Land we rent sold

[gemini5362]

Hmm eddie you keep saying she when you mention realtors. I have a realtor license and I am not a she.

AlanB there are programs in some areas that help you find foreclosures
here is one. I have not used it but it does have a free 7 day trial to see if it is worth while for you Foreclosures Real Estate Foreclosure Listings and Homes at RealtyTrac

Also more and more county seats are putting their real estate tax records online some of them have free access some don't. You might check with your assessor office and see. The advantage to that is getting to see who owns what property if you are looking at something.

AlanB all agents are going to show you their listings first I dont know how your agent does it but a common practive for real estate agents working with MLS (Multiple Listing Service) is to split the commission 4 ways. The listing office gets 1/2 of the commision The listing office then splits 1/2 half of the commision it gets with 1/2 of that going to the office the other half to the listing agent. The selling agent gets 1/2 of the commision with the selling office getting 1/2 of that commision and the other agent getting the other 1/2 of the selling commision. So if an agent sells a piece of property that is listed by another company that agent is only going to get 1/4 of the commision if they sell their own listing they get 1/2 of it. The percentages differ but I am sure you get the point.

Alan almost all agents either have or want to have an investor they work with. Investors get most of the good deals. Before I got my license I worked with an agent that was a friend of mine. The last three houses I bought never had a for sale sign on them. I saw them before they were advertised and bought them on the spot.

Look for repos. I see a lot of repos where someone has started remodeling and then lost it. A lot of time all it takes is paint and floor coverings to really make it look nice. The flipping shows you see on TV are extreme cases a lot of the time. You can find nicer repos with some work.

Eddie was right about price. Don't be afraid to make a low offer. I dont know how other states do it but in arkansas agents have to submit all offers or risk losing their licenses. Most agents dont like to submit low offers because it is more work for them to do offers over and over. But that is the nature of the job.

My last piece of advice. Don't fall in love with a house. Set a price for it and then dont go above that offer. I can guarantee there will be other houses out there and more than likely there will be other houses that you will like just as much.

good luck in your search

 

[AlanB]

Man, this whole thing is about to drive me flat out nuts, or is about to drive my wife and I apart. Seems we cannot agree on what the heck we want, I cannot seem to get a grip on what she is looking for, and she just cannot seem to get where I work in her mind, because everything she wants to look at is 45 minutes drive from where I work.

Seems that there is a "catch" with everything, perfect piece of property? Priced too high, good price, wrong location etc. etc. It is the old case of we offer three things, low prices, good location and high quality, you can pick any two

A lot of them though, do not take more then a 10 second look and we are both looking at each other going, NOPE....NEXT.....

Do I really want to drive 45 minutes to work each day in the same town that I live in? The river sure makes it a mess to get around. (two lane bridge)

Hoping something comes together for sure.

 

[rox]

Alan,

I think your situation is more typical than not. These types of situations can put a lot of stress on a marriage, so can building a house. however when you build a house together one of 2 things happens- 1 you get a divorce or 2 your marriage is stronger, much stronger.

On our last hosue we built i really really wanted this piece of land, 3/4 acre on a cul du sac heavily wooded very nice community. it was owned by a commercial realtor, he had bought it to build his own home on. Man I really wanted that land but my husband would not move up on price and the owner came down as far as he was going to come down. Finally I got my husband to give me this extra $2,500 as a Valentines gift. I wrote a very nice letter to the owner and said, look this is as high as my husband will pay, in fact this $2,500 raise from our last offer is only because it is my Valentines Day gift. So this really is the final final offer and I really want this lot. he guy called me up and said, "Happy Valentines Day, the lot is yours"

You are doing everything correct. You need to visit a lot of propeties to learn what the market prices are. That way when you find the right property you can put in an offer knowing the market. You gotta pay your dues by getting out and looking and you are doing that. it will come. Two propeties we bought were for sale by owners so keep up with thos possibilities.

Chances are if you really don't want to drive 45 minutes to work every day and you buy a house where you ahve to do that you really are not going to like it, so I wouldn't yield on this point. Marriage is give and take, however it works for both sides, and this if it is real important to you is something that your wife should then give in on. Look on the bright side, this tightens up your radius and you should be able to drive up and down the streets looking for what you want. If there are local businesses in the areas you would like to live why not talk to the staff and leave your business card. Like Eddie said things liek this do work. And when yu see that real good deal, you won't ahve to hesitate you can jsut jump on it. I like looking for houses by driving around. Have you tried Google Earth? You can punch in an address and see an arial shot of the property, that would come in handy for you I would think

Twice we paid the asking price of property becasue it was undervalued, and we knew it was undervalued becasue we had been looking our butts off and knew the market completely. you gotta keep working at it and keep your spirits up. It will happen, there is a property out there for you, keep positive.

 

[mudcat]

Only a 45 min drive? Isn't that long enough to get your first cup of coffee absorbed into your bloodstream. A nice house on a nice piece of land with a 45 min commute to work is a dream come true to some.

 

[BTDT]

I would also add that you pass a lot of lawns and businesses in a 45 min drive. Start passing out your business cards. It may turn out that you can find all the work you can handle in that area, and start working from home. (This is supposing that you are still in the lawncare business)

 

[Alan L.]

I wish my drive was only 45 minutes. My drive is about 1:15 each way, sometimes longer, sometimes as short as one hour on a good day. I catch up on talk radio and check out books on tape and listen to those on my commute. Other than the fuel cost and wearing out vehicles pretty quick, it really does not bother me.

 

[tensaw12]

Alan,
Maybe, another approach....... Run, an ad in your local newspaper, under, "Real Estate Wanted" describe, the property you are looking for, and let it find you.
Good Luck

 

[KYErik]

AlanB,

I am just about 45 minutes north of Clarksville (on the north side of Hoptown). I know it would be a long drive, but land is a lot cheaper up here in Kentucky than what you have described. I'll send you a PM.

 

[NoMo]

Don't forget about the For Sale by Owner listings in your area.

 

[riptides]

Man, this whole thing is about to drive me flat out nuts, or is about to drive my wife and I apart. Seems we cannot agree on what the heck we want, I cannot seem to get a grip on what she is looking for, and she just cannot seem to get where I work in her mind, because everything she wants to look at is 45 minutes drive from where I work.

Here are some words of encouragement.

Your house will be your home. If you really, really find that special place distance will not matter.

I drive 2+ hours one way from my home. That means somedays I am on the road for over 5 hours. In a few years, all those things that are 30-40 minutes away will be 5 or 10 the way development marches on. Maybe my job too. HAHAHA.

In any case,

- make a short list of MUST haves
- make a short list iof needs
- make a short list of wants
- go over them again and again.
- then look for available transportation methods to get from particular areas
(will the roads be built up, devlopement coming, public buses, rail, car pools, vans, trains, etc. etc) If you see some red flags in there, adjust accordingly. Nothing worse than settling next to a place where 2.5k homes are to be built without road expansion).

Your in the fun part of life now, looking for a house to be a home. Enjoy it!!!!

-Mike Z.