I almost never see houses for sale with a nicely fenced yard. It is so rare in my area in the Midwest. It seems like people with nicely fenced backyards never move.

We put in a fence at our first two homes and I swear it was the attribute that really made our house seem like "the one" for multiple potential buyers. Fences provide a sense of privacy and security and make a home feel move in ready for buyers with kids and/or dogs.

Had the sellers realtor come back to us 5 days after being on market to see if we were still interested in the home. They listed at 840,000 and said we could have the home at 800,000. This also included paying the buyers agent, which they didn’t want to in our offer two months ago before they actually went on the market. The house had no showings over the weekend and no offers, I’m assume the sellers got scared, in addition to their realtor fluffing up the price because it was in a good neighborhood and had a bit more land than other houses in the area. There’s lots of deferred maintenance, as the man who passed was well into his 90s and had a hard time with upkeep towards the end.

Originally we offered 750,000, + 3 percent for the buyers agent back in August and they basically laughed in our face saying to come back with an offer that wasn’t insulting. No sellers concessions. 7 day inspection period. Estate said they’d test the market and ultimately didn’t counter back. Mentioned they wouldn’t even pay the buyers agent if it wasn’t closer to the price they wanted.

So now we’re back here. It took them a lot longer for the house to actually get on the market and the first weekend was abysmal.

I’d like to stand my ground with the original offer, especially since now we are the only interested party.

Thoughts?

We prepared an offer $75k under asking price. Disclosed to our/buyer agent that we could afford more (but don’t want to, as we are not in a hurry to move)

Made me thinking: what incentive does a buyer agent have to negotiate prices down? It’s like working against yourself - the harder she negotiates down, the less she earns. Why would she not simply talk to their buddy the seller agent trying to pump up the price? Just feel for my willingness to pay, and convince me it’s a good deal and make me feel good about it. Since both parties get paid by commission, both would earn. And sincr I signed a 12-mon exclusive representation contract with her, I’m not going anywhere else.

Sure, the honest thing would be to work ‘for me’, not ‘against me’, and that’s what a good agent would do - but it’s putting a lot of trust into someone you basically don’t know. Sure, if I’m happy my agent negotiates hard I’ll be more likely to recommend her.

I imagine a commission, idk, 10% of each dollar under asking could be a good incentive to work for me - but then again longterm would lead to inflated asking prices to help out your agent buddies. So idk.

What’s the solution for this backwards incentive?

I was curious to know what kind of concessions you’re seeing as homes stay on the market. Are your sellers doing anything to make the sale a bit more attractive for potential buyers

I bought a new home in Louisville closed literally last week, my gps took me along a different route and i crossed a huge construction site, i hadn't seen it on satellite images or maps as they were all taken in 2022 but its a Data center within 2000 ft of the home i just bought am i genuinely just screwed. I hadn't even considered needing to research data center builds while looking for this home. I thought id just found a amazing place only for this, I'm crushed and spiraling over this. please any advise?

Edit- thanks for everyones replies i do feel a lot better after reading these all ive seen about living near these places is that id lose my water and be bombarded by horrible noise so hearing thats not the case puts me at more ease, the property has a pretty high treeline as well as a ware house between my home and the dirt plot they have plowed for it and i have a lot of stuff going on in life right now so no i didnt do the appropriate research on anything outside of just the home call me a idiot if you want oh well. Thanks everyone.

We are selling and buying with the same realtor and also potentially buying our realtor’s listing.

Never been in this type of situation so just curious what this usually looks like as far as fees go? Is it normal to negotiate in a situation like this?

I've seen deals that looked perfect on paper completely unravel—not because the numbers stopped working, but because the human side of the transaction was ignored. Most deals don't collapse during negotiations. They begin falling apart weeks earlier, when expectations aren't aligned, motivations aren't understood, communication breaks down, and trust hasn't been established.

I'm looking for the steps to change realtors with out taking my home off the market?

I'm in the spa industry and have worked in a luxury resort for the past four years with stable income. Last month, I got an independent contractor position that lets me work from home and I will make the same income as the luxury resort.

