ResalesHouse Hunting For a Bargain
If you"re hunting for a bargain in a re-sale home, take
heart. Good deals really can be found out there!
For starters, look for a house with poor housekeeping.
Ragged lawn, overgrown shrubbery, dull windows. And inside,
lots of clutter, noisy kids, romping dogs, piles of laundry
and a tv set that isn"t turned off while you view the place.
A house like that stays on the market a long time, and the
owners finally have to settle for less than the place may
really be worth. What you want to do is ignore the
housekeeping and investigate the fundamentals.
Good location? How"s the roof? electric service?
insulation? plumbing? Maintenance may have been kept up even
if the occupants are slobs. And if that"s so, you"ve found a
bargain.
If the house has been for sale for some time, by all means
try a lowball offer.
A second source of bargain property is property owned by
divorcing couples. Sometimes both ex-spouses just want to get
out of town as quickly as possible, and can"t do it till the
house is sold. Your broker may have to deal with two sets of
lawyers before your modest offer is accepted, but it"s worth
trying.
Finally, consider the house being sold by the executor of
an estate. The place may be standing vacant, always a worry.
Heirs are usually pressing for prompt action. Finding a
purchaser for the property is just one of a long list of
duties the harried executor needs to check off. A
well-qualified buyer represents a welcome solution to yet
at least one problem, and your offer could meet with a cordial
response.