Hello everyone,
How did you find your house, and how long did the search take? I am looking for a single-family house, a terraced house, or a semi-detached house about 30 km (20 miles) around Münster. Unfortunately, I have a limited budget of around 200,000 to 250,000. I have been searching online for a while now, for example on property portals. I have also sent several inquiries, but the responses have been quite disappointing. Either there is no reply at all, there are already numerous interested parties, or the property is already sold. The market is really very tight at the moment.
Do you have any tips on the best way to proceed or where else I might look? I am running out of ideas. Would using a real estate agent be an option for you?
How did you find your house, and how long did the search take? I am looking for a single-family house, a terraced house, or a semi-detached house about 30 km (20 miles) around Münster. Unfortunately, I have a limited budget of around 200,000 to 250,000. I have been searching online for a while now, for example on property portals. I have also sent several inquiries, but the responses have been quite disappointing. Either there is no reply at all, there are already numerous interested parties, or the property is already sold. The market is really very tight at the moment.
Do you have any tips on the best way to proceed or where else I might look? I am running out of ideas. Would using a real estate agent be an option for you?
Final schrieb:
I myself wouldn’t forgo, for example, 10k just because I like the other person better. Why would I? Someone is selling their house at price X and has several interested buyers willing to pay that price. This is the usual situation at the moment. In this case, my statement applies—I have personally experienced this twice, and in one case, the current owners have since moved farther away.
I have also encountered a situation where the seller had the brilliant idea of turning it into a bidding war. In that case, it’s clear that the highest bid wins the house. I have no respect for that practice, which is why I withdrew my purchase offer immediately.
Abzahler schrieb:
I have also experienced a situation where the seller had the brilliant idea to turn it into a bidding war. In that case, obviously, the highest bidder gets the house. I have absolutely no time for this practice, which is why the intention to purchase was withdrawn immediately. You can agree to this if the conditions are transparent and there is a fixed deadline, for example supervised by a notary or similar authority. If endless renegotiations are possible, I wouldn’t participate either; I would simply state my maximum offer and then either succeed or decline to negotiate further.
Regarding the search:
If you don’t have any luck with the usual online portals, you should regularly check the classified ads in local or regional newspapers (including flyers). Also, review the listings from real estate agents and local banks or savings banks.
Sometimes there’s just a sign on a house or you notice obviously unoccupied homes in an area of interest. Then you have to get proactive yourself.
Alternatively, you can place your own ad—it doesn’t cost a fortune.
Best regards,
Dirk Grafe
S
stefanvery4 Nov 2016 12:02We also checked classifieds in newspapers and various online platforms, as well as foreclosure auctions. Of course, we placed our own wanted ads, even offering a referral bonus.
When there are roughly 100 times more buyers than sellers, that usually results in almost nothing.
Otherwise, I agree—these are definitely good tips that should normally help. Offline opportunities usually offer a better chance for buyers compared to listings on one of the two major online portals, where 1,000 people receive a notification on their smartphones and possibly nationwide agents and investors spot a deal.
What can help is keeping an eye on the neighborhood and among acquaintances to see if anyone might be thinking about selling—preferably before they post an ad or contact a real estate agent. Maybe the friendly elderly lady next door. But of course, patience is required [emoji6]
When there are roughly 100 times more buyers than sellers, that usually results in almost nothing.
Otherwise, I agree—these are definitely good tips that should normally help. Offline opportunities usually offer a better chance for buyers compared to listings on one of the two major online portals, where 1,000 people receive a notification on their smartphones and possibly nationwide agents and investors spot a deal.
What can help is keeping an eye on the neighborhood and among acquaintances to see if anyone might be thinking about selling—preferably before they post an ad or contact a real estate agent. Maybe the friendly elderly lady next door. But of course, patience is required [emoji6]
Hello everyone,
Thank you all for the great tips. Reading through your responses, I realize I might just not have been searching long enough yet. I’ve been looking for about a quarter of a year now. I admit, there’s still room for improvement. I will also follow your advice, ypg, and start calling sellers directly. So far, for example, I’ve only written individual messages on real estate platforms like Immoscout, but a phone call might simply be a better and more personal way to get in touch.
I will also start checking local newspapers and magazines. Maybe the competition isn’t as high there as it is online. It doesn’t hurt to try.
The tip about visiting trade fairs and exhibitions is also very useful. I hadn’t considered that before, but I will definitely look into it.
Otherwise, I’ll keep my eyes open and ask around among relatives, friends, and colleagues.
Thanks again for the advice! I think I just need a bit more patience and to take more initiative myself.
Thank you all for the great tips. Reading through your responses, I realize I might just not have been searching long enough yet. I’ve been looking for about a quarter of a year now. I admit, there’s still room for improvement. I will also follow your advice, ypg, and start calling sellers directly. So far, for example, I’ve only written individual messages on real estate platforms like Immoscout, but a phone call might simply be a better and more personal way to get in touch.
I will also start checking local newspapers and magazines. Maybe the competition isn’t as high there as it is online. It doesn’t hurt to try.
The tip about visiting trade fairs and exhibitions is also very useful. I hadn’t considered that before, but I will definitely look into it.
Otherwise, I’ll keep my eyes open and ask around among relatives, friends, and colleagues.
Thanks again for the advice! I think I just need a bit more patience and to take more initiative myself.
Three months is quite a short time. Of course, it can work within that period, but it’s rather unlikely. If you search for 1–2 years, it’s not a big problem because when buying a property, many factors have to fit together. With a new build, only the location needs to be right, since you plan the construction yourself.
Best regards
Dirk Grafe
Best regards
Dirk Grafe
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