I also own a wellness studio for the last 2 1/2 years and it's slowly growing. My studio is in the back of a noisy salon, and I'm there part-time because the resort job sucks the life out of me. I've secured a quiet office suite that will allow my business to grow based on sq ft and location. While utilities are higher, it gives me greater exposure, and the independent contractor position can hold me down while I dedicate more time to my business. The commercial lease would begin in January 2027. I started my business in hopes to quit my resort job.

I plan to quit my resort job once I close on a house. I currently rent and my lease is up on NYE. I don't have much saved for a down payment, but my lender has offered me a few programs to assist with the process since I prove stable income and a high credit score. Although I know that the independent contractor position is the same income as the resort, I'm afraid that I will have to wait 2 years to purchase a home if I don't do it now.

My question is, is it the right time to buy for me? TIA.

I'm looking to buy a house in the Galveston, TX area and have decided to just look around myself. I found a property I was interested in and contacted the listing agent directly to schedule a showing.
The listing agent arranged for her colleague, who works at the same brokerage, claim she is “ with the listing agent” to meet me at the property.
When I arrived, the agent immediately told me that if I wanted to see the house, I had to hire her as my buyer's agent. She even pulled out a contract for me to sign.
I specifically asked whether this was a requirement or agreement from the seller.
She explicitly told me it was Texas law.

I explained that I wasn't interested in buyer representation. I had found the property myself, contacted the listing brokerage directly, and simply wanted to see the house.
She refused to show me the property unless I signed. So I left without ever seeing the house.

Afterward, I looked into the rules and found that Texas allows agents from the listing brokerage to show properties to unrepresented buyers while acting on behalf of the seller, without requiring a buyer representation agreement.

I understand that brokerages can have their own policies, but why tell me it's the law?

I complained to the broker, the said they will arrange another agent. Then another agent contacted me and said I could hire her as my buyer's agent for just ONE DAY so she could show me the property.
When I expressed concerns about signing, she seemed upset and hang up my phone call.

Here's what bothers me about the one-day agreement:
Even if the representation period is only one day, couldn't the contract contain provisions allowing the agent to claim a commission if I eventually purchase the property she showed me, even after the agreement expires?

I don't want to sign something that could potentially obligate me to pay thousands of dollars in commission just to spend 20 minutes looking at a house.
I'm not asking anyone to work for free as my buyer's agent. I don't want a buyer's agent at all.

I'm simply trying to view a property that is publicly listed for sale.
I understand agents have the right to decide whom they work with, but I find it frustrating that something as simple as viewing a property has become so complicated.

For Texas agents or buyers who have purchased without representation:
Can a listing brokerage refuse to show its own listing to an unrepresented buyer?

Is there a legitimate reason to require a one-day buyer representation agreement instead of a non-representation showing agreement?

Could a one-day buyer representation agreement still create commission obligations after it expires?

How are unrepresented buyers supposed to arrange showings without signing buyer agency agreements?

I'm genuinely interested in understanding how this works, because this entire experience has been incredibly frustrating.

update:I contacted the brokerage manager and filed a formal complaint with the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC).

My concern is that the listing agent was turning away a legitimate prospective buyer unless I agreed to sign a buyer representation agreement, and get her as my buyer’s agent. I specifically asked the seller’s agent to show me the property and did not ask for her colleague to show me. She agreed then sent someone else. I was not asking them to represent me as a buyer.

I believe making buyer representation a condition of viewing the property was inappropriate and potentially contrary to the seller’s best interests. Whether it constitutes a regulatory violation is for TREC to determine.

Here’s the interesting part: After I complained, the brokerage manager assigned another agent to show me the property. I was asked to sign a non-representation agreement, which I had no problem signing, and I was able to tour the house.

So clearly, there was a way to accommodate an unrepresented buyer without forcing them into a buyer representation agreement. That’s exactly what I had been asking for from the beginning.

For those asking whether I provided proof of funds before requesting a showing: No, because nobody asked me for it. If proof of funds had been a requirement, they could have simply communicated that to me. And I am willing to provide. I would have understood.

And frankly, I doubt many people would go through the trouble of contacting the brokerage manager, filing a complaint, and continuing to pursue a showing just to look at a house for fun.

