We have seen some good buyer activity lately but I’m noticing a trend regarding buyer offers. In the past the process was:
- View a handful of houses
- Pick out one you love
- Buy it by making a reasonable offer.
Today the process has changed a bit. Home buying circa 2009 usually goes something like this:
- View a bunch of homes
- Pick out one you love (and a backup or two just in case the sellers are looking to get market value)
- Insult the sellers by making a low-ball offer.
- Negotiate until the seller is hobbled or if seller won’t succumb to the pressure move on to house number two and go back to step 3.
What is getting lost in the mix is that the goal is to find a place to live. A place to connect to. A place to make memories with family and friends. The home buying experience is so much richer when you end up with the house you want. Not just the house where you felt like you got a “below market” price.
I wonder about our number of offers written compared to the number of offers accepted. I bet it is at an all-time low. Enjoy the pretty picture below and take a deep breath…
