Realtor choices

[zibazinski]

Whoa, that's some serious stuff. I'd be reporting that

[tloonya]

Wouldn't it be good for IRS for them to sell the house and pay the lien?

[tskeeter]

Dec 12, 2015 14:29:10 GMT -5 cael said:

So I want to get a wide variety of opinions on this because I'm irritated I'm getting bothered about it. DH and I decided quite a while ago that when we start looking at houses, we do not want to use a realtor we or my parents know. We have two realtors at my church who my parents know well, and my mom is pushing that we use the one couple since she says they'd be personally invested in not screwing us. She thinks someone we don't know is way more likely to screw us. I think that's bull, because if I do the research and talk to people around town about who they like and don't like, I highly doubt someone in town with good past business will screw us. The couple at my church my mother is pushing actually gave my friend (who also knows them) a pretty bad experience they felt hurt their sale (that fell through), and they let the contract expire and don't want to use them again. I just feel better using someone I don't know because if something does go badly, I won't feel badly about letting a contract expire or not using them again in the future.

What are your guys' opinions on this? I'm just irritated because my damn mother won't let up, and it's fine she has her opinion, but I have mine and I'm pretty much made up on it, so she needs to STFU. Am I just being stubborn or is it a good idea to not use someone you have a personal relationship with?

I've been through 11 home purchase/sale transactions.  Never had a bad experience (and a couple of really positive experiences) with the agent I picked.  I think your Mom's concerns are overblown.

[souldoubt]

The moment mom got pushy I'd let her know that her opinion or advice while appreciated is no longer needed on this topic.  This is a business transaction and based on what you said you aren't comfortable using the people she's pushing so that's the end of it.  I don't do business with family or friends because they're more likely to screw you or rather take liberties because of that personal connection.  I can guarantee you that if things weren't working out your mom would be telling you it's okay and way too heavily involved.  If it goes south you're going to see those people at church and wonder what they're talking about when you walk by and they drop their conversation down to a whisper.  

[cael]

Dec 15, 2015 16:18:38 GMT -5 souldoubt said:

The moment mom got pushy I'd let her know that her opinion or advice while appreciated is no longer needed on this topic.  This is a business transaction and based on what you said you aren't comfortable using the people she's pushing so that's the end of it.  I don't do business with family or friends because they're more likely to screw you or rather take liberties because of that personal connection.  I can guarantee you that if things weren't working out your mom would be telling you it's okay and way too heavily involved.  If it goes south you're going to see those people at church and wonder what they're talking about when you walk by and they drop their conversation down to a whisper.  

I totally agree, I told one of my coworkers about this today and he said the exact same thing. Funny thing is I barely even go to church anymore, so my parents would be the ones feeling awkward seeing them, not me! They've never bought or sold a house or even tried to enter a real estate transaction before - not that I have, but doing business like this with people you know is just not a good idea and they're too naive to see why.

[Deleted]

Dec 15, 2015 15:11:16 GMT -5 tloonya said:

Wouldn't it be good for IRS for them to sell the house and pay the lien?

It takes a long time for the IRS to agree to a sale and come to the table and collect their debt. (And what do they care? More time equals higher interest charges.)

My BIL and SIL bought a fantastic floor-through in a prewar building near Central Park years ago, primarily because the seller owed a ton of people, including the IRS. They got it at a bargain price because they were willing to be patient while all the liens got sorted out.

[TheHaitian]

So did you pick one already!

[cael]

LOL no, we haven't even taken the first time homebuyer's class yet! I'll start making a list of realtors after the new year probably when we schedule the class. Making a decision is probably a few months out.

I'd ask who you guys used, but you're probably a little too far west for your guy/gal to have a lot of north shore knowledge.

[TheHaitian]

Dec 15, 2015 17:48:56 GMT -5 cael said:

LOL no, we haven't even taken the first time homebuyer's class yet! I'll start making a list of realtors after the new year probably when we schedule the class. Making a decision is probably a few months out.

I'd ask who you guys used, but you're probably a little too far west for your guy/gal to have a lot of north shore knowledge.

What class? Was I supposed to take a class before I bought? What am I missing?

And yes definitely, unless you are central MA (even if he did show us a few home in Maynard, Acton, Dorchester, Boston, Framingham, Natick, Upton and Stoughton) he is not your guy. But I can ask him for a professional reference for you guys, he might know someone. PM me on Facebook the area again...

When we looked outside of his area he would reach out to other agents in the same firm (Kelly Williams Realty) to show us the homes or give us their input).

Looking at the list of places I listed I don't know how the hell I ended up in my town... Oh yeah I could afford more than a 2 bedroom condo/town home there or a house needing 100-150k in repairs.

[cael]

There's a first time home buyer's class people can take, we have friends who bought over the summer and they even did it online which I didn't know you could do - if you take it you can get approved to put 3% down and honestly I just want the info since I don't know much about anything.

[TheHaitian]

Dec 16, 2015 8:39:20 GMT -5 cael said:

There's a first time home buyer's class people can take, we have friends who bought over the summer and they even did it online which I didn't know you could do - if you take it you can get approved to put 3% down and honestly I just want the info since I don't know much about anything.

Good luck !!!