My impending Italian Ex-Pat adventure....2023-24 v2.02 (2 Viewers)

[Chemical X]

My wife would like to take the 699k, but I have 1 offer on 1 showing........methinks maybe i can get to 725k.

What's the downside to listing? You get your asking price and close a few weeks later? IMO you made the right move.

the downside is people finding and offering on a different property i guess while i wait to get this listed. then i need to clean and prep and spend extra time all for the chance of an extra 10k or so. there is no guarantee someone will come around and offer full price again. of course there is a chance of more, a chance of less. with a full price offer on an amount higher than i thought i would list and with a 4% commission, i am satisfied.

 

[⚡DEADHEAD⚡]

Our house is going on the market tomorrow and we have four showings scheduled already and it hasn't hit MLS yet.

No way I'm selling it to the first unlisted person that comes in and making an offer. Especially a low ball.

how about the first person that offers you full ask?

If they already came up to full ask and no one else has seen the place yet, I don't see how you're losing out by entertaining other offers. They are obviously interested. I would wait and see initial activity. It could backfire, but I think the chances of that are far lower than the chances of you getting more. Depends on your risk tolerance and how quickly you want to get stuff done.

If I'm the buyer, I send you a preemptive offer that expires in 24 hours. As the seller, you then have to decide do I take it or do I roll the dice. If I'm the buyer and you turn my preemptive offer down, and I'm the only bidder at the end of the day, I'm offering you under your asking price.

I speak from experience.

 

[gianmarco]

Our house is going on the market tomorrow and we have four showings scheduled already and it hasn't hit MLS yet.

No way I'm selling it to the first unlisted person that comes in and making an offer. Especially a low ball.

how about the first person that offers you full ask?

If they already came up to full ask and no one else has seen the place yet, I don't see how you're losing out by entertaining other offers. They are obviously interested. I would wait and see initial activity. It could backfire, but I think the chances of that are far lower than the chances of you getting more. Depends on your risk tolerance and how quickly you want to get stuff done.

If I'm the buyer, I send you a preemptive offer that expires in 24 hours. As the seller, you then have to decide do I take it or do I roll the dice. If I'm the buyer and you turn my preemptive offer down, and I'm the only bidder at the end of the day, I'm offering you under your asking price.

I speak from experience.

Yep.

But doesn't sound like that's what he got.

 

[⚡DEADHEAD⚡]

Our house is going on the market tomorrow and we have four showings scheduled already and it hasn't hit MLS yet.

No way I'm selling it to the first unlisted person that comes in and making an offer. Especially a low ball.

how about the first person that offers you full ask?

If they already came up to full ask and no one else has seen the place yet, I don't see how you're losing out by entertaining other offers. They are obviously interested. I would wait and see initial activity. It could backfire, but I think the chances of that are far lower than the chances of you getting more. Depends on your risk tolerance and how quickly you want to get stuff done.

If I'm the buyer, I send you a preemptive offer that expires in 24 hours. As the seller, you then have to decide do I take it or do I roll the dice. If I'm the buyer and you turn my preemptive offer down, and I'm the only bidder at the end of the day, I'm offering you under your asking price.

I speak from experience.

Yep.

But doesn't sound like that's what he got.

Yep. There's value in not having to list the house, clean it up, etc. Now see if you can accept the offer with as few or no contingencies (that's how things are done in the Bay Area, for better or worse).

 

[Chemical X]

@deadhead. we signed up at full ask with 20k in due diligence money. basically, this 20k is mine now, regardless of what they do or how the inspection goes. i pay for no closing costs and they signed an appraisal rider, so if i appraise under sales price, it’s their problem for the funds, not mine. 4% commission. this is worth 10k of not having my wife clean inside the refrigerator, have me dust the garage, stuff everything in our closets and reorganize our pantry every hour. plus, i was prepared to do some work before listing that would’ve cost money. i was considering painting, carpet shampoo and stretching, changing some plumbing fixtures, etc. now, i can just wait for a punch list that i can decline.

praise jeebus i am not in the bay area r.e. market……1mm for 2/1 starter.

