<p>dstark, those kind of numbers are very common around here with $1 million+ listings. Houses in that price range (particularly in the multi-millions) often go for half the original asking price.</p>
<p>When we sold my dad’s house, the broker at the real estate agency had to fill out some form (apologies, I forget the name) that listed a fair market value. That was satisfactory to discern what was a reasonable price to sell the house for so no one (aka my darling sibling, who did zero to help with anything) could not claim we were giving the house away.</p>
<p>VH - I LOVE this house. It is just great and it looks perfect for entertaining. Anyone up for a roadtrip after VH gets the place in order? I think we should pencil in something for next October. What kind of wine should I bring?</p>
<p>Booklady, yeah. The asking prices can be totally off the wall.</p>
<p>Some sellers just want a certain price or they won’t sell, but other sellers are eventually going to get realistic. </p>
<p>The person that thinks a place is overpriced at 700,000 and wants to bid under 600,000 should bid under 600,000. </p>
<p>You never know what is going to happen until it happens. :)</p>
<p>So, the seller says no. So what? Your bid will give you information about the seller. If you don’t bid, what do you have?</p>
<p>I bid for a place. The seller said, “No”. I upped my bid. The seller said, “No”. I said, “Forget it. You are overpricing your place. See ya.”</p>
<p>A month later, the house price was reduced below my initial bid. Luckily, I did not buy that place. :)</p>
<p>Aw, worknprogress, you’re sweet. Bring any kind of wine you want as long as it’s red. I’ll provide the hors d’oevres!</p>
<p>The seller came back and split the difference, so right now it’s in our court. It’s a reasonable price for this house, but DH and I want to sleep on it before we decide. We are both having cold feet. Not about the house itself, but about committing. </p>
<p>Cold feet. Very cold feet.</p>
<p>Sorry, TutuTaxi, got to disagree with you on boxwoods. They smell like cat pee! (So do junipers)</p>
<p>Then stand firm on your current offer and tell them thats the best you can do. They may well accept your offer</p>
<p>I’ll go opposite of Jym. If you think it’s a fair price for the house, go for it…tomorrow. No need to rush and do it today!</p>
<p>I’ll make that road trip :)</p>
<p>oooh, it’s a party! I remember when dstark was first putting his house up for sale and getting the painting done, we talked about a painting party.</p>
<p>Now with VH, we’re at it again. We’re just a partying sort of group, aren’t we?</p>
<p>VH, getting cold feet is common. Sometimes it’s your gut warning you off, and sometimes it’s just a passing fear that you end up being glad you ignored. I hope things end up right for you.</p>
<p>In either case, I still vote for wine. . . . .We can celebrate your decision, whichever way you end up.</p>
<p>Thanks, Hayden.</p>
<p>I stopped by the house on my way to the gym. (Yes, it’s very close to my gym. Among other things that I patronize a lot.) I walked around and around (the house is empty so no one cared that I was peering in the windows) and was very impressed by a few things around the outside. I also drove a little bit around the neighborhood and spoke to a young woman who lives close by. She told me a few additional things about the neighborhood and the people that made me feel good.</p>
<p>I think my feet are getting warmer.</p>
<p>
Well, I ran outside sniffing my 30+ feet of boxwoods and they smell like plant foliage, not offensive at all. Plus, I have a strong sense of smell. Next, I rang up my neighbors who take an evening stroll most nights and asked them to stop and smell my boxwoods. They just called and reported lovely boxwoods no offensive smell. :)</p>
<p>I don’t have any Junipers - sooo nothing to report (+ or -)on the smell of Junipers.</p>
<p>VH, I think that house is within a 10 or 15 minute drive of my mother’s in the town to the north, so I’ll crash the party! I’ll even bring food. How about some truffles? 
(BTW, I scouted the other pictures in the listing online, and I love the stone wall in front. Tons of curb appeal!)</p>
<p>TutuTaxi, I’m with you - my boxwoods smell just fine. We had a juniper at our first house, and the smell I associate it with is a good one: juniper berries are used to flavor gin. :)</p>
<p>My suggestion was, if you and your DH were getting cold feet, then stand firm on the price and don’t bid against yourself. But if now you really want the house and the ball is in your court and you are not too far apart, then offer a number that will stop the dickering and get them to accept before the open house Sunday. But its only a short open house-- a few hours at most. Might not gt muct traffic</p>
<p>Hey, I’m with you on the house party and bringing wine (I have a long list of tasty reds), because my youngest just left for college a few weeks ago and I have absolutely no idea what I want to do with my life except for work :(</p>
<p>Though there have been plenty of great ideas out there. Right now all I want to do is keep busy. And drink good wine.</p>
<p>OK, we’re gonna do it. I have to run into the office for a brief time and then I’m going to call the realtor to nail this thing down.</p>
<p>We’ll have the party on Saturday, October 26, 2013. That’s the closest Saturday to the day I expect we’ll close this October – so, our one-year anniversary. </p>
<p>Consolation: I’m working (perhaps temporarily) in the town just to the north of where the house is. Very convenient.</p>
<p>And I agree: To me, junipers do smell like cat pee.</p>
<p>I just realized that, having never owned a cat, I don’t know what cat pee smells like!</p>
<p>And congrats on the house, VH!</p>
<p>My realtor says they are obligated to have the open house but there will tell all comers that there is an accepted offer on the house.</p>
<p>I’m thinking of going to the open house and badmouthing the house to everyone who comes through, just to keep them all away. :p</p>
<p>VH,</p>
<p>You need not do that. If your offer is accepted, put deposit in Escrow, you are all set. They can show it to the lands end, it will not effect your position a bit. If you close, you are done.</p>
<p>I might be tempted to go to the open house though just to walk through it at your leisure again- you don’t have to let on to others that you are the prospective buyers - but then you might really look at everything in a little different light knowing that the pressure isn’t quite so strong.</p>