"For over 30 years, ABC used this line at the opening of their Wide World of Sports programs.  During the introduction, with music blaring, the announcer would say "The Thrill of Victory," while the scene of a car driver opening a bottle of champagne was playing.  Then the scene would shift to a video few can forget.  A skier going off of a slope and crashing down, rolling hundreds of yards before stopping, while the announcer was saying 'And the Agony of Defeat.'  The entire world felt the pain and grimaced at not only the image, but at the idea of such a spectacular failure. 

​1978 photo from ABS Sports

While this may seem to be a bit overdramatized for real estate, it happens a lot in this market, any market for that fact.  

A seller may have a huge victory when they sell their home quickly and for way over the list price, and a buyer may be absolutely defeated after losing so many homes because they just can't make the grade on a bid.

Recently, I had to tell a client they had lost the home they wanted so badly, because they had been outbid.  It broke my heart as I could hear their voice breaking through the disappointment.  This wasn't the first house lost because of overbidding on a limited amount of homes.  

In my area, it is not quite as competitive as others.  However, the more 'affordable' homes, say between $125,000 to $300,000, can be very competitive for a couple of reasons. 
1)  They rarely come available.
2) When they do, many are not in good shape so the ones that have been renovated or updated go very quickly.
3)  Most people do not realize they need to be fully 'ready' to buy.  This means, they know they want to buy a home but they have not contacted a realtor previously.  So a home comes on the market, they reach out to go see it, but before they can get pre-approved, the home has already gone under contract.  Or they think they have plenty of money to buy, but they really don't.  Down payment, closing costs, and inspections can add up quickly.  Or they think they will borrow the money from someone else.  That has to be secured and the lender has to have that information in order to work on a pre-approval, so you can't wait until the last minute or you will miss out.  
4.  You have to MOVE QUICKLY in order to buy in that price range.  So you need to move heaven and earth to go see the home, maybe even take off of work.  You have to have money in the bank for the Earnest and Option Money, and you have to know that you want to make an offer.  There is no time to 'think about it' or 'sleep on it.'  It is a very high pressure situation and a lot of money is involved, so you have to be fully prepared mentally and emotionally.  Most people aren't.

How do you prepare to buy in this kind of situation?

First of all, be flexible, be flexible, be flexible.  If the kitchen is not big with an island today, can it eventually be opened up?  You may have to live with it for a few years, but if the rest of the home and property works for you, maybe you can work around it.  

Secondly, take all of your 'Must haves' and lay them out in order of importance.  But get real with yourself and make sure you know the difference between 'must haves' and 'would like to haves.'  If you have 3 kids, you know you have to have at least 3 bedrooms.  Believe it or not, there aren't that many homes out there with 4 bedrooms, so you may have to compromise for a few years.  Or if having a short drive to work is highly important, then maybe you will have to get a smaller house.  Identify the things that are truly important to you.

Third, take all of your 'would love to haves' and toss them out the window.  I have seen too many people upset because their desires were impossible in the homes in their price range or even in the location they need.  However, if you are open to being flexible, you may be sweetly surprised at what is out there.   Then later you may be able to do some work to the home or make some of the changes you want. 

Finally, when you are ready to buy and start looking, then realize that it must be a business decision first, and an emotional decision secondly.  Then if you don't get the bid, you aren't as disappointed.   

Remember, what goes up must come down.  If you don't have to move immediately, then be patient.  The market will shift and you will be able to find something  in your price range.  Yes, interest rates are going up a bit, but what is happening is not going to make a huge difference in your payment.  

Also, you do not want to be 'upside down' in a house.  I have seen that happen several times throughout the years and it is horrible.  This is similar to being upside down in your car, where you paid more for it than you could sell it for.  Many people have paid over market for their home, with a large mortgage to go with it then the market turns, and now buyers are paying more for their home than they can sell it for.  They are stuck in it for many years before it ever turns around.  

Many years ago, there were entire subdivisions with abandoned homes because of this.  The builders built homes in a hot market, sold them for the high price, the market tanked, and the owners couldn't recoup their losses.  They literally walked away, destroying their credit, and losing all of the money they put into the home.  There are those in the real estate industry that say this won't happen again.  Really?  I've seen it happen 2 or 3 times in my adult life being in and around the real estate market.  It absolutely can happen again and you do not want it happening to you.  So if you don't win that bid on that house because you couldn't go $10-$20 thousand or more over asking, be grateful.  It could be saving you from a huge mistake.

But most importantly, you will find a home.  We all can get in that mindset that this is the "perfect" home and we will "never" be able to find one as good as this one.  That is not true, there will always be another home, another opportunity, and what happens many times, one that is often much better than the one you lost.  Just be patient and flexible.  

