This is outrageously excessive. I've never seen nor heard of such behaviour on the part of buyers. Absolutely unbelievable. I have to tell you that after reading the list my instinct would be to reply within 10 minutes with $20,000 over asking price no contingencies. I'm just mean like that. My hubby would probably talk me down though into countering with leaving the extra fridge and bringing the price up closer to 3-5% of list.

These people are nuts and deserve a wake up call and the realtor that wrote it up and presented it deserves a kick in the pants, even though I realize it was his/her job to present it, don't you think the realtor should have exercised some common sense and talked to these people?

I would tell them X furniture and Y possessions are not legally mine and is owned by: _______ or point to a friend or unknown family member who wants their "staging furniture" back after the house is sold.

Sometimes "given to me by my deceased parents" won't work.

Bottom line: If you don't legally own it, you can't sell it.

You have to think quick. I anticipated this problem when I sold my house and knew there was a chance I would get pressured and was well prepared to handle the situaion.

Wow, that's absolutely hilarious!! I think they're mainly testing the waters. I'd counter, just to show good faith, but not much considering they just listed. They don't have to sell any of their stuff, just say "no, it's not for sale, just the house is," unless, of course, they don't care about certain things. I'd include a copy of the a/c certificate in the counter, mention the home warranty, and note the sprinklers/fence were "taken into consideration when pricing the property." Then counter a small amount to show their confidence in their price point and no desperation to move. Then see what the buyers come back with. There's always room for more negociating. I don't think they're in danger of loosing this offer unless they did something obviously rude (like not responding or upping their asking price! LOL Though I love the idea!).

Some of those things are so silly that I'm guessing the buyers are just going by the "if you don't ask, you don't get" adage, like people haggling at a garage sale. After all, the sellers might want to ditch things like a dog crate or barbecue.
A simple "not for sale" is all that is required - no need for explanations or excuses.

The fence and sprinkler system, however, are excessive, imho

I think they are crazy to even give the buyer the idea that they are "thinking it over" by not giving them a resounding NO right away. They should counter at $1000 under list price and include NOTHING. I wouldn't even want to deal with these buyers.

Well, if they are not in a hurry to sell, this is the one time I would raise the price by the costs of their closing costs and add it to the list price, add 5k just for fun and respond that way. Some people should be taught a lesson. Of course no on everything else except maybe the fridge and washer dryer (here that would be assumed to stay with the house)

The reason I would respond this way is I do not trust them, think they will play games with the inspection and I would not want to take my house off the market for them during selling season. If it was after 200 days, different story

Nut jobs for sure, and shame on their agent for writing up such an outlandish offer. If this is what they are like now, I can only imagine what it would be like dealing with these people later on. I would have none of it. Seeing as how the house has been on the market for such a short amount of time I would reject the offer outright. Have your agent tell the buyers' agent that when her clients are ready with a serious offer you may consider it. But as it is now, rejection with no counter. As you have said they are not in a hurry to sell. I'm sure other more appropriate offers will come. NancyLouise

If your friend was desperate to sell these people might be worth the hassle. She's not desperate and these people are sooooo not worth the hassle.

Some of what the buyers want aren't out of line.
1, 2, & 3 are OK by me to include in the sale.
4- No. They can buy their own bedroom suite. If they have any money.
5- No as the price reflects the age of the unit. New unit, new price.
6- No. The irrigation system stays as it is, but is warranteed to function properly at time of closing. Ten minutes later it's the new owner's responsibility.
7- No. The computer has personal information on it that cannot be shared with the new owner.
8- No. The buyer's closing costs are the buyer's problem. But this tells me they don't have any money to begin with!
9- OK if your friends aren't not gonna need the lawn equipment in the next house. Otherwise, no. Again this tells me the buyers have no money.
10- The buyers don't have 60 bucks for a dog crate? RUN!!!
11- The buyers can't afford kitchen stuff!
12- Your friend's wedding gifts stay with them and the buyers can save for their own.
13- Unless your friends are not going to need the patio furniture they buyers can save for their own. They have no money.
14- No. The fence condition is reflected in the price of the home. The buyers want more free stuff done as they don't have any money.

I would respond by saying no to most of the contingencies.
Or not responding at all. That's what we did when we sold our first home and somebody came in with not only a low ball offer, but other demands. We just instructed out agent to say the offer is insulting and will not be responded to at all.

