I've been working with a realtor over the last several
months. Although I have had no luck in striking a deal
(a couple of "almosts") so far, I really like her and
she has been very helpful. We've gone out 8-10 times
looking at houses, so her investment is significant.

However, I have found a FSBO that I really like, and am
considering making an offer. I feel horrible about it,
almost to the point where I hope they would reject it.
I know this is irrational. But if I try to let her
in on it, and take her 2-3% cut, it will surely price
me out of the deal. Is there a way to handle this
situation, short of forgetting this house?

dm wrote in message
om...
I've been working with a realtor over the last several
months. Although I have had no luck in striking a deal
(a couple of "almosts") so far, I really like her and
she has been very helpful. We've gone out 8-10 times
looking at houses, so her investment is significant.

However, I have found a FSBO that I really like, and am
considering making an offer. I feel horrible about it,
almost to the point where I hope they would reject it.
I know this is irrational. But if I try to let her
in on it, and take her 2-3% cut, it will surely price
me out of the deal. Is there a way to handle this
situation, short of forgetting this house?

This will likely set off the usual FSBO argument, but if you think that the
seller is going to discount the price by that amount you're kidding
yourself.

You also have to ask yourself who will handle the transaction. Do you know
how to write an offer and what has to be in the contract? Do you uinderstand
disclosure laws? Agents do much more than give you access to MLS listings
and their lock boxes.

"dm" wrote...
I've been working with a realtor over the last several
months. Although I have had no luck in striking a deal
(a couple of "almosts") so far, I really like her and
she has been very helpful. We've gone out 8-10 times
looking at houses, so her investment is significant.

However, I have found a FSBO that I really like, and am
considering making an offer. I feel horrible about it,
almost to the point where I hope they would reject it.

Virtually the same thing happened to me 22 years ago. I bought the FSBO, and
let the realtor know what I was doing, and why.

I had 3 deals fall through while working with her, and was about to buy a house
I really didn't want because I thought it was the only one in town I could
afford. My wife & I found the FSBO while looking at other open houses one day.

I'm sure the realtor wasn't entirely happy, but she did understand...

(dm) wrote in message . com...
I've been working with a realtor over the last several
months. Although I have had no luck in striking a deal
(a couple of "almosts") so far, I really like her and
she has been very helpful. We've gone out 8-10 times
looking at houses, so her investment is significant.

However, I have found a FSBO that I really like, and am
considering making an offer. I feel horrible about it,
almost to the point where I hope they would reject it.
I know this is irrational. But if I try to let her
in on it, and take her 2-3% cut, it will surely price
me out of the deal. Is there a way to handle this
situation, short of forgetting this house?

Not quite the same (and as another poster suggested, the usual FSBO
arguments apply), but my parents looked at lake property on a
relatively small private lake in NY for about 10 years. I know they
had the same realtor seriously for 4-6 of those years, and could not
find what they wanted. Then a trustee sale came up and they bought a
place that was in foreclosure.

They did get their realtor a gift certificate to a nice restaurant
along with a very nice thank you card and a glowing review her office
was able to use, but I'm sure she'd have rather had a commission
check.

My realtor was a slick... We discussed FSBO situations, and he
requested that if I did find a FSBO house, to at least let him know.
Of course, he tried to convince me of the benefits of making the deal
through him.
One day a saw a fsbo house that I was sort of interested in but didn't
have time to follow through. I mentioned the house to my realtor.
The next day he calls, says to meet him at the house. Guess what,
it's no longer fsbo, his company's sign now rests in the yard.
It turns out this was something he did often.

"John R Weiss" wrote in message t...
"dm" wrote...
I've been working with a realtor over the last several
months. Although I have had no luck in striking a deal
(a couple of "almosts") so far, I really like her and
she has been very helpful. We've gone out 8-10 times
looking at houses, so her investment is significant.

However, I have found a FSBO that I really like, and am
considering making an offer. I feel horrible about it,
almost to the point where I hope they would reject it.

Virtually the same thing happened to me 22 years ago. I bought the FSBO, and
let the realtor know what I was doing, and why.

I had 3 deals fall through while working with her, and was about to buy a house
I really didn't want because I thought it was the only one in town I could
afford. My wife & I found the FSBO while looking at other open houses one day.

I'm sure the realtor wasn't entirely happy, but she did understand...

