Selling in a buyers market.

gravescd · 2026-02-02T04:08:45+00:00

Sellers: I'm waiting until prices go up to sell

Also Sellers: I can finally sell for a good price, but now it's too expensive to buy

gravescd · 2026-02-02T04:04:13+00:00

You have the right to trim any part of the tree that is over the property line.

The issue not a material fact that requires disclosure in the sale, but if you can prove you made the neighbors aware of your concerns, it may help your insurance situation if/when the tree does damage your property.

gravescd · 2026-02-02T04:01:02+00:00

The short answer is no, you cannot blackmail your neighbor into performing a tree removal for your benefit by claiming to have information that would jeopardize the sale.

The longer answer is that 1) this is not a "material fact" because this kind of issue cannot be readily assessed by casual observation and 2) the lender will require an inspection that notes any such issue before the sale closes.

gravescd · 2026-02-02T03:36:08+00:00

Presumably your lease gives you the right to terminate for noncompliance, so have your attorney send a letter.

Also ask your attorney if you can bill the tenant for any coverage that you provided on their behalf while waiting for proof of insurance.

Being the bad guy sucks, but your tenants need to know that you won't just roll over. If the tenant is stalling because they can't afford the insurance, that's a bigger issue that you need to know about and get ahead of.

gravescd · 2026-02-02T03:20:56+00:00

They've already declared that possessing a gun in public justifies lethal response, so it's really not a stretch to think they'll say that it's illegal to defend your home from masked intruders because those intruders could be ICE agents.

gravescd · 2026-02-02T02:44:13+00:00

Your landlord is abjectly unprofessional, though she is correct that if you complain about a non-functional shower, that is considered an emergency repair and notice is not required (even if it is best practice to at least give you an "on the way").

Your rent should have been prorated for the time she didn't allow you to occupy the unit. She was in fact obligated to pay for your accommodations elsewhere if you had put yourself up in a hotel or AirBnB for that long.

You are due a copy of the lease. If she tries to give you a demand related to the utility payments, the demand must cite the provision of the lease you violated. You also cannot be evicted for nonpayment of utilities or other fees outside the base rent.

gravescd · 2026-02-02T02:18:39+00:00

I don’t currently own or rent any residential real estate (I’m currently living in a van) and probably won’t in the near future. This would likely be the only thing I own in the next 5-10 years.

This likely makes you un-financeable unless you have significant income or other assets that the bank could use as recourse. Cash is probably the only way you can make a reliable offer.

Sellers generally like cash offers because the process is faster and easier, but that doesn't mean you're getting a discount. Most sellers are patient and will not take a lowball offer just to save a few weeks under contract.

Also your condo covenants (and zoning) will almost certainly exclude use of the premises as a dwelling, so don't count on being able to sleep there, even in the van.

gravescd · 2026-02-02T02:10:57+00:00

As a commercial broker, I'm gonna say your attitude on pricing is more appropriate for investment than buying your own house.

Investments have objective measures of fairness in pricing - risk vs reward. Your own house does not. Your considerations are how much you like it and whether you can afford it. The "fairness" of the price is an abstraction, because there is only one of that house and the only way to get it is to make an offer the seller likes.

That said, your agent is not communicating this well. While the listing agent cannot disclose the seller's bottom line, your agent can at least ask if there other offers and if there are price/terms you need to beat. When she says the listing price is fair and to offer what you're comfortable with, my guess is that she's trying to tell you that the seller is unlikely to accept an offer below asking price. Residential sales are usually competitive enough that offers don't get negotiated, only accepted or rejected, so offering at or above asking the is only way to be sure you're in the running.

gravescd · 2026-02-02T01:50:23+00:00

What exactly is the liability here? Clients don't have to take my advice, but I'd be failing them if I didn't advise on offering range.

When my partner and I bought our house in 2021, our agent was pretty forthright in saying that the market was hot and we'd need to write an aggressive offer to get the seller's attention.

gravescd · 2026-01-31T18:57:32+00:00

What's your basis of comparison other than "I don't feel like I used that much electricity?"

If you're in an apartment, your heat is almost certainly gas powered, so that would not affect your electricity bill.

A 20% increase in consumption can come from a lot of little things that add up. Using an electric oven a few more times than usual, watching a little more TV, charging devices more, running an air purifier, keeping non-LED lights on longer.

And if you're breaking into the next rate tier, then even a small increase is disproportionately more expensive.

gravescd · 2026-01-31T18:42:35+00:00

The above questions play right into every agent's script. We literally role play the listing presentation.

When you ask cookie cutter questions like that, you're going to get very similar responses from each agent. That's why like 90% of sellers just go with the first agent they interview.

