad said they will use the cheapest products and labor they can find, so if they come back and say they will do them, we are going to tell them we will just complete them ourselves. We are simply using this to try to negotiate a lower price.)** Please note that we have already had a home inspection. These issues were noted and we planned on doing these repairs ourselves anyways. We just figured this letter might give us the upper hand in negotiating a lower price. more

Resolved Question: Will a credit score of 682 get me a decent home loan in this market?

Were looking into purchasing our first home soon. I have been given a lot of data from different lenders & realtors but am left with a few questions. The credit score we are working with is 682, we have no outstanding collections or debts. We do have a small personal loan out (for 3k) but are never late or anything on the payments so I dont think that will negatively affect us will it? Is 682 a high enough score? We dont have anything bad just slightly limited as he is only 23 years old. I have been told that some companies are allowing people to receive a credit from them for the first time buyers 8k then use it as a down payment. Is this true or a scam?The company that talked about the 8k credit as downpayment was metlife loans, they are fairly reputable right? more

Resolved Question: How can I swap houses?

I own a home that is paid for but I have a home equity line of credit. There is a house on the market that I really want and seller is motivated. The price has gone down repeatedly and its not going to sell because it is next to a dairy farm. How would I go about approaching the Realtor or homeowner with a proposal to switch houses? They are asking $74,500 and my home would sell for $100,000 more

Resolved Question: How come my realtor says there is a low inventory of homes on the market?

How is that when there is soooo many foreclosures? We live in Simi Valley California. more

Resolved Question: How low is too low to offer on a home?

A few years ago a realtor told me that you shouldn't offer less than 94% of the asking price (if it is reasonable), otherwise it is insulting. We had looked at a home that had a lot of the features we want. However it is the worst home layout I've ever seen, and our realtor agreed. The majority of the living space is in 4 extremely large upstairs bedrooms (one 18 x 19 and other three average 15x12) The "living area" downstairs is half the size of a bedroom and looks more like a dining room. The home is in fairly good repair, we would have to upgrade the electric, replace flooring in the bedrooms and buy appliances. The exterior needs paiting or replacement with vinyl withing the next couple years. It has been on the market for around 9 months. They started out at $180k and as of 2 months ago were asking $150k. I would easily beleive that it appraises at $180k as it is in one of the most prime locations in town and the square footage. My question is this, we love the location and the yard. We could make this home work if we could make renovations. It is an estate sale and has been on the market for a long time. Could we low ball it at $130k or would that be super insulting? We like the home, but don't love it so if they said no way we have other houses in mind. more

Resolved Question: The bank does not want to negotiate a SHORT SALE! What should I do??? HELP!?

My mom bought her town house approximately 7 years ago for 435,000 plus some 30,000 in improvements. With the depleting real estate industry in California the fair market value of the house is 189,000. She went to see her realtor to do a short sale, since the loan modification didn’t worked out (it only reduce the monthly payment for around $200). Everything was alright until the Credit Union calls the realtor and told her that they were not going to do any kind of negotiation. They also told the realtor that they do not have any foreclosures because they are very selective with their clients. The realtor told my mom that is the first time a bank calls her saying no to any king of negotiation. The realtor had sold over 10 houses in same neighborhood on Short Sales and all banks she’s been dealing, they have been open to negotiations. In addition, my mom is 60 right now and in the past year she’s been having some serious health problems (heart, cholesterol, etc.). And a lot of them are related with the stress of the mortgage payments. She has two jobs to support her self, which is not recommended due to her age and heath conditions. What my mom should do?? Please help! If you have some websites with laws or laws interpretation related with this will be helpful!! Thanks Note: She bought the townhouse as an investment. Seven years ago things were great in the area she’s living, so the plans were buy it, live it for a few years a sell it. With the supposedly gain, she was going to build her retire home in her home country and live from the pension she’s receiving.The 2007 Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act (Public Law 110-142, HR 3648), amended the tax laws to allow borrowers negotiating the loan on their primary residence to avoid having to declare this debt as income (limited to debts of $2 million or less.). more

Voting Question: Can you become a successful Realtor without living in the area you plan on selling real estate?

