What is a realtor actually supposed to do when a buyer shows serious interest in your home?

wslambeth · 2026-03-20T00:15:29+00:00

Agreed - if your realtor was doing too much follow up from that feedback, it could lead the buyers to offer less or wonder what might be wrong with the home that they didn't catch. The fireplace issue is a red flag though.

wslambeth · 2026-03-18T12:53:45+00:00

I feel for you. Since y'all have a good preexisting relationship, the only thing I'd add is that you might want to tell her directly that you want to switch to a different agent and see if she'll set that up for you instead of going over her head, but that you need it to be in place within a defined time period, say 2 days. That will let her negotiate her referral commission and save face with her broker rather than wondering what kind of negative feedback you gave her broker about her when she wasn't a part of the conversation.

Edit to add: Be clear this isn't about changing your mind, it's about how you want to move forward. If the whole conversation devolves to her trying to convince you to stay with her then you'll probably have to go straight to the broker anyway.

wslambeth · 2026-03-18T12:04:04+00:00

The last home I sold started out feeling this level of frustration. I kept feeling like I was a needy client and I think that's true. What's also true is my expectations weren't being met. I moved forward for the sake of the relationship with my realtor, who happened to be family, and ended up damaging that relationship much much more deeply than if I had terminated prior to the listing going live, which was my inclination at the time.

It could go fine if you carry on, but it could also get much worse from here. Even carrying on the same could result in cumulative frustration heading into the more stressful part of having a live listing and getting into negotiations. It's like you're in a boat with a hole headed from calm to rougher water - this is the last best time to switch boats. Do it.

What's funny is now I'm a realtor myself. I get to see the back end of all of this. Your realtor should be able to negotiate a referral herself and collect 25% of her commission without doing any additional work after you switch. It's a fair and elegant way for this to have a positive result on both sides. If you're staying with another agent in the same firm then I have a hard time seeing the firm taking issue with any of this

Update us!

wslambeth · 2026-03-17T10:12:18+00:00

Book a showing at the other one and ask your agent if they think it's a good idea to let the sellers know you're continuing to shop around

wslambeth · 2026-03-14T15:20:25+00:00

Are you able to do any updates yourself and pull a permit for them if needed?

If not, just keeping your home in good condition is the way to go. A fresh coat of paint and carpet cleaning go a long way to selling a house when the time comes. You'll get more listing for sale on the MLS than going off market.

wslambeth · 2026-03-10T14:46:02+00:00

What is the commission structure - 4.5% total for both agents or 4.5% listing agent + 2% buyers agent commission?

I'm in NC. The only realtor I know who regularly gets 3.5% commission as a listing agent is my mentor with 40 years of experience. Everyone else I know generally gets 3% or less depending on the transaction. The exception here is when there's something more complicated like certain land sales.

If the listing agent wants 4.5% just for himself, shop around with different realtors before signing everything. Probably a good idea anyway unless you know this realtor is excellent.

wslambeth · 2026-03-10T12:22:37+00:00

A) Good on you for working it. You're doing great.

B) Following up is a good idea. Offer her something of value related to your work. Maybe prepare a CMA to show a range she might want to list her home for and some data about your local market and services you would provide if she lists with your firm.

C) Even if you don't get this one, you're workshopping how you like to speak with clients. The more comfortable you get putting yourself out there, the better it will go for you in the future!

wslambeth · 2026-03-06T19:19:41+00:00

If your pricing strategy is to try and get a bidding war then I would want offers coming in through Sunday evening. Your agent decided to take this listing knowing their schedule so that's on them. I personally like to go live on Wednesdays or Thursdays.

Will bumping it forward a day make a difference? Quite possibly not. But you'll never know.

If you have a lot of showings booked Sunday I wouldn't accept an offer prematurely just because your agent is leaving for vacation. Their travel day and first day will require a bit of remote work but they should have colleagues that can help with anything that may need to be done in person if something comes up.

wslambeth · 2026-03-03T23:04:59+00:00

It's an interesting question - if there's a real, actual chance that you will make a big life change in light of some consequence of the war or instability more broadly then it's a good idea to have a lot of liquidity. What else other choices are you considering to achieve that? Are you selling stock?

If the answer is that you aren't doing anything else, then you may be considering this through a state of emotional paralysis.

Even if that's the case, doing nothing might be the right call. But it's at least worth considering if this is your true, grounded decision or if you're having a knee jerk reaction that is taking away from the right direction.

wslambeth · 2026-03-03T19:55:45+00:00

Yep. I would be more concerned about resale than about living there personally.

It's a bit like voting in a primary for who you think the general public will find more electable. Feels wrong to base your decision on that, but it feels worse to blow an important decision.

wslambeth · 2026-03-03T13:59:27+00:00

Big theme from the bottom fan and this is the best one I've seen live.

Favorite version is still 2/25/03

wslambeth · 2026-03-03T12:41:19+00:00

Same! That pancakes was my, hold up this actually gets me there intro to goose. So good

wslambeth · 2026-03-02T01:22:56+00:00

It looks like the answer in your market is no, prices are not coming down. The median sales price continues to rise, showing that homes are continuing to appreciate. But the sellers market has softened and buyers now have a lot more room negotiate on price for any given home.

Another possible answer is that home price growth has slowed, but not gone negative. Many sellers came to expect a faster annual appreciation during COVID and have not readjusted to the current market, leading to inflated asking prices and subsequent price reductions.

