For the last 18 months or so, gauging he bottom of the market has been a buyer's primary goal. It has been a how-low-can-I-go scenario. When I'm working for a seller who has drawn a line in the sand, below which there is no deal, I encourage the buyer's agent to be reasonable when bringing in an offer. Last week, I conveyed just that to a agent who said her clients were thrilled to find just the right house. They'd fallen in love after two mishaps -- houses that didn't pass inspection for whatever reason -- and they just couldn't wait to make this happen.
Then the offer came in -- $60,000 under asking. Now, the sellers bought it for $50,000 more than they were selling of for, so we'd done the numbers and felt sure the house wasn't overpriced. Well, maybe not THAT over priced! We negotiated. The sellers dropped another $20,000. The buyers...oh, they hardly budged at all and then, quick as a wink, disappeared. I guess they didn't love the house SO much.
And now, some other people are interested in it. We'll see what they come up with. I reviewed all the competition today in the MLS. Okay, this isn't the biggest house in the price range, but it's by far the prettiest, the most elegant, and the most updated. Time will tell.
What we're seeing this first month of a new year is promise -- for homes that are priced right. Amazing but true: Buyers are making offers. And they're not all insanely low. In Montclair and Glen Ridge, NJ. adjacent towns with enormous desirability due their access to NYC, homes are selling over-asking again. When they're "worth" it!
Which brings me to the how-low-can-I-go scenario in 2010. A client of mine made an offer last week on a very pretty, updated, centrally located home here. She came in $20,000 under asking for her Best and Final offer; the other two bidders came in at least $20,000 over asking. One of my team's listings in Maplewood last week, cute as a button, sold in just days. Just under a 10 percent adjustment in 2 years for this home, to be sure, but hardly a Humpty Dumpty real estate moment.
Sure, there are many homes out there without happy endings and there will continue to be. Once a home enters short sale status, whatever real value it has will have been compromised. Only bargain status will give it marketplace power, no matter the home's inherent value.
But for properties left untainted by misfortune, the outlook is better. The most desirable properties are being shown and embraced. A colleague of mine put a cute 100-year old home on the market yesterday. There have already been 12 showings. This one last sold in 2008, with multiple offers. Now priced $10,000 under that old sale price, it may well reflect that part of the market that retains value. It's not a bargain, never has been, and it seems, never will be. But it's a wonderful place to live, great schools, great commute, and it's going to be home sweet home, on a fair and square basis, to someone who just loves it and embraces it, price and all.
What a deal!
Then the offer came in -- $60,000 under asking. Now, the sellers bought it for $50,000 more than they were selling of for, so we'd done the numbers and felt sure the house wasn't overpriced. Well, maybe not THAT over priced! We negotiated. The sellers dropped another $20,000. The buyers...oh, they hardly budged at all and then, quick as a wink, disappeared. I guess they didn't love the house SO much.
And now, some other people are interested in it. We'll see what they come up with. I reviewed all the competition today in the MLS. Okay, this isn't the biggest house in the price range, but it's by far the prettiest, the most elegant, and the most updated. Time will tell.
What we're seeing this first month of a new year is promise -- for homes that are priced right. Amazing but true: Buyers are making offers. And they're not all insanely low. In Montclair and Glen Ridge, NJ. adjacent towns with enormous desirability due their access to NYC, homes are selling over-asking again. When they're "worth" it!
Which brings me to the how-low-can-I-go scenario in 2010. A client of mine made an offer last week on a very pretty, updated, centrally located home here. She came in $20,000 under asking for her Best and Final offer; the other two bidders came in at least $20,000 over asking. One of my team's listings in Maplewood last week, cute as a button, sold in just days. Just under a 10 percent adjustment in 2 years for this home, to be sure, but hardly a Humpty Dumpty real estate moment.
Sure, there are many homes out there without happy endings and there will continue to be. Once a home enters short sale status, whatever real value it has will have been compromised. Only bargain status will give it marketplace power, no matter the home's inherent value.
But for properties left untainted by misfortune, the outlook is better. The most desirable properties are being shown and embraced. A colleague of mine put a cute 100-year old home on the market yesterday. There have already been 12 showings. This one last sold in 2008, with multiple offers. Now priced $10,000 under that old sale price, it may well reflect that part of the market that retains value. It's not a bargain, never has been, and it seems, never will be. But it's a wonderful place to live, great schools, great commute, and it's going to be home sweet home, on a fair and square basis, to someone who just loves it and embraces it, price and all.
What a deal!