These buyers are raising all kinds of red flags to me. THEY DON'T HAVE ANY MONEY!!!

Your friend should counter at full asking price plus the buyers' car. After all, another vehicle would help in the move. :D

What? You get to keep the dog? I would be appalled to receive such a list. If it is like this now, just wait until after the inspection. They sound like first time buyers and may over think each step of the way. (Not to sound like you should be flip about buying a home, but they have way too much time on their hands to create that list). I hope their agent at least tried to make them reconsider their offer contingencies. I would do as NancyLouise said and tell them you will respond to a more serious offer.

Jo

Since the bedroom set is new, I'd tell them where I shopped for it, as well as the other personal stuff they want.

The computer? If you list specs I can give you an idea of how old it is and how to price for a new one. It may be worth it, especially if they buy a cheap hard drive and add that, taking the original with them. I may or may not restore it back to factory, does it say it has to boot? Let them do it. lol (a little humor - but really, selling the computer may be a good thing)

I build computers and have been worried someone will like one or more of them and do the same. I'm attached to my personal pc - 1st machine I built, but the rest? Yeah, they could buy them. I know how much I would need to replace them with newer ones.

I'd pass on these people...

I wouldn't even respond, as a matter of fact,i'd take their offer letter, tear it into a hundred pieces, and send it back to them...My feeling is they can't afford the home anyway, and no type of counter would close this deal

That is quite a list. As a seller, I would have rejected it.
As far as the real estate agent that wrote it, unfortunately we can talk to a client until we are blue in the face but still have to write the offer.

If they do counter, I would counter at full price may be the fridge in the garage and washer/dryer. I would also set a number for closing costs and items that that would like to repair. That way, you end up getting approximately 5% lower than asking price. But that's just me.

I do agree, the buyers do sound like they are lacking money. Have them been preapproved or can prove they even can afford the house?

I agree with Christopherh. They either don't have the money or are downright CHEAP! My guess is they are cheap & greedy. If they were qualified for that amount,then they must have enough to purchase this house. At any rate, they will nickel & dime the seller to death & if it's not enough, they will walk later.

My first offer was made by EL CHEAPOS. They were loaded, but cried poverty. Come to find out they owned four properties, including their own house Free & clear!
Yes, they wanted my house with my furniture...
There are "all kinds" out there. You just hope that you get a normal buyer-lol

I would give these people only ONE shot, but keep in mind that there are TOO many red flags. I would stand my ground & counter with the normal things & tell them that the rest is not for sale. Really, I'm not sure that I would want to deal with such people.

BTW- my people STIFFED me. They backed out, because they were afraid that the market was falling....and obviously, although they were getting a great buy, they thought it was too much for their "moth wallett" & backed out making some lame excuse. Yep, you need to run from people like these.

Ten days on the market? My counter would be full listing price.

I too doubt they can afford the home.

Sorry cpowers21 I have to disagree with you. My own personal experience with agents is that they do not write up all offers. Case in point, when we were looking for our first house in So. Maine we looked at a bank owned property. Neither the bank or the agent would come across with any info about the house. (Large 100+year old house, 2 car garage and attached apartment)after a showing we let our agent know we would be coming in to her office to make an offer on the house. Because no info on the house was forcoming we offered $80k less then what the bank was asking. Agent got miffed and tossed down her pen and said the bank would not agree to such a price. I got right back in her face and told her when she or the bank come across with info then I would consider raising the price. Unil that happens the house is worth only that to us. She did not present the offer. We did not buy the house. A few months later a couple from No. Carolina bought the house for $30K less then we offered previously. Serves the bank and the agent right. Both could have had a higher selling price and the agent could have had a commission. They got neither in the end. NancyLouise

What, they didn't want your toothbrushes?

My personal opinion is that the "buyers" are nuts. I wouldn't even counter. Just reject it.

I don't think there is anything wrong with asking for furnishings. After all, how do they know the bedroom set, oriental rug, etc., are precious to you? Many people downsize or want new in a new house. However, the offer should reflect what is in it. Better, negotiate separately for furnishings. I also think there is nothing wrong with asking for repairs, no matter what they are.