 

[krista4]

@deadhead. we signed up at full ask with 20k in due diligence money. basically, this 20k is mine now, regardless of what they do or how the inspection goes. i pay for no closing costs and they signed an appraisal rider, so if i appraise under sales price, it’s their problem for the funds, not mine. 4% commission. this is worth 10k of not having my wife clean inside the refrigerator, have me dust the garage, stuff everything in our closets and reorganize our pantry every hour. plus, i was prepared to do some work before listing that would’ve cost money. i was considering painting, carpet shampoo and stretching, changing some plumbing fixtures, etc. now, i can just wait for a punch list that i can decline.

praise jeebus i am not in the bay area r.e. market……1mm for 2/1 starter.

I would have done exactly what you did. There's no right or wrong here, but I say that only to indicate you're not on an island with taking the "bird in the hand," and in this case an excellent bird, so to speak.

 

[Chemical X]

@deadhead. we signed up at full ask with 20k in due diligence money. basically, this 20k is mine now, regardless of what they do or how the inspection goes. i pay for no closing costs and they signed an appraisal rider, so if i appraise under sales price, it’s their problem for the funds, not mine. 4% commission. this is worth 10k of not having my wife clean inside the refrigerator, have me dust the garage, stuff everything in our closets and reorganize our pantry every hour. plus, i was prepared to do some work before listing that would’ve cost money. i was considering painting, carpet shampoo and stretching, changing some plumbing fixtures, etc. now, i can just wait for a punch list that i can decline.

praise jeebus i am not in the bay area r.e. market……1mm for 2/1 starter.

I would have done exactly what you did. There's no right or wrong here, but I say that only to indicate you're not on an island with taking the "bird in the hand," and in this case an excellent bird, so to speak.

all sides are valid. we asked these buyers to come up and they stuck at 699, so maybe that’s the number. also important is timing for us……closing date is not until june. another 10k won’t kill me, but would be nice. i am ok with my choice. this kind of goes counter to my religion. hopefully, the elders don’t find out.

 

[New Binky the Doormat]

So........seems my interpretation of showing my house via "sneak peak" was off. Recap, our timing has been essentially that the max time it takes to get our visa decision is 90 days, putting us to 6/15 now. i/we were hopeful that we could get a quick decision, thus knowing for sure if we should sell our primary residence in the US. i mean, we hadn't really really discussed do we sell and market for sale before a decision. Pretty much, if we put the house up regardless of decision, then we are committing to live at our beach condo if the visa decision is negative. In that scenario, we would likely pursue the 90/180 thing in italy and go back and forth. So, our agent showed the house "unlisted" to someone who wants our neighborhood Sunday and Monday. I thought that if they liked the house they could then wait until it hits the market and they would have a leg up..................well, the Sunday looker offered us in the 660s, a low number and based on 1 crappy comp in our neighborhood. I didn't realize we'd get offers. Our agent wants to list at 699k now, which is much higher than i had planned during 2023. We told her no and we aren't countering. I mean, why should i counter 1 buyer on a low offer when the house isn't even listed? Agent agreed..........then she called later in the day and said the buyer will pay us our full ask. Talked to the wife and my thoughts are, if we are selling the house regardless of visa decision right now, then put it on the market formally and let every buyer panic and react to the competition. So, pictures are being taken today and our listing goes up Thursday. IMO, the house may sell over ask. Our market is crazy and objectively, my house is pretty loaded (size, features, yard, privacy) for my area. So, let's see what happens this weekend and i will have people bid against themselves.

I owe no one anything. I want the most money i can get. This might only happen once in a lifetime and i've been squeezed on other real estate deals. My wife would like to take the 699k, but I have 1 offer on 1 showing........methinks maybe i can get to 725k. Maybe i am wrong, but that is what my gut says. Couple of houses down from me just had a house sell in 2 days at $263 sq ft, which puts me at $683k........but i have another 600 sq ft in my attic that can be finished, with a superior backyard and kitchen.