After I graduate from college I plan on moving west. Originally I'm from the midwest and don't know too much about the west coast with the exception of a couple brief visits and what I've heard from college classmates. Is it possible to succeed in the real estate business without having lived and experienced the market in a particular region? Any advice from licensed Realtors or Broker's would be greatly appreciated. more

Resolved Question: Has anyone had experience with a short sale with two mortgages?

We are first time home buyer and were wondering if anyone is familiar with the short sale process. About a month and a week ago we put an offer on a short sale that had been on the market for over a year. The sellers signed the contract the following day and submitted it to the bank. Our realtor got back to us at the end of the week and said the house was going into foreclosure the following week, but that the bank was going to delay the foreclosure process for 30 days to short sale it. The bank ordered a BPO and assigned us a negotiator, then reassigned us to a second negotiator last week. We just found out yesterday that the house has 2 mortgages on it. The 1st mortgage is with Freddie Mac, and the 2nd mortgage is with Countrywide. Freddie Mac has approved the short sale, but now we are waiting for Countrywide’s approval. Our realtor mentioned that Countrywide had previously approved the short sale, but that it had expired, so they just needed to get an update approval. We are pretty much ready to go, we have our mortgage approved, a rate locked in (expires in mid Jun), and all we need is an inspection after the final approval. What are the chance that this short sale will go through and how much longer could it take at the point? Our realtor is confident that the sale will go through, but we won’t believe that till we see that in black & white and we have keys in hand. more

Resolved Question: House going into foreclosure, how long until it's up for sale?

A neighborhood house of where I live is going into foreclosure. The family moved out about 3-4 weeks ago and the house has sat vacant. A neighbor has told me that they moved because they couldnt afford the mortgage and were forced to move. I am interested in the house and seeing what I can do with it and am very anxious to see the price. Now because it is a foreclosure who will be lisitn the home? I know that it's bank owned but does the bank go through a realtor or what? I guess what I am asking is approximately how long does it take from the time a family moves out to the house going on the market take? Also who would I go to, to find the price of the home or get any information about it? Thanks. more

Voting Question: Why is Real Estate So Expensive up North!!?!?

I'm looking for a house in the $150,000 - $200,000 range in the northeast US. I'd like to find something around the suburbs of Philly, Wilmington, or Baltimore, but the housing situation there is so pitiful. A nasty, grimy, run down row-house built a hundred years ago can go for $180,000. (http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/7751-E-Roosevelt-Blvd_Philadelphia_PA_19152_1103070418) In Atlanta, I've found really nice new houses with 2 story foyers, open floor plans, fireplaces, 2 car garage, etc etc. (example: http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/4947-Rapahoe-Trail--24_College-Park_GA_30349_1103599391) I understand that in real estate location is a big factor in price but DAAYYUM. Is there some kind of way I can take advantage of this bad housing market? Shouldn't I be able to find a decent house on the east coast? more

Resolved Question: Should I find a buyer's agent in Michigan?

I've found a home that I am interested in purchasing in Michigan but I'm not sure if I should pursue a buyer's agent. I went to visit the home last week and the builder's representative informed of the price of the home, which is $2,000 higher than what it is listed for on their own website and other realtor's websites. The representative wanted me to sign paperwork and make a deposit to "hold" the house but I told them I needed more time to think about it. I think that they believe that because I'm young and a first time home buyer, that I'm an easy sell (and admittedly, I am a bit of a pushover). I know that Michigan is a buyer's market and I also know that other people who have purchased homes in the state recently have been able to make deals with the closing costs as well as the asking price. Should I find a buyer's agent? Now that I've typed this out, it seems like a no brainer but I would still like to see some of your thoughts on the issue. Thanks!House is located in Zeeland township(outside of Holland). Online list price is $155,500 and of course, they're saying $157,500. Thanks for the reply. more

Resolved Question: Sale of House with Gift of Equity?

