patrick.net

Bitcoiner says

is a buyers agent actually interested in working for you?

Valid point. They should inform you of the market either way. Do they want a higher price? Fuck yeah. But they still should inform what the market is doing for what you're looking for. Sounds like this might be a case with Al and he should can the agent as you mention.

Bitcoiner says

One of the reasons why I like to buy new construction: you don’t need a buyers agent.

OTOH: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsZudozVgcw

Bitcoiner says

One of the reasons why I like to buy new construction: you don’t need a buyers agent. Any issues you have with new construction (and there can be a lot) will be covered. I bought several and all you have to do is be persistent and keep bugging the builder until it’s fixed.

It’s a mistake IMO. Bring your friend/buyer’s agent in to help you buy it and ask for 1% credit and use it to pay closing costs. Your friend would be more than happy you did as s/he didn’t have to do much to earn the commission. Win-win-win.

Bitcoiner says

Al_Sharpton_for_President says

So I am dealing with a “buyer’s agent.” She forwarded a new home that met our criteria that was priced at the extraordinary price per sq.ft. of $417! When I asked for comps for the area, she forwarded me a home that had appreciated 13% per year annually over the last six years. Most likely, a lot of that appreciation was in 2020-2022, when the average home gained 38%/year, due to incompetence at the Fed and in the Oval Office, both Trump and Biden.

So this “buyer’s agent” is attempting to build a house of cards, to justify the over-priced new home using an unsustainable bubble priced comp. Should I just shoot her in the face?

In which area are you looking to buy? New home meaning new construction? $417 / sqft sounds like California.

$417/sq is cheap for existing houses by Bay Area standard. It’s a bargain for new construction. 😅

Just sold this flip for $975k. Left $75k on the table as the next 2 offers came in higher than the first after we accepted it. The $1.05M offer had no contingencies.

https://redf.in/rdeBNa

Bitcoiner says

Some builders like lennar don’t even work with agents anymore.

They never did. They don't need licenses if they're W-2 employees and get paid additional commission. Usually they don't don't as well, it's hourly. it's a shit job for the person that didn't get a degree and had no idea how to do a trade. It's a gas station job for selling houses is the easiest way to put it. Ain't retiring working for Lennar.

Bitcoiner says

It’s a good strategy. Thanks!
The builders in Phoenix are giving out discounts and pay closing costs but during a “normal” market I will try your strategy.
Some builders like lennar don’t even work with agents anymore.

Based on my experience, if an agent brings in a buyer, or if the buyer signs in when go to check out the model homes and notes/states that s/he has an agent, the agent will get his/her 2.5-3% commission, or whatever the builder offers. In slow times, I’ve seen up to 4% commission.

When people remove their hatred for realtors from the equation, the answer becomes clear. It’s a business transaction. Why short change ourselves and leave 1% credit on the table while helping out a friend to make some easy money. That’s a lot of free lunches and dinners right there. I love eating good food so I tend to equate to meals. 😋

Just came back from a sushi buffet in Concord. $30.99/person plus drinks. Great food and service for a reasonable price.

@Bitcoiner,

I keep repeating this, but people keep disputing it. It’s the buyer, who determines the price, not the seller. I live and breathe the real estate market everyday. Unfortunately, people believe what they want to believe. I know I can’t convince anyone of anything. I just do what I can control.

I have another million dollar flip hitting the market next week. This one is probably going to sell for $1,400-$1,500/sq. Now you know why I said $417/sq for new construction is a bargain. Cheap or expensive is relative.

WookieMan says

if I hit Yosemite on a Monday and it's not on fire, it should be relatively not packed.

It's the water you have to worry about this time around.
On Thursday, the Merced River was brushing against the bottom of the Swinging Bridge as water levels reach 10 feet... Water was already creeping across parts of Wawona Road and filling the meadow between Northside and Southside drives.
As the water continues to rise, there is a possibility that the roads will flood and have to be closed.
That typically happens when levels reach 12 and a half feet, which is expected to happen early Monday.

EBGuy says

if I hit Yosemite on a Monday and it's not on fire, it should be relatively not packed.

It's the water you have to worry about this time around.

He'll be able to tube all the way to Modesto.

