Scott got me started. (MLS listing rant)

We looked at this house in August and they wanted 439k if I remember correctly.

Considering it had pretty bad water issues in the basement, a dirt & gravel driveway, a deck that was unsafe, cracks above every door and window due to the 2nd floor addition recently, and cosmetic concerns in every room (2 young boys ransacked it), we offered 410k. They counter offered 429k and we countered again at 420k.

Not a far stretch, right? The owners just never answered. Even the RE agent was p*ssed since the house had been on the market since early spring.

The same week we saw another house and we now own it. But it could easily have gone the other way. I even posted about it here, asked questions about french drains, sump pumps, etc.

And now it's listed at 20k LESS than what we offered them. I mean, how stupid are you?

It was a blessing in disguise for us. We don't have any issues with this house as serious as what was going on down in that basement.

People just amaze me sometimes.

Re: Scott got me started. (MLS listing rant)

We saw this two with the two homes we bid on before we found the house we're in now. And it was blessing in disguise for us cause one of those houses stayed on the market for another 6 months and sold for a lower price than we offered.

Re: Scott got me started. (MLS listing rant)

I sooo feel you on this one. We put a low offer in on a house...they wouldn't even counter. A few days later, they reduce their asking price. Really irked me, but whatever. I see now that someone has bought it....anxious to see what they paid for it but I won't know til Feb when they finally close.

Glad it all worked out for you in the end though!

Re: Scott got me started. (MLS listing rant)

That is annoying.

The co-op across the courtyard from me ( same complex) is bigger, and when I looked at it, it was more expensive & need more work than the one I bought. (I saw them both the same day.)

I don't even try to put an offer on it, b/c of the work, and b/c I liked this one, ( it had a patio & private entrance that the other didn't) but 8 months later it sold for less than I paid for this smaller unit & AND they had completed most of the work.



It's just the way it goes I guess.

Message edited 1/5/2008 9:13:49 PM.

Re: Scott got me started. (MLS listing rant)

When i originally listed my condo a few years ago (when the market had just started to turn) I got an offer that i rejected.... then i eventually had to drop the price even lower than that offer. I think that it's rude that they just ignored your last counter offer, but they probably just hadnt come to terms yet that they weren't going to get as close to the asking price as they had probably hoped. I am sure they are kicking themselves now! I actually feel sorry for them! It's tough being a seller right now!

Re: Scott got me started. (MLS listing rant)

Tricia, I'm right there w/ you...DH & I saw on MLS yesterday the house we initially made an offer on...we loved it & really wanted it.

We offered 385k (the house had a range of 389-440k) & when our realtor placed the offer she told us our offer "insulated" the seller.

Well FF to 6 months later & the house is now listed at 379k!!! Also we were willing to go up to 400k

We're obviously in a different home now & are happy but I was mad & part of me was disappointed yesterday.

DH then told me all the negatives w/ that house & it made me feel better. It's just frustrating though.

Message edited 9/21/2009 1:42:35 PM.

Re: Scott got me started. (MLS listing rant)

That happened to me with a house in my neighborhood that was a total fixer that we wanted to buy as an investment. I offered 60k less than asking about 18 months ago-cash deal, close in less than two weeks, the REA told me-the seller isn't that desperate to relocate, she'll never take that. She went into foreclosure a couple of months later & It just sold for 95k less than asking
real geniuses, her & the REA.

Message edited 1/6/2008 12:29:00 PM.

Re: Scott got me started. (MLS listing rant)

See, I read all your stories and I start to think... those idiots.

But then I start to see it from the other side. It must be hard to not make a profit on the amount you paid for the house in addition to what you put into it.

That house I posted has a 2nd floor addition that's less than 3 years old. It looks good but with the high water table in the area (it's down the block from Maureen's Kitchen off Terry Road) and the cracks everywhere, and the uneven floor, I would be real worried.

Not to mention the CO question... The taxes are already 5 figures and who knows if the huge garage in the back, the deck, and the extension are legal?

Although I'm finding more plumbing headaches, I still feel a lot better about our decision.

Re: Scott got me started. (MLS listing rant)

same thing happened to DH and I 2 yrs ago. we put in an offer on a 3 bedroom condo that was listed at $349K, he rejected our offer and since we really wanted it, we went back and forth a few times and then settled on $346K. but then the seller started being a real jerk about things that needed to be removed (like an illegal deck) and repaired. so we walked away.

it took him a whole year after that to sell it - for WAYYYYY less than our 1st offer was - which "insulted him"

dumb azz

Message edited 1/6/2008 2:34:16 PM.

Re: Scott got me started. (MLS listing rant)

people got caught up in the big gains from a few years ago. Not only are there not big gains, but there are now losses. We had a house in my neighborhood start at 650 and sell at 450!!!! That's GOT to hurt!

Re: Scott got me started. (MLS listing rant)

Most often, the first offer that you get is the highest number. Often times, the more it sits on the market, the lower you end up getting - especially in this market.

I've had a few properties in our town that have come on the market that I got a little down over...but its fleeting because I know we scored a great deal!

Re: Scott got me started. (MLS listing rant)

This happened to my sister's neighbor. She would not take an offer from a prospective buyer because it was 20,000 less than the original offering price. 6 months later, she ended up having to drop her price by almost 40,000 and could not get a buyer. This was a few years ago so I am not sure what price she ended up selling for, but these things happen. People just think that they are too good and aren't willing to settle or negotiate until it is is too late.

Re: Scott got me started. (MLS listing rant)

this happened to us. We saw a real handy man special in Ronkonkoma (needed to be gutted) and the town deemed it unsafe. They were asking $275. So we offer $230, they didn't counter and we heard they were disgusted with our offer. I saw it on MLS this Aug (mind you we saw it in Jan) and it was $225. Silly people. Glad it didn't work out, it would have made us house broke, with the renovations.

Re: Scott got me started. (MLS listing rant)

WHen i read all the stories on here, It really makes that phrase sink in, that it just wasnt the house you were meant to have. And that as disappointing/ heartbreaking as it may have seemed at the time to have your offer rejected by the seller, something much better came along and everyone is happy with the way it turned out.