We'll see........

no hurry if you don't need to - hold out man

 

[Chemical X]

So........seems my interpretation of showing my house via "sneak peak" was off. Recap, our timing has been essentially that the max time it takes to get our visa decision is 90 days, putting us to 6/15 now. i/we were hopeful that we could get a quick decision, thus knowing for sure if we should sell our primary residence in the US. i mean, we hadn't really really discussed do we sell and market for sale before a decision. Pretty much, if we put the house up regardless of decision, then we are committing to live at our beach condo if the visa decision is negative. In that scenario, we would likely pursue the 90/180 thing in italy and go back and forth. So, our agent showed the house "unlisted" to someone who wants our neighborhood Sunday and Monday. I thought that if they liked the house they could then wait until it hits the market and they would have a leg up..................well, the Sunday looker offered us in the 660s, a low number and based on 1 crappy comp in our neighborhood. I didn't realize we'd get offers. Our agent wants to list at 699k now, which is much higher than i had planned during 2023. We told her no and we aren't countering. I mean, why should i counter 1 buyer on a low offer when the house isn't even listed? Agent agreed..........then she called later in the day and said the buyer will pay us our full ask. Talked to the wife and my thoughts are, if we are selling the house regardless of visa decision right now, then put it on the market formally and let every buyer panic and react to the competition. So, pictures are being taken today and our listing goes up Thursday. IMO, the house may sell over ask. Our market is crazy and objectively, my house is pretty loaded (size, features, yard, privacy) for my area. So, let's see what happens this weekend and i will have people bid against themselves.

I owe no one anything. I want the most money i can get. This might only happen once in a lifetime and i've been squeezed on other real estate deals. My wife would like to take the 699k, but I have 1 offer on 1 showing........methinks maybe i can get to 725k. Maybe i am wrong, but that is what my gut says. Couple of houses down from me just had a house sell in 2 days at $263 sq ft, which puts me at $683k........but i have another 600 sq ft in my attic that can be finished, with a superior backyard and kitchen.

We'll see........

no hurry if you don't need to - hold out man

the car left the garage........

 

[The Z Machine]

Update on my wife's position. The jump from P-4 to P-5 and the diplomatic benefits are bigger than I expected. P-5 gets sales tax free purchases over 100 CHF, diplomatic license plates, and other perks. So we'll miss out on that because the posting was a P-4 even though my wife is qualified for a P-5. No chance to get that changed and she'll have to push for a promo if we stick around more than 2 years.

Also, based on feedback from various folks that are in the same org that my wife will work in, some people do put their kids in the local Swiss schools, which are taught in French. My kids know zero French other than the 1 week of Duolingo they now have under their belts. However, they are bilingual in English and Spanish, so learning a 3rd language would be much easier than coming in with only English. My wife is bilingual English/Spanish, and she can speak and read Italian (but doesn't do as well listening), and can listen and read Portuguese (but replies in Spanish). She has no background in French. I am intermediate in Spanish. It'll be a race to see who becomes most adept in this new francophone world...

 

[DA RAIDERS]

Update on my wife's position. The jump from P-4 to P-5 and the diplomatic benefits are bigger than I expected. P-5 gets sales tax free purchases over 100 CHF, diplomatic license plates, and other perks. So we'll miss out on that because the posting was a P-4 even though my wife is qualified for a P-5. No chance to get that changed and she'll have to push for a promo if we stick around more than 2 years.

Also, based on feedback from various folks that are in the same org that my wife will work in, some people do put their kids in the local Swiss schools, which are taught in French. My kids know zero French other than the 1 week of Duolingo they now have under their belts. However, they are bilingual in English and Spanish, so learning a 3rd language would be much easier than coming in with only English. My wife is bilingual English/Spanish, and she can speak and read Italian (but doesn't do as well listening), and can listen and read Portuguese (but replies in Spanish). She has no background in French. I am intermediate in Spanish. It'll be a race to see who becomes most adept in this new francophone world...

