The first question is whether the property you are shown is within your pre-approved loan amount and monthly budget expenditure criteria for principal, interest, taxes and insurance (PITI.) Looking at unaffordable properties will only result in disappointment.

The next question should be whether you are buying the property or the agent. If you are paying, you get to choose what you want to offer. Your agent may give reasons for offering a certain price, but the choice is still yours, not the agent's. The Seller has the option of accepting, countering and rejecting your offer. If the Seller is well advised, the offer will be at least countered.

In many areas the market is a "buyer's market." That means there is greater than a 6 month supply of property for sale in the area you are looking. Less than that is a "seller's market." If your agent is does “due diligence” he/she will advise you of the market conditions where you are looking. It can change from one sub-division to another.

Have patience and be willing to walk away if you feel uncomfortable about an offer. Remember, it is not about the agent; it is about YOU!

I am always annoyed when the suggestion here is "find another realtor", but if the whole story is you want to make an offer, but your realtor will not present it, then you need to find another realtor.

Irene, a REALTORs job is to represent your best interests. Many buyers in the current market are making offers well below the asking price. Some sellers take them, some do not. Many agents put in a lot of time when it comes to putting an offer together so I can understand an agent not wanting to spend the time and energy on making a low offer if they feel is too ridiculous to even be considered. Ridiculous being $25K or more under asking. However, making an offer that is less than the comps in the area or less than the seller is asking is not unusual. Your agent should be open to helping you see if the seller would even take an offer you are suggesting. This can be done in a verbal way to see if an arrangement can be agreed upon. If all agents refused to put offers together because the offer is lower than the seller would like, we wouldnt be doing much business! You may be dealing with an agent that doesnt have a lot of time to give you so he or she is being selective for you on what they will or won't do....

Irene:
Thank you for awarding Best Answer to David. And David, thank you for giving such a great answer. Many of us on this forum wonder if the new questioner understands and reads our advice. By awarding best answer, we can hear you. As you can see from all the responses, we care and we are curious. Please let us know how the next step in what you do turns out.

The good news is that as winter and the holidays approach, people that need to sell will sell for lower prices than they may have during prime selling season. So even though you may have lost some properties, you will probably save some money.

Good luck,
Ruth

Irene - May I suggest you start interviewing more Realtors and see if you can get one that will work with you OR explain WHY they would use a particular strategy fro making an offer...Hope this helps...

Irene:

Sometimes the relationship between a Realtor/Client does not work. I think this might be one. First, I would ask your Realtor to understand your goals, terms and conditions of your future purchase. If she feels they are unreasonable, ask for a meeting with her and her Broker. If she is the Broker of the firm, get another firm.

The price that is submitted to an owner of Real Property by a buyer is just that, the BUYER'S submitted price, not the agent's. The professional Realtor will advise, lead and assist the buyer in the transaction as a consultant, putting your needs and wants first. Remember, an offer is not an offer until it is in writing. Then, and only then, can real negotiations begin.

I'm not sure I understand what you're asking. You feel that you're not getting the house because your Realtor is offering TOO MUCH? (House listed for $200k and you offer $210K?) Or do you mean that your Realtor won't submit a low offer on a house that you like even though that's what yo want to offer (House listed at $200k and you want to offer $180k and your Realtor refuses?) I suspect it's the latter....

Both of you need to re-evaluate if you want to work with each other. While you have a relationship, your Realtor should submit the offers you want - whether reasonable or not. If your Realtor will not submit your offers, then you should drop him/her. If your Realtor believes that your requests are unreasonable and would be a waste of time and paper, then they should drop you.

Depending on the market, and the price of the particular property in question, offers below, at, or above the list price are called for.