The main thing is not to get trapped.  Trapped in the frenzy of trying to buy and feeling like you are missing out if you don't get the house, or houses, you have bid on.  Don't get trapped in a bad situation by overpaying for the home.  Too many buyers have ended up being miserable because they are stuck in what they thought was their dream home, but because they watch the market go down, realize they owe more than it is worth.  Then it ruins their dream.  

Be grateful if you are in a situation where you can wait it out.  Then you can buy knowing you made a wise financial decision and a true investment.

​That is the real thrill of victory!

In working with buyers, I am not bothered if they are poorly informed or unaware of basic information.  But what shocks me, is how much they THINK they know.  It is usually because someone told them once about their mom's best friends, sister, who bought a house 45 years ago and had this weird thing happen.  there is always a lot of details and most of the info either doesn't happen anymore or is just wrong.  I'm not calling anyone a liar, but stories and details change over time.

Getting over bad beliefs because of a one-time story they heard, is one of the hardest things realtors deal with.  As a buyer, regardless of what it is, it is your responsibility to research and know the truth behind what you are doing.  If you don't, then you are setting yourself up for a bad situation, loss of your hard-earned money, or worse, even a lawsuit.  So please do your homework.

Our market in North Texas, all over Texas actually, has been a sellers' market for several years.  The market will shift and there are signs of it now, but no one knows for sure when it will shift or what the catalyst will be that makes the shift.  Sometimes it may happen over time, others, it is an event that changes everything.  However, with current inflation, interest rates rising, and other factors, we will probably see it soon.

So here are a few things I wanted to go over if you are in the market to buy right now.

Interest rates are rising, that is a fact.  Unfortunately that means you cannot buy as much house as you could a few months ago.  I recently had a situation with someone who was pre-approved last fall for one price, but because of rates, they are now looking at lower priced home.  So before you look, get with a lender and get pre-approved.  You may waste a lot of time looking at homes in the wrong price range if you don't and I promise it will save you headaches later on.

Save - Save - Save, and if you think you have saved enough, save some more.  

There is really no such thing as getting in a home with cash out of pocket, at least not that I have seen.  Usually, when a buyer doesn't have to make a down payment it is because the seller is being asked to pay it for them on an FHA loan.  In a sellers' market, they aren't real keen on paying for someone to buy their home.  Keep in mind, it is already costing them a good chunk of change with realtor fees and closing costs.  Sellers 'concessions,' or money paid by the sellers for buyers closing costs or down payments, are not very welcome in this market.    Many agents who represent sellers are not even marketing homes for FHA loans for that very reason.  If you don't have the money for down payment and closing costs, you are probably not going to be able to buy a home right now.  

Also, you will have to have some cash on hand to pay the earnest money and inspection fees.  Sometimes other costs may arise as well.

There are some programs that help with down payment assistance, but you will just have to check with lenders and see.  Those programs also have pretty tough standards, so they aren't very common.

The normal down payment can be 3%, 5%, 10% or even 20%, depending on your credit, what you have available, etc.  So back to the topic, SAVE- SAVE-SAVE.  

You may not want to pay full price for a property.  You may have even been told all your life never to pay full price, but if you want that house, chances are, you will be paying full price, if not above.

Sellers with houses that are a bit distressed, out of date, or have been on the market a while, are a little more open to negotiating.  The other problem with distressed properties though, is that your lender may not approve of the purchase.  The lender not only approves you to purchase, they have to evaluate the house and condition, to ensure they want to lend on that home.  It is a risk for them as well as you.  However, if the house is in great condition, new on the market and priced well, more than likely the seller will not be willing to negotiate.  Especially if you are in a situation with multiple buyers.

In metropolitan areas, there are usually many offers within just a few days after a property comes on the market and anything less than full price is quickly set aside.  All offers will be presented to the sellers to make their decision, but a low-ball offer, meant to start a negotiation is ignored.  Your realtor has played this game, listen to them and take their advice.  That is their job.

If you are really into negotiating, just wait, you will get your chance when the market shifts.

A very famous, wealthy, and accomplished leader often says "I don't have to know everything, I just have to know who to ask."  You don't have to know everything about buying a house, but you should know some things before you start the journey.  So do your research.  

To make my life easier, I put together both a video and a document that outlines the process of buying a home or land.  When people contact me to look at property to purchase, one of the first things I do is to send them those resources, encouraging them to look at them.  Obviously, many don't take the time, however as time goes on, I have found they have referred to these resources.  Even seasoned buyers can't remember the entire process and are surprised they have forgotten certain pieces of vital info crucial to the process.

Please reach out to lenders, realtors, bankers, or other professionals when you have questions.  It can save you a lot of time, energy and possible disappointment.  

And remember, I would be happy to be your trusted real estate advisor whether you are just looking, thinking about buying, or actually ready to make that big purchase.  I can walk you through the process and hopefully take some of the stress out of the process.