It seems like this may be the nicest house in the neighborhood but the market time doesn't surprise me being that is is new construction because people sometimes list a property before it is built. As a buyer you can ask for anything you want and any price you want to pay but remember that the owner always has the right to say yes, no or to negotiate. If you want this property make a decent offer and you may get it. There isn't a magic percentage that an owner will take but if you have a buyers agent they would be able to do a market analysis for the property you are interested in so that you are not over paying for the current conditions. Hope this helps.
Sue Como http://www.SueComoRealtor.com

There is all kinds of negotiating that can transpire based on the buyers needs and all of the surrounding circumstances. Please enlist the help of a buyers agent experienced in that area to navigate you through. I am one of many great agents in this area.
Feel free to call text email or call me anytime!
Happy Fourth of July.

Ann Marie Belair ReMax Advantage, Worcestser MA
annmariebelair@comcast.net http://www.annmariesblog.com http://www.annmariebelair.com

If you send a link to the property I can give you a more direct answer otherwise the only information I have to go on (which is a guess based on the above) is the town of Worcester and condo duplex. Worcester is pretty big and the way to value real estate is to do it in a hyper local way so again it makes it difficult to deliver good concise advice. The issue with only giving you the below data is that the property could be largely over priced and these average discount numbers would therefore be irrelevant. Based on the two general pieces of information you have provided .....

Worcester Stat's in the last 6 months, condominium sales:
Average Price: $97,711
Average days on market 157
Average discount from listing price (which is the price currently on the unit) is 4%
Average discount from the original price (which is the price originally put on the unit 500 days ago) is 15%

Since the unit is in a complex with an association you may have to get the permission of the board to put a fence but then again I can't see the actual unit because we have no address.

If the duplex has been on the market for 500 days, it may also be because it was marketed when first being built til now, and not necessarily that no one has put in an offer on it. Although from your description, it sounds like it may be in a unique hard to sell area with the apartment complex right near it. Recently I showed some clients of mine a similar situation where the duplex was new construction and at the end of a street (road was decent but not the best) and had this big apartment complex to the right of it. If you were to buy the unit to the right, you wouldn't have the view of the complex, but if you bought the left side unit, you could see the complex from the side windows. My buyers had the same concerns as you mentioned and I did suggest to them that these factors may have an effect on the re-sale of the property down the road. In regards to the fence, that is something you can ask the seller, but I would guess the seller would want a higher offer due to the cost of putting up a fence these days, so don't be surprised if he did accept that term, that he'd want the price compensated towards doing that. I also have a single family attached unit that is close to 1700sf with a partially finished basement and 2 car garage for $234,900 that is on 786 Franklin St in Worcester if that would interest you. Good luck with your search and if you'd like any type of Buyer Agent representation, feel free to contact me.

Angela Dolber
Prudential Prime Properties
508-826-8553
angela@pruprimehomes.com

MP

Find yourself a CRS (Council of Residential Specialists) Real Estate agent to represent you in this transaction. It is very important that you are represented on your side of the transaction. The Seller will pay for the agents commission.

MP,

Wondering if you do have an agent representing you. For one, if you do, this is something that should be discussed with them. If not, why would you enter into any fiduciary relationship without representation? Even on new homes you need to have rights protected and someone looking out for your best interest, not just the sellers. You bring up many reasons why you think it is priced too high, but getting a skilled negotiator to help in this may to your advantage.
There are many things I would recommend to any buyer whether they are buying a 30 year old home to a new build to protect them as a buyers agent.
Christa is correct about it being a "no cost" venture (by retaining a buyers agent)on your part as most sellers pay out a percentage at closing to the buying side which most of the time covers the realty fee for them.
Do yourself a favor and get representation on a sale, it will protect you if you get an agent with knowledge, experience and is a skilled negotiator.

If any questions, please dont hesitate to contact me.

Michael Prescott
RE/MAX Innovations
Representing North and South Worcester Counties
mprescott@relocationma.com
508-380-6405.

Hi MP,

Without seeing the property it is really difficult to answer that question. As you mention above, there are many areas that come into play. Pulling local comps of recently sold properties is the best way of basing your information & backing up your offer. When you present the offer as well, you need to do it in a manner that would hopefully not offend the seller. You can ask the seller , essentially, anything you want, within reason. My best advise to you is to seriously consider having an accredited buyer's agent, such as myself, represent you. It is a free service to you & I would get paid by the seller at the closing. If the seller has an agent, that agent's fiduciary responsibility is to the seller, so they are looking out for the seller's best interest first. If he is a For Sale by Owner, than 9 times out of 10, they are overpriced & potentially may not know the next steps to move it forward towards closing. Either way, this is one of the largest investments you will ever make, you should look out for your best interest first & have someone with the skills & experience needed to back you up & bring the whole deal together to close.

Feel free to contact me with any questions: cjaillet@erakey.com or 508-887-3291