…and why don't agents like to get calls from buyers directly? Can a low offer be considered 'offensive'?

1) Guy is a home buyer from Sacramento who asks “I have a problem and I admit it... I call agents directly and why don't agents like to get call from buyers directly?”

THIS IS A GOOD THING. You should feel comfortable to call on any home you choose, whenever you choose - with or without an agent representing you. If you know your agent is responsive, informative, and helps you value properties for your specific needs – by all means, let us call too. I have agents tell me unpublished information on nearly every listing I call on. Still, if you want to know more… call and ask. My homeowners would love to know that you are interested, and would love the chance for me to tell you more about the home they are trying to sell. And if you are looking for an agent, tell them. If you are not, tell them that too :-)

2) Christelle in San Diego, California asked about closing costs for REO and Foreclosed properties. If the home is already at a price that is getting multiple offers, should I ask for closing costs?

If you are making an offer on a bank owned property that is going to have a bunch of people bidding on it – you might want to make yourself seem like the *easiest person in the world* to deal with. For instance:
‘Sale of Home Contingency’ to a bank might sound just like ‘your in-laws are coming to stay with you for the weekend.’
‘Closing costs,’ especially over a certain amount, might sound just like ‘you best friends annoying husband is ALSO joining you gals for drinks after work.’
‘Cash’ or a well written offer that involves a loan, might sounds like those magical words (at least to those of us addicted to the game, grin) ‘go play golf.’

Now we are having a little fun with this, but you really want to have a strategy when formulating your offer. The details can help you, or unknowingly hurt you. Just be sure to ask a lot of questions about how each detail works to your advantage – or against you. Just this month my clients in north Nashville were told about how much easier their offer was to accept; this wasn’t due to more money, it was less than anticipated actually, but it was us being more intentional with our details than the next guy. Give yourself the best chance that you can.

3) Jeremy asks “Can a low offer be considered 'offensive'?
This almost entirely based on the absorption rate (whether anybody involved knows it or not). Good market or bad, we all want to know if the house is going to sell. As home buyers, we want to know what we can reasonably offer and still get a deal; protect our investment. As home sellers, we want the most money that anyone would pay; getting the best return on our investment. How can we predict that though? Well, we can take an educated guess based on the number of home available divided by the number of homes selling each month (general area, surrounding community, specific trends for your home). It’s basically your gut feel - something to turn up to HIGH when home shopping or home selling – but with very real data.

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Hoping to help you take advantage of the market – when you are ready.

Kevin Pellatiro
(615)714-7918 kpellatiro@realtracs.com http://signswemustobserve.blogspot.com/

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((These are the top three questions this week as asked by real people from all over the country involved in the housing market and posting over at Trulia.com: http://www.truliablog.com/2008/04/28/trulia-voices-top-10-questions-of-the-week-8/))