How to Make an Offer on a House
You may be expecting to rely on you real estate agent's opinion when it comes to making an offer on a house that interests you. You certainly can, to some degree. Remember, this is your mortgage, your financial obligation and it's imperative to take full ownership of the deal.
Just browsing online MLS listings will give you a good idea of what the market is bearing. We provide an easy online search of all New Bern real estate listings here that you can use. Just going through the process of looking for your home yourself with an online listing like this will make you a much more informed buyer as to what your market is like. Certainly we, Marcia and Joy, here at Neuse Realty, can help you find "comps" or recent comparable sales.
Keep your eye out for any signs that the seller is "motivated." Oftentimes a seller in distress will be careful to hide this information, but try to ascertain the seller's situation. Someone under pressure to sell will obviously be more likely to accept a lower offer. The idea of seeking out foreclosures may seem appealing as a way to find a great bargain, but the New Bern market (fortunately) is not a foreclosure market. Foreclosures seem like they'd be a great bargain, but they're very complicated negotiations, dealing with one or more banks. There are also a host of other problems, including desparate and irate people losing their homes who sometimes lose control and damage those homes. It can get ugly.
In general, you can surmise the mood of your seller just by analyzing what the market is like in that area. Is it a buyer's or seller's market? Your agent should be a good source of information on how long, on average, homes are remaining on the market. Information on when the home you're interested in was put on the market will also be available to you, and may be an indicator of how eager the seller may be to make a deal. Of course, they may just be holding out for the best price, but it's also possible that they're ready to make some sacrifices in order to get the deal done.