If the Seller wants to sell their home they will....

The Prince William County Housing Market is on Fire Especially in homes priced under $400,000!

First Time Buyers typically struggle in a fast sellers market. They have either watched HGTV or have talked to their parents  and want to negotiate the seller down and get all closing costs paid by the seller. Don't get me wrong I am all about negotiating for my buyers but in a Strong Sellers Market it becomes a little harder and each buyers situation will be different.

My job as your REALTOR  is to show you the reality of our market.

I was house hunting in the past several weeks in Bristow, Virginia where homes are selling the same day if priced right and in pristine condition. 

Gone are the days of Negotiating 5-8% off the price of the home and asking closing costs.

It is not unusual to hear a first time buyer state........

"Well if the seller wants to sell their home they will 

• Pay all my closing costs
• Lower their price
• Fix all the items on a Home Inspection
• Change out the carpet

As a Buyer Agent I work for you the buyer and  yes I will be happy to present any offer you want. I can also tell you based on the comps and market conditions you can Buy a House or Learn a Lesson

The choice is yours

It  it is my job to educate you on your options and show you what may be possible. Together we write an offer up that hopefully will be well received and allows everyone to move forward to a successful negotiation.

When buying in a sellers market  we need to be realistic and stay within your budget. It typically is a complete waist of time to look at a home $20,000 over your max budget in the hopes that they will come down. If you need the seller to pay closing costs not every home will be able to do that it will depend on what the seller can and will do. If they owe about what they purchased the home for that home may not be an option for you. So we need to find the ones that can.

This can be  very frustrating to continue to do the same thing over and over again expecting a different result. Your time is precious and we want to find you the right home, at the right price that you can feel good about with the least amount of stress.

Now if you are open to coaching I can show you homes where getting a seller to all or most of your closing costs  but be ready for a little frustration and stress as we try to negotiate with an unrealistic seller. All is not lost if we cannot get the seller to pay all the costs but in order to make another option work I need to keep you under your max budget by at least $5,000. If we get lucky great but I would not count on it. Homes are selling in days at or less that 1% - 2% below their asking price. Asa buyer agent I pull up the comparables to show you what the sellers see when they list their home. The first thing we look at is over the past 90n days what have homes sold for and how much closing costs if any did the sellers pay.

These  numbers can help a  buyer to be successful when writing their offer. The numbers do not lie and when you see homes selling in under a week you know you are in a Sellers Market.

So how do you feel like you are getting a good value in this type of market?

• Look for the home that is well cared for
• Look for the home that is priced to the market not overpriced
• Look for a seller who is offering a Home Warranty
• Look for a seller who is offering closing costs in the MLS Listing

These are the sellers that are very serious about selling their home and are looking for a buyer who recognizes that. Remember your home sale will be contingent on an Appraisal and that will protect you from over paying.

If you do these things you can buy with confidence knowing you looked at the entire market ( remember you have looked at hundreds of homes on line) and have found the best possible one for you based on your budget, needs, wants.

In the end remember as a First Time Buyer let your buyer agent coach you on what is possible. Some tips for a successful house hunt.

• Look for a home you would be proud to call home
• Do not get caught up in a bidding war
• If the seller will not or cannot pay all your closing cost be open to coaching
• If we cannot coe to agreement be ready to move on 
• Do not get emotionally attached to a home until you get it Under Contract

 If you are a Thining about Buying a home Call Patty Now at 703-801-9367 and Let's Talk