I wasn’t trying to waste anyone’s time. I was a genuinely interested buyer trying to view a property without hiring a buyer’s agent. Or here,without hiring this agent as my buyer’s agent.

My husband and I recently purchased our first home in a desirable town with a competitive housing market. The house is older, dated, and hadn’t been particularly well maintained. It sat on the market for a while, had a price reduction, and we ultimately negotiated a lower price with additional seller credits.

When I first saw it, I loved its charm and potential. I thought we were making a smart investment in a great town and could eventually renovate and expand it into our forever home. However, since moving in, I’ve been experiencing terrible buyer’s remorse.

The house has some drawbacks that are difficult to change, including lower ceilings, an unconventional layout with two bedrooms upstairs and two downstairs, and certain dated areas. I initially thought these were things we could work around, but now they’re making me question whether this is really the right house for us.

We’ve already invested in improvements like HVAC, refinishing floors, and painting, but I’m hesitant to spend significantly more if we don’t plan to stay long term.

I’m devastated that something I was so excited about has turned into so much anxiety and regret. Instead of enjoying our first home, I’m constantly worrying about resale value, what improvements are worth making, and whether we’ll be able to sell without losing money.
Ideally, I’d like to move in 2–3 years, but I know that’s shorter than the commonly recommended five-year ownership period. The house appraised slightly above our purchase price, but the fact that it originally sat on the market makes me nervous about resale.

**Has anyone experienced this kind of buyer’s remorse? Did your feelings improve once you settled in, or did you eventually sell? If you sold within a few years, did you regret it financially?**

I just feel sad that what was supposed to be such an exciting milestone has left me feeling so unsettled.

Can someone please explain this new thing where sellers are putting their house on the market, but not posting photos of the inside until some arbitrary date? maybe a couple weeks out? I've been waiting on one that said Coming Soon 10/20, and I check today and they've just pushed it out to 10/25. What on earth could be the reason?

After failed negotiations back in August, the house we put an offer in on has been sitting on the market with no movement and no tangible offers. So, we reached back out to our agent last week and wanted to get an update from the sellers agent. This was the response we got from our agent:

When negotiations stopped, the seller counter offered $510k and we came back saying $485k was our best and final. The house needed a new primary bathroom and pool renovations. We’re assuming those renos have been almost completed.

However, since our offer a couple of months ago, the rates have increased and even with some of the updates made on the house, I’m not sure if they will want us to come up in price? Also, they still rejected our offer and decided to move on. Now that they are coming back, what is our negotiating power? What options do we have moving forward? We plan on discussing with our own agent, but curious to see what others have to say or what you have done personally in a situation like this.

I am building my dream home and it’s not going well. I signed the contract and paid a 5k deposit on the lot back in May and the permits are barely in. He told me that they would not start digging until he recieves 10% of the down payment which is before we sell our home. He also said that we Would not be allowed to go to the design center until the payment was made. I was really upset and I wanted to go to the design center to make sure that we could afford the upgrades and he was adamant that I could not go. It is October 20th and I just visited the design center because the design rep contacted me for an appointment. She also told me that she would have the dig date on Thursday. So I don’t even know what to believe anymore with this sales rep. first he says I won’t get a dig date until I pay but yet a dig date is coming. Then he says I can’t go to the design center but yet I have already gone. I was in literal tears in his office because I just wanted to visit the design center first. Could I request a different representative to deal with and to move ? Or is it pointless now that they’re going to be digging soon? I can’t believe anything this guy says and the process is taking so long. Please advis.

Is there any idea to know up front how much it will cost and how long it will take? Does it vary by state?

Realtor.com put out their new Market Clock report and one number stuck with me. There are 27 seller's markets in the top 100 metros right now, down from 39 a year ago. Most of the country is balanced or tipping toward buyers. I’m from the Salt Lake Area but have conversations daily with some of the top luxury advisors globally.

That doesn't mean buyers have money though. Rates went from about 6.66% in late August to 7.40% in early October. On a $2,000 a month budget that's roughly $22K less house. Buyers have leverage, not cash.