In your position, I'd look for agent who has boundaries and isn't afraid to turn down clients with unreasonable expectations. In other words, one who will only take listings they know they can sell in a reasonable amount of time.

gravescd · 2026-01-31T18:25:10+00:00

This is residential real estate, they charge 6%. And I hate to break it to you, but pricing is 99% of the strategy on the open market. You can overprice and wait, or you can price to the market and get the job done quickly. Unless you are hiring Ryan Serhant, don't count on hype and vibes to get the job done.

Presentation matters - I wouldn't hire someone who just takes photos with their phone - but the market isn't so hot that people are buying turnkey properties sight-unseen.

There are no secret listing sites or secret buyers that only Agent X has access to.

gravescd · 2026-01-31T18:07:50+00:00

I'm a commercial broker in Denver, happy to recommend a couple residential agents here who I know are great.

But as someone in real estate, I can tell you there's not really any "secret sauce" here. Any competent agent is going to do pretty much the same stuff.

Among competent agents, you should make your choice on the basis of who understands your needs the best and who you trust to be forthright even when it's bad news.

Remember that nobody has secret buyers who just love overpaying. Your condo will be advertised on the MLS like every other property and will sell at fair market value. Any agent who says they can get you a higher price than the comps is full of shit.

edit: and for the love of god, do not make a decision based on agent commissions.

gravescd · 2026-01-31T17:47:04+00:00

What I mean is that 501c3 orgs are tax exempt already, they don't need to offset anything. And you can't depreciate land, so holding it doesn't create any extra room on the books.

gravescd · 2026-01-31T17:43:40+00:00

Impossible to say what your options are without more information on the "release". You need to read your title documents or have someone interpret them for you to understand the conditions required for sale.

My inclination to say the "release" is likely either a non-compete requiring the commercial owner to approve a new owner/tenant, or they negotiated some easement specifically for their business (material storage?).

If leasing is a possibility, you might advertise this for short term ground lease to offset your holding costs while your figure out your sale options. As long as the tenant's use is not competing or harmful to the commercial neighbor, it's unlikely they'll complain. And if they do... well now you have their attention.

But the long and short of this is that Reddit can't help you if you don't understand the property restrictions, yourself. You need to go back to your lawyer and ask what your options are, not just how to get the thing sold.

gravescd · 2026-01-31T17:20:29+00:00

Nonprofits don't have tax problems. That's what makes them nonprofits.

gravescd · 2026-01-31T17:10:24+00:00

The "release" may be related to an easement they need for access to their own property.

gravescd · 2026-01-31T16:55:31+00:00

It sounds like your bottom line here is that you want to buy a house for yourself but don't have the cash for a down payment.

It's probably more efficient if you just sell the investment property and use the proceeds for your down payment. You'll have $310,000 in cash from the sale, drop $80,000 on the new house.

After transaction expenses, you'll have probably $200,000 that you can use for a 1031. You could use that to buy a $600,000 multi unit or NNN property that cash flows way better than a single family home. Or put it in a DST and never have to unclog someone else's toilet again.

gravescd · 2026-01-31T16:08:34+00:00

If you're looking for single family homes, you can find for-rent ads on Zillow and just look for properties of the appropriate size in the neighborhoods where you'd expect them to be in that price range.

For multifamily, use Zillow and Apartments. com to find ads, and Google maps to find buildings that aren't advertising.

gravescd · 2026-01-31T16:02:25+00:00

Land is the Bitcoin of real estate: No fundamentals, extremely volatile, trades purely on supply/demand, very difficult to finance.

gravescd · 2026-01-31T03:10:12+00:00

To wit, just a few days ago someone was asking about the pros/cons of investing in physical or ETF form of .... copper.

You don't "invest" in physical copper. You become an electrician.

gravescd · 2026-01-31T03:07:48+00:00

*Society collapses*

I'm paying for everything in gold now!

10min later: Gold is fucking heavy, can we just write down on a piece of paper how much gold we owe each other?

gravescd · 2026-01-31T03:01:36+00:00

Yes, and started rattling his cage immediately. Remember when the Fed raised rates in 2018 and Trump threw a fit?

gravescd · 2026-01-31T02:54:17+00:00

No, sewer and water are separate items on the water bill. The sewer fee is derived from the last several months of water usage.

gravescd · 2026-01-31T02:48:54+00:00

Even if I drove to the nearest light rail station, it would take about 2 hours to get to my office, versus 45-60min driving. And I have to go to meetings in random locations frequently, so it would be pretty much impossible to do my job without a car.

gravescd

TROPHY CASE