has anyone found their house via Zillow Make Me Move?

10 years ago

We've been looking a very short while but I checked out the MMM option mostly out of curiosity, and hey presto -- a house in our price range, right location, with everything we're looking for, and beautiful to boot. Like magic.

I did contact the owner through the provided email link at Zillow, emphasizing that although we're looking to make a cash offer, we're a family wanting a home, not investors.

Has anyone actually ended up "making someone move"? Do you think most of these homeowners are serious about it, and serious about their asking price? Was it worth the added hassle of buying a house with occupants in it (most of the houses we're looking at have been empty and I like it that way)?

It's hard not to get excited about a house that checks every box like this one does! At the same time I keep thinking why would someone not list their house, if they really wanted to sell?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (9)

kirkhall
10 years ago
There is someone on the board who did sell by a zillow MMM... I hope he'll chime in for you.

The one caution would be that perhaps the MMM price they listed was an old one, and they never updated it to reflect today's prices.

But, hey, doesn't hurt to ask! I would keep my hopes in check until I at least saw the house in person though.
Zoe52
10 years ago
Most of the prices I have seen in my area are way over market price. I would get an appraiser to look it over before buying it.
Related Discussions
Has anyone found the solution to storing tupperware?
Q
Comments (28)
I used to have all kinds of plastic storage containers...from Tupperware to Rubbermaid to Glad/Ziploc to plastic ice cream containers w/lids I saved. When I packed up the kitchen, I get rid of all the containers with missing lids and lids with missing containers as well as the "ice cream container" types. That left me with mostly Tupperware & Rubbermaid. I still had two 33" deep drawers worth when I put our kitchen back together. It was OK then when I had an "extra" drawer, but now that I need that drawer for my Gluten-free-foods-only toaster, waffle iron, and a few other tools, I again went through what I had and got rid of just about everything except the Tupperware. I did save the big Rubbermaid containers for Christmas cookies once a year, but they're packed away the rest of the year. So now I'm down to older Tupperware plus the newer ones that have expanding tops (I really like those!) I have also replaced some of the old plastics with glass Pyrex dishes b/c I can use them in my MW, Trivection, and regular ovens. I've become wary of using plastic in the MW lately...regardless of BPA content. I just ordered Tupperware for my pantry (Modular Mates that are on sale through this week). I agree with Guppy_2009 and will leave those containers in the pantry even when they're empty.
...See More
Mirabelle/Gage propagation via cutting & rooting/grafting--moving away
Q
Comments (10)
Thanks everyone, for chiming in. I love the fact that I now have multiple options, with the ability to even choose all of them, if I want--including "farming out" the job of grafting it, as well as trying my own hand at it. Thanks, again for the great ideas. I never thought of paying someone to do a custom graft, nor buying my own rootstock at a big-box store by just getting a basic tree. Also, if the ancient tree is grafted, I certainly can't see it anywhere on the trunk--and I can usually spot a graft. But this tree is so gnarled that maybe it's long been invisible. But the tree also doesn't sucker. In all the years of living there, I've never seen one. I've found a few small trees nearby that may have come up from seed, and I'm keeping an eye on them, but I honestly can't even tell if they are the same as the Mother Tree. They look somewhat different, and they've neither flowered nor fruited, so maybe there's a cross-pollinator that means the tree doesn't come up true from seed, or maybe they are something else altogether. Whatever the case, I just don't want to say goodbye to this tree forever, so I am glad to have multiple options. The great likelihood is that I'll try several of them, and (If I'm lucky!) wind up with more than one successful clone--not a bad thing at all!!!
...See More
Has anyone found an acceptable GF bread?
Q
Comments (35)
I haven't read all the above posts, so sorry if I repeat anything. Nicole Hunn: Gluten free on a shoe string. She has some free downloadables including a recipe for GF English Muffin Bread. I have made many of her recipes including the dreaded Green Bean Casserole. I have made bread from her book but I have moved on. Sourcing issues. I like other types of recipes she develops. http://glutenfreeonashoestring.com Elanas Pantry. Full of really healthy and GF options. https://elanaspantry.com No Gluten NO problem, full of good interesting recipes. I have made bread from this group. Wonderful pie crust and pumpkin pie recipe, too. http://nogluten-noproblem.com America's Test Kitchen: How can it be gluten free cookbook. Made many breads from this book. They have english muffins too. They take the time to educate on why a particular ingredient works or doesn't. This can help you learn to convert a traditional recipe into something you can eat and enjoy. The ( or a or some) trick(s) to successful GF baking is or are: 1. sourcing some of the ingredients. Baked goods needs structure and without gluten for structure, you will need other things that act accordingly. Not all of these ingredients are at the grocery. I have found some at a big health food grocery or Amazon. Honeyville Grain is where I buy my almond flour. I keep it in the freezer with a 1/2 gallon mason jar in the Fridge for immediate use. Time. Same ingredients will benefit from a rest period to incorporate the liquid into the dry so you don't get a dried out loaf of tasteless cardboard. 3. Patience and sense of adventure. Changing our diets can be challenging at best and very discouraging at worst. I did it to improve my health which far exceeded any expectations I ever had. This is backed up by blood tests plus pleasant surprise by medical professionals. If you really don't want to get into all this because it can get expensive to get the right equipment and ingredients then Trader Joe's bread is totally acceptable. It has a decent mouth feel, doesn't fall apart and is affordable. I buy several and keep them in the freezer for sandwiches. I used to use Udi's for emergencies but it can be rather dry and does fall apart. So no more of that. I also like Food for Life Brown Rice Tortillas. I use them to make a flatbread to go with soup or a quick pizza. Hope all the GF'ers have a great day.
...See More
Has anyone found a new ingredient lately?
Q
Comments (45)
Lars, i have lemon, lime and ginger powder. And the peel in hard dried tiny chunks. And whole lime dried. They are all a bit different. Still working out how to incorporate. Most of my spices are whole seed. So i toast on low heat, then add the powdered spices. Testing using warm water to soak. Last night i made a blend into warm olive oil and it is soaking to top some naan tonight. It seems a completely different flavor profile than fresh, like most spice. I do like it. Just different. Like fresh turmeric vs dried. A challenge but a fun one. The Za'atar is interesting. The mix i purchased. Not something i normally would buy but trying new blends is interesting. Many of these spices are anti-inflammatory so that seems to be proving so. @sarah. Elk is on the lean side like Moose. Not gamy. Using some pork would add some minor fat. Are you cubing or grinding. I think a stew, cubed, would tenderize enough. Like in your ragu. I've used game meats cubed and used a bit of ground chuck for some fat. Just to differentiate the two flavors. Sounds really good.
...See More
FmrQuahog
10 years ago
What is "market" price, really? Is it a number from 2005? Or maybe 2009?
Or is it what an educated buyer is willing to pay for a home he thinks offers a good combo of quality and value?
User
10 years ago
My experience with MMM is the the people have a severely inflated opinion about their home. It's their pie in the sky top of the market price 30% above their neighbors or in case some developer wants it as a teardown for the new municipal building or a billionaire's mansion. Not true market value.

