Buying a house is a big deal and a cause for celebration. If you're lucky, you'll continue your winning streak with a bunch of friendly and welcoming neighbors. But often, there's that one person who comes to rain on your parade.
A homeowner says she received an unexpected visitor shortly after moving into her newly-bought fix-me-upper. The uninvited guest demanded to know how much she'd paid for the house, whether she knew the sellers, whether she'd received financial assistance from family, and more. It turns out that Karen felt the woman didn't deserve to live there because her son had his heart set on the house.
They lucked out by securing a fix-me-upper and for the most part, their neighbors have been lovely
Image credits: Anastasia Shuraeva / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Bar one Karen, who feels that they don't deserve to live in the house because her son had his heart set on buying it
Image credits: cottonbro studio / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Ron Lach / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Image credits: theambears
Image credits: theambears
Image credits: RDNE Stock project / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Want your purchase offer to be accepted? Experts advise you follow these steps...
Not everyone is lucky enough to be able to afford to buy a house. According to data released by Zillow, the average home in the United States is valued at around $370,320. On a house costing $417,700, you’re looking at a monthly repayment of around $2,134. That’s assuming you made a 20% down payment and received the average interest rate of 6.6%.
Of course, your mortgage payments aren’t all you’ll be forking out…There are also taxes, insurance and other expenses. It’s no surprise then that buyers think carefully before putting in an offer to purchase.
But while buying a home is no doubt expensive, there's still a lot of competition out there. And that's because we are currently in a “seller’s” market. In other words, there are more people looking to buy a home than actual homes for sale.
Zillow’s data reveals that homes go to pending in around 18 days.
“A pending home sale marks the point in the purchase transaction when the buyer and seller agree on price and terms and is considered a leading indicator of a closed existing home sale within the next one to two months,” explains Forbes.
If you do spot your dream home and can afford it, experts advise you take certain steps to secure it. Your purchase offer is key, they say.
"The purchase offer is your opportunity to convince the seller that they should sell their home to you rather than another buyer," explains the team at Fulton Bank. They add that sellers are looking for an offer that "creates a clear path to selling their home, with minimal obstacles or complications."
It pays to get pre-qualified for a home loan or mortgage before you even begin house-hunting. This will give you an idea of what you can afford.
"You can then look for a home that falls within that price bracket, and when you make the offer, you’ll be able to show the seller your certificate to prove you can afford the price of the home," say ooba Home Loans' experts. "This will strengthen your position with the seller."
When viewing your potential new home, ooba's team suggests that you show appreciation for the seller's taste. "Homeowners get emotionally attached to their homes, and that attachment may persist even when they’re selling them," they explain. "Complimenting the interior decoration and design of the home shows the homeowner you appreciate the work they’ve put into it. It indicates that you will show the home the same care and attention to detail as they have."
If you've decided to put in an offer, Fulton's experts advise setting your price at, or slightly above, list price to attract a seller’s attention. They warn that if you're offering above the list price, you should know your limits. Otherwise, you could find yourself struggling to make the monthly payments.
You should also avoid asking for too many extras. For example, furniture or small repairs that you could handle yourself. "Keep the offer clear and concise, so the seller doesn't view you as a potentially problematic buyer," advises the Fulton site.
It might help to do some research too. For example, notes Fulton Bank, if you know that the seller won't be able to move out for another three months, you could agree to set the closing date on a timeline that's convenient for them. Or you may agree to speed up the closing if they need to move quickly.
Finally, you could throw an escalation clause into your offer to purchase.
"This type of clause automatically increases your offer price, up to a maximum amount, if another buyer outbids you," explains Fulton Bank. But be clear on how high you're willing to go because "while an escalation clause could help persuade a seller to accept your offer, it could lock you into a pricier home."
Some felt it was more a case of the mother wanting the son to live close to her
