Every real estate market is different; this one has brought more pre-offer inspections than I have ever seen (in part because I’m more comfortable suggesting them to my buyer clients). … The home inspection negotiation is often the most emotional, vindictive, painful and difficult periods of the negotiation; a pre-offer inspection removes phase. … Risks : – Even in this market, homes are selling; some are selling with multiple offers and buyers can lose properties if they opt for the pre-offer inspection path – Some sellers don’t want to allow these; they want assurances that a buyer is really committed before allowing a home inspection. … One must evaluate all factors involved, some of which are the buyers, the sellers, the buyers’ agent, the sellers’ agent, the respective companies, the days on market, market activity to name a few …
Browsing Category Buyers
5 Steps to Searching for Price Reductions on Homes in the Charlottesville
One of my favorite searches is the one I set up that sends me results via RSS for homes with at least a 10% price reduction over the past 30 days . Step One : Visit my Detailed Charlottesville Home Search Page Step 2 : Search by School District (which remains the best way to search for homes in Charlottesville with a geographical limiter) – Check your school district before you buy – School Values and Housing Prices Step 3 : Set your price drop criteria 
Step 4: View the search results 
Step 5 : Save the Search. … • Unrestricted access to all properties • Receive property updates for your searches via Email • Save your favorite properties • Add your own notes to listings • Create and save your personal searches • Keep track of properties you’ve viewed • Receive updates through a RSS reader
…Now, Check out the Listing Price History on your results 
As always, if you have questions, please contact me anytime .
Are Some Homebuyers Too Picky?
Some buyers are absolutely too picky , some are not and some haven’t seen enough houses yet to ascertain whether they’re too picky. As with most things in real estate, the answer depends on the client.
“The fact is, you just can’t have it all,” Westfall said. “You can’t have the big yard, the top-line updates and all that in a starter home.
A Visitor From Texas sums Up Buyer/Seller Tensions
Poking around in my search analytics again reveals this gem:
“Home buyers who want everything their way” Not all buyers do, but it’s certainly a common perception.
Compromising on the Home Purchase – Everyone Does It
Whether that is square footage, yard size, number of bedrooms, kitchen appliances, layout, ceiling height, style, price … determining what that fatal flaw is that you’re not willing to compromise is crucial to working through the home search process. … One of the keys to the “finding a new home” process is determining what the “must-haves” are, what the “I’d like to haves” are, and figuring out which ones really are the things that you absolutely, non-negotiably must have.
…However, 19 percent of buyers reported that they compromised on the price of the home, and 19 percent said they compromised on the size of their home. … Those with children under the age of 18 are more likely than those without children to make comprises when buying a home.
Four Corners Rule Versus Neighborhood Fiscal Analysis
Foreclosures and Short Sales impact home values in the neighborhood, especially when there are 3 of them, and those three are the ONLY sales in the neighborhood in a 6 month rolling basis period of time.
…Some of the factors considered in evaluating a neighborhood’s financial health: – # of foreclosures – # of short sales – # of original owners – # of homes purchased in past two-three years – # of homes purchased in past three-five years. – Financial health of the HOA – how much cash do they have on hand? … The concept of evaluating a neighborhood goes against the “Four Corners” principle , whereby the Realtors and the sellers are responsible only for what is contained within the four corners of the subject property and this different perspective ok.
As a Buyer’s Agent, I can tell you about what is contained within the four corners of the property and can (and do with the appropriate caveats) speculate about what may happen outside those four corners.
Insight into the Home Buying and Selling Process
In my business I have found that, on average, many of my buyer clients search for between 12 and 24 months – they are searching data, market trends, growth patterns, identifying where they want to live and then focusing on the homes themselves. … But a far lesser percentage than I expected. 
Length of search for buyers who used an agent, first-time and repeat buyers: – I presume that the repeat buyers may be those repeat buyer buying within the region they already inhabit; they know where they want to live, so the investigative process is much shorter. 
Information sources used in home search, by first-time and repeat buyers, and buyers of new and previously owned homes: – Same as last year, Internet, Real Estate Agent, Yard Sign are the top three sources. … I’m not completely discounting print’s effectiveness; for branding , print is hard to beat, for selling a house , it’s not even in the conversation. 
A qualifier to the below chart: Good real estate agents are useful. … As I said four years ago, Zillow Cannot Adapt ; until they develop effective Artificial Intelligence , people will be the best options. 
No surprises here – the internet is the most frequently used information source; this is one reason that I coach my buyer clients (and any reader, really) in how to effectively search for homes in the Charlottesville area . 