Market value is what an appraiser for the bank says it is. These days, he can be a little behind what true market price might be, but that leaves the buyer bringing more cash to the table. No bank will lend for more than the appraisal.

I'd never pay cash for a price significantly above what a bank appraisal will assess the home to be worth. Unless there were some very unique property features, or the home had a sentimental type attachment like it was your grandparents. Even then, it would be foolish to pay so much more for a property than the open market would have it bring.
lazy_gardens
10 years ago
If the house has the right combo of location and features, offer something in line with recent sales in that area.

See what happens.
kellienoelle
10 years ago
One of my friends did this recently. And yes, the appraisal came in at 50K less than the negotiated purchase price. She was so frantic to get this particular house that she chalked the entire thing up to an appraisal error. So instead of asking the sellers to lower the price she ditched the appraisal and got a new one. This also involved finding an entire new lender who was more "creative" and bringing more money to the table. I guess she thought that if they pressed it would spook the sellers (even though they had already been transferred to a new state and needed the sale, and my friend hadn't even listed her house yet). Personally, I thought she was crazy.

Granted that is just one experience in probably many.
nosoccermom
10 years ago
Market value is not at what an appraiser will value a house, nor is the asking price. Market value is what a house sells for. In my area, many houses are now selling above asking price and below bank appraisal.
Nunyabiz1
10 years ago
well do not go by "Zillow" "Zestimate prices, they are usually pretty far off especially since they changed their method.

The MMM people probably are thinking of selling or they wouldn't have bothered to put it on there.
tkln
10 years ago
We had our house listed as a MMM for about 6 months before we actually listed it for sale (FSBO). We weren't in a rush but I figured it couldn't hurt to just post it. I actually got a number of inquiries, but most were from people who were also not in a rush to buy lol...I did price it slightly higher than market value, but then listed it for just 20K less when we were ready to sell.

Our area was very high demand for tear downs/cash buyers/etc and we had a prime location, so my thought process was that if someone really wanted the house they'd know we were open to offers. We did get several cash offers but from builders who obviously wanted to pay significantly less than we wanted.

has anyone found their house via Zillow Make Me Move?

Comments (9)

kirkhall

Zoe52

Related Discussions

FmrQuahog

User

lazy_gardens

kellienoelle

nosoccermom

Nunyabiz1

tkln

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US