Ute Ferdig - Greater Sacramento Area

Hello Hillsboro. In my experience, there are fewer buyers looking for a 4 bedroom house and I don't think that you'll run into a problem reselling just because the house does not have a 4th bedroom. Most people who want a 4 bedroom house either want one of the bedrooms as an office or they need it because they have 2 or more children. In your case, it sounds like there is a small loft that might be suitable as office space. I personally think that buyers would prefer a 3-bedroom house with larger bedrooms and a wow factor over a 4 bedroom house with smaller bedrooms and no wow factor. Since the 3-bedroom house seems to have captured your heart and suits your needs, I would not opt for the 4-bedroom house hoping that it will be easier to sell down the road. Good luck with your purchase. - Yesterday, 12:11

Hello Jared. While I think it's nice of you to not want to waste the buyer's agent time, I think you should leave it up to the agent to determine whether it's a waste of his/her time to show you houses. When I represent a buyer, I don't consider showing houses a waste of time as it gives me an opportunity to learn more about the likes and dislikes of my client. It could be a waste of time if the potential buyer knowingly only uses me to unlock doors. I think there are lots of agents out there who'd be happy to show you houses as long as it takes with the understanding that they'll be the ones who will represent you when you have found the perfect house. By not giving the agent the opportunity to show you houses, you really are depriving the agent of getting to know your likes and dislikes and you are not doing the agent a favor.

Could it be that you are asking the listing agent to show you the house instead because you know you don't have to make any kind of commitment to the listing agent since you would not want the listing agent to represent you in the purchase anyway? I hope we can agree that the time of a listing agent is as valuable as the time of a buyer's agent. So what it boils down to is whether it is part of the listing agent's job to show listings to buyers who are just looking. I believe that it is the listing agent's job to market the property and of course showing your own listings is part of that and I think that's one of the reasons why we hold open houses. It gives those who just want to browse on their own without wasting anybody's time the opportunity to view the inventory. When I hold an open house, I know that most of the people coming through are not ready to buy and I don't expect them to make an appointment and I don't even expect them to be pre-qualified. I know I'll meet a lot of complete strangers at an open house. Open houses are the only time I will show my listings to complete strangers whom I have never met and who don't have to show to me that they are qualified to buy this listing and I don't think agreeing to show the listing to anybody who expresses an interest in seeing the house can be reasonably expected by a seller. I know that the seller just wants to sell the house, but I also think that the seller has no legitimate interest in having just anybody walk through the house because his/her house might just be the house that this stranger might fall in love with. As a listing agent, my obligation is to my seller and my seller only. I explain to the seller how I qualify the buyers and that I hold open houses to give the no-yet ready lookers an opportunity to see the home. I have never had a seller who did not understand why I won't just drop everything to show their house to a buyer who's just looking. My sellers also understand the security risks involved in showing houses (the risk is to them and the agent).

In summary, I think you should find an agent who will not put pressure on you and who's willing to show you houses as long as it takes. Don't assume that you are wasting their time and expect the listing agents to show you the houses instead because you don't want to waste the buyer's agent time. You could even ask the listing agent when the next open house is and tell the agent that you don't want to waste his/her time but would like to see home. Leave it up to the agent whether he/she wants to waste his/her time. Maybe the listing agent has a buyer's agent who'd be willing to show you the house, but expect to be prequalified.
Good luck to you.
Ute Ferdig - Yesterday, 07:49

Hello Brenda. I can't tell whether or not you need a new agent because I don't know why your home did not sell and therefore, it's difficult to assess whether hiring your father-in-law to do the job will solve your problem. If you thought that he'd be the better candidate, I would think that you would have gone with him in the first place. The fact that he may give you a break on the commission certainly does not make him the better agent. Let's just assume that your father-in-law's broker allows him to handle the listing side for free or for a substantially reduced commission), you still have to offer a commission to the agent who brings you a buyer, which means that you only save 1/2 of the commission. I don't know what the value of your home is, but I think that the saved commission is probably not really enough money to really tip the scale.

My other question is, what do you think your father-in-law will do differently from your current agent and why do you think your father-in-law can do a better job? In other words, what is it that your current agent has not done that you think your father-in-law will do? Once you know what that is, you definitely will want to tell your father-in-law what your expectations are. You'd have to not treat him as a family member because selling your house is a business decision not a family affair and if he does not succeed in finding a buyer, you won't be any more lenient on him just because he's a family member, but any negative feelings that you may have because your house still did not sell may have more lasting consequences. When I take a listing that was previously listed by someone else and the sellers indicate that they were not happy with their former agent, I ask them what it was that they did not like to make sure that I can meet their expectations. Discussing mutual expectations is very important and I would say that it's even more important when the agent is a friend or family member.
Good luck to you. - Yesterday, 07:00

Hello Karen. Open houses are advertised in many different ways and as of now I am not aware of a website that lists all open houses. You'll have to visit several websites and read the real estate classified section or the website of the local paper to find them. Many agents also advertise their open houses through the MLS and an increasing # of IDX service providers give web visitors the option to search for open homes advertised in the MLS. You can also ask your real estate agent to provide you with a list of open houses advertised through the MLS. Good luck. - Sat Jul 5 2008, 18:54

Hello Kathleen. Unless you buy at a trustee sale (on the court house steps), you most likely don't have to pay cash. Foreclosed homes are mostly sold through the MLS or large auction houses and they usually allow financing through a loan. If I were you, I would not attempt to buy a house at a trustee sale. Aside from having to come up with cash, you also don't have an opportunity to inspect the house before you buy, which is a risky undertaking. Last but not least, the opening bid at trustee sales is many times more than what the house is worth. - Fri Jul 4 2008, 17:57