Linda Carroll, Realtor

I'm not in Columbus, so this may not apply! But my opinion of Open Houses...

there is no real way of knowing if the Open House was a factor in the sale or not! Some Buyers are coming through sort of under the radar--they don't say anything to the Open House agent, but they contact their own agent later for a private showing.

Or they have been there with an agent, and they want a chance to look again without the agent there, so they can talk alone.

Open Houses can't hurt! You might get the one neighbor that wants her sister to move into the neighborhood!

Best wishes, Linda - Sat Jun 21 2008, 16:02

Under 100K--very difficult. Under 200K--call me!

Best wishes, Linda - Sat Jun 21 2008, 15:48

Wow, Chad, you are really nice. It sounds like you are more concerned about his prosperity than he is about yours.

Does he know his license is on the line? Maybe cut and paste your question, and send it to him. Then tell him you are serious in wanting to solve this without going to that extreme.

Consult a lawyer regarding the listing agreement. Maybe there is an easy out there.

Maybe he isn't a good fit to be a real estate agent. Lots of people end up in jobs that are unsuitable for them, and they are much happier when they find a better fit!

Or maybe he just bit off more than he was ready for when he listed your properties.

I hope these suggestions help you find the resolution you are looking for! Linda - Sat Jun 21 2008, 15:37

Quoting from AJ:

Pearl - In your example of owning a house for 10 years, and selling it for a 75% increase, you would have made less than 6% annually - that's a) FAR better than housing has done historically b) worse than the S&P 500 has done historically.
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Yes, but you get to live in the home!

You can't wake up in your stock portfolio, stretch out, and hear your little daughter singing The Daffodil Song as she awakens.

Your son can't build a sandbox tonka truck superhighway in your 401K plan.

Does your wife have to ask the landlord before she can change the paint or wallpaper in the living room? Can she have the tile backsplash that she always wanted?

Can you build a workshop in your T-bills, so you can putter around with your wood working tools or rebuild your '67 Mustang?


Home ownership isn't just about the numbers.

For many people the goal of home ownership is...

INDEPENDENT. The pioneers loaded all their stuff into wagons and walked across the country so they could own land of their own. They probably could have stayed home and worked in a sawmill or something, but they had a dream of being independent.

A CONNECTION. Many homebuyers want a place where they can build and preserve memories, measure how tall the kids are against the doorjamb in the mudroom, put the Christmas ornaments in the attic every year and pull them back out again.

MASTER OF THE DOMAIN. YOU get to decide the rules. YOU get to pour the concrete walkway here, not there. You get to decide if the hole the kids made in the garage drywall is a crisis, or just one of those things you'll fix someday.

A LARGER WAY TO LOVE YOURSELF. Your home can be an expression of you! The color, the gardens, the fences, the windows--inside and out--your home is you, its more of you than there was before.

A LEGACY. Most of us do move around, but some people own homes that have been passed through several generations, and every year there are a few Buyers who have this goal for their family, too.

This is all the "dream" part in the Dream of Home Ownership.

Dollars and cents aren't the only dividend from owning a home.

Best wishes, Linda - Sat Jun 21 2008, 15:24

Nicholas--You don't know when you've reached the bottom until things start going up again!

What is attractive about buying--or not--in this market depends upon your goals. If you need to sell again in a few years, at a profit, then this might not be a good market.

If you are buying to own your home and have a place to build equity for more than a few years, then this is a fine time to buy--in my area, Thurston County, WA State, it is the best time in years to buy!

Many of us have parents who have tremendous equity in their homes--but that wasn't their goal when they decided to buy. They wanted a home, security, stability, a place to raise the kids and call their own. The fantastic increase in home values is a huge bonus!

Wealth-building books will tell you that investors get rich by buying against the popular opiniion. Hmm...makes you wonder who controls the opinions?

My best wishes to you and your goals! Linda - Tue Jun 17 2008, 18:10

Boy, there has been some heat and debate on this thread!

"Real Estate is local" is just a condition, sort of like weather is local. In Western Washington, the market is very different in Olympia than it is 50 miles away in Montesano.

So trying to say that the national real estate market is good, or bad, is like trying to say that the national weather is good, or bad. In some places it might be warm & sunny, and in other places it's raining and cold.

I really like the RE Market/Weather analogy--I wish I had thought of it! I read it in a newsletter quoting Gary Keller of Keller Williams. - Thu May 8 2008, 21:33

Hello Ryan!

I answered a similar thread a while back, and I am pasting my previous answers here, also.

This certainly has sparked a lot of conversation. I find it interesting that so many respondants pay more attention to previous answers, than they do to staying focused on the subject itself--it is especially intriguing to me, because this is something that also happens in negotiations.

I tend to disregard any opinion that we have "bottomed" in the market, or to wait, or we've missed the bottom. No one can time the market--any market. Read any investment advice--the experts will tell you that.

BUT I do believe we are in a period that is favorable to Buyers, and that Buyers who are in a good position with down payment, credit, or other resources, have the opportunity to "create the bottom" for their own purchase. Buyers have more leverage to negotiate now than they have for years--at least in my local market.

There are good deals in every market. There are great buys that are foreclosure, AND there are great buys that are regular listings. There are also terrible buys that are foreclosures ...ditto regular listings.

Stay focused on your goals.




Why should someone buy in this market?
Asked Thu Apr 17 2008, 13:07 by Shay - Seattle - Home Buying - 30 answers
Linda Carroll, Realtor answered:

Because homes are on sale, and money is cheap!

That's why it's called a "Buyer's Market."

Homeowners who purchased 2 years ago, when the market was at it's peak, are asking "Why did we purchase in a Seller's Market? I wish we had waited until now!" - Yesterday, 15:57




1) It's the safest way to protect your future.
2) It's what the millionaires are doing to prosper in the future.
3) It makes sense to buy while real estate is on sale.
4) It's fun!

A side note in our local market, real estate is on sale. I can't speak for the rest of the nation. - Fri Apr 18 2008, 19:05

Best wishes,
Linda - Wed May 7 2008, 20:03

Are you getting any showings? Is your agent giving you the feedback from those showings?

When you say appraisal, do you mean an appraisal done by an appraiser, or the Market Analysis done by your agent to find the price range for your home, or do you mean the assessment that the county values your home at?

Tell your agent that you want to see a new Current Market Analysis. When that is presented, tell your agent that you want to be shown 2 or 3 of the active comps on the CMA. Also, that you want to be shown 1 or 2 --or more--of the ones that have accepted offers, but aren't closed yet.

If you agent is in good standing with his fellow agents, he should be able to get you into at least one of the homes under contract.

When he or she takes you to these homes, see how they compare to yours. Are they newer, or prettier, or in better condition? Is it easier for Buyers to get showings to these?

Homes sell --or not--because of Price, Condition, and Marketing. When all three of these line up you should get showings and hopefully an offer!

If you don't want to have your agent take you to showings, look for Open Houses and go to those. See how they compare in price and appearance.

Best wishes, Linda - Sat Jun 21 2008, 14:56