Argh - Where are the houses for sale???

[Anonymous]

Ditto to PP, we're also sick of the 2 main options: old houses w/nonsensical layouts vs new build with 6+ frickin' bathrooms (must have been most profitable design for the developers). As if it's a good idea for our 4 yos to have their own bathrooms in the corner of their rooms.

We're about ready to do a teardown and NOT put up a 3500++ sf main + 1st floor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think that inventory is low in part because there's no where for anyone to go! I'm eager to sell my house, but I can't do it until I find something to buy.

We're in Ch Ch DC. Once we find someplace to buy, this place will be listed in a hurry!

Same here. I thought I had written this, had to double-check the date!

Oh dear! Me three. What are you guys looking for? Us:$ 1.3-1.5, 4-5 br, no work needed, open kitchen with family room, preferably on west side of Lafayette, east of conn. ave. will be selling move-in ready 3-4br colonial with recent baths and kitchen, but no addition.

[Anonymous]

21:25, I'm the first poster you quoted. We'll stay in lafayette west of the Park (or Ch Ch MD). 4 br plus office space somewhere; first floor family room; eat in kitchen (doesn't have to connect to family room); a yard of some sort; driveway at least; and bathrooms that are bigger than my wing span. We'll do some work over time. $1.2 is our max.

Good luck to us all this spring!

[Anonymous]

And I'm the 2nd poster. We'll go either side of Connecticut, 1.5 - 1.8. Also selling move-in ready house in great location. Trying to be patient.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are looking in Arlington for under $900k. Anyone selling soon? Pretty please?

We might be. Just waiting to see how things pan out with the house we are interested in. I love our house and it will go on the market somewhere in the mid 700's.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have a house soon for sale that will go in a minute. But nothing for us worth buying, so here we will stay

this was us last year.

we refused to sell our house until we found a new one. we made offers on homes that had a home-sale contingency. the real estate agents were horrified but it worked out well for us.

How did you work your contingency? Did you put in a time limit? We're in a similar position, but I'm leery of putting a contingency in an offer in a market where things are tight and moving fast if the house is good.

pp here.

We didn't bid on a hot property. Rather, we watched house originally listed at nearly 1.3 that dropped to 1.2, then 1.1. then 1.05. We offered 950 with the house sale contingency and they took it.

house sat b/c it didn't show well. kitchens and bathrooms are dated and there were builder-grade touches all over place (circa 1981). which we can live with until we renovate. not ideal but got us into the school pyramid we wanted.

Basically the sellers were desperate and the house was very poorly marketed. We sensed desperation and pounced. Our own house had four offers within 12 hours of the open house so once we had a ratified contract we became deadly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think that inventory is low in part because there's no where for anyone to go! I'm eager to sell my house, but I can't do it until I find something to buy.

We're in Ch Ch DC. Once we find someplace to buy, this place will be listed in a hurry!

I suppose you think that by listing in a hurry you will sell in a hurry. You might sell quickly - if the price you ask for your existing home is far less than you might sell it for over a six month marketing period.

Perhaps the market is devoid of houses for sale because sellers have seen 5+ years of declining prices, and don't want to sell at the bottom of the market.

You seem to expect that a bargain-priced home will be easy to buy. Will the sale of your home be required to settle on your new home? If you create an offer to purchase that is contingent upon the sale of your existing home, the seller of the bargain-priced home will likely have other buyers who present no contingencies, and you will lose out on the bargain priced home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP- Literally anywhere from Kent/Palisades up through Bethesda and Chevy Chase. There are houses, but not many. I'm hoping the inventory will widen in the next few weeks.

We're looking in the same area and are anxiously waiting!

What are you waiting for?
Have you tried to sell your existing home? Think about it...... Wouldn't you expect that if you made an offer that reassured the seller that you have a purchaser and a firm settlement date in hand for your existing home that the seller of the home you desire would be more willing to accept your offer to purchase?

Or do you think that if inventory widens (increases), you will get the price you expect for your existing home? Basic economics of supply and demand indicate that if you sell now, you will have more equity available to contract to buy your next home. If inventory increases, prices soften. List now and sell, and improve your chances of getting the home you desire.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP- Literally anywhere from Kent/Palisades up through Bethesda and Chevy Chase. There are houses, but not many. I'm hoping the inventory will widen in the next few weeks.

We're looking in the same area and are anxiously waiting!

What are you waiting for?
Have you tried to sell your existing home? Think about it...... Wouldn't you expect that if you made an offer that reassured the seller that you have a purchaser and a firm settlement date in hand for your existing home that the seller of the home you desire would be more willing to accept your offer to purchase?

Or do you think that if inventory widens (increases), you will get the price you expect for your existing home? Basic economics of supply and demand indicate that if you sell now, you will have more equity available to contract to buy your next home. If inventory increases, prices soften. List now and sell, and improve your chances of getting the home you desire.

That's the quandary, isn't it? No one wants to be homeless.

BUT you CAN put in a home-BUY contingency into your listing contract too (i.e., you don't settle on the home you're selling until you find a place to live)

[Anonymous]

Feel our owner pain, bid it up

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"'a lot of people aren't selling, or aren't willing to accept low prices. Economics says that means prices go up.'"


OK, let me go list my house 10% higher than any comps sold and stubbornly not accept anything less. "That means prices will go up!"

Sounds like a good plan.

Actually, that does work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP- Literally anywhere from Kent/Palisades up through Bethesda and Chevy Chase. There are houses, but not many. I'm hoping the inventory will widen in the next few weeks.

People just aren't selling in those areas. Obama's keepin' this train going strong for another 4 years and we are not moving!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think everyone looking in Arlington is looking for under $900k. Those open houses are slammed. We went to some $1.1 - $1.2mil open houses this weekend (to see the homes in case they drop in price later in the season) and the open houses were dead. Same few couples at every house and lots and lots of neighbors scoping it out to see if they could also sell their small, somewhat renovated, weird layout, child unfriendly home for millions. I'm getting discouraged and not looking forward to having to make a split-second decision on whether to buy a $900k home before someone else nabs it. DH is also not into dropping that much cash without lots of research and deliberation, which you don't have time for in this market once you find a house. Argh.

This was our experience *exactly* the last two years! Including our DHs would get along real well! Oh those open houses; there was so much crap, and the nice ones in between were stampeded. The bored real estate agents unable to answer a single question. It was stressful. Several bidding wars. Then made split second decision. Won contract against several other bids. Then major issues on inspection and dropped out. Finally decided to build and very happy! Good luck!

[Anonymous]

yep, we dropped a ratified contract after complete stonewalling after the inspection turned up a ton of deferred maintenance.
DC are market sure tries to sell (and hide) a lot of garbage.

[Anonymous]

to those on the DC side of CC - we are looking in that area and are already pre-approved up tp 750k without needing to sell our current condo.

we are also not in any rush to move in.

if anyone is interested in selling your CCDC house that's in our price range we'd love to see it!

maybe avoid using agents all together....save some closing costs...