ohmomto2boys
Well-Known Member
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 9:25:38 GMT -5
Posts: 1,008
|
Post by ohmomto2boys on May 26, 2020 6:02:12 GMT -5
I have both purchased and sold via FSBO. I don't think it is unreasonable to limit the number of potential buyers to 3. This allows for spouses or SO plus realtor. I did not request a pre-approval letter from the buyers lender, but again, I don't think that is unreasonable to ask for. You should definitely disclose to buyers that the garage cannot be accessed. Would you be able to give them a timeframe of when they can view it in the near future? Not being able to see the garage or any space in the house would turn me off from setting up a walk-thru, especially if there are other homes for sale in the area. If I'm buying a house, I want to see all spaces before making an offer.
|
|
Lizard Queen
Senior Associate
103/2024
Joined: Jan 17, 2011 22:19:13 GMT -5
Posts: 14,659
|
Post by Lizard Queen on May 26, 2020 6:12:54 GMT -5
I think that most people would understand if the garage is being used as a staging area, that it can be a mess. Would you be okay with them peaking in?
|
|
ohmomto2boys
Well-Known Member
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 9:25:38 GMT -5
Posts: 1,008
|
Post by ohmomto2boys on May 26, 2020 6:47:12 GMT -5
This is good stuff and completely understandable. I would be inclined to let people see the house as you are working on it. Let them know the price and let them know what improvements you are making before putting it on the market. Some people might not care about the paint being touched up (could want a different color). It's great you have already had interest in the property. Good luck!
|
|
raeoflyte
Senior Associate
Joined: Feb 3, 2011 15:43:53 GMT -5
Posts: 14,711
|
Post by raeoflyte on May 26, 2020 6:48:55 GMT -5
The pictures posted vs. What you see when actually in a home can be completely different. Im sure your home is beautiful, but the last time dh and I were house hunting we laughed all the time about the disconnect between discriptions and pictures and what was actually there.
When realtors weren't allowed to show homes that weren't under contract we were seeing contracts on homes subject to viewings, but people would go under contract on multiple properties just so they could get inside them. So you will have to allow people in for viewings and then inspections most likely.
Are you familiar with the disclosures you need to provide a buyer and how to open escrow?
|
|
Cheesy FL-Vol
Junior Associate
"Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing." -- Helen Keller
Joined: Dec 17, 2010 16:13:50 GMT -5
Posts: 6,685
Mini-Profile Background: {"image":"","color":""}
|
Post by Cheesy FL-Vol on May 26, 2020 6:49:17 GMT -5
I have both purchased and sold via FSBO. I don't think it is unreasonable to limit the number of potential buyers to 3. This allows for spouses or SO plus realtor. I did not request a pre-approval letter from the buyers lender, but again, I don't think that is unreasonable to ask for. You should definitely disclose to buyers that the garage cannot be accessed. Would you be able to give them a timeframe of when they can view it in the near future? Not being able to see the garage or any space in the house would turn me off from setting up a walk-thru, especially if there are other homes for sale in the area. If I'm buying a house, I want to see all spaces before making an offer.
This. We are looking for a house, currently considering a FSBO. If we cannot view all of the property, we would be wondering if the seller is trying to hide something. It doesn't matter how many pictures you post online, they do not capture possible issues. As a buyer investing a substantial amount of money, there is no way I am buying without looking.
|
|
NoNamePerson
Distinguished Associate
Is There Anybody OUT There?
Joined: Dec 17, 2010 17:03:17 GMT -5
Posts: 25,660
Location: WITNESS PROTECTION
|
Post by NoNamePerson on May 26, 2020 7:29:20 GMT -5
My husband and I are buying a new house and will be selling our current house next month. We are in a very desirable part of the area and do not think we will have any trouble selling it. I have listed it on social media as a 'coming soon' post and have had several inquiries. We will try it for a few weeks as a FSBO but will consider a realtor if we aren't successful. We will give the buyer's agent a 2-3% commission. We do not NEED to sell (no mortgage now and no loan for the new house) so we are not desperate to get out. Just a few questions for some of you who have gone this route before. Since Covid-19, we have been careful about going out and trying to limit our exposure to others. If someone wants to tour the home, are we unreasonable to ask that there only be 1-2 people plus their realtor? Have you ever requested a pre-approved letter from a lender just to keep people from wasting our time? (Not sure why people would want to see the inside since I will post interior pictures in a few weeks.) We have a lot of items in the garage and no one can go in there at this time. Should we tell anyone that if they are interested in the house, they are welcome to schedule a time but that the garage cannot be accessed right now? Thanks for all of your help. Put the fact that they will not be able to see garage in whatever you are posting on social media. That will eliminate the people from calling and wasting your time. This lets people decide up front if they want to see the rest of house and then make a second trip to see a garage. I would not be happy if I showed up to see a home and then was told "btw you can't see the garage today, come back later" but that's just me.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Apr 19, 2024 17:55:19 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 26, 2020 7:50:12 GMT -5
I'd be inclined to let them look in the garage- maybe use wording that they can't "tour" the garage? They could at least get and idea of the size and see that it's not falling apart or unacceptable for other reasons. When DH and I sold our house (with a realtor), I doubt anyone actually went into it- ours was also loaded with things we'd taken out of the house for staging so it was tricky to get around.
|
|
CCL
Junior Associate
Joined: Jan 4, 2011 19:34:47 GMT -5
Posts: 7,587
|
Post by CCL on May 26, 2020 8:06:45 GMT -5
Why not just get the garage cleaned out or put the stuff in storage? If I were a buyer with any interest in your house, if I couldn't see all of the place right away I'd move on to the next one.
I realize every buyer isn't like me, but some may be. When I'm ready to buy, I'm ready to buy. The only way I'd consider waiting it out for your place would be if I could get it at a reduced price.
