Beaufort SC Home Buyers, It's Time for that Lowball Offer

For a year and a half you have head me say hold tight on buying a house.  You will never hear me say the old cliché, "It's a great time to buy".  It sounds like a car salesman and I refuse to talk buyers into buying a house.  My job is to inform buyers to the best of my ability.  It is their job to decide when to buy.  What I will finally say is, buyers ready to purchase are finally seeing the light at the end of the housing tunnel.  With home sales down 23% from the already slow 2008, home prices reduced approximately 20% and interest rates still below 5.00%, the market is getting ripe.

Is it time to pull the trigger with an offer?  That depends.  Personally I believe home prices remain slightly overpriced.  That being said, make no mistake, sellers are desperate.  Homeowners whom have their house on the Beaufort County Association of Realtors MLS know how tough the market is, and are often willing to take a lowball offer.  Those willing to take a lowball offer often bought years ago and have sufficient equity to accept an offer 20% below their asking price.

Surprisingly, Beaufort County has exactly what a seller paid and when they bought online.  Just go to the Beaufort Property Look-up to research any property in the county.  To wrap this up, here's what to do:  1) Get a list of MLS properties you are interested in, 2)  Go to the Beaufort Property Look-up database, 3)  Determine the difference in what a homeowner paid for the home and their current asking price, 4)  determine if there is a sufficient gap in buying and asking price, 5)  If the there is a large gap and in your price range, go for th lowball offer.  The worse that can happen is you get turned down.  A common result in this market is a relieved seller and a great deal for the buyer.  While it might not be a great time to buy, it is DEFINITELY a great time to get your dream home with a LOWBALL OFFER!!!

* Remember, the Beaufort County Property system does not account for the seller's original down payment.  You can guesstimate that they put between 0% and 20% down.  This would give you even more room to negotiate.