I’ll take the kids and the under

 

[Chemical X]

Update on my wife's position. The jump from P-4 to P-5 and the diplomatic benefits are bigger than I expected. P-5 gets sales tax free purchases over 100 CHF, diplomatic license plates, and other perks. So we'll miss out on that because the posting was a P-4 even though my wife is qualified for a P-5. No chance to get that changed and she'll have to push for a promo if we stick around more than 2 years.

Also, based on feedback from various folks that are in the same org that my wife will work in, some people do put their kids in the local Swiss schools, which are taught in French. My kids know zero French other than the 1 week of Duolingo they now have under their belts. However, they are bilingual in English and Spanish, so learning a 3rd language would be much easier than coming in with only English. My wife is bilingual English/Spanish, and she can speak and read Italian (but doesn't do as well listening), and can listen and read Portuguese (but replies in Spanish). She has no background in French. I am intermediate in Spanish. It'll be a race to see who becomes most adept in this new francophone world...

no international school?

 

[beer 30]

Personally I think you should set up a ring out back and go Thunderdome.

 

[The Z Machine]

Update on my wife's position. The jump from P-4 to P-5 and the diplomatic benefits are bigger than I expected. P-5 gets sales tax free purchases over 100 CHF, diplomatic license plates, and other perks. So we'll miss out on that because the posting was a P-4 even though my wife is qualified for a P-5. No chance to get that changed and she'll have to push for a promo if we stick around more than 2 years.

Also, based on feedback from various folks that are in the same org that my wife will work in, some people do put their kids in the local Swiss schools, which are taught in French. My kids know zero French other than the 1 week of Duolingo they now have under their belts. However, they are bilingual in English and Spanish, so learning a 3rd language would be much easier than coming in with only English. My wife is bilingual English/Spanish, and she can speak and read Italian (but doesn't do as well listening), and can listen and read Portuguese (but replies in Spanish). She has no background in French. I am intermediate in Spanish. It'll be a race to see who becomes most adept in this new francophone world...

no international school?

Might come down to costs... Even at 70% or even 80% covered by the UN, it's still a boatload of money.

 

[Chemical X]

Update on my wife's position. The jump from P-4 to P-5 and the diplomatic benefits are bigger than I expected. P-5 gets sales tax free purchases over 100 CHF, diplomatic license plates, and other perks. So we'll miss out on that because the posting was a P-4 even though my wife is qualified for a P-5. No chance to get that changed and she'll have to push for a promo if we stick around more than 2 years.

Also, based on feedback from various folks that are in the same org that my wife will work in, some people do put their kids in the local Swiss schools, which are taught in French. My kids know zero French other than the 1 week of Duolingo they now have under their belts. However, they are bilingual in English and Spanish, so learning a 3rd language would be much easier than coming in with only English. My wife is bilingual English/Spanish, and she can speak and read Italian (but doesn't do as well listening), and can listen and read Portuguese (but replies in Spanish). She has no background in French. I am intermediate in Spanish. It'll be a race to see who becomes most adept in this new francophone world...

no international school?

Might come down to costs... Even at 70% or even 80% covered by the UN, it's still a boatload of money.

welcome to geneva!

 

[Chemical X]

So, we are waiting on Visa decision..........we have set text alerts on our phones for when our USPS envelopes are on the way. This is the only way we will know when things are moving.

 

[The Z Machine]

GLLLLLLLLLLL

So, we are waiting on Visa decision..........we have set text alerts on our phones for when our USPS envelopes are on the way. This is the only way we will know when things are moving.

 

[Chemical X]

so, we've been talking about our first trip. where to go, what city. i think i have settled on a jaunt to Dubai..........looking for warm, beach, affordable and something where i can leverage my RItz-Carlton credit card perks with Marriott. The Ritz on the beach near the Palm Jihad or something is very affordable. Flight is about 5 hoors, which i don't like, but it seems to work price wise.

 

[The Z Machine]

5 hour flight is nothing