Buyers- Don't Drown in the Fear of the Unknown!

You have been looking for weeks! You were afraid, on your budget, finding a nice house for your growing family was going to be a Mission Impossible. All of a sudden, you walk in to The House and the music plays. You have found the One. It seems perfect: it has all the light fixtures in place, nice floors, clean walls, flat yard, perfect location and a nice smell too! You ask your Buyer's Agent "How much was this one again?" WITHIN BUDGET!?

Wow!

But you know not to make a rash decision, so you ask for sometime to think and pray about it. In the mean time and in all the excitement you talk to family and friends about your find. Then it starts... the co-worker who lives in the neighborhood begins to tell you everything they know about that house.

"It had a leak in the polybutylene plumbing and they got a quote of $7,500 to replace it because they would have to raise the foundation to get under the slab. It also has some places in the roof where the plywood is rotting underneath the shingles." Those are big problems. So, do you walk away?

NO! Don't let fear stand in your way! What if the sellers would agree to get all that repaired? You never know if you don't ask! The sellers are aware of the PB pipes and know they will have to fix them to sell! (Or else significantly lower the price) What if they have plans to repair that roof already? You know what? No matter who buys the house, it will have to be done, so why not you?

So many buyers hope to find a perfect house at the perfect price. Who wouldn't? But the reality is there is rarely such a house on the market. Don't be discouraged, however, because it is quite possible the almost-perfect house could quite easily become the perfect house!

The beauty of negotiating is that it allows for both sides to find a way to compromise, creating a win-win situation. A seller's home is on the market because they need to sell. Especially right now, when they find a buyer who loves the house, they are eager to make the deal work. Will they give it away? No. (Would you?) But does it hurt to ask for repairs or replacements? Never!

Even a house that says "sold as-is" should not be feared. When bought our first house, it was listed "as-is". After the inspection report revealed that the house needed a new roof (not just a repair but an entirely NEW roof!) and a new HV/AC unit, we almost walked away. But our Buyer's Agent was a savvy negotiator. We got the house we wanted, with a new roof and HV/AC unit. Did we pay more? No. It was listed at $104,000 and we bought it for.... You guessed it: $104,000. This has been our experience here in Atlanta, anyway. More specifically in Acworth and Kennesaw.

So don't let fear drown your dreams of home ownership. It is still the best investment you can make in life! Go out and find your almost-perfect house and turn that dream into a reality!

Remember, it's supposed to be fun ;)