<p>I think we have a house. We’ve agreed on the terms and the price. We’ll have a real estate attorney draw up the official contract tomorrow. The seller will have her attorney review it before signing. We won’t feel like it’s real until the contract is signed, but so far it’s looking very positive.</p>
<p>Hey, congratulations! Here’s to a successful closure. Woo hoo!</p>
<p>good news, vball… I guess the rental added complexity to the deal and a lawyer is needed. But you save for the realtor fees. Did you get it where you wanted, MV downtown?</p>
<p>Thanks hayden :)</p>
<p>Yes, Old MV, exactly where we wanted to be. We found it as a make-me-move listing on Zillow, of all places. It’s a blank slate, needs a home office, a new kitchen and a master bath. Perfect for us. As soon as we have a signed contract we’ll call in our long-suffering architect.</p>
<p>good luck, vballmom.
Now if ours would <strong>EVER</strong> close…</p>
<p>We sold and closed last Monday. Our timing was unbelievable. 3 days after we had a contract the federal government here announced a new stamp tax (the property market here is hot and they were trying to quiet it) that would have added up to 10% to the price. The stamp tax has worked and now the market has quelled a lot…IT has lost 10-15% in 10 weeks. So, compared with 10 weeks ago, we probably made an extra 20%. The lawyer who represented us wanted to know our secret? Truth= dumb luck. </p>
<p>Now I am going to look to buy back in the U.S…2 bedroom condo in a great location in DC, I hope!</p>
<p>Well, in some places the market is hot! The house we thought we’d like to downsize too, that I was worried about buying before we sold our current house, turns out to already be under contract. Holy cow. It just came on the market about a week ago. It did have some very special features, which is why I was interested in it, but so apparently was someone else. </p>
<p>You snooze, you lose.</p>
<p>I just want a luke warm market 
It is really dead here.</p>
<p>OK I am going to vent. Dont want to get into too many details, but the buyers (or at least their attorney and realtor) are pushing us to do more and more (this has to do with trying to get us to pay for an expedited lab/soil test for the cleaned up soil so the closure letter can be written). Long story short- the first soil test took longer than expected, and days go by before we can close. The buyers want to move in and rent til we close. Um NO. </p>
<p>If they are in a hurry they can pay the expedited fee for the lab/soil test. My agent asked if we’d split it with them, but honestly, since I have no control over what their lender will require and if they will make them wait til the spill # is removed by the state (that could take several weeks), and they never seem to respond quickly even when they say they are in a hurry (their attorney has yet to provide my attorney with an email, cell# or direct dial- only the firm main # and fax#) why should I keep being expected to do more and more and pay more and more? I delicately suggested that the realtors could help resolve this and my realtor practically hung up on me. They pull the “every day you own the house it costs more in mortgage and taxes”. Well yes, but every day they live in a hotel and store their stuff it costs them too. If they are in such a hurry why are they dragging their feet? The contract says any additional expenses are theirs to pay. As we have no control over what their lender will do or require, or how quickly their lender will respond, or if their lender will accept the clearance/release letter as sufficient to close before the state removes the spill # (that is apparently what takes a few weeks- between getting the clearance letter and the formality of the state removing the spill #), I think they need to find out all these things from their lender, and also feel it is their responsibility to pay for the expedited soil lab test if they want it. I have already paid a premium to get the contents moved out and the house broom clean 2 weeks ago, at their insistence. No Mas.</p>
<p>Yes I am paying to heat the house, the mortgage and taxes and such, but I really believe that this is their responsibility. I have offered, at the 11th hr, to contribute a portion to this fee, but the bulk has to be done by them. I suspect its too late.</p>
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<p>Are you trying to sell your real estate, Onward?</p>
<p>Well. there is no such thing as a dead market, price is the thing. Even in the dead center of Detroit, there are hundres of homes being sold. The price is some where between $1,000~100,000, nevertheless, they do change hands.</p>
<p>If you want the price, you have to wait.</p>
<p>So I offered to contribute something towards the expedited lab (sounds like a racket to me) but surprise, the buyers agent hasnt heard back from her clients since she called them yesterday</p>
<p>jym,</p>
<p>I am sorry the problems you are having, but hoping everything will be over soon and good luck.</p>
<p>Yes, I realize that if a house is priced very low, it will sell. It is my dd’s house and it is priced at $10,000 lower than she paid for it two years ago. The price it is listed at or lower than similar homes like it. The realtor told us that the only buyers they are seeing are people looking for houses priced at $60,000 or less. We will probably advise our dd to pull this house off the market and rent it out. She and her husband have moved out of state. So you are correct that there is no dead market but our area is very stagnated.</p>
<p>I feel for you, onward. We are practically giving my dad’s house away. The first bit of good news was left on my voicemail:</p>
<p>“the soil remediation went well today. There appeared to be minimal tonnage and they sampled out for closure”.</p>
<p>Thanks, jym626. This is the fourth house I have been involved in selling in three years. Two were my parents’ (estate sales) and one was my sister’s (another estate). They all finally sold but the road was never easy and none went for what they were worth. And yes, I know they are worth what someone is willing to pay for them but just once I would like it to be a quick and profitable sale. Why can’t anyone fight over my houses? They all were/are nice homes. I am quite tired of this. Jym626, I hope everything goes smooth for you from now on.</p>
<p>With so many foreclosures on the market, the price of a home will be depressed for several more years. This is the worst down cycle American had ever experienced. last few cycles only lasted 3~5 years, but this one will be longer.</p>
<p>Also depressing the price of homes are the homes that haven’t come to the foreclosure market yet, but we all know that these homes are out there and will be foreclosed on at some point.</p>
<p>The days of having your house as a retirement vehicle are over for ever…price appreciation over the next decade or longer will likley not even keep pace with inflation, IF housing even actually appreciates…But, this is what housing should be,your house…A place where your family lives and creates memories,it is not an ATM…worrying about its value is a waste of time,make improvements because you want them, not for what they may return on costs at some point in the future…and if the house is worth much more then you paid when you finally sell, consider yourself fortunate…</p>
<p>Well, I turned my unending frustration into a 45 minute workout at the club last night. Trying to make lemonade from this lemon!</p>
<p>Well, slow progress. We are splitting the cost of the expedited soil test and the contractor who did the work has written the closure letter. Hopefuly the lab results will be back by Monday. Don’t know if their lender will accept the closure letter before the state officially removes the spill#, but that could take weeks, even though its a formality. Anyone here work for a State agency that can help with this???</p>