[5-DayForum] harsh reality

Bill Effros bill at effros.com
Sat Sep 1 11:41:27 EDT 2007


David,

This is not necessarily good advice.  If the value of the home continues 
to go down, the owner might be better off selling now and taking a 
smaller loss.

I don't know what the market will do, but those who didn't sell 6 months 
ago, when market values were higher, regret that decision today.

Bill Effros



capndave2k at netscape.net wrote:
>
> Harlin,
>  
> Based on what you've said.  If you're able to get a decent rate, 
> refinance.  After all you have to have a place to live anyway and if 
> you rent, you can't deduct interest from your taxes which will then go 
> up (At least that's the way it works for most of us.)  Compare what 
> you'd pay for rent with the amount of you potential new payment less 
> the tax differences and you can decide which is the more best way to go. 
>  
> Don't buy trouble from tomorrow if you don't have to.
>  
> Hope this helps.
>  
> David Cron
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Bill Effros <bill at effros.com>
> To: How To Sell Your Home in 5-Days 
> <5-dayforum at mailman.howtosellyourhomein5days.com>
> Sent: Fri, 31 Aug 2007 9:21 am
> Subject: Re: [5-DayForum] harsh reality
>
> Harlin,
>
> Our e-mail has crossed again.  But that's okay, what we're talking 
> about is exactly what I want to be talking about.
>
> I can't tell you whether to hold or sell.  I can't predict the future 
> any better than you.  Sometimes what I think works out, sometimes it 
> doesn't.
>
> But I've really been involved in a lot of 5-Day Sales, and what I'm 
> trying to do with this forum is to pass along information to people 
> who have seen fewer 5-Day Sales than I have.
>
> If you think you are likely to get less than you owe, then I think 
> you're probably right.  You can make the decision about whether or not 
> to sell before running your 5-Day Sale.  If you decide to run a 5-Day 
> Sale, play it straight.  If you decide not to run a 5-Day Sale, go to 
> your bank and ask them what they'd like you to do.  They may offer you 
> a great deal to stay where you are for a couple of years.  They may 
> tell you to sell your home and take what you can get -- they may offer 
> to make up the difference, or part of the difference.
>
> Explain to your bank that you know how to get the current market price 
> for your home, without paying any commission, at any time.  Show them 
> your copy of the book.  Tell them to join this forum.
>
> People are basically honest.  We are really all in the same boat.  
> Nobody really knows what to do next.  The 5-Day Method gives you 
> something most people don't have -- the ability to determine the 
> current market value of your home, and to sell it for that amount, in 
> exactly 5 days.  This knowledge is a powerful negotiating tool.
>
> First use it to negotiate with yourself.  What do you want to do?  The 
> Method can't change the market.  Nothing can.  Where does that leave 
> you?  When you know the answer to that question you can go to buyers, 
> or banks, from a strong negotiating position.  You know exactly what 
> you're going to do.  You want banks, or buyers to choose what they're 
> going to do.  And then you follow through, and move on with your life.
>
> It sounds simple because it is simple.  The hard part is the 
> negotiation with yourself.  Keep us posted, we all care about the outcome.
>
> Bill Effros
>
> Harlin Seritt wrote:
>> That's what I thought the real answer is... basically be willing to 
>> do everything possible to sell your home to the high bidder even it 
>> will be a short sale.
>>
>> Pretty much my situation: my home was appraised at 117k three years 
>> ago. I owe about 98,000 on it. It was financed as an ARM. My payments 
>> have gone up on it by about $50/month in the last couple of months. I 
>> want to sell it and rent -- I am divorced with one child. I want more 
>> cash to get closer out of debt. I feel the house will probably only 
>> sell for about $85-90k at this point. I can make the house payments 
>> (for now but what happens when the rate goes up farther? or worse, I 
>> lose my job?). I am wondering if it may instead make better sense to 
>> get it refinanced with a fixed rate and hold on to it until better 
>> times come -- maybe 2 to 3 years down the road.
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Harlin
>>
>>
>> */Bill Effros <bill at effros.com>/* wrote:
>>
>>     Harlin,
>>
>>     Our e-mail crossed, so let me speak directly to your point.
>>
>>     Properly run 5-Day Sales will get you a price at the high end of
>>     the current market value every time.  If you don't believe this
>>     is true, you shouldn't run a 5-Day Sale.  If you do believe it's
>>     true, you must understand that you can't ever "put your thumb on
>>     the scale" by bidding against your buyers.  Reserves, whether
>>     disclosed or not, are bids below which you refuse to sell. 
>>     Essentially, you are bidding against your buyers, whether you
>>     understand it or not.
>>
>>     Most people's consciences give them away.  Buyers can tell the
>>     seller isn't really going to sell to the high bidder
>>     notwithstanding what was said in the ad.  Buyers know they
>>     shouldn't reveal the highest price they are willing to pay
>>     because the seller isn't really going to take it.  They know the
>>     seller is going to try to sell the home some other way, so it's