Bitcoiner says

Congrats! I have no idea what you put into the remodel but I am sure you made a nice profit. Bought for 585k….!

Well, he did have to add a bedroom and bathroom (over 400 sq.ft.). Nerves of steel that Eman. Not sure I could have handled that while the Case Shiller Home Price Index was doing this... Well done sir!

EBGuy says

Bitcoiner says

Congrats! I have no idea what you put into the remodel but I am sure you made a nice profit. Bought for 585k….!

Well, he did have to add a bedroom and bathroom (over 400 sq.ft.). Nerves of steel that Eman. Not sure I could have handled that while the Case Shiller Home Price Index was doing this... Well done sir!

Wait until I share the next flip, which will hit the market next week. This has also taught me a valuable lesson.

As I repeatedly said, I do what I can control. Whining and bitching won’t get us far in life. Being self-employed is a choice. I have no one to blame for my failures. The last 14 years of self-employment have been wonderful. If you recalled, I was clueless when I joined Patnet back then. Then I learned about buying trustee sale/auction properties; then buying fell through short sales when foreclosures dried up at the courthouse steps; then I transitioned into buying multifamily and increasing their value through “value-add”; at the same time, I got back into flips to generate active income to offset the phantom losses aka non-taxable income on the flips; then I got into adding square feet to increase value on flips, etc….

Been working on adding more units on existing multifamily parcels to increase value. The land and utilities are already there so no holding costs like buying vacant land. It’s just a matter of going through entitlement and getting the new construction to pencil out. 😅

Bitcoiner says

is a buyers agent actually interested in working for you?

I dated someone who was (among other things) a real estate agent. She informed me that there's a "listing agent" and a "selling agent." No such thing as a "buyer's agent." If you're buying a house, "your" agent is selling you the house. Let that sink in.

@EBGuy,

What I’ve learned is that adding square feet to a house in a $700/sf market cost about the same as $1,500/sf market. The question is do I have the balls to flip in $1,500/sf market?

Building multifamily in an expensive market costs almost the same as the lower end market. This is why there aren’t much building interest in the lower end markets. The numbers don’t pencil out while our politicians are not helping with their landlord hatred policies.

From The Disturbing Details Of The 2023 Housing Crash (Explained In Detail)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhJg6SplJ-s

I have to admit I’m surprised with the resiliency of buyers in the current market. My guess is two folds: 1) low inventory while people have to buy due to their life circumstances, and 2) bet interest rate will drop again in the near future where they can refinance and lower their mortgage payments. The sales pitch is “buy the house, date the rate.” History suggests there’s a high probability #2 will happen. Even the bond market suggests this.

Eman says

I have to admit I’m surprised with the resiliency of buyers in the current market.

No such thing.

Eman says

When people remove their hatred for realtors from the equation, the answer becomes clear. It’s a business transaction. Why short change ourselves and leave 1% credit on the table while helping out a friend to make some easy money. That’s a lot of free lunches and dinners right there. I love eating good food so I tend to equate to meals. 😋

You might be using a good one or a few. 80% of the brokers cut and run once they get their commission. They'll send you newsletters by email or mail that were made by someone else. Buyer agents are the only ones that tend to take you out to lunch. Listing agent maybe once in the beginning.

I'm in a completely different market and the time was different. Housing crash. So you bust your ass over a $200-500k listing, a lot of times early it was a short sale. Some were REO's so it's like we could take out someone from Bank of America. In CA though, if you're getting 2-4% on a deal that could be $20-40K. Hell yeah I'm buy you lunch and dinners.

But for $4-16k, not really high margins for profit. Most agents are shit and that's fact. But in middle and lower markets the margins are tighter. Agent in CA and NYC or Miami all used the same tech we did. Paid the same fees. Drove cars. Paid photographers. Basically the same costs. So at the time a $16k commission was big for our brokers, selling the same house in CA would likely be a $40k commission. And it sounds like you have a decent broker(s).

As with housing in general, it's regional how you work. If I were to list a house in a neighboring town, I'd meet the seller once maybe twice for paperwork. Throw up some form of lockbox and automate the process. In Chicago almost every seller wanted you to go on each showing. Where I'm at now no listing agent shows up, unless you're getting into 7 figure prices.

