PSA For Potential Home Buyers:
Be careful on who you choose to represent on you on both the real estate side and lending side. Though there are rules and regulations in place for both industries, there still are scum/predatory practices that exist. There may be realtors and loan originators in which they are new to the industry and only doing what their brokers are telling them to do, which may violate Fair Housing/Equal Credit laws, intentional or not.
I was on a 3-way call today with a client and their realtor. The realtor kept insisting that the buyer waive all contingencies to increase the chances of getting their offer accepted.
1. We are not in 2021 where rates are at 2% and where homes listed for sale are getting 50+ offers each. The market as shifted and sellers are now more likely to work with buyers to sell their homes compared to previous times.
2. NEVER waive any contingencies, especially the Inspection and Appraisal Contingencies. Contingencies are in place to protect the buyer. IF you waive the appraisal cont., and if the appraised value comes back short than the agreed purchase price, that would mean you are on the hook for the difference OUT OF POCKET. The bank will only lend up to the appraised value. For example, if the purchase price is $500K and the appraised value comes back $400K, the bank will only lend up to $400K and you are legally responsible for coming up with the $100K.
3. If realtors are telling you that home prices have gone down, be skeptical. Yes, home prices have gone down compared to a year ago. BUT, home prices have significantly gone up during the pandemic, so while prices may have gone down recently, they are still above pre-pandemic levels. For example, a home that would have been priced at $300K pre-pandemic could have jumped up to $550K during the pandemic, but could have only fallen in price to $480K. This is still above pre-pandemic levels. Also, note the difference between home price and home value.
The realtor started getting tense and hostile over the phone, which I’m not one to back down, especially when I know what I’m talking about (also the fact that if I proceeded with this deal and something went south, I could also be part of a lawsuit – no thanks!). The realtor threatened to report me for unlicensed activity of negotiating a real estate contract, which I informed that I am dually licensed as a realtor and lender. That seemed to shut them up quick. And while looking their information up, it turns out this realtor just got licensed 2 months ago. Nothing against newbies and I understand that we all have to start somewhere, but if you just started in your profession and don’t have the slightest clue on what is going on, then STFU.
I ended up losing the client, which is fine, and client decided to sign the offer waiving all contingencies. No deal is worth putting yourself in jeopardy and/or losing sleep over.
Moral of the story: Do your research and due diligence.
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