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Can I change agents?

I haven't heard from my agent in 10 days.

8 Answers

how much do I actually have to give up to get an offer accepted here?

Okay, need a reality check from people who do this for a living.nnWe're buying in Fort Lauderdale, pre-approved, looking in the $500-600k range, and we've now been beaten on three houses in a row. Each time we came in at or near asking and still got passed over. Our agent keeps saying it's not really the price anymore, our offers "look riskier" than the competition, and sellers are taking cleaner terms even when the dollar amount is basically the same.nnSo now I'm trying to figure out how much I actually have to give up to be taken seriously without setting myself up to get burned. From what I'm gathering, sellers want a bigger earnest deposit (like 5%), a short inspection window, and the loan commitment locked in well before closing instead of dragging it to the end. The inspection part is what scares me, if I cut it to 7 days and something major turns up, am I stuck?nnWe can't keep losing homes, but I also really don't want to waive protections and eat a $20k surprise after we close.nnSo for the agents here:n1. What actually makes an offer read as "clean" to a seller beyond just the price?n2. Is a 7-day inspection genuinely enough to protect me, or am I giving up too much to look competitive?n3. Does bumping the deposit to 5% really move the needle, or do sellers care more about the contingencies?

9 Answers

Agent wants us to drop $14k on carpet, paint and staging before we list. Is that money we ever see

Hi all, first time posting. We're selling the house we raised our kids in (Delray Beach, single-story, owned it 22 years) and moving closer to the grandkids, so bear with me.nnMet with our agent and she came back with a whole prep list before we go live, new carpet to replace the worn stuff, fresh neutral paint, a deep clean, a couple small repairs, and a staging rental for the main rooms. All in it's around $14k. Money's a little tight heading into the move, and honestly it stings to sink that into a house we're about to hand to someone else.nnMy thinking is, whoever buys it is probably going to redo it to their taste anyway. So why not list it as-is, price it a touch lower to account for the wear, and let the buyer make it their own? My agent says that's exactly how you get lowball offers and buyers "mentally discounting" the place before they even negotiate. I can't tell if that's real or just a way to make the listing look prettier for her.nSo for the agents here:nn1. Does prep money like carpet, paint and staging actually come back to you at sale, or do you just eat it?n2. If a buyer's going to renovate anyway, why would fresh paint and clean carpet change what they'd offer?n3. Is it smarter to just knock the price down and sell as-is instead of spending upfront?nnNew to selling in this market , appreciate any honest takes.

9 Answers

I just purchased my first home and had the money sent to an escrow account

I purchased a home and we agreed to not close for another month to give the seller time to move their belongings. The deed and everything is done but the buyer is telling me they haven't received all their money yet and I think it's because they haven't moved out yet and it's not until the 15th of this month. Will they get their money then?

13 Answers

Should the house be spotless cleaned inside. My house doesn't have insulation in my house. It ihous

For a reference person to come to my house should my house be spotless. My mother is the landlord to my house. I have a small 3 bedroom house. With no insulation in my house it gets super hot in the summer, then in the winter it gets very cold in we use it is a wood house.

8 Answers

Is it worth choosing a smaller home to get a significantly shorter daily commute?

My spouse and I are debating between a spacious suburban home with a large yard and a much smaller condo that is within walking distance of our offices. We currently spend over an hour in traffic each way, and while we want more space for our hobbies, we are worried about the impact of a long commute on our quality of life. We are looking for advice on how to weigh the trade-off between square footage and time.

18 Answers

Can I still qualify for a refinance if I had a 30-day late mortgage payment recently?

I had a bit of a financial crunch a few months ago and ended up being about 35 days late on my mortgage payment for the first time in five years. Now that my situation has stabilized, I am looking to lower my interest rate, but I am worried that this one blemish will disqualify me from the best rates. I've heard that most lenders require a clean payment history for at least twelve months before they will consider an application. Is there any flexibility for homeowners who have otherwise perfect credit and significant equity in their property?

12 Answers

Is it better to move out or stay in the home while it is on the market during a divorce?

My partner and I are separating and plan to list our home in Phoenix within the next few weeks. I am trying to decide if I should move into an apartment now or wait until the house is under contract to ensure the property remains staged and well-maintained. I am worried about how an empty house might look to buyers versus one that is still occupied, and I want to make sure the home shows in its best light to maximize our eventual sale price.

12 Answers

Can I hold the seller responsible for a water heater that failed the day after closing?

We just moved into our new home yesterday and woke up to a flooded utility room because the water heater tank burst. During the final walk-through, everything appeared to be in working order, but now we are wondering if the seller was aware of an ongoing issue and failed to disclose it. We are trying to figure out if there is any standard protocol for handling major appliance failures that happen so soon after the title transfer.

15 Answers

How can I verify property lines before closing if the neighbor's fence seems misplaced?

We are currently in the process of buying a home in a suburban neighborhood and noticed the neighbor’s fence sits about three feet inside what we thought was our yard based on the listing photos. The seller claims the fence has been there for over a decade, but the plot map provided by the county looks different. We want to know what professional services we should hire to ensure we aren't losing land or inheriting a boundary dispute before we sign the final papers.

14 Answers