Al_Sharpton_for_President says

Eman says

I have to admit I’m surprised with the resiliency of buyers in the current market.

No such thing.

Would you please elaborate on what you meant by “no such thing”?

Eman says

Would you please elaborate on what you meant by “no such thing”?

Mortgage originations, which include refinances, dropped sharply in the first quarter of 2023 to $324 billion, the lowest level seen since 2014.
https://www.newyorkfed.org/newsevents/news/research/2023/20230515

It’s not resilence. It’s retrenchment.

Wookieman,

I work with a few handfuls of agents/brokers/lenders. I buy them lunch most of the time even when they insist to pay. Some have become life long friends. I meet and have lunch with them often. I eat out 7 days/week. Sometimes twice a day. Some have invested with me. I’ve lent money to some when they’re in a bind. It’s a partnership.

I’ve also encountered/dealt with shady agents. Those were one deal and done. I didn’t want to have anything to do with them ever again.

Most people are nice. Some are shady. It’s just human nature. I get to pick who I want to work with and who I don’t. No reason to hate anyone. It’s just another occupation.

Al_Sharpton_for_President says

Eman says

Would you please elaborate on what you meant by “no such thing”?

Mortgage originations, which include refinances, dropped sharply in the first quarter of 2023 to $324 billion, the lowest level seen since 2014.
https://www.newyorkfed.org/newsevents/news/research/2023/20230515

It’s not resilence. It’s retrenchment.

Thanks. That was why I said “resilency of buyers in the current market”. The gap/premium between buy vs. rent seems too big to be a buyer in the current market for me. 😅

Look at this flip last spring. I missed the market by a couple months. I could have gotten $100-$150k more had it hit the market sooner thanks to low mortgage rates.

https://redf.in/H28A6Z

Eman says

The gap/premium between buy vs. rent seems too big to be a buyer

Yep.

Keep trying to convince yourself about buyer resiliency, BitCoiner.

Eman says

Most people are nice. Some are shady. It’s just human nature. I get to pick who I want to work with and who I don’t. No reason to hate anyone. It’s just another occupation.

You know more than I do on the owner end and you can spot issues with properties having flipped and done a bunch I assume. Listing brokers are the ones that scare me the most if you're the buyer. They 100% will lie unless you spot it. I doubt you use inspectors anymore, I won't anymore as a non-licensed person and having done enough rehab. Only time would be structural concern on an older home, pre-1950's. It's easy to spot hack jobs.

Dual agency is the biggie. Ethics and CE are fluffy bull shit. They will lie to both parties to get the deal done. I wanted to keep my job so I kept my mouth shut. Lots and lots of people and "big time" brokers could have lost their license if I blew the whistle. As you mention there are liars in all industries, but real estate given the amount of money on the line for a broker they do and will lie to you. White lies you'll most likely not find out about but it gets the deal done.

Basically on a dual agent deal they tell the seller what you'll pay and lie to the buyer about what the seller actually said. It's why dual agency should be outlawed OR they only get 2.5 or 3% total and not the 5-6% total commission. And it's okay to be friends, but if you've worked with dual agency deals and the agent is considered a friend, they have 100% lied to you if you're the buyer.

The smart cheaters never email this shit either. It's all phone calls. So even if you confront them it's a he said she said thing and you can't perjure yourself because a judge won't know who's lying. "Hey the seller came back and said he wants $100k, I know you said you'd pay that, but we're at $80k now, what do ya think?" He already told the seller you'd pay the $100k for sure in a DA situation. Now throw this situation on a $1M listing and on one deal you make the median family income in one fell swoop. No lying going on there at all.... said no one.

You're doing well and I congratulate you on your success, being honest. If brokers haven't hampered that, then your perspective will be different than mine. I witnessed 1,000's of lies and that's not being hyperbolic. Includes attorneys, lenders, banks on short sales, REO's. Primary occupant real estate (homes condos) is probably the most fraudulent profession in the country beside government itself. It's emotions. It's like the fog of war. The person just wants that damn house and can be lied into buying it.

