The Conical Glass: Soft market = opportunity!

Friday, October 19, 2007

Soft market = opportunity!

I've been getting really good feedback on these real estate related posts, probably because everyone is fascinated by home-buying and selling -- why else would HGTV keep cranking out shows like "My House Is Worth What?" and "Designed to Sell." Of course, when your own home is on the market, you don't want to wake up to the headline "Home sales in Bay Area crash to 20-year low." If you are a home seller, it's as if you're being told, "You're selling your home now? Are you insane? You'll be lucky if someone offers you some old bottle caps and spare sofa-cushion change for that thing! Why didn't you sell a year ago, when even a run-down shack in Crack Alley could generate multiple offers way over the asking price?"

Of course, during those halcyon days, there was no way Joe & I could afford to buy a house. I didn't want to see a horribly inflated sale price as merely a starting point for cutthroat competition. (Indeed, we made the only offer and paid exactly the asking price for our new place.) The sellers are also moving up, to a larger home elsewhere in Brigadoon. Surely there must be others out there who figures the soft market is the perfect time to go home-shopping.

Now that our condo is on the market, it's fair game for anyone who wants to come see it. I'm supposed to get some notification when someone is coming by so I can grab the dog and skedaddle, but today, I was in the middle of a business phone call when a real estate agent and his clients knocked on my door. I hurriedly ended the call and picked up the leash and my "go bag" (which contains a magazine, iPod, crossword puzzle, etc.). As I was hustling out the door, the male client said, "It seems like we had to go an awfully long way to come up here. Is there a shortcut?" "No, I'm afraid that's it," I answered brightly. Since I've been living here, I've had recurring dreams about a magical elevator that runs sideways. Oh, how nice it would be if such a thing existed, and could whisk us from our door directly to the street.

Since the real estate business is one known for its spin (no house is ever "small"; it's "cute," "cozy," "adorable," "charming," etc., and fixer-uppers are inevitably "full of potential"), I hope the Realtors can sell this place as being "private," "secure" and "quiet."

posted by 125records @ 4:28 PM

1 Comments:

At 9:13 PM, 2fs said…

If your potential buyer is single, emphasize that all that elevator and hallway time just gives him/her more time to chat up the neighbors...