Hiring a Real Estate Agent

I am not exactly a first time home buyer. The first time I bought a home it was a new home, after much trial and tribulation, argument, search, and final agreement. That was 15 years ago. That house was taken by my ex in our divorce, and ironically, offered to me by him yesterday so I will move back to Fresno. That answer was a resounding no.

This time around is a little different. I am in a different city. I am buying this home by myself, so there is no one to argue with. I am limited by the high school my son is already going to. He has been with the same kids since the 6th grade, he knows them, and he gets along with everyone. For a kid with Asperger's, that means absolutely everything, so there is not a question about moving to a different school to save a little money. So, I am locked into a very expensive area and searching for a home on a limited budget.

I really did not know what I was doing two weeks ago. I found a site with local property listings on Google, I was contacted by a nice-enough agent, I found a house I was interested in, and I called my agent to take me to go look at it.

My mistake. This agent gave me all kinds of song and dance and could not answer even my simplest questions. We made an offer on the house. Supposedly he was in contact with the seller's agent, they were considering my offer, etc. etc. They came back with a counter offer $5000 over the asking price of the home. I knew there had been a severe communication breach, and I knew my agent was responsible.

So, I called a few friends from outside this area, and I consulted on what an agent is really supposed to be doing. I confirmed my suspicions that perhaps my agent had not quite done the job he was surely happy to accept that commission check for. I called a new agent, at the recommendation of a friend of a friend, possibly the best thing I ever did.

Things an agent should do:

1. Listen to you about what you need and want in a home.
2. Help you find appropriate listings that meet your needs in your price range.
3. Show you the listings you are interested in after talking to you about the merits of each one on the list, why you like it or don't, etc.
4. When you find a house you like, this is when a good agent is invaluable and worth every dollar they get paid.
5. They communicate with the Seller's agent and find out as much information as possible.
6. They find out why the house is on the market.
7. They find out what other offers the seller has on the property. <----- ESSENTIAL!!!
8. They find out what the lowest price for the house could possibly be, and why (in my case the seller has a contingent offer on a town house in a different area, so any offer has to allow him to get into his town house).

The house I was looking at is priced higher per square foot than any other comparable home that has sold in the area. As it turns out, this is reasonable, because the house is on a massive lot, has a heated pool, has travertine marble throughout (even in the closets), and a brand new kitchen. The house has a lot of upgrades, is in great shape, passed inspection with very little worth noting, has a new roof, the list goes on and on. Comparable houses in the area don't even come close in terms of the upgrades that were done to them or their condition.

My first agent didn't bother finding out any information. He had one call with the seller's agent, during which he managed to offend the agent by insulting the house, and that is why the offer was $10,000 off from what my agent predicted, and $5000 over the asking price of the house.

My second agent got all of the details, we wrote the offer together, we explained why we felt the house was a perfect fit for my son and I, why the pool would help with his Asperger's syndrome, why the property and extra space mattered so much, all of it. The seller took one look at my offer and cried, and decided to accept even though it was lower than another offer he received, and we have now had enough conversations to know that the house was his mom's. She had done all of the work and the upgrades and the maintenance. This house was her home, her baby, and she had suffered from cancer during the last four years of her life inside it's walls. I could feel her presence when I walked in, and I knew this house was for us. There were a lot of other signs as well. The floors are the same floors I chose when we ripped the carpet out of the first house I had owned years before. The wooden shutters on every window are the same wooden shutters I had installed in the other house. The white walls were the same as the way I most loved my first home, open and airy and beautiful. And out back, there was a clothes line that looks very similar to the one my grandmother had in her back yard in Nebraska my whole childhood. The seller and I both cried a little when we met (he went out of this way to meet me after reading the letters included with my offer). He knows his mom would want my son and I to have the house. I know it is the perfect house for us.

My first agent called me at 9 am this morning (he knows I work nights, he woke me up anyway). He finally had three listings for me to take a look at, and wanted to know if I would be interested in a town house. I did not have the heart to tell him that I am already in escrow on the house he messed up on over a week ago, that I already did the home inspection yesterday, and that there is not a chance of me ever buying a town house. Hopefully one day he catches on, but in the meantime, it feels good to know we will soon have the incredible home we are meant to have.

My first agent, when I asked him to find out if there were other offers on the home, told me it was not possible to get that information. For every question I had, he had an excuse. I don't have time for excuses. I don't make them, and I don't deal with people who do.

My second agent not only salvaged the deal on the house I really wanted, she showed me a few others at the same time. We made offers on two houses last week. The other agent didn't even show me one.

I am not paying any more for a good agent. They cost the same. But what I am getting for my money from one over the other is invaluable.

If anyone wants the name of my second agent, I am happy to recommend her. She is fantastic, has well-priced home inspectors and handymen she works with, and she knows the market here.  When she finally saw the house I was so obsessed with she couldn't believe how nice it was. She knew the market and was able to tell me with confidence that I would never find a house like that in my price range again, especially not in the area where I was looking. Her confidence gave me confidence.

Victoria's Secret $10 off $10 coupon

Don't toss the new VS catalog!! There is a coupon inside the front cover for $10 off a $10 purchase. It has a certificate number and an offer code, so you have to have the coupon to use it. Great deal though if you have it! I love their lip plumper. It goes on clear and turns pink and works great for my guard shifts because it won't stain my khaki pants. 