Investing is different. You have the ability to say fuck you I'll find something else. It's not like a car where you can search and get the same one somewhere else. THAT is the house you want. I know you're on the investment side, but just pointing out from previously being in the trenches why people hate Realtors. It's not wrong to hate them. And it's not wrong to like or have a "good" one. They've lied to you though, almost certainly. It's like playing football and never having an injury for 25 years. That's impossible for 99.99999% of players.

Bitcoiner says

And realtors are to not to blame for this imbalanced market.

They have no control outside of individual deals really. You can over price a house and no one buys it. As in my most recent comment, the only time they have control is in dual agency deal and I left out inter brokerage deals. Agents within the same office. They're IC's but they're still peers in the business. They will tell what the seller will take and what the buyer will pay. That just screws the client and doesn't raise prices though. Just pointing out the main reason people hate realtors. They can't control the market.

Eman says

Just came back from a sushi buffet in Concord. $30.99/person plus drinks. Great food and service for a reasonable price.

I like Asian food, I like seafood, I like Asian seafood but I stay the hell away from Asian seafood buffets.

Bitcoiner says

Eman says

Look at this flip last spring. I missed the market by a couple months. I could have gotten $100-$150k more had it hit the market sooner thanks to low mortgage rates.

https://redf.in/H28A6Z

1.7M for a 1.2 sqft shoebox. That was quite the bidding war since your list price was
1.195M ?! Did you add sqft to this house too?

No square feet was added on this one. We got it for $1.075M. I thought the ARV would be $1.8M and expected it to sell for $1.85-$1.9M, but the market shifted by the time we had it listed. Took what the market gave us and moved on.

$1.2M listing price was a number my realtor threw out. It wasn’t going to sell for that price.

Bitcoiner says

You may also call it survival of the fittest. A lot of aspiring buyers are cut out of the RE market. There is a chance they will be life-long renters. I couldn’t afford to buy all the properties I own in todays market - even though my salary has gone up substantially (same for my wife). On the other hand you have people buying $1M - $2M homes in all cash. And realtors are to not to blame for this imbalanced market. Low inventory, no forced selling, low interest rates with duration and a concentration of wealth are the reason.

Shouldn’t blame the realtors. They can’t twist the buyers into overpaying for houses. The buyers buy due to their own life circumstances. The bond market is betting the Fed will cut rates in within the next 3 years. The new sales pitch is “buy the house, date the rate”.

WookieMan says

You know more than I do on the owner end and you can spot issues with properties having flipped and done a bunch I assume. Listing brokers are the ones that scare me the most if you're the buyer. They 100% will lie unless you spot it. I doubt you use inspectors anymore, I won't anymore as a non-licensed person and having done enough rehab. Only time would be structural concern on an older home, pre-1950's. It's easy to spot hack jobs.

Dual agency is the biggie. Ethic (some text omitted to shorten quote...) find something else. It's not like a car where you can search and get the same one somewhere else. THAT is the house you want. I know you're on the investment side, but just pointing out from previously being in the trenches why people hate Realtors. It's not wrong to hate them. And it's not wrong to like or have a "good" one. They've lied to you though, almost certainly. It's like playing football and never having an injury for 25 years. That's impossible for 99.99999% of players.

LOL, I wouldn’t be surprised if they lied a little although I “trust” it’s nothing outrageous. It’s a balancing act being dual agency. It’s give a little and take a little from both sides to get the deal done. Otherwise, they wouldn’t get paid. I get to decide how much I’m willing to pay, or I walk. The agents are not twisting my arm into buying anything so why blame them? What happened to personal responsibility? However, if I buy, s/he will get the listing when I sell/flip.

The listing agent on both of the above flips got the deals from other agents. He was NOT the listing agent when I bought them, but he got the listing when I sold them.

On the upcoming flip, the agent who got us the deal will be the listing agent. He double-ended the deal on the front end. It wasn’t “cheap” when we bought, but the numbers penciled out after adding another bed and bath so we moved forward.

@Bitcoiner,

Once you have the formula down, you can buy real estate regardless where we are in the cycle of the housing market. When deals are abundant and your cash isn’t, keep yourself open to partnerships as you can almost always exit the deal for a profit if the partnership doesn’t work out. You can also buy out the partner through refinance, or have the partner buy you out.