>>     smart for them to make the seller think the home is worth even
>>     less than it's really worth.
>>
>>     If the high bid is less than you owe, and you honestly believe
>>     it's the most you can get -- what are you going to do?
>>
>>     Instead of telling the buyer that you're going to renege on the
>>     deal, why not tell the buyer that the offered price is less than
>>     you owe, and that you and the buyer together will go to the
>>     mortgage holder to see if a deal can be worked out.  Often it
>>     can.  This is not the same thing as telling the buyer you had a
>>     hidden reserve.  This is part of selling your home in 5-days.
>>
>>     Sometimes the buyer may say they will pay half the difference if
>>     the bank pays the other half.  Sometimes a different deal is
>>     offered.  None of this should matter to you.  If you sell your
>>     home to the high bidder, you will consistently get the highest
>>     possible price on the weekend you select whether the deal goes
>>     through or not.  Don't try to weasel out.  Don't start by saying
>>     you won't really take the high bid. 
>>
>>     Bill Effros
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>     Harlin Seritt wrote:
>>>     This sounds like: If you're not willing to sell the house at a
>>>     price that is below what you owe, then you shouldn't run a 5 day
>>>     sale. According to *your* post, this is either wrong or right
>>>     with no in-betweens.
>>>
>>>     Harlin
>>>
>>>     */Mark Conway <sanford5daysale at yahoo.com>/* wrote:
>>>
>>>         Folks, I'm going to stir the pot a bit with this note.
>>>         You've been warned.
>>>          
>>>         The forum has become pretty discouraging reading for me. It
>>>         seems common for people to run 5-Day Sales with an
>>>         undisclosed reserve, a bidding threshold below which they
>>>         will not sell their home. In and of itself, I don't see this
>>>         as a problem. It's the real world. Homeowners have mortgages
>>>         for which the banks hold them financially responsible. What
>>>         I find disturbing is when I see a 5-Day Seller making a
>>>         conscious decision not to inform prospective buyers of the
>>>         existence of the undisclosed reserve at the outset. It's a
>>>         deceptive practice. It's misleading to bidders who believe
>>>         their bids are taken seriously, not conditionally, by the
>>>         seller.
>>>          
>>>         Sure, many 5-Day Sellers list a rule that says that bids
>>>         aren't binding on the buyer or seller until a contract is
>>>         signed. It's a comfortable escape clause that, as much as
>>>         anything, can be a platform for negotiation. As much
>>>         discussion as there is about this issue, however, that rule
>>>         ought to be in over-sized type, bold, underlined and listed
>>>         as the very first rule on the Bidding Rules document so
>>>         bidders fully understand how seriously the seller takes this
>>>         provision. List the rule that way and see what kind of
>>>         questions it prompts from potential bidders. It's better
>>>         that discussion happens before and not after bidding.
>>>          
>>>         Clearly stating the minimum bid that will be accepted is one
>>>         approach that has been mentioned in the Forum. That seems
>>>         straightforwardly honest to me. Phrases like "Highest/Best
>>>         Bidder" and "Best Reasonable Offer" are just seller's weasel
>>>         words used to ease the seller's conscience and reduce his or
>>>         her anxiety while still concealing the complete truth from
>>>         prospective buyers.
>>>          
>>>         When a seller has a "hidden" undisclosed reserve and a
>>>         prospective buyer comes to inspect a 5-Day Seller's home and
>>>         asks the seller, "What's the minimum amount you'll take for
>>>         your home?", the seller's answer will be indicative of his
>>>         or her character. One answer could be, "I can't tell you
>>>         what the reserve is." That's evasive but truthful. Denying
>>>         the existence of the undisclosed reserve at that point would
>>>         be lying. Period. Rationalization doesn't change that.
>>>          
>>>         There's a fair amount of talk on the Forum about having to
>>>         make that difficult phone call after the round-robin bidding
>>>         is over to tell the highest bidder that the seller is
>>>         reneging on the commitment to sell the home to the highest
>>>         bidder. That phone call is difficult because the seller has
>>>         been disingenuous with the bidders. That's a seller's
>>>         conscience kicking in, albeit too late.
>>>          
>>>         5-Day Sellers who want their bidders and prospective buyers
>>>         to treat them with integrity should be modeling that
>>>         behavior themselves. What goes around, comes around. If a
>>>         5-Day Seller is not truly prepared to take the highest bid,
>>>         then they should NEVER make that claim.
>>>          
>>>         Here's to 5-Day Sales run in a manner that respects the
>>>         integrity of buyers and sellers.
>>>          
>>>         Mark Conway
>>>          
>>>          
>>>
>>>         ------------------------------------------------------------------------
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