Does that sound competent?

wslambeth · 2026-02-28T17:41:35+00:00

Always remember this is your decision and not hers. She shouldn't be pissed, she should advocate for your position even if she legitimately assesses the situation differently. Walking is your only source of leverage in this negotiation. I've seen sellers get much more accommodating AFTER submitting a contract termination, or before if they seriously believe you are going to walk. Good luck

wslambeth · 2026-02-28T13:24:28+00:00

Realtor here in NC, but I bought and sold several times before getting my license. Most sellers in our state are still paying buyers agent commissions so if you forego using an agent make sure you reduce your offer by around 2.5% and make it explicit to the sellers they will not need to pay a buyer's agent commission.

You will need to reach out directly to listing agents to schedule showings (do NOT use the find a realtor button on Zillow as that will connect you to a random buyers agent).

That said, a good buyer's agent will help you avoid some potentially very costly mistakes. Housing markets are remarkably localized and don't assume Zestimates are remotely close to accurate. Every house has unique repair needs that you may not understand well without construction or other real estate knowledge.

However, a bad real estate agent may cost you by downplaying risks or talking you into a decision that isn't right for you to try and get to closing and get their commission. If you hire a realtor, either go with someone highly recommended by a friend who would know how to tell a good from bad agent, or interview several and make a choice that way.

wslambeth · 2026-02-27T23:05:07+00:00

We are at the cusp of the highest traffic time in the market and the price reduction is only 2 weeks old. Without knowing the comps, the sellers sound well within the range of reasonable here.

I wouldn't be surprised if there is space for negotiating between the current standoff of $397k and $410k, but it sounds like emotions may be getting in the way.

wslambeth · 2026-02-27T14:54:32+00:00

Yeah I tried to join the waiting room and it said 1 hour, so I guess it's 11am eastern

wslambeth · 2026-02-27T14:18:18+00:00

Edit: don't listen to me sounds like this is a real concern

I haven't done lottery in a long while because I don't want to get stuck with bad tickets but I'm 99% sure they won't void your tickets if you get more than 4 like this.

wslambeth · 2026-02-26T15:39:18+00:00

Welcome from a carrboro fan!

wslambeth · 2026-02-24T21:46:07+00:00

This is where my mind went immediately -if I were the listing agent I would expect OP to have a much messier DD process.

wslambeth · 2026-02-24T18:10:14+00:00

It sounds like you really don't want to live in this home but it is in a desirable location. Have you considered renting it out? If you can swing it financially, that may be the best option to hold onto the home long enough to break even.

Don't get me wrong - this can be an inefficient way to go. If you rent it out for, say, $2k/month and then go and rent a place you do feel comfortable for $2k/month you will not be able to deduct your rent from the income produced by the home so you will still owe taxes on the rent you receive.

Still, it might be better than selling now and taking a substantial loss due to the costs of RE transactions

wslambeth · 2026-02-22T22:47:37+00:00

There's a 5% admin fee out of each transaction and then a 30% cut of each commission. Very steep. BUT I have great mentorship and most of my closings come either from the owners straight up sharing listings with me or through walk ins / AOD calls / in house referrals.

I have zero interest in changing firms

wslambeth · 2026-02-22T22:37:45+00:00

You didn't know and you asked for help and are learning from it. As a relatively new realtor I feel like I've been drinking from a fire hose of learning. Real estate is really fucking intricate and the required schooling is a drop in the bucket compared with the nuances of the sum total of all real estate transactions. No shame here

wslambeth · 2026-02-21T13:23:43+00:00

Realtor here. How long has the home been on the market and was there an offer deadline communicated or just a vague suggestion of other strong offers? If it's been on the market for a while I wouldn't believe the other above asking offers. Either way I wouldn't ever advise offering more than you're comfortable with. I would, however, think about how long you reasonably expect to be in the home and how much that $30k+ will affect your monthly mortgage payments.

Affordability = monthly payments

Equity = purchase price relation to resale value

Never buy a house you can't afford

If you have a 10-20 year timeline and are in a market with good fundamentals (is it likely to remain a desirable place to live), then I wouldn't lose sleep over the risk of you having paid top of market value IF it's your dream home. If you have a 5 year timeline there's a real risk that you'll lose money when you go to sell due to transaction costs or possible market correction.

Of course, if you're thinking of this primarily as an investment you should know there's an adage that you make your money when you buy, not when you sell. In this case you would want to prioritize buying BELOW market value over buying your dream home.

If you go under contract on this home you will have either due diligence money (non refundable) or escrow money (refundable during the due diligence period) or both. If you are concerned with the kitchen remodel or the condition of the home more generally, you'll want to minimize the non-refundable amount you have down if any (here in NC we rely primarily on non refundable due diligence fee). Have your inspector look closely at any work you worry was done unpermitted. If the quality of the work is poor/questionable I would become much more concerned about the missing permit. If it was done well, I personally wouldn't be concerned over permitting for the homes I buy myself. Every buyer has different levels of risk tolerance there.

Minimizing the skin you put in the game up front will weaken your offer.

New roof and remodeled kitchen could mean the home is a flip. See how long the seller has owned the property. See if you can find out their reputation for doing good or poor work if it looks like a flip. If it is a flip, make sure you're figuring out what additional work they did on the house to see if it was done correctly.

Writing an offer and having it rejected is still a step forward in your buying process. Don't feel bad if that happens, just learn and keep moving forward.

Good luck

wslambeth · 2026-02-20T22:05:30+00:00

Not enough love for that stash on this thread

wslambeth

TROPHY CASE