"dm" wrote in message
om...
I've been working with a realtor over the last several
months. Although I have had no luck in striking a deal
(a couple of "almosts") so far, I really like her and
she has been very helpful. We've gone out 8-10 times
looking at houses, so her investment is significant.

However, I have found a FSBO that I really like, and am
considering making an offer. I feel horrible about it,
almost to the point where I hope they would reject it.
I know this is irrational. But if I try to let her
in on it, and take her 2-3% cut, it will surely price
me out of the deal. Is there a way to handle this
situation, short of forgetting this house?

Sure there is. Have your agent write an offer that includes payment to her
for $1000-$1500 or so. Adjust the offer price up, if necessary and you feel
it is right, to cover that amount. If your agent refuses, then do it
without her; but, at that point, I would imagine that most agents would jump
on the chance, as that amount is better than nothing. It also benefits you,
as then you have an agent to oversee the transaction.

--randy

You also have to ask yourself who will handle the transaction. Do you know
how to write an offer and what has to be in the contract? Do you
uinderstand
disclosure laws? Agents do much more than give you access to MLS listings
and their lock boxes.

That's all agents do. Lawyers help you with contracts and disclosures - and
lawyers charge a flat fee.

"dm" wrote in message
om...
I've been working with a realtor over the last several
months. Although I have had no luck in striking a deal
(a couple of "almosts") so far, I really like her and
she has been very helpful. We've gone out 8-10 times
looking at houses, so her investment is significant.

However, I have found a FSBO that I really like, and am
considering making an offer. I feel horrible about it,
almost to the point where I hope they would reject it.
I know this is irrational. But if I try to let her
in on it, and take her 2-3% cut, it will surely price
me out of the deal. Is there a way to handle this
situation, short of forgetting this house?

This is their job. Sometimes they get paid and sometimes they do not. There
are more and more homes FBSO. In this day and age, when average price of
homes (in my neighborhood) is over $500k, even 4% commission is way too much
for the work they do.

Lenny One day a saw a fsbo house that I was sort of interested in but
Lenny didn't have time to follow through. I mentioned the house to
Lenny my realtor. The next day he calls, says to meet him at the
Lenny house. Guess what, it's no longer fsbo, his company's sign now
Lenny rests in the yard. It turns out this was something he did
Lenny often.

If someone pulled that kind of stunt on me, I would never deal with
that person again--or that agency, as long as that person worked there.

--
Andrew Koenig,

We don't use attorneys in CA. Besides, if you don't use a realtor, how are
you going to see those houses?

"Dan J.S." wrote in message
...
You also have to ask yourself who will handle the transaction. Do you
know
how to write an offer and what has to be in the contract? Do you
uinderstand
disclosure laws? Agents do much more than give you access to MLS
listings
and their lock boxes.

That's all agents do. Lawyers help you with contracts and disclosures -
and
lawyers charge a flat fee.

On Tue, 29 Jul 2003 19:51:22 GMT, "JD"
wrote:

We don't use attorneys in CA. Besides, if you don't use a realtor, how are
you going to see those houses?

How do y'all handle FSBO transactions? I wouldn't want to do one of
those deals without the guidance of an experienced RE attorney!

wrote in message
...
On Tue, 29 Jul 2003 19:51:22 GMT, "JD"
wrote:

We don't use attorneys in CA. Besides, if you don't use a realtor, how
are
you going to see those houses?

How do y'all handle FSBO transactions? I wouldn't want to do one of
those deals without the guidance of an experienced RE attorney!

I've never been personally involved in a FSBO transaction but I have heard
of different methods and one of them is using attorneys. Some rely on their
escrow agent for everything except the actual contract.

Even with the market as hot as it is, I see fewer and fewer FSBO's here. I
think it's because the laws have gotten more complex and the typical buyer
and seller feels a lot more comfortable having an agent.

As a licensee, I could never be part of a brokerless transaction, but I
would advise any FSBO party to indeed get an attorney.

"dm" wrote in message
om...

I've been working with a realtor over the last several
months. . . . if I try to let her
in on it, and take her 2-3% cut, it will surely price
me out of the deal.

If a price difference of 3% is all that
important, you are shopping in the
wrong price range.

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs (Ottawa, Canada)
dphillipson[at]trytel.com