by M. Anthony Carr
When you're sitting right in the middle of a buyers market, or at least an equitable market (neither a buyer nor seller market), this is the time when buyers should start asking for the moon. If you don't ask, you'll never get what you want.
I've talked with many agents who entered the real estate market back in the day -- in the day when buyers meekly came to the door with their little contracts in their hands like some Dickens character asking, "Please sir, may I pay you some more," but during the whole exercise expecting a rap on the head for even asking. Thus these agents are still stained by the time of buyer pays for everything, seller get's everything.
Folks, those days are over. Ask for it all. "Please sir, may I have some more. May I take your house for 5 percent less than your asking price, you give me 3 percent closing on top of that, then throw in new carpet, fresh paint, new cabinets and the car parked in the garage?"
Instead, I hear agents say, "Well, I'm asking for so much in closing I thought it might insult the seller to ask for (fill in the blank)." Trust me, let the seller be the judge of that. If an agent is a "buyer" agent and comes back without asking for a lot of stuff, then they're not doing their job. The contract should come back marked up with a counter offer.
In a very limited survey I conducted in my area, 40 percent of the deals I looked over (more than 100) did not ask for closing costs -- and this is in a market where the sellers are willing to pay for it. I wasn't privy to the nuances of every paragraph on these contracts, but I can almost guarantee that if they didn't get closing costs assistance, then they probably didn't get a lot of other things like the items listed below.
Home inspection: If you're not asking for this item in today's sales environment, then you're just not in the game. It's almost expected. While the buyer traditionally pays for it, once defects are found, the seller is the one who usually has to get them fixed. Why buy a house today with a leaking air conditioner system, slow draining toilet or misfiring electrical outlets. The seller wants to sell and is willing to put in the money to get these items fixed. What s/he's not willing to fix, s/he will tell you. But if you don't ask … .
Radon inspection: In the 1980s and 1990s, this inspection was a given. Now, I can count on one hand how many of these inspections I've heard about in the last year. Radon is a tasteless, odorless gas that seeps from the ground and can cause cancer. About 20,000 people die each year in the U.S. from radon-induced lung cancer, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Yet, the test to determine the levels of radon in a house cost less than $50. If you find levels too high, the recommended remediation system cost about $1,000.
Home warranty: Contracts that don't ask for a home warranty from the seller just boggle my mind. Most sellers are about to come down on their price by thousands or tens of thousands of dollars, yet the buyer is "too embarrassed" to ask for a home warranty. It just amazes me. The buyer is willing to buy the house for $400,000, but not ask for a $400 home warranty to help protect the house over the next year. My advice: once the negotiation is over and let's say you have a seller who just won't pay for it -- then up the price $400 and get the cash from the transaction to pay for the home warranty. Done deal.
Closing costs: Whatever you're doing with the contract, at least ask for some sort of closing costs. The most effective closing cost item any buyer should ask for is a point for the mortgage. With this type of closing assistance, you'll have lingering benefit from the cash at the table because the point paid at the table will result in a cheaper mortgage payment month after month.
Until housing inventory begins to shrink and houses start selling for more than asking price, buyers should take advantage of the current market and negotiate more from the seller. The buyers get what they want -- assistance getting into the house. The sellers get what they want -- their house sold.
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