and weren’t fooled by the pretty paint job, confronted the agent, who made light of their concerns and assured them these were minor repairs that could be fixed later. Their gut told them no, but the agent was insistent, and even negotiated for them a $10,000 reduction in the home sales price. They took the house. Big mistake! The initial problems they noticed went deeper; the weak basement doorway was because of unfortified walls leading downstairs and the bouncy bathroom floor had been wet underneath the linoleum and about three inches up some of the walls. The flickering lights meant outdated wiring. All in all, the couple had to pay $27,000 — hardly worth the $10,000 off the sale price of the home. The couple realized the agent was working in the seller’s best interest (selling that problem-ridden home), and not theirs (getting them a great house in great condition). Lesson learned, unfortunately.
Key Takeaway:
When you are house hunting, it absolutely matters that you select a buyer’s agent in particular. While it’s true that some real estate agents are experts in selling and buying, it’s best if you hire someone with specialization in representing clients who are in the market to purchase a home. You want someone working for you, not against you.
DREAM HOME OR SNAKE DEN?
The seemingly perfect five-bedroom home, set on pastoral acreage in the countryside, seemed to be the perfect new home for Ben and Amber and their growing family, especially at less than $180,000! But not too long after settling in, the couple discovered their “dream home” was actually a snake den — infested with hundreds and hundreds of garter snakes. They crawled beneath the outer walls, and the couple would lie awake, unable to sleep
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