Buyers coming to Sequim and Port Angeles are shopping very very carefully. They may be few and far between in this slow market, but they are still shopping. They’re being very careful, far more than normally. They’re looking for the ideal home in the best location, which for so many up here means a water view. They’re filtering through the hundreds of homes in the MLS.
They’re arriving to look at those homes, comparing and filtering again. Then they are expecting a great price, because they know it’s a buyer’s market, that they are one of the few buyers ready, able, and willing to close a deal.
When they negotiate the price starting with the first offer, they expect the seller to negotiate reasonably, which means they expect the seller to come down a meet them, at least halfway. When a seller only comes down a few thousand dollars, buyers often consider this ridiculous, unless the listing price was so darn reasonable to begin with, which is rarely the case.
Buyers have a huge advantage in this market, especially with the powerful and convenient Internet MLS search available now. Buyers can get on the Internet from the comfort of their own homes and Search the Entire Sequim and Port Angeles MLS, which they are doing enthusiastically.
As I’ve written elsewhere on this blog, buyers are then cherry picking the best homes off the market. We’ve never seen a real estate market like this. Buyers may like it, but it is tough for sellers.
Last Updated on July 31, 2009 by Chuck Marunde
