As with stories, their are two sides/perspectives to every (potential) transaction. You’ve heard from one (the seller), now here’s the other:
Ok, so I’m the buyer in question (someone I’m acquainted with forwarded me a link to this discussion).
First, I’d like to say that I’m quite sympathetic to the seller. We considered not making an offer at all since they appear to have bought pretty much at the peak of the San Francisco housing market, we even told the seller’s realtor that we would consider dual agency to try and soften the blow (so they could hopefully reduce their commission). However you have to understand that we don’t want to find ourselves in the same situation as the current seller as prices continue to fall in San Francisco over the next couple of years.
The public records on this loft at Hoff say it has 954 square feet. A 2 bedroom, 2 full bath, top floor loft at 17th and Bryant with 1126 square feet just sold for $15,000 less than what the seller wants for this unit, and that is in a significantly safer part of the Mission.
We’re already concerned that in a year it will be worth substantially less than what we offered. I’m sorry if our offer offended anybody, we will just go look at other places – we’re not in a rush. If someone bought a few years before the peak it might be less painful to deal with today’s prices.
The topic might be uncomfortable – or even unfathomable – to some, but it’s a healthy and highly relevant discussion, and we thank both sides for opening up. All comments on the original thread in order to maintain the flow.
∙ What Happens When Expectations Don’t Match The Market? [SocketSite]