Want a House! Posted October 18, 2004 Report Share Posted October 18, 2004 So we saw a couple of houses that we really like and needless to say we are READY to move into a house, the problem is our townhome hasn't sold, we've had it listed for 4 weeks and had 3 showings but no contract/offers yet.Now, can some of the experts help me and give me advice (Charles, what do we do?), We haven't applied for a loan yet because we dont' know when we'll get a contract on our townhome.We don't want to lose the opportunity of buying this house we really like.What are our options?, what do we need to do? Do we need to start applying for the financing? Do we negotiate with the seller?We do have a buyer agent (the same one we have listing our townhouse) but she said something a while back about sellers not liking "contingency contracts", which I guess means that we would buy the new house contingent with the sale of our townhome.The house we like is still occupied so I'm guessing they would need sometime to get their stuff ready and move out.We were really hoping to be in a new house before the holidays and needless to say, they are already around the corner!.I really need your expert advice.THANKS SO MUCH! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firstsource Posted October 18, 2004 Report Share Posted October 18, 2004 Well, for sure don't do what I did. Twice, which shows that it takes a lot for me to learn sometimes. Don't buy another home until the one you have is sold. Maybe, make an offer on the home that you like, and have the offer include a contingency that it is not a valid contract until your current home sells. Otherwise, with 2 house payments you become the type person that I want my clients to find. Some one that is willing to take a 2nd, pay lots of closing costs, etc. Sorry to give that advice, as most times I am very optimistic, but here want to be realistic. Charles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravenous Wolf Posted October 19, 2004 Report Share Posted October 19, 2004 You might want to find out what it is about your house that turns people off.Often times, prospective home buyers are turned off by the silliest and irrelevant things. Like, they don’t like your entertainment center, etc. Duh. They are not buying the entertainment center, they are buying your house. But stupid things like that are totally arbitrary and have no relevance but some people place a tremendous value on such things.The HGTV channel has a few shows that they place hidden cameras and get all the prospective buyers comments. Most are asinine but you have to think like a buyer in order to sell to a buyer.My sister and brother-in-law started moving as much furniture out of their house when they put it on the market. They put in storage or in my parents place. All of a sudden, their place looked a lot more spacious and more like a model home.Nobody lives in a house that is like a model home but builders know that the model home appeal is what attracts buyers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Want a House! Posted October 19, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2004 Thank you both for your suggestions.Charles, we definitely don't want to be stuck in a situation where we could have two mortgage payments (can't afford it!!), or in a situation where we would take any offer because we are desperate.Ravenous Wolf, thanks for the tips, we did pack a bunch and I mean, a bunch of stuff already and the house looks very spacious, we put tile in the living area, the dining area and we also painted. We took the extra toys to my mom's house and I think we've done a very good job at keeping the house presentable, and when I compare it to the ones we saw this weekend ours looks like a model home!.Thanks guys!, I will definitely keep you posted on the progress of our selling/buying/getting a loan, etc., etc. issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueranger Posted October 27, 2004 Report Share Posted October 27, 2004 keep your house.... rent it out and let someone else pay for it.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WillyB Posted November 19, 2004 Report Share Posted November 19, 2004 Town houses probably don't sell as fast a house. But four weeks isn't nothing when trying to sell a property. If you have it listed, keep on your realtor to get it advertised, hold open houses, get lookers in there! Hopefully you didn't get laid away on to long of a listing. Also instead of renting it out, think about selling it using a lease option. Make sure the option is a seperate agreement from the lease. It's easier to evict a renter than foreclose on a buyer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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