Realtors and sellers heads in the sand?

Question

The mortgage industry doesn't seem to have their heads in the sand about the current housing problems. However it seems that many realtors and sellers do (a house a block away that doesn't have a basement, has only a front yard filled with trees and is just two bedrooms is asking $225,000 but other homes a few blocks away with bigger yards are asking 50,000 less). And there are many houses that have been for sale over a year in this area. Are the realtors and sellers burying their heads in the sand in their asking prices? This is in Chicagoland and what once use to be an affordable area is no longer affordable for an average income.

It seems that realtors are blaming the mortgage industry but not looking into their own industry and unrealistic expectation for the average home buyer and the average home buyer's income.

I'm not upset that I have to buy an hour west of where I work. I was simply wondering if the realtors and sellers who are trying to put all the blame on the mortgage industry simply have their heads buried in the sand and aren't looking at their own unrealistic expectations as being part of the problem.

Answer 1

From my experience, you can't always blame the Realtors. We try to help our sellers make educated decisions on what to sell their home for, but ultimately, it's not our decision, it's theirs. It's tough when someone is mortgaged to the hilt on their home and can't keep up with the payments. At this point, there are only two choices - try to sell at the higher price or let the home go to foreclosure.

The reason the mortgage industry "doesn't seem to have their heads in the sand" is that they are the ones who got caught giving money to those who didn't qualify for it and are now being punished.

As for the home a block from you, maybe you should wait and see if it does sell. If so, they're not out of their minds on the pricing - that's called "what the market will bear" and the Seller and Realtor priced the home right.

Neighborhoods carry different prices. I know of one neighborhood that has homes priced in the $130's on average, while in the next neighborhood over, the average price is $900K. True, different homes, but none are exactly the same.

All will sort itself out in time. In the meantime, why not use one of these Realtors to help you find a home that's quite underpriced for you to buy. We do have that ability, too.

Answer 2

Having just bought a great house at less than it's appraised value I have to say not everyone dose. However-we bought a place that was flipped by a LLC group so they are aware of the need to move the prop not set on it (and it was inspected and is in great shape-the group got it under foreclosure and we reap the reward so to say). Our agent had shown us several homes before this that were on the market 6 months + and were not coming down in price. She was floored when this home dropped over $14,000 after being on the market 90 days. She told us that is what should be taking place with more homes in this market, lower the price over time. Instead a large number of sellers are either flipped on the home price in our area and can't sell for less or they are just certain the house is worth more. When she and I talked she said that lately she has spent more time trying to get sellers to understand that they are overpriced and need to come down so there is interest in the property than she has spent showing homes. I don't think the realtors are as much to blame as the sellers. If they refuse to drop the price or they are sure their house is worth more then no amount of discussion will make them drop the price-they have a hard time seeing the long term effect of not dropping price (like still being in the house a year later). I have no doubt that we got a great deal on this home because the place was flipped and to them is just a buisness deal with no emotional stake in it so it is easier to do what they must to move the house. I am sure the little yard with lots of trees has specail meaning to that family and they will in turn feel it is worth a whole lot more.

Answer 3

Blaming Realtors for the current state of the real estate market is like blaming car salesmen for car recalls. Or blaming high gas prices on the attendant behind the counter. Realtors have no more control over market values than the weatherman has at controlling the temperature. If the property is overpriced in your opinion, don't buy it.
It wasn't the real estate agents that loaned out the money to people that really shouldn't have been approved...that, my friend, falls onto the laps of the mortgage companies...

Answer 4

Do you have some notion that houses are priced upon YOUR ability to afford same ? Should sellers ask less for their properties than the market will offer ? It's always a seller's option to keep a property on the market as long as he desires, or until he gets the price he wants.

Answer 5

You're correct that many sellers set an unrealistic asking price based on what they think it would have fetched a year ago. In a declining "buyers market," sellers have to lower their expections in order to move the house.