I want to sell my house to my brother with a gift of equity. Can someone experienced with this please let us know the steps involved. It seems when we talk to mortgage brokers they all want us to either sell the house at fair market value or do a cash out refinance. We even had one (who is also a realtor) say that we need to list the house via a MLS before we do this. It seems that they all want a higher sale price or an excuse to drive up/collect more commissions. Can someone provide clear steps who to talk to and what paper work we need to fill out. Fair market value is $460000 loan pay off is $240000. So the gift would be $220000. If possible I would also like $50000 for a new down on a house for me. So my brothers new loan would be $290000. Credit is not an issue. We are doing the gift of equity so my brother does not need the down. Thanks in Advance more

Voting Question: How do I know if I'm getting a good deal when buying a home?

I want to buy a home this summer (2009) in either Montgomery or Howard counties of Maryland. I want to make sure I get a good deal on it too. How do I know if it's a good deal? What do I need to tell realtors and what do I need to research myself? Last summer (2008) there was a townhouse selling for approx. $265,000 for which I placed an offer for $210,000. I did not get it. However, it appears a similar home in the very same neighborhood was sold a couple months ago (March 2009) for $180,000 ! That's the kind of deal I'm looking for. How do I "play the game" in the right way in this buyers market to score a deal like that? Here's my own answer: hire at least 3 real estate agents and have them independently look for homes for you. All / any advice will be helpful. more

Voting Question: What would you do if you were me?

I am seeing this guy, he is 39 and I am 25. We have been going out for 2 months and things are starting to get serious. For the passed 2 years, he said that he has been wanting to move to the sunshine state, which is 1,000 miles away. He is meeting with his realtor, and he is going to put his house up on the market and move down there in the next 1-2 years. I told him I would consider moving away with him because it is very nice there. He told me that if I want to come with him, we would be married and move down there together. He also said we can try a long distance relationship, or break up. We both don't know where our relationship will be going in the next 1-2 years, but both of us hope that we are still together. more

Resolved Question: How much below asking price should we offer on a house?

My husband and I are looking to buy our first home in the next few months, hopefully this summer. We live in the Central Texas area a half hour south of Austin, if anyone's familiar with that area. It seems that despite this being a "buyer's market," people are sure asking for a bit much. The houses that our realtor has shown us so far are mostly "starter homes" and "fixer-uppers," and they're going for what I'd expect a new home to cost. That said, is there a customary percentage below asking price that I should offer? We really can't afford to be ripped off in the shape that the economy's in right now, so we're still in the process of learning what we need to in order to get the best deal possible. Thanks for your advice! more

Resolved Question: Please Rate My Resume:?

Professional Summary Over 25 years experience in various phases of the construction industry, superior carpentry, installation skills and mechanical skills including vocational school training, on the job training and self education / sales and marketing skills applied in interior shutter, home inspection and moving industries / superior moving skills as well Project Management: Hired as subcontractor to install ATM’s in Publix grocery stores from Sebastian to Miami for Golden Eagle Implementation Services / Hired as subcontractor to measure, sell and install interior shutters for Shutter Resources through out the Treasure coast of Florida / Hired as subcontractor to perform home inspections for Accurate Inspectors Inc. from Sebastian to Boca Raton / co- owner and foreman for Hoopers Metals Inc. Over saw metal framing crew for installation of interior framing of new homes / owner of The Furniture Men a moving company, managed a crew of 12 men Oral and Written Communications: Verbally communicated and delegated various duties to work force personnel, Verbally communicated with customers, clients and representatives as to scheduling and other pertinent details / wrote numerous inventories, sales and billing invoices, filled out and filed hand written and typed all necessary forms and reports /submitted these forms and reports to appropriate dept. heads of staff, senior officials and superiors. Rendered final decisions and directions on operational procedures when needed. Leadership: Highly regarded by superiors, colleagues and subordinates as a qualified leader with lead by example work ethics / Set high performance standards for self and crew, including time management, work assignments and procedure compliance. Exemplary oral, written skills and presentation skills and ability to communicate with all levels. Experience: Field Inspector 04/2007 to present Accurate Inspectors Inc. 40HR / WK P.O. Box Salary: $350 PW+ Port Orange, FL. Supervisor: Dave K Telephone: 866-480- Perform Residential and Commercial Inspection for Insurance company‘s, Realtors, Mortgage Brokers and Home owners •Conduct exterior and interior visual inspection of roofing system geometry, tie downs structural integrity and overall condition •Conduct visual inspection of air conditioning and heating units for age and overall condition physically test units for adequate performance •Conduct visual inspection of plumbing fixtures, pipes, sinks, toilets, water heaters for leaks and physically check for proper operation •Conduct visual inspection and physical testing of electrical system to make a determination of whether or not system is up to local code, grounded, type of wiring used, any unsafe wiring and if required outlets are GFI protected •Conduct visual inspection of Hurricane protection for proper installation, type of material and it’s quality for a windstorm mitigation inspection •Collect data , report all defects and complete all necessary forms including submitting all required photos along with completed forms •Communicate with superiors, colleagues, clients and customers for scheduling, report discrepancy’s, inquiries and relevant questions. •Implementing and applying marketing, advertising and sales techniques via the internet, newspapers and Personally performing door to door marketing Mark Field Technician / Salesman 01/2007 to 04/2007 ShutterResources 40H/Wk Hwy 50 Salary $1,000 PW Orlando, FL. Supervisor: Jeff Telephone: 407-568-8753 Perform sales, Installation and manage satellite warehouse for Interior Shutter company •Perform sales presentation with customer in person / discuss styles, materials and prices •Measure all requested openings for custom interior decorative plantation shutter’s •Complete and submit all necessary sales form’s and dim more