Syndication is where you raise money from accredited investors. Once the deal (apartment in my case) is stabilized, you can sell for a profit, or get an appraisal, refinance and buy out all or most investors. As long as your ROI is 15% or greater annually, investors will give you money. Trust is paramount is this or any biz. Once you have a good reputation, raising money wouldn’t be an issue. It’s just a matter of rinse and repeat.

Trust takes a lifetime to build and an instant to lose. Protect it at all costs.

Good luck with your real estate endeavors. It pays well if you can scale and succeed.

Eman says

As long as your ROI is 15% or greater annually, investors will give you money.

Damn that's good! Over 6 years I'm only making 4.75% annually on my ocean front VRBO condo in Maui. Primarily because I was shut down over covid for several months and one year for 6 months during an expensive seawall repair.

My 3 houses return about 9% on average but if I add them all together I'm making more $/year with the condo alone.

Those numbers exclude appreciation which wasn't a lot until the past 2 years so I guess I could try to work that out as well. I sort of brush off appreciation though and figure it's eaten away by what I save in depreciation...

Eman says

Once you have the formula down

@Eman, What's your formula?

My avg. yearly ROI in the stock market has been 20%-30%, obviously with less leverage. You need to do research though on individual stocks like you would do on any other asset, such as houses etc.

just_passing_through says

sushi buffet

Usually a step up from gas station sushi.

mell says

My avg. yearly ROI in the stock market has been 20%-30%, obviously with less leverage. You need to do research though on individual stocks like you would do on any other asset, such as houses etc.

Come on, are you pulling our leg? You'd be retired in 10 years.

GNL says

mell says

My avg. yearly ROI in the stock market has been 20%-30%, obviously with less leverage. You need to do research though on individual stocks like you would do on any other asset, such as houses etc.

Come on, are you pulling our leg? You'd be retired in 10 years.

Depends on the amount invested.

RWSGFY says

GNL says

mell says

My avg. yearly ROI in the stock market has been 20%-30%, obviously with less leverage. You need to do research though on individual stocks like you would do on any other asset, such as houses etc.

Come on, are you pulling our leg? You'd be retired in 10 years.

Depends on the amount invested.

True but, 30%? He'd be the next Buffet.

GNL says

Eman says

Once you have the formula down

Eman, What's your formula?

Why bother with real estate. Give your money to @mell. 😂

Onvacation says

just_passing_through says

sushi buffet

Usually a step up from gas station sushi.

Never had sushi from a gas station so I don’t know what to make of it. I find $30/person is great value for a sushi buffet.

GNL says

mell says

My avg. yearly ROI in the stock market has been 20%-30%, obviously with less leverage. You need to do research though on individual stocks like you would do on any other asset, such as houses etc.

Come on, are you pulling our leg? You'd be retired in 10 years.

He did say with less leverage. Real Estate is a lot of leverage with a higher upside and massive downside to personal finances. If he's gambling with margin loans on stocks it's the same thing as RE depending on how much you have in the market, they just sell your stocks to cover the loss. Not saying this is mell but you're not retiring early with 30% returns on $1k or a lucky bet. It takes balls to invest in stock with margin in any manner.

If you have $500k in stock and got a $200k margin loan on something you know was going to boom or believe so, that $200k can turn into a couple million in 6-12 months on a relative nothing burger stock. Above my risk profile as I frankly don't understand it if I'm being honest or haven't cared to learn enough.

Margin is no different than a cash out refi and getting another property. Take a cut along the way as tax free income. Expense everything. The average person does not understand this game. It is complicated, but not difficult to figure out. As with anything in business it's who you know and what you know. Real estate if you have protected assets as I've mention is the safest. You can have $6M in an IRA and no one can touch it (for now) when you're 60. Or $200k when you're 30. You can BK (still protected) or just short sell property and collect cash on rentals and hoard it. No one should ever file for BK. There are ways out of debt issues. BK is for attorneys and RE brokers. When you're the poorest you'll be they'll still come for anything.

My point was 30% good enough to gain customers and take a cut. Isn't that how Buffet made it big?