But the length of their list, and the wackiness of it (dog crate?) makes me think they are crazy, cheap, etc.

nancylouise: bank-owned properties and agents that represent them are a little different. From some of the agents I talked to, they will tell the agent the minimun price and not to bring offers. That is until they get desperate. Anyway, I am sorry that you went through something like that. The bank is horrible about getting an information out. You would think they would want to get rid of it in a hurry and want to get info out. It can take them months.

Yep cpowers21, neither wanted to take responsibility for what was wrong with the house. I can see their reasoning for it but the bank does know a lot of info on the house. It would only make sense to me to release that info to a serious buyer. I would think it would help sell a property in that situation. Because of their refusal they opted out of a higher offer. (oh and the agent was mine...not the bank's) NancyLouise

Was this a belated April Fools joke?? That list is ridiculous. Come on...pots and pans...dog crate...these people are insane. I would've countered within the hour and added $20K without contingencies. That is way over the top to me.

Tell your friend good luck!

Insane!

If they press, would offer to sell to them certain stuff if they REALLY wanted it (which they probably don't). In a separate transaction!

I can't believe the reator presented this to you. Sounds like these people are just trying to see what they can get... bottom feeders.

I love those offers! It places the seller in a position of power by countering within their comfort level. A counter for non-refundable earnest money usually does the trick and discloses the buyers sincerity and ability to purchase.

Putting personal items in as a contingency is just plain bizarre - I agree, I can't believe the realtor allowed them to do this.
I can see maybe having the buyer realtor ask the seller realtor to ask the sellers if there's any chance of them wanting to sell some of their personal items - just as an aside.
but for the rest, holy cow.

Just say no, and refuse the offers, in writing. Hope you are asking a large non refundable down payment with people like these, you have to be real careful.

"Putting personal items in as a contingency is just plain bizarre - I agree, I can't believe the realtor allowed them to do this."
Our Code of Ethics says we have to present ALL offers.

Is there even a remote chance that these people want this house as a vacation home? Even if that were the case, these people will only get more and more difficult.
Let us know what happens!

Is there even a remote chance that these people want this house as a vacation home? Even if that were the case, these people will only get more and more difficult.
Let us know what happens!

Just reject the offer, these are people your friend doesn't want to deal with at inspection time. And all that they want, it says they don't have the money to buy their own stuff and are trying to roll things into their mortgage. Odds are they wouldn't get approved for a mortgage but your friend would be stuck waiting for that.

For future info, personal belonging should always sold seperate from the house as if you were selling the items at a garage sale. When the buyer wanted all of my parents yard care items and the 30 year old pool table a cash deal was made. If the lawnmower dies they can't come back and make a claim on the homeowners warranty.

Counter offer would be full price with items 1,2 & 3. only.

Tell the "potential" buyers that personal property is not for sale. Closing costs are the buyers responsibility. The fence and irrigation system were disclosed in the listing and reflected in the price. End of discussion.

Enjoy the journey.

eal51 in western CT

Wow! I wasn't expecting so many replies!

I'm glad everyone thinks this is absolutely nuts. I told friend that she should think long and hard about even countering because they not only sound like they don't have money (either that or they're el cheapos), but that they would nickel and dime throughout the whole process.

They only gave $1K earnest money and it was contingent on financing, but they only had an approval letter, not one of a committment.

Friend's realtor talked to their realtor and agreed that the demands were excessive and the offer a waste of time.

They decided to reject the offer outright.

I've read a lot of posts on this forum about buyers worrying about insulting the sellers and a lot of replies to those posts telling people not to worry about insulting the sellers. This is the kind of offer that inexperienced buyers should be wary of. Not only is it insulting but it's totally unreasonable. Making a reasonable offer can often be negotiated to a win/win transaction for both parties. Making an unreasonable offer like this should be avoided at all costs because quite often the sellers won't even counter offer. So don't worry so much about insulting buyers with a low price as much as you should worry about not only insulting them with a low price but asking for their first born child to be thrown in to boot. Be reasonable people.

Hm....I think it's a little strange but not offensive. Myu buyer's wanted my dining room set with chairs. Didn't hurt for them to ask and I gave it to them. I didn't need it and it was much less of a hassle than unloading it after I moved. They also went back and forth on wanting my rec room furniture, not wanting, etc. They finally decided not to and then when I had gave it away, they wanted it again. True, they have no money but I don't mind if it helps them out to create a home.