Have you talked to a title company and/or attorney regarding the sale and closing?
|
|
giramomma
Distinguished Associate
Joined: Feb 3, 2011 11:25:27 GMT -5
Posts: 21,277
|
Post by giramomma on May 26, 2020 8:17:03 GMT -5
Why not just get the garage cleaned out or put the stuff in storage? If I were a buyer with any interest in your house, if I couldn't see all of the place right away I'd move on to the next one. I realize every buyer isn't like me, but some may be. When I'm ready to buy, I'm ready to buy. The only way I'd consider waiting it out for your place would be if I could get it at a reduced price. Have you talked to a title company and/or attorney regarding the sale and closing? This. Pods can't be that expensive.
I think we paid like $50/month for our rental unit. So, the house we bought was on the market for a few months (we bought in 2009.) They were working on it while they had it for sale. We went through the first time, and it was a hard no. We looked at it again after they were done, and in 15 minutes, I was ready to make an offer.
|
|
Lizard Queen
Senior Associate
103/2024
Joined: Jan 17, 2011 22:19:13 GMT -5
Posts: 14,659
|
Post by Lizard Queen on May 26, 2020 8:40:15 GMT -5
In that case, they should just not let people look at it early.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Apr 19, 2024 17:55:19 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 26, 2020 10:08:58 GMT -5
I would wait until your entire property is accessible and finished with whatever updates you are doing and then start advertising and listing. Otherwise, you are just wasting your time and everyone else's and risk making your ads "stale".
I loved a house online and had considered buying it sight unseen. Actually, two of them.
When I came up and looked in person, one ended up having floors that felt like wet cardboard when walking on them and the smell of mold was insane. It wasn't a "great fixer" as listed in the ad, it would have to be nearly completely torn down.
The other had the weirdest layout possible in person, though it looked fairly normal in the photos. It also had some sort of weird old stove that used a propane bottle and a few other weird quirks.
While I bought this house without ever seeing the basement space due to snow, I had no desire to utilize it other than for the heater, water heater, and perhaps some storage. Because the rest of the house was impeccably clean and well-maintained I didn't see the basement being a potential problem - and it wasn't.
But, if I wouldn't have been able to see a garage, that would have been a deal breaker for me.
|
|
Tiny
Senior Associate
Joined: Dec 29, 2010 21:22:34 GMT -5
Posts: 13,362
|
Post by Tiny on May 26, 2020 10:09:32 GMT -5
I don't the lack of access to the garage is a big deal. If you have a cookie cutter type house with a typical for that style of house garage - I'd guess that the potential buyers have some idea of what the garage interior entails. As a buyer I would be interested in seeing that the overhead garage door worked (and how old/how well the opener worked (if I would need to replace it), how well any outside service door (side access) worked (and how well it was secured). As well as any windows to the garage. I'd want to know the square footage. A "two car garage" might mean there's room for storage on sides or it might mean you can get two cars in and barely squeeze out of the vehicle with no storage options. I'd want to know if the garage came with any built in storage features (a pull down ladder to access rafter storage - or a built in work bench or shelves at the back of the garage. I might ask about the lighing in the garage - is it just a single bulb or is there added lighting). I could use that info without actually being in the garage and seeing it all.
|
|
janee
Established Member
Joined: May 14, 2014 10:04:48 GMT -5
Posts: 344
|
Post by janee on May 26, 2020 12:07:20 GMT -5
We have sold 3 properties ourselves. Saves quite a bit of money if you're in a desirable neighborhood.
Make sure you know all the laws for disclosures. Unless you have a test showing something is, or is not, present in the house, mark everything "unknown".
If you don't get enough interest through social media, there are realtors that will list for a flat fee. We paid $300 and it put us in the MLS which is then on all the real estate sites. We did open houses prior to Covid-19, but not a good idea now. On the listing we protected the buyer's agent with 2.5% commission. If a realtor is bringing someone, ask them if they are pre-qualified. If it's not through a realtor, it's ok to ask. We had a packet we gave to everyone with pictures of the house, price, measurements and highlights of each room, and all the disclosures. We had 3 offers within 3 weeks. The last one was our asking price.
I think it's turn off to say something isn't available to view. I would open the garage doors and just explain it's stuff for the new house.
I also think it's acceptable to limit to 3 people and ask them to wear masks.
|
|
tskeeter
Junior Associate
Joined: Mar 20, 2011 19:37:45 GMT -5
Posts: 6,831
|
Post by tskeeter on May 26, 2020 17:56:08 GMT -5
Based on my experience buying and selling seven different homes, if you’re not ready to show buyers the entire property, including the garage, you’re not ready to list the house.
Regarding requiring a pre-approval letter before you show the home, I wouldn’t. As a buyer, If I was faced with a seller with such a requirement, I wouldn’t even look at the house. First, the buyer’s agent should run the buyer through a qualification process. After all, an unqualified buyer will waste a lot more of an agent’s time than they might waste of a seller’s time. Second, as a buyer, I’d view a seller demanding a pre-approval letter before they will let me view a house as unreasonable. If the seller is going to be a pain in the arse about a showing, I’d expect them to be completely unreasonable to deal with during the negotiations, inspections, and closing. I wouldn’t waste my time with those sellers.
When it comes to limiting the number of people in a party who can look at a house, I’d consider that to be another indication of a seller who is probably unreasonable. If coronavirus has you so concerned that you want to do things that make you appear to be a pain in the arse seller, you should wait to sell the house until you have moved out or until your coronavirus concerns have been resolved.
If you want to save the money that home sellers normally pay their real estate agent, you need to be prepared to deal with the inconveniences that the real estate agent normally handles.
|
|