You can offer what ever you want for a home. It is worth only what someone is willing to pay. There was a recent sale of less than 50% of the sales price in New City. That sale will drive other home values down.

All brokera have different fees and charge different.

There are a couple factors to consider:
1) History- How long has this property been on the market & at what price.
2) How much did the owner pay for the property? Are they up-side-down?

Motivation is the key!!! I good agent can help you!

Marty Remo
Remo Realty Group

Every Home is a different story. A pretty house that priced low can bring in multiple offers and sell for over asking price even in this market. An ugly house thats overpriced may only get one offer in a year for half of what theyre asking. Every situation is different. You also have to decide if your bargain hunting, Home hunting, or a combination of the 2. If your an investor bargain hunting, you may fax out 50-70 low offers without even going to look at any of the houses in person and then only look if you get acceptable counter offers. your not going to get a nice house this way but you can get a bargain. I deal alot with pre foreclosures, If I find a real deal, I contract to buy the home straight from the seller as you would a for sale by owner, I use an assignable contract and I can assign the rights to purchase to whomever makes me the best offer. Ever watch flip this house? Thats how most of those homes are bought and wholesaled. Let me know what your looking for and I'll see if I can help, I can even help you find hard money if you find house that needs alot of work and won't qualify for traditional financing.
If your just looking for a nice home, you can check out the Multiple Listing Service from my site at http://www.OrangeAndRocklandHomes.com
Thanks,
Bill Smith
Fair Deal Home Buyer, LLC
Keller WIlliams realty
845-728-6162

You can't look at average ratios of list price to sales price. Every home and every seller's motivation are different. Homes that are priced right sell. Homes that aren't priced right, don't.

You need to be working with a professional who can tell you what the home is worth by looking at the recent sales history in the area as well as having a knowledge of the surroundings.

I know New City very well, and I can help you find the right place for you to call home and helpp you get it for the right price.

Please feel free to call me at (845) 709-3246.

Russ Paquette
Prudential Rand Realty

1. You should be working witha a experienced realtor, preferably one with an Accredited Buyer Representative designation (ABR).
2. Find out from your realtor what the average selling price-to-listing price ratio is for your area. For example, in our market (Greater Binghamton, NY), our average selling price is about 96% of the list price. Each local market will vary.
3. Your realtor should be able to recommend a starting price for negotiations based on this information. Mind you, certain neighborhoods within a particular market may be more or less flexible than the overall market average.
4. Let your realtor handle your negotiations and follow his/her advice. Resist the temptation to make low-ball offers. If your offer is too low, the seller may refuse to negotiate with you entirely. Do not contact the seller directly!
5. The seller generally pays the comission. Exceptions: If the buyer has a specific agreement with the buyer's agent or if agreed to on a sale contract.

Buyer generally don't pay commission, but their are exceptions (like FSBO's etc). If you like the home, negociate to get the home at the best terms. If you really like something, as The Donald says, you won't ever mind paying for it.

If you really want the house, negotiate from strength. Get the most recent sales of similar homes in the area and in the same school district. Use that as the basis of your offer.

The seller pays both the listing and buyer agent commissions. Do not concern yourself with the commission, make an offer based on comparable properties and go from there.

Two separate questions:
1. negotiating down the listed sales price - if you're buying is up to you and the seller circumstances. So there's no way to give you just one answer.

2. If you're buying a house - what % of fee broker charge - well being the buyer - the SELLER pays the commission. You don't pay directly out of your pocket. You just pay whatever you're willing to and it's between the seller and the agents to work that out.

We work HARD and if you're SERIOUS about buying real estate - you won't worry about what % a real estate agent gets -

Do you love the home? Make an offer. The seller will negotiate and you will go back and forth a couple of times.

The important thing to remember is you are buying a place to come home to each night, not a stock commodity. If you plan to be there for a while, the value will go up...GUARANTEED!`

The important question to ask is "What's the lowest price the seller will take?". Realize that all sellers are not in the same investment parameters and their situations differ greatly like a human fingerprint. They may have refinanced multiple times- at which point they have no equity and you have no negotiating room. They may have liens on the property which need to be taken into consideration upon closing. They also may be upside down- at which point they are only a figurehead that will sign the papers on a short sale (you'll be negotiating with their bank, not the seller themselves).