A few other things I'm watching. A study of over 10 million sales found off MLS listings sold about 1% below MLS listings, while coming soon listings sold a little above. The researchers say it's a correlation, not proof, but if a seller is thinking about going private they should see that number.

Compass also filed an antitrust suit against CRMLS in federal court on Oct 16, after CRMLS sued Compass over listing rules. No ruling yet and nothing changes for most agents today, but the private listing fight is headed to court.

Rates dipped to about 7.37% on Friday. Not a rescue, but a good reason to call buyers who got pre-approved and went quiet.

In a market like this I think the agent who wins is the one who has the honest conversation first. Price it right on day one. Explain the difference between a price reduction and a market correction before the seller has to live through one. Answer the hard questions before they get asked.

What are you all seeing? Are sellers adjusting expectations yet or still anchored to 2022 prices?

I’m working on a report to help agents research neighborhoods and share that information with buyers. The goal is to save time and make it easier for clients to compare areas.

Sample report: https://each.place/report/build/california/south-pasadena/1414-mission-st

Website: https://each.place/

Would this be useful in your work with buyers? What would it need to offer beyond tools you already use, like RPR or Local Logic?

Asking the hive mind.. i've been in the market for industrial properties as owner user, in southern california and within the territory i am looking at, i've got a good idea of all the listings in my size range that have listed and sold within the last 1-1.5 years.

Every so often I am seeing sellers list properties sky high prices compared to comps, or even existing listings within a few miles and was wondering if anyone understands the psychology behind this?

For example, in the 30,000 sqft range, I saw some several warehouses list at $330/sqft with brokers calling me to see if i want to offer $315-325 for it. After they go into contract (and get delisted) I see 2 more warehouses same build type/size range asking price $350-360 /sqft range.

Do they think that, just because the 3 earlier warehouses went into contract that the market somehow is magically able to absorb new listings at 10% above the prior one? These are all concrete tilt up with very similar characteristics (heights, docks, and part of the pandemic building boom).

57F, living in Burlington, North Carolina. Lives in the house that belonged to her parents and has continued making the mortgage payments since her father passed away. She was previously in bankruptcy, and the payments were being handled through that process. One of her children had also been living with her and helping with the household expenses, but the daughter moved out and stopped contributing. Around the same time, the homeowner became sick and eventually fell behind on the mortgage. The original payment was approximately $560 per month, which she says she can afford going forward, but the delinquent balance has grown to around $7,277 and she cannot pay that entire amount at once. Even Worse, the lender has apparently discovered that her father is deceased, and the property is now moving through the pre-foreclosure process. Some of his property was addressed at the courthouse, but she is unsure whether the house was included or whether she currently has the legal authority to communicate with the mortgage company. She wants to remain in the home. How would you help her determine whether an estate was properly opened and whether she can be recognized as a successor in interest? Should she contact the mortgage servicer first, the foreclosure attorney, or the county estate office? Has anyone successfully saved a deceased parent’s home when the mortgage remained in the parent’s name?

The Plat Map for my block is inaccurate for every house on the block. I'm getting ready to sell and my neighbor has begun harassing me to give her money because her lot is about a foot smaller than the Plat Map indicates. Mine is smaller too but I assumed it has been that way for decades.

She waited until my house is going on the market to start screaming at me about it, literally, she is drunk most of the time.

UPDATE: I had a response from an attorney that I would have to disclose this to a buyer. They suggested I have an attorney contact her and let her know she will be responsible for any damages. Also I've paid property taxes for all those years and paid to replace the fence exactly where the old, falling apart fence had been built. In fact I paid her husband to do the job however he flaked so I had to hire someone else. He never said a word about changing the location of the fence.

