Answers by Emily Matthews

Is it on its own land? If not, it won't be worth all that much, and is not considered "real estate" because that term refers to the land. I.e., the dirt is the real estate, and anything on it is considered "improvements." You might want to explore places that sell mobile homes. If, however, it sits on e.g. an acre of land, it'll be worth a lot more and an agent can list it.

If you removed a bedroom, it IS a 3-bed. Have your agent do comps for 3-beds vs 4-beds and look at the price differences. That will show you how much that 4th bedroom is worth, according to market data.

I am so sorry that you weren't explicitly warned/informed about their rules. Almost all/all HOAs have rules like this. Were you given the HOA documents prior to closing? They should have been provided in the MLS. Did you read them? Did your agent point them out to you? (If you had an agent). A Buyer Agent has a fiduciary duty to their client. That rule should have been stressed.

What are your municipality's rules? Some don't require permits for anything under $4000; some require permits for everything, in my area. If you establish that you should have got a permit, then you can retroactively apply for one, or follow the municipality's advice if that's not possible. Does your state's Condition Report have a question about un-permitted work? Answer it truthfully. A home inspector is not a code inspector. Their job is to report what they see & flag defects and safety hazards. They won't look up records of permits, at least in my state. Appraisers' job is to determine the market value so if the buyer defaults, the lender won't be stuck with more money lent than what it's worth. I doubt they bother to look up permits as a rule. They look up comps, measure sq footage, and determine condition compared to the comps. Short answer: make sure you disclose this on the condition report.

What color is your paint? White paint always helps. How many lights do you have? Try increasing the number of lamps, have them all on when showing, and use "daylight" bright bulbs/LEDs. Use light-colored furniture/spreads/throws. Light colored area rug.

Absolutely. With peeling paint, any buyer with any govt loan probably won't even look at it. Overgrown yards cost plenty in terms of buyer interest. I had a $925K listing that went for $905K because the yard was a jungle. All the buyers hated it, and many drove by without booking a showing because of it.

Short answer...YES. people will see it as "something they'll have to remove," and anything in poor repair is a drawback.

In theory, a person could do that. But it makes more sense to have follow up specialized inspections based on what the inspector finds. Just make sure you have enough time to get them done. You might need an extension of the inspection contingency

If there are unexplained deposits, underwriters do not like that. Get receipts for everything

Best idea is to get your own estimates from contractors you trust & propose having the seller fix using that contractor. Cracked heat exchanger is serious! Leaking roof is serious!

NOPE. "Cost does not equal value." Will an appraiser allow more value for a specific thermostat or lock? Highly unlikely. What "get points" in WI are: HW floor, FP, patio, finishes (e.g. nicely done rec room vs one with paneling & ceiling tiles), number of bathrooms, replacement windows, new roof...

FEMA flood map. And make the offer contingent on not being a flood plain. Your insurer should be able to tell you if it is.

Have a good agent that will take their fiduciary duty to you seriously. I do video walk thru quite a bit, and I comment on how it smells, what the street is like, if I think the place is just weird, etc

If you're not handy, why look for one? Unless it just involves paint & flooring. Then it should be OK

Just talk to him

What it means is that you can negotiate directly via the contract re the BA fee. Don't plan on refusing to pay ANYthing, because no buyer, no sale. One of my sellers needed a certain net amount, so we negotiated the BA fee & purchase price to be a certain amount vs what he asked for. If you're in a state with SUBagency, it's only fair to offer that agent something...because no buyer, no sale. (Subagents' fiduciary duty is to the seller by default, so they are working for you not the buyer).

You can list as-is, but plan on an as-is price. It's possible a buyer's lender could refuse to fund it if these are bad enough. But you can escrow to have the work done after closing and see if they'd accept that.

It might affect buyers' willingness to take on something like that. No matter how it appraises

Get pre-approved. And don't just go by the amount the lender tells you; work out what a comfortable monthly payment would be, and ask the lender to calculate from that. That way you know what your price point is.