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View Full Version : Is it always this difficult to buy a home?


firsttimebuyer
08-15-2007, 09:26 PM
My wife and I are in the midst of trying to buy a home (we have an accepted bid, contigent upon inspection and survey...it might be in a floodplain), but I want to know if it is always so difficult to work with a realtor.

The realtor is very friendly, but does not seem helpful...perhaps I am expecting too much. We asked about the property lot size and she told us one thing, called the next day and said another, and now a week later she calls and says that the lot is something else. i checked the auditor records and the lot is not even close to what she has described. I even met with the village administrator (works with town council) to try and figure out what is going on with the lot (the village owns the adjacent land). The realtor has not offered to help, only to say that "you'll get enough land to ensure all your structures are on your land" (half of the garage is apparently built on the village's land).

When I asked the realtor to request the buyer do a survey to determine floodplain (it was not disclosed, again, I had to look online at federal records), she said I had to call my bank and arrange it. This isn't even my property yet! I really feel like I'm doing all the footwork here and the agent is going to collect a commission for simply showing the house and drawing up a contract.

Is our agent doing what she should, or is she incompetent? If I change realtors at this point in the deal will it hinder further negotiations? Is this an offense that should be reported to a state real estate commission? I have spoken to the realtor face-to-face and expressed my concerns - the first time she apologized, but the next time she seemed to shrug it off. I even told her today "I really feel like I'm doing all the work here..." and she simply said "well, it'll all get taken care of".

(One more thing, sorry...I know this is long, but I need to vent... can the realtor tell us with certainty, before we sign any deal, what the lot size and shape is EXACTLY, or do I have to find that out for myself?)

Thank you in advance for any help you can offer to my wife and I. BTW, we're in Ohio if that info is necessary.

slh2002_77
08-15-2007, 10:11 PM
I'm an agent in North Carolina. The only way I know of to find out 100% the lot size and dimensions is to get a survey. That is an expense you will have to pay yourself. You can ask the seller to pay but they do not have to. In my area lenders do not require you to do a survey before you purchase a home. Your agent should be able to pull up a plot plan to give you an idea of the boundary's of the property, but she cannot guarantee the lot size and dimensions. As far as working with your agent. You are under contract with the real estate company and the agent just works for the company. So, if you wanted another agent it would have to be from the same company. It seems like your deal is almost complete so I would just finish it out even though you are not happy. If it falls apart then ask for another agent. Picking an agent is like dating. Everything seems perfect at first then as time passes you find out about their flaws.

Codythebest
08-16-2007, 06:20 AM
All depends on the Realtor ability. If (s)he's good, it's easy. If (s)he's not good, it's difficult.
I have passed my license for the same reason: Real Estate agents unable to deliver what I was looking for. I work for me (I'm a RE investor) but when I work for my client, I put myself in his/her shoes.
Lots of agent are uncompetent, unfortunately...

FortHoodRealEstate
08-25-2007, 08:29 PM
I would think your agent would have requested the seller provide you with a survey, but obviously that didn't happen. If you want to know for sure where your buildings are in relation to the lot lines and to each other, you must have a survey done. There may be an existing one you can get from the seller, from when they bought the property. You should talk to an attorney, but in Texas, the seller can sign an affidavit that says the old survey is correct and no changes have been made since the time the survey was done.

Maybe the downturn in the market will weed out agents who only want to write up a contract and then disappear until closing.

Malok
08-26-2007, 07:15 AM
Cody is correct. There are a lot of incompetent persons that should not be in this business.

One of the big upsides right now for the somewhat buyer's market that is perceived to be in place for most of the country - is that it is getting rid of some of the weeds.


I'd still like to turn up the heat by increasing class/education requirements as well as an immediate 10x price increase for annual renewal for licensing. That would thin out most of the rest that shouldn't be in this business that are clinging on waiting for the market to turn.

ltcobretti
08-31-2007, 12:47 PM
Sounds like a more difficult deal than your realtor has ever dealt with. Get a survey, and clear things with the Title company in advance.