Real estate General topic

[paulsharvey]

It does show only 5.3% of home sales (well, im guessing this includes all real estate transactions, not just homes?) close Above listing price. Fewer new listing, affordability increased, but so did home prices, so home prices did not increase as fast as inflation. The 61 days on market kinda surprises me, thats a pretty long time.

 

[EscapedSuburbia]

Yesterday we did the closing on the house we were selling. I absolutely did not want to meet the buyers because I've had a couple experiences selling vehicles where the buyers thought I was their ongoing tech support or warranty service. I was at the house doing the last mowing on Monday and the buyers showed up to do the final walkthrough but my realtor didn't warn me about it. Not only did I not want to meet them but the husband brought his father who I know. We're not fast friends, but we've been nodding acquaintances for years. One of the first things he said was, "good, I can give them your cell number in case they have questions". But it turns out I really like the buyers. They're young with three small kids and this house is a big step up for them. It's a 4 bedroom with a full finished basement on a quiet cul-de-sac with a largish yard with lots of plantings for privacy. So instead of doing a remote closing my wife and I went ahead and attended the closing with the buyers. It went well and I don't think there'll be any issues. I don't have any qualms about the house because we took good care of it and the buyers seem to have a good head on their shoulders and will be able to deal with the things that inevitably come up in home ownership.

 

[Saytomatt]

I was looking into some international options too and ended up checking out El Bosque real estate. The area looked promising with good prices for what you get, and it doesn’t seem overrun with tourists yet. Might be something to watch if you'd consider property outside the U.S. where land and living costs are still pretty affordable but the quality of life is decent.

 

[paulsharvey]

I have a surprising update... Got a email from title/closing company that I need to pay $800 towards the taxes on the old house, do to a miscalculation, from our homestead status being transferred. Now, I need to find out who/how to pay.

 

[kenmbz]

taxes, so complex that no one can figure them out.

 

[EscapedSuburbia]

We're dealing with something similar. My wife had automatic payment set up for our taxes for years. She cancelled that when we sold the house because any taxes owed were part of the closing process. The bank screwed up and allowed the county to take out over $2,000 in property taxes and now we're in the middle of finger pointing between the bank and the county.

 

[WinterDeere]

taxes, so complex that no one can figure them out.

Even the accountants! If you ever want to see an argument that is both very heated and very boring, get two accountants started on some nuance of tax law.

 

[tradosaurus]

taxes, so complex that no one can figure them out.

And if you get it wrong there are fines and imprisonment.

 

[paulsharvey]

So, the Title company basically said our $800ish, like $798 or so, is strictly between the buyer and us, and we owe him directly. So, what is the best way to prove it have paid him? Certified letter and personal check? Hand delivered cash and signed receipt (dont really want to do that), something else?


I want something along the lines of him signing something saying "paid in full, never call or reach out again" before I give him anything.

Certified letter only proves he received the envelope, it doesn't do anything more. Even him cashing the check doesnt Prove we paid for that specific purpose.

Edit: needless to say, im pretty irritated with the title company, that got a nice chunk of cash to handle this stuff, and they shoot an email saying basically, "deal with it yourselves"; I think their exact words where "this is a curiosity email, but we represent neither party"

 

[Topzide]

Pay the title company and have them pay the buyer. I'd want to know who did calculations and say it's on them. That's what a title company is for,to avoid these issues!