Yankee Candle $20 off $45 expires today!

I love Yankee Candle!!! I wait for these deals and then stock up so my home smells good all the time. Fall Leaves is my favorite, and it is out now! This coupon is a good way to get started!!

Online use code FALL 20!!

Four FAR items at Office Depot (Money Maker if you have coupons)

These are great to donate to schools if you don't need them, and there are coupons available for the Avery labels making them a money maker if you have any. Use your airline miles card to earn miles at the same time or to contribute to your purchases for any bonus you might be trying to earn (I need a $3000 spend in the next three months to earn 30,000 Starwood points from the last card I was approved for, so this will help!). There were 30% off any Avery label coupons at Staples when I was there for the FAR reams of paper last week, so that coupon paired with this deal will make some extra money!

All Clad Factory Sale Online - Hurry!!

homeandcooksales.com

 has a bunch of All-Clad cookware on deep discount. Shipping is $6 flat rate.

The code to enter the sale is ALLCLADHOT.

My parents bought All-Clad cookware for me at the factory seconds sale at the actual physical factory 15 years ago, and I still use all of that stuff every day. The stainless mixing bowls have lived through many nights of eating popcorn in front of the TV. I really can't say enough great things about All-Clad.

20 units of Botox for $70

This is another great deal if you use the code EXTRA to get 20% off on top of their one day only discount:

Botox Deal

$30 Groupon for Picazzo's Organic Kitchen for $12.50

This is one of my favorite restaurants!

Use code EXTRA to make the deal only $12.50 instead of $16.00! I will be taking my son out for a celebration dinner soon!

Groupon Picazzo deal

Amazon Kindle Fire One Day Only Deal

The links are not updated with real-time pricing, but all of these are part of the sale:

Kindle Fire HD 6


Thank you Laura Bell for the heads up!!!

American Eagle $10 back wyb $20 worth of clothing on your Registered Visa credit card

Click here to register your card

$20 Target Gift Card For $15 shipped

There are a couple of ways to do this deal, you can do it electronically for a card that arrives via e-mail same day, or you can choose a physical card that will arrive via mail in a few days. I did the physical card which I am hoping will arrive in time to use with another deal I am working on at Target right now.

Go to this website, choose a Target gift card for 7% off and choose a value around $20, and then use the code:

NewUser5

at checkout. It gives $5 off your first order.

Card Pool

$3.30 shipped for The Great Gatsby on Blue Ray (includes digital download)

 $3.30 includes shipping for this movie!

Click here to order now!

Spend $2 at Peets Coffee and Tea on your registered Visa credit card and get a $5 Amazon gift card for free!

Sign up for the offer here

Locate a store near you here

Petco Deal - working on it... but it begins now!

So, I am working on a Petco deal.

First, go to Groupon and buy this offer:

Petco $30 for $20 Groupon

This is my referral link, we both get a discount if you buy through this link for Groupon, so if you do so, thank you!!

If you have AMEX there is an AMEX offer for $15 statement credit wyb $50 worth of stuff at Petco.com

There is a 20% coupon for signing up for e-mail at Petco.com that pops up when you first visit the site, if you already have an account, make a new one!

There is a $30 e-gift card when you sign up for a repeat delivery between August 2nd and September 19th:




And there is free shipping on a $49 order at Petco.


 My plan is to combine all of these, but I can't do it for a few more days, so bear with me! The Groupon is limited time and partially sold out, so go get that now!

Have AMEX? Great deal for AMEX card holders

AMEX is offering a $10 statement credit for trying their new AMEX checkout system at certain retailers.

Read the details of the offer here

Newegg is one of those retailers.

You can order a $10 gift card from Newegg on your AMEX card and get a $10 statement credit making it free. 

One idea:

They have a $10 Gap gift card available, making the Gap clothing deal from earlier this week even better! You could order a Gap $10 gift card, combine that with code Staples for $25 off $50 on Gap.com, or use the coupon that printed from the FAR paper deal at Staples if you prefer to shop at Gap in person. I am doing the Newegg deal on 2 AMEX cards (you have to wait 48 hours or they will cancel your order if you buy two on one Newegg account) and combining that with my Staples printed coupon to see if I can get khakis for my Cardinals job. Should be $50 worth of clothes for $5 if everything goes as planned! 

Motif Free Stock Trading Day for Mint Users

So, for anyone who wants to start their stock trading journey and wanted to get in and buy some shares with no fee, August 21st Motif is offering a free stock trading day to Mint.com users. Go sign up for Mint to be eligible for this offer. Great way to get a few shares of my favorite dividend stock ARLP, now trading at $24.81 a share. 

GoPro Hero 4 $312.99

Go to Raise.com and use Promo code RAISE75AF

To buy 3 $100 E-Bay gift cards for $283.00

Wait for the cards to process, takes about five minutes.

Then go to E-Bay here:

GoPro Hero 4

and buy the GoPro Hero 4 with the gift cards (the codes go in the code box at the bottom of the checkout page). The remianing balance will be $29.99.

All together it will cost $283 for the cards plus $29.99 = $312. 99 shipped.