Today DH & I threw out a lowball verbal offer on a house we like. We were pretty sure we wouldn't get the house (we didn't), but we finally decided that we had nothing to lose by making the offer. To tell you the truth, I was more than a bit nervous about giving the builder's rep the offer. After giving myself a little pep talk and summoning my courage, I walked in to the sales office and presented the offer in a straightforward and respectful way, and the rep returned the favor by replying in an equally respectful way why the offer wouldn't fly. 
He filled me in on some recent sales prices in the area. I left the house feeling better informed about the market than I was when I went in.[In case you're wondering where my Prince Charming was all this time, he turned chicken and decided to wait in the car!]
I guess you could call this "strike one" in our house hunt, but I actually feel fine about it because it was such a good learning experience. And it was a good reminder that it never hurts to ask!
We'll just keep looking and know that eventually we'll find a house that we like where the seller is willing to sell for what we are willing to pay. [The last house we bought, it was the fourth house we made an offer on. How long will we keep looking? As long as it takes.]
"Courage and perseverance have a magical talisman, before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish into air." - John Quincy Adams
Strike One?
December 24th, 2007 at 04:27 am
December 24th, 2007 at 05:30 am 1198474213
good luck
December 24th, 2007 at 07:13 am 1198480433
2. if the seller accepts the bid right away, you've paid too much.
3. officially, realtors HAVE to give the sellers any and all bids they receive.
Builders are a bit different, but hey, you have to break the ice with someone.
Since you're a buyer with money, as the supply increases (houses sitting on the market) your position gets better and better. Eventually the realtors themselves get into the act because 3%/6% of 0 is 0.
December 24th, 2007 at 12:46 pm 1198500409
I say if you like a house put in an offer you can afford. Worst case scenario: They say no and have a hissy fit.
December 24th, 2007 at 06:14 pm 1198520084
December 26th, 2007 at 07:01 pm 1198695668
You made the offer to the builders rep. This is not the same as the builder who might have given it more thought.