My husband is a realtor and I thought it would be a great idea to include “goodie bags” at his open houses for people to take. Besides pens and paper pads, which type of promotional products do you like best? I was thinking can koozies (on a bottle of water), small tape measures (since most home buyers will have to measure), some candy and then the pen and paper pad to make notes? Any ideas to make it feel more useful and not just something people will toss in the garbage? Thank you for any input! submitted by /u/Frankie_says_relaxx [link] [comments] source https://www.reddit.com/r/RealEstate/comments/1sas2k5/best_goodie_bags_at_open_houses_any_ideas/

My agent has asked if we’d like to attend closing of sign in advance. Is there any possible reason why we’d want to attend? She said it was just personal preference. submitted by /u/VeryStab1eGenius [link] [comments] source https://www.reddit.com/r/RealEstate/comments/1saqj9a/attending_closing_as_seller/

I live off of a stock market portfolio. Investments. Because I am 'unemployed' to them (Despite showing 1099s, tax returns, etc), they want 2x the security deposit. They've seen my portfolio and know that I can afford it, it makes me feel uncomfortable. Needless to say, it's around $2,950 for rent (Being split 3 ways with family members) and now they want double that just in the form of a deposit. I kindly asked "I don't understand? Why not put it to another month's worth of rent? How could I possibly cause $6,000 worth of damage!?". They're reluctant to budge and kind of said "We can just move onto the next person". I am talking about ethics here. They know I have a significant sum of money saved but this really seems excessive and like an unnecessary barrier. For whatever reason, allocating that money to an additional month's worth of rent up front want not what they wanted. What should I do in the circumstance? submitted ...

I’ve been thinking about getting into real estate — either investing or maybe even working in the field — but I’m not sure if it’s still a good move right now. Prices, interest rates, competition… it feels like a lot to consider, and I don’t want to jump in blindly. submitted by /u/MysteriousShoulder35 [link] [comments] source https://www.reddit.com/r/RealEstate/comments/1s9pfr9/real_estate_is_it_still_worth_getting_into/

We got connected to a real estate agent through a referral last month and very quickly found a house we liked and had our offer accepted. At the time, we asked him what we pay for his services and he said the seller would pay his fees and he "works for us for free". Our ratified contract has his compensation at 2.5%. We never signed a buyer's agreement with him at the time, and we're first time homebuyers so didn't understand this was a thing. We're now more than a month under contract and he sent us a buyer's agreement (backdated to the day before we ratified) with his compensation listed as 2.5% + $499. He's saying this is a transaction fee that is charged by his brokerage and he has no control over this, but it's listed under his direct compensation and not a brokerage service fee. Is this normal? It feels shady to be getting hit with an additional fee now a month after going under contract when it was not disclosed up front and we were told ...

I am doing a little DIY work by replacing my cheap window trim with something nicer but forgot my appraiser is coming next week because I'm wanting to drop my PMI (I have way more equity now than I need). Definitely don't have time to finish this before the appraisal walkthrough so they'll see my walls with gaps exposed between the drywall and windows. But everything's fine, it's not like my home can fall apart right now. Will they flag me or something? submitted by /u/Stuart517 [link] [comments] source https://www.reddit.com/r/RealEstate/comments/1s9k9xy/will_an_appraiser_be_upset_if_i_dont_have_my/

Basically, title. I've had my mortgage for a little over 3 years now. I have $220k left on it and 26.5 years. My home value is $300k conservatively, maybe $310-315k on the higher end. Im paying MIP. My LTV is 73% using the $300k assessment. I thought MIP dropped off once your LTV goes below 80%??? But here I am, still paying the $105/month MIP. My current interest rate is 6.6%, it's what was the best available rate at the time. I've a car payment and a few credit cards too. Never missed a payment on anything, I have perfect credit. I could either refinance and save like $150/month in principle and interest alone, or refinance a 20y and pay $150ish/mo more in principle and interest and shave off 7y of my mortgage. Doesn't sound too bad of a trade off, it would save tens of thousands in interest. What's your advice here? Is there anything I'm missing or any other options that would be better? submitted by /u/bringbackbainesy [link] [comments] s...

What does it mean when a Miami co-op says there are “The building is on a land lease with 30 years left.”? HOA is $650/month. Does that usually mean the land lease gets renewed later and the HOA jumps up? Has anyone dealt with this type of setup, and what typically happens? Trying to understand whether this is a normal manageable situation or a risky, unpredictable deal. submitted by /u/Witty_Beginning_5067 [link] [comments] source https://www.reddit.com/r/RealEstate/comments/1s8h3w3/what_does_this_mean/

My preapproval was originally for $390k conventional loan. Then we went into negotiation with the seller and ended at $430k. I received a preapproval letter for this and made the offer. We are going through underwriting, and they can only offer an FHA mortgage based on the downpayment amount and the type of property. We reached out to the seller's agent and found out the house was appraised at $380k less than 2 months ago, and the initial buyer was using FHA. I am working with my agent, broker, lender, google.... but is there any practical thing I can do to get this house? I don't have the amount to fill the gap. submitted by /u/menwanttoo [link] [comments] source https://www.reddit.com/r/RealEstate/comments/1s7vps5/house_appraised_2_months_ago_for_40k_less_what_to/