Voting Question: Should I rent or sell my home, please see all details?

I have to make a decision to sell or rent, I can't keep eating the mortgage on my second house. Here are some details: Mortgage $1,060 per month. Wate/Sewer bill Avg - $130 each quarter (3 months) I have a high efficiency Washer/Dryer in this house. I have a fridge in this house. Property has almost one acre and is in quiet/good neghborhood. 3 bedroom, Eat in kitchen, Dining room, 1 Bathroom, Full size finished basement with Bar. 10x8 Storage Shed. New Water Heater. New upgraded electric panel (200 amp) Easily parks 5 cars on driveway (unfinished - just dirt) New R-30 insulation in attic. Freshly painted. Located about 1 mile from Rowan College in NJ. Rowan college is undergoing extensive construction/beautification projects. Realtor thinks I should easily get $1,300 per month in rent. Concerns: Finding a good/relaible tenant. House needs new windows and new carpet. Oil heat - No Air Conditioning, but I do have window air conditioners. Propane tank supplies Oven and Dryer - full tank lasts about 16 months (almost 1.5 years per fill). I'm thinking about installing new carpet, new windows, new central air. I estimate the cost to be $10,000 to do so. I don't have the money to do it. I would have to get a Home Equity loan or do something else. I have $32,000 paid off principal on mortgage, anout $100,000 more to pay off. Realtor thinks it would sell for the exact same price I bought it at 3 years ago. Do you think I should sell now in a bad real estate market? Do you think I should rent until I can sell for a nice profit? Do you think I should rent for many years until I have the mortgage paid off? Thanks in advance! more

Resolved Question: Do Manufactured Homes Qualify for the USDA Rural Developement Mortgage Loan in Florida?? PLEASE HELP!!?

I have heard SO many different answers to this question. Some say yes and then some say no, I feel like a realtor with all the info I have learned about the real estate market but I still can't seem to resolve this question. I have the website to the USDA but I'm still confused. A little info....I am looking to put a bid on a 1997 double wide on 3.3 acres of land. It qualifies for USDA due to the area but I dunno if mobile homes do. PLEASE HELP me solve this question ONCE AND FOR ALL!! Thanks! more

Resolved Question: I hold a 2nd mort. note on a property.Borrower is requesting a short sale on the 1st and my 2nd. Implications?