When my brother bought his own home, the sellers included ALL furniture, art work, etc. For every single room in the house. They were downsizing to a condo in another state and didn't want to take it with them. They negotiated a price and it was included in the house sale.

A simple "no" will always do the trick when you don't want to give up something.

With all the media writing about the subprime mortgage debacle, foreclosures, buyers markets, etc., etc., I wonder if the prevalence of extreme offers will increase. (Ok, not this extreme, but you know what I mean.)

One benefit your friend might gain from this experience is to consider if there is anything to suggest they are desperate to sell.

GG - Friend said that it wouldn't have bothered them so much asking for the Bedroom furniture if that was the only thing they asked for. They didn't even expect anyone to ask for it, but with all the other demands, they thought everything was more than a bit much.

I think there's a difference btwn negotiating a favourable deal for both parties and being downright greedy.

The dog crate is what got me most. What are the owners supposed to do, go get a new one? The dog was in the crate when the potential buyers viewed the home.

Jeff - no, I don't think they appear desperate to sell. They are actually upgrading, but haven't found a new house yet as they are waiting for this one to sell first.

This goes beyond a lowball offer. If anything lets assume everything they asked for could have been repaired or replaced for 5% of the purchase price. They would have been better off listing 1,2 and 3 and starting off at 15% below asking. It is just the attention to detail that bothers me. Did they go in there with a list and go room by room? I would not even have remember half this stuff and I thought I was neurotic. Did they spend half a day looking at the place? I might check my jewelry box to make sure nothing was missing

The BIG red flag for me was the demand the sellers pay all closing costs without raising the price to compensate. The buyers gave every indication they had no money to cover the closing costs which can run into the thousands. And that would come out of the seller's side of the transaction.
I can see contributing to the closing costs but not paying all of them.

Yes, the dog crate was strange. It does sound like they have no $$$. If your friend got an offer in 10 days, I wouldn't accept any of their demands. They probably don't expect your friend to agree to it all anyway, just throwing things in to see what they CAN get, if that makes sense.

Real estate is definitely a strange business!! :)

christopher - I thought that was strange too. It just sounds like they wanted everything for nothing and used the strategy that it is a buyer's market and they were going to milk it for all it's worth. It backfired because they more than insulted the seller.

GG - I think they had a faulty strategy adn got caught up in the buyer's market thing. What was strange was friend found out they were not first time homeowners, so it makes it even more strange that they'd ask for the moon and stars.

UPDATE:

The buyers were insulted that the sellers outright refused. Realtor told them it was dead since it was a flat out refusal and the buyers had the audacity to ask their realtor to ask LA if they could put in another offer and start from scratch. LA put it past friend and they flat out refused and told LA to tell BR they will not consider any offers whatsoever from these people.

The buyers were insulted that the sellers outright refused.

Well, that's a new one to me.... insulted buyers. Since your friends have refused to deal with them (can't say I blame the sellers, sometimes the money isn't worth the headache) maybe the buyers will be more reasonable in their next offer.

I think I would have told the realtor that I'd only entertain an offer from these "buyers" if it was full priced offer with no contingencies attached. Hopefully the buyers have learned a lesson on how to negotiate an offer. If you really want a property, be reasonable in your offer and the seller will be more willing to negotiate.

cordovamom - I suggested that very thing to my friend when she told me about the new offer request. She said she thought of it too, but absolutely did not want to deal with these people whatsoever. I don't blame her one bit.

Have you printed this post out for your friend?

rose - never thought of that! I will do. I've just been summarizing for her.

Interesting that the agents were not able to keep emotions in check or negotiations flowing. Maybe lack of experience or skill.

berniek - actually, the agent did try to get them to negotiate, but the seller was so PO'd that their mind was absolutely closed to any other negotiation from the buyer who made the offer. When teh realtor approached the seller about a new offer, they flat out refused. They just didn't want to deal with the hassle that these people created. So, in essence, the realtors did try, seller said screw it.

I'm glad your friend cut this couple off. Their offer was disgusting, and wacko. Why would they be looking at someone else's personal possessions such as cookware? Your friend was right to not deal with them as they are rude and a waste of time.

On a happy note, they received an offer about 95% of asking with the buyer only asking for the fridge, W/D and 50% of closing costs. Not too bad for about 2 weeks on the market.