Hi Irene. You have to remember one thing, it is not your agent who sets the offering price. The job of an agent is to provide the client with information based on which the client can make an informed decision. Without knowing more, it is difficult to evaluate your situation. You say that the comps that your agent has pulled are not similarly painted. Let me tell you, the paint job of a house only matters a great deal if the house needs repainting or the color is really nice or hideous. How well a house has been maintained certainly has a bearing on value, however, unless you have seen all these houses in person, it's really difficult to say whether they have been similarly maintained.
One thing concerns me. You say your agent is not willing to go below the asking price. Well, unless you are in area that is still appreciating, making below asking price offers seems to be the standard. I have not seen a full price offer in a long time. I am in favor of making reasonable offers, but an agent's refusal to even write up an offer below asking price seems odd. I could understand it better if she had written up a numer of lowball offers for you without success, but you don't mention anything about offer that she had written up for you. I would recommend to you that you speak to your agent's broker. If come to the conclusion that your interests are not taken care of, I would recommend that you find another agent.
In closing, I have to say that I have never encountered an agent who refuses to make reasonable offers. Agent's only get paid when they sell houses and your agent has nothing to gain from refusing to write up offers for you. That's why I have a feeling that she may have good reason that we don't know about here. I have learned that there is always another side to the story that we are not being told. Speak to her broker.

It is a Buyers market now but you must make a reasonable offer to the seller, depending on what the house needs done. Each house is different. By this I mean; location, size, condition of house, etc. Your realtor can do what is called a CMA=Cost Market Analysis to give you a price range to offer for the house. Look at the bones of the houses, houses around the one you like, talk to neighbors, ask lots of questions. She is your voice in this transaction and should be a good negotiator. I buy and sell houses for a living. Your realtor has all the tools to educate you the buyer. If not satisfied, tell the realtor in writing and then move on.

Wow. That truly concerns me.
Is this agent a REALTOR® and is she your BUYERS AGENT.
Did she provide you with a CONSUMER NOTICE?
Does she have Designations like ABR ?
As a BUYERS AGENT, A REALTOR® has Fiduciary Obligation to to work in YOUR best interest.
In 'THIS' market, offers are typically below asking.
I just now ran statistics* for 19044 in July. The asking price vs. settled price differential was 93.71%. That means a home that was offered for $300,000 settled for $281,130.
And there is a very good chance that the buyers initial offer was less than the final agreed upon price.
You are most definitely correct in presuming that you are missing opportunities.

There is much more to this picture but the bottom line is if You have lost faith in the Professional that you rely on, Maybe it's time you should consider hiring a more suitable REALTOR® for your needs.
The true purpose of a BUYERS AGENCY agreement is to protect YOU, The consumer. Not to lock you in to a specific REALTOR® as many people will tell you. If you feel that you are not being represented properly, then discuss this with your REALTOR® or their BROKER.

I have a uniform policy that if a client of mine is not happy for any reason, They may end our Buyers Agency Relationship at any time for any reason, regardless of the term on the agreement.

Here are some resources for you :
Consumer Notice : http://www.ConsumerNotice.GreatMontcoHomes.com
Accredited Buyers Representation (ABR) : http://www.ABR.GreatMontcoHomes.com


*criteria for statistics were: 19044, between 250K-350K that settled

Irene,

Without knowing specifics, you need to have a discussion with your Realtor. There seems to be a lack of communication. All houses are not the same and some do not warrant offering asking price. Many factors should be discussed when putting an offer together:

Your Realtor should advise you regarding her pricing strategy, but the final decision is always yours. You should also discuss severing your business relationship if you feel that you cannot work together.

Buyers set the prices, not the Sellers. To read more, click on my blog post below.

Your Realtor's job is to advise you. The final decisions should always be yours, not hers. It's not her bid, it's yours! The transaction is your deal, not hers. She needs to represent your needs. If she needs to be reminded of that, then remind her. If she won't present your offers, then find an agent who will.

Irene,
We as Realtors work for you, we should give you the information so you can make an infomed and educated decision. We rae there to guide and assist you not to make final decisions, that's your right.
I would look at the fair market value of the homes selling and adjust my asking price for the ammount of work needed to bring the property up to standard. I would sit down and ask your Realtor why she will not follow your wishes, she may have a reason, if not I would start intervieing other Realtors to see if they have a different outlook.