Recently found foundation issues in my home after getting quotes they all want to fix moisture problems and rack the bill up by 15-30k after replacing the entire sewer system soffit fascia and gutters in the past year I just want to sell the home, not owe anything on it, and begin looking for a different home to buy the home appraised for 45k precovid when I purchased it 6 years ago the zestimate on zillow is 78k now the structural foundation issue will cost me 12k to sell and I have around 6k-7k in loans still from gutter and sewer loans my mortgage is around 38k due to the cost of fixing outer issues the inside is not very updated and needs some work I plan to replace carpets fix the drywall and repaint but cant afford to redo flooring and the such which has wear and tear from dogs and living in such a small home what will my home need to sell for to break even and are there any hidden costs i should look out for when going to pay off my current mortgage and selling the homes other than closing costs

We found a house we loved that needs a ton of work. We will live in an area where houses typically go under contract 4-5 days after listing, although with the fall season, things are sitting for a little longer. Our offer was on the low side but we offered what we felt like was reasonable given the work (100 year old house all major system needs updating, roof imminently needs replacing, siding etc) and hoped the seller would come back with a counter given they had no other interest and open houses were dead (typically here they will have 5-6 groups going through the whole time. Seller wanted to wait and see (fair enough given our offer was low) then received an offer at full asking which they accepted without really giving us a chance to counter (hindsight says we probably could have offered more with the waived inspection to get the house, in our defence, communication with their agent has been dreadful!).

Their agent reached out to our agent a day or so ago to say they think that deal is going to fall through because the buyer is requesting a ton of concessions due to the inspection being terrible (which it is - probably $60-80K of non-negotiable immediate work with another $100k+ needed soon).

Clock expires in 24h or so, but anyone have experience of a situation like this? Is their agent just trying to use us to pressure their buyer or is their contract likely actually shakey?

Obviously no one can actually tell me... just looking for reasons to believe or to spur me to move on!

Also not looking for advice on the work side, we have multiple bids for all the major work, engineers in the family who have reviewed it and are confident that we can handle a money pit. The neighborhood is very desirable and the older, more desirable homes typically only come on the market every 20-25 years so it's worth it to take good bones that need some work!

We bought our house nearly a year ago with a 15% down payment and specifically chose a loan without PMI. Now our lender is saying they made a mistake and we have to start paying PMI. This is a huge hit to our monthly budget. Is this even legal after closing? What should we do next? We're really stressed about this unexpected cost.

Hi, looking for some advice.
I bought my first house a month ago and it is infested with mice. During our walk through the sellers still had furniture in the house, we’re actively living in it and it made it hard to tell exactly what the home would look like when we moved in. We assumed the family would have the courtesy to at least wipe the place down before they left but they didn’t. The fridge was a mess, the oven took 3 days to clean, the bathroom was dirty, they left junk in the yard and there was a large crack in the kitchen flooring that was not there during walk through. All things we didn’t want to overlook but figured we could. Then a week ago we saw a mouse. Didn’t think too much of it as we are in the woods. Looked around the property, sealed any entry points and set out traps. Well we have caught enough mice that we called out an exterminator to get a better idea of what we’re looking at. The exterminator was shocked to find numerous entry points around the outside of the home and piles of old insulation. He also found two bait boxes that were under leaves. I noticed one during the walk through but thought it was more of a preventive box but my exterminator informed me it was a bait station with a key most likely from a different extermination company. Our exterminator was confident the numerous entry points were not even remotely new and that we have mice, squirrels and chipmunks getting in. In our paper work from the previous home owners they left it blank under pest problems. The exterminator also moved our oven out and found tons of mouse poop and blood where they have been running around for a very long time. They are in our ceilings, walls, crawl space and roof space. I don’t know the extent of how much internal damage is done in the house after all of these years but it could be extensive. The exterminator was shocked our inspection missed an infestation to this magnitude.
I spent years saving up for this house and my spouse and I actually skipped having a wedding to purchase this house. We have sacrificed so much for this and now it just feels like I bought a nightmare. I am looking for advice on next steps. This feels like I should be able to get my inspection fee back or the previous home owners should be covering the exterminator fees. I am worried about selling this home in the future too because I will now need to disclose this house had a pest problem. I am absolutely crushed and I feel like I am literally never going to be able to relax in my home and feel safe. I grew up living in a situation like this and this was literally my worst nightmare. I also feel like even if I recoup the exterminator fees from the previous home owners that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Thanks for reading all of this if you got this far. Any advice would be welcome!

Does it make sense to drop the price if the market has completely stopped in your area? Is it better to wait until spring?

Are there certain markets where you just have to wait it out? Or, does a significant price drop, say 5%, usually bring buyers out?