I sold the property two years back and the borrower was to make a baloon payment on my 2nd mortgage note upon refinance or sale within two years (coming up in June of this year). I received a certified letter from their realtor that they are no longer able to make payments on their 1st nor make the baloon payment due to me on the 2nd. They are now requesting a short sale. What are the implications for me as the "lender" in all of this? If the property is sold at short sale will I ever see a dime of what is due to me on the 2nd? My note was for a fairly small percentage of the regular sales price (approx. 4.5%). The market value of the home is now approximately 200k less than it was when I sold it to them two years ago (Riverside county, CA market busted big time). So what do I do? I'm sure there are numerous implications and a few things I read made it sound a tad scary for me as the holder of the 2nd (for example, if I was to foreclose then the holder of the first could require repayment in full of the first). Can I recoup any of the money due to me? Any suggestions? Thanks and please only respond if you have specific knowledge of real estate law. Thanks.Thanks for the replies so far. So from what I'm hearing Paula, is that it would be a good idea to establish contact with the bank holding the first and try to be on the same page with them and begin to work out an agreement. Correct?oops...sorry Paul not Paula lol! more

Resolved Question: First-time home buyers question...?

Hi. My wife and I are buying a home in Surprise, AZ and moving from WI. My grandparents gave us $10,000 to put toward a downpayment (I guess its acceptable here, or for the conventional loan we're getting) We had 6 offers in that were not accepted, and we have a credit score of about 735! Most of these homes are bank owned, and I guess we have to offer about 10-15k OVER the asking price! Is this crazy??? Are we getting ripped off, or is this normal in this crappy market? We are losing every house we put an offer in!! I had family looking at homes down there bc my wife/I didn't have time to get down there--all the homes they looked at were bought up from ppl. Now we have to buy a home from internet pics and from our realtors good word (yea its crazy but we need to get one now) Any advice? Should we continue asking for way over the asking price? One house listed@ 99,000 and our offer of 114,000 was passed for someone else. Its a nightmare....thanks more

Resolved Question: Landlord wants to show house we rent..can we say no?

We just moved into a house that we are renting in WA state. The landlord had the property on the market for quite a while until we moved in. We asked him specifically if he would be taking the house off the market while we were occupying it, and he said yes...or at least until the market recovers. We were notified today that a realtor and prospective buyers want to come by on Wednesday. Do we have any rights to be able to say no? We signed a 12 month lease and there is nothing in our lease about allowing buyers to come by. We are actually pretty upset about it, since we have only been in the house for a month. Is there anything we can do? more

Resolved Question: Too many requests to show my house. What do I do?

I have a bid on a great deal short sale property and understand I will be waiting a LONG time to get. So my realtor put my house on the market. We priced it really low and I'm getting SO many requests to show the house. I have a 1 year old and there's only so long I can be out of the house. I feel like if a realtor calls and says they want to show it at a certain time and I can't accommodate them that I will loose that potential sale. Is that the case or will the realtor call back to try to show it at another time? more

Resolved Question: How do you know when you've sold your house for too cheap?

Can you really trust a realtor? Is it important to get someone to come to the house to check how much the house is worth? The realtor said it isn't, and priced our home at $415,000, although we already knew for a fact that our house was worth at least $430,000. Also, we kept our house very well managed, and when I saw our house on a website I found on my dad's laptop, almost every single house on our street was priced more than ours. The house across the street from us was priced $15,000 more than ours, and it looks like sh*t. Also, our house was priced only $5,000 more than the abandoned house we live next to; that house has been abandoned for at least 5 years. Also, our other neighbors house, which is also very well kept, has an estimate of $475,000. Also, our house sold after 4 days of it being on the market. There were people coming in and our of our house every 10 minutes, all day; with the economy this bad is that normal? I know i'm not giving much information, but from what I am saying, does it seem like we sold our home for way too cheap, or am I just being paranoid? more

Resolved Question: Should we increase our offer on a potential home?

We recently put in an offer of $132,000 plus 6% seller assist (total offer = $139,900). The house is listed at $136,900, and was put on the market on Tuesday. Our offer was put in Saturday morning. Their realtor came back to us and let us know 2 more offers would be coming in, and that we need to make sure the offer we have in is our "best offer." They will be looking at all offers on Monday evening, and will only work with the highest offer. It seems like we are countering our own offer! Is this common? The house is in a great neighborhood and seems priced fairly. However, it seems like they are just trying to pressure us. At the same time we love the house, should we just suck it up and go full list price?? Any input would be GREATLY appreciated! more