Buying 1st home?

Question

I am making a bid on my 1st home tomorrow. Should I bid asking price? Also, would it be ok to ask the seller to pay the closing costs? And can I also request things like a new stove? Or would that just sound too pushy? I am pre approved and would just like to get the best deal I can and not be taken advantage of since this is my 1st home purchase. I am bidding tomorrow with my real estate agent. ANY ADVICE is GREATLY appreciated!! Thanks : )~

Answer 1

Don't bid asking price unless you're positive that there are more than one offers being placed on the home, you will be asking for lots of extras AND/OR it's the home of your dreams and you just want it NOW.
It's typically acceptable to bid anywhere from $5-10K BELOW the asking price, most sellers and realtors expect it. You have to remember that if you are going to ask the seller to pay closing costs, you can't go too low on your offer as the closing costs and the dollar amount off of the asking price are money out of his/her pocket.
Try to get a feel for how eager the seller is to get out from underneath the home. Has it been on the market for a long time? Has the seller already purchased another home? (In which case they are making double mortgage payments) Does the home need a a lot of work?
Also see if you can find out what the owner paid for the home when he/she bought it and the amount of time that they lived in the home/improvements that have been made on the home. Some county offices have tax/sale records available online (you type in the address and get tax & sale history). If you can find that, you'll find out how much money the owner is trying to make off of the sale. Ex. They paid $80K in 2004 and now are selling for $150K. ..unless there have been alot of improvements made to the home, you can see that a $70K increase in value is a little unrealistic for a 2 year span of time.
Also, found a website that lists the value of homes nationwide. Same premise, you type in an address and can see what market value for the home is, as well as sale history. The site is very new and doesn't have info loaded for all 50 states yet, so it may not help, but worth a try - www.zillow.com
I wouldn't ask for a new stove, but definatley ask them to leave the current appliances. You can always purchase new ones on your own once settled and acclimated to the costs of being a homeowner.

Answer 2

The biggest thing to remember is the agent makes his/her money from the seller not the buyer. I am not saying they will try to get you into a home you do not want but just knowing that one fact alone can put you a little more on guard. Now to answer your questions. I have never bid the asking price but I live in an area that that is acceptable. In some areas of California people will bid over the asking price just to get a home because they are in such high demand. So you must do your homework and find out what people are bidding in your area. I can not answer that part of your question directly. Yes it is fine to ask the seller to pick up the closing cost. I would if I was getting what I wanted. If the stove is in need of repair then the seller has a responsibility to either repair it or replace it, so hone your negotiating skills concerning that issue.

A final thought. My wife and I did not buy our second home till we both took a course in Real estate at one of our local Junior Colleges. We were both so overwhelmed with laws and paperwork with our first home we felt we needed to be better educated in that area next time. Once finished with our course we both felt in control of the situation and were ready to buy. We bought our very first home totally uneducated on the subject and thank the good Lord our agent got us what we wanted. We both swore to ourselves that we would never let that happen again and that is the reason for the college class. Today we both still live in our second home and have raised both our kids and grandkids in this wonderful home that reflects both our personilities. Please think about takeing a class first. You will not be sorry and will feal in control after the class.

Answer 3

You can ask for anything you want in the initial offer. Don't worry about being pushy.

Here's what you do need to worry about -- you make an offer asking for closing costs to be paid by the seller. While the seller is writing up a counter-offer, someone else offers to pay full asking price with no seller considerations. You just lost the house.

Ask your agent how many people have viewed the property in the last week. The lockbox will hold that information. If there's not much foot traffic, be as aggressive as you want. If there's been a lot of traffic, maybe offer $2000 over asking with seller paying 4K in closing costs and buying you the new stove.

Answer 4

I would bid below the asking price. It is now a buyers market. I do not think the seller will pay the closing costs. When you bid lower I would state one of the reasons is the stove is in poor condition and will need to be replaced.

Answer 5

Always offer below the asking price!
Often the lender can pay the closing costs, if the seller won't.
Requesting things like a new stove is very unorthodox.
Your real estate agent should be answering these questions.

Answer 6

Asking the seller to pay the closing cost is the most common way of lowing the price. A few people I know done it this way.
Enjoy your new home.

Answer 7

Always start your bidding lower than the asking price. Our seller paid our closing costs when we bought our home.

Answer 8

It always depends on the market. Where I live, we are in a pretty desperate buyers market. It would be reasonable to bid $140 on a house listed at $170. They can always say no. Most likely, they would be happy for any bid and counter offer at $150.

Answer 9

Mortgages and Home Financial Planning
By: Joseph Kenny
This is a good article to help you along the way to your home purchase. You can use this web site to learn more about credit and finance.

Answer 10

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,187831,00.html?sPage=fnc.business/realestate