Dear So and So

[Trek420]

making enemies of the neighbors always has its drawbacks.

True, that. But it's soooo much fun to think of ideas.

Every time she is outside talking you take a paint brush, large jar of honey, the bee hat and mask and chase your DH around the yard. Extra points for wearing nothing else. She'll go back inside

...the 'smoke thingy'....lol!
I was using it today!

I don't know what it's called but you get the idea.

Or you could get a cell phone jammer - Radio Shack, maybe? - and suddenly her back yard never gets any reception.

More than likely she
1) doesn't have a home phone line so can't call from in the home and
2) has &^%'ey cell reception that only works outside in a corner of the deck. Unless she wants to walk to the deck to make an emergency call you could politely mention getting a better cell phone and/or land line.

[marni]

Every woman should have her own pedal wrench and her own vibrator, and know how to use both. ~ KnottedYet

trek 420- I love this line but would like to add "and I have a chain whip and a knife sharener and know how to use them to."

not tht this has anything to do with cell phones. That's why I keep a referees whistle around to break out and blow whenever neighbors annoy me, usually in close vicinity and while looking at them. Seems to work. Tell her you need to use it outside just like her because it annoys your family.

[bmccasland]

Dear Person who made an offer on my house,
What part of $24K less than my asking price did you think was a fair offer? Your offer is less than what I paid for the house 9 years ago. We're talking a small house, not some mansion where $24K is a paltry sum. Your offer is so low it's an insult. The house has been on the market for only a few days and you thought I'd take it? Add $15K to your offer, and then maybe we'll have something to discuss.

Have you been watching the house hunting programs where people want shiny new everything? Then go buy new construction, the house is 45 years old. It does have a shiny new a/c and heater, as well as a nice new water line. The kitchen cabinets will actually hold something unlike the crappy new cupboards in the house I'm currently renting.

(I think I need another long walk to get over my anger over your crappy offer.)

[jessmarimba]

Don't take the house offer too personally! Think of it this way - maybe they're house shopping on a really low budget and fell in love with yours, even though it's over their limit. Maybe they're just hoping against hope that you'll accept it because they really want your house.

Dear hair stylist -
Thank you thank you thank you thank you for a cut that needs absolutely no effort and still looks great. While I've had some skilled but high-maintenance cuts from others in your salon, it's been about 10 years since someone figured out how to do a no effort cut. You're hired for good.
Sincerely,
Cute-even-with-bedhead Jesse

[indysteel]

Don't take the house offer too personally! Think of it this way - maybe they're house shopping on a really low budget and fell in love with yours, even though it's over their limit. Maybe they're just hoping against hope that you'll accept it because they really want your house.

Yep. I sold my house last year for far less than I paid for it in 2002. I at least didn't have to bring money to the table, but it was still a bitter pill to swallow. I remember the feeling in the pit of my stomach when my realtor explained that homes had lost roughly 25% of their value since the market high.

It's all about the sold comps in your area. I know it's hard to accept, but what you paid or put into it, just isn't all that relevant from a market analysis standpoint. That's not to suggest the offer was reasonable; only that the best way to arm (or brace) yourself is with a careful review of what's sold in your area within the last 6 months. Hopefully, your realtor has already done that for you, but I know some realtors just arent' being as frank as they arguably should be with their clients.

[bmccasland]

Dear person filling the 1 gal water jug in the only sink in the office bathroom,

Thank you for ackowledging my existance after I stepped out of the toilet booth. But you're "this will be a bit" comment wasn't appreciated. I'd really like to wash my hands after I use the toilet, and there are other bathrooms down the hall with sinks to fill your water jug. So thank you for making me stand there and wait, like I could go anywhere. Did you expect me to leave??

[bmccasland]

Yep. I sold my house last year for far less than I paid for it in 2002. I at least didn't have to bring money to the table, but it was still a bitter pill to swallow. I remember the feeling in the pit of my stomach when my realtor explained that homes had lost roughly 25% of their value since the market high.

It's all about the sold comps in your area. I know it's hard to accept, but what you paid or put into it, just isn't all that relevant from a market analysis standpoint. That's not to suggest the offer was reasonable; only that the best way to arm (or brace) yourself is with a careful review of what's sold in your area within the last 6 months. Hopefully, your realtor has already done that for you, but I know some realtors just arent' being as frank as they arguably should be with their clients.

The offer was unreasonably low according to my agent. She priced the house $15K less than we listed it for last fall because of the comps. The buyer's agent has a reputation for making very low offers, apparently giving her clients the expectation that their offers are reasonable, when in reality they aren't.

I countered the offer, and it was turned down. Considering the house has only been on the market for a week, I don't feel obligated to accept an extremely low offer.

[indysteel]

The offer was unreasonably low according to my agent. She priced the house $15K less than we listed it for last fall because of the comps. The buyer's agent has a reputation for making very low offers, apparently giving her clients the expectation that their offers are reasonable, when in reality they aren't.

I countered the offer, and it was turned down. Considering the house has only been on the market for a week, I don't feel obligated to accept an extremely low offer.

Beth, I didn't suggest that you should feel obligated to accept it, which is why I stated "that's not to say that the offer was reasonable." FWIW, I didn't accept the first offer I got on my former house either because it was unreasonably low.

But I still agree with Jess. Don't take a low ball offer personally. It's a tactic; nothing more, nothing less. While I think a buyer's agent should encourage their clients to make reasonable offers based on object market data, I also appreciate that they think they have nothing to lose by making a low ball offer either. The fact that they didn't respond to your counter suggests to me that they were at the top of their budget and made a low offer because that's all they could afford.

I've been on both sides of this in the last year and understand the emotion involved. All I can suggest is to study and restudy the market data and be prepared to present that data when you respond to an offer. IME, buyers are overly emotional about this too because all they hear on the news every day is how bad home values are; it's sometimes hard to convince them that they aren't going to get a home they actually want to live in for peanuts.