House #2: Listed

I met with the agent last night to finanlize the listing of House #2. Afterwards, I had "investors remorse" (my term) - I kept thinking of the money I'll be losing in commissions, how I should have continued listing it myself, and so on. But I just need to sit back and relax for a few weeks without the worry of talking with potential buyers/tenants. I think that will be well worth the 3-6% I'll lose in fees.

I decided to go ahead and list the property for sale and for rent as I mentioned before. The agent ran a quick rental analysis of the area and said my lease price is actually not too much higher than the going rate for comps in that subdivision. I had listed it high with the notion that if I get a tenant then the rent will be so high that I'll at least cash flow. My wife and I both want to sell, but cash flow would be good, too. At this time of the season, I'm more likely to get a renter than a buyer anyway.

So, we both went by the property after signing all the paperwork, so I could show her the place and point out things I repaired. It was already dark outside, and the lighting in the house really made the drywall repair jobs stick out to my dismay - but she never saw it, so maybe it was just my already knowing about them. I also pointed out areas in the carpet that still had some stains and other areas where the carpet needed stretched. Almost simultaneously, we both said that if a buyer balks, we can always throw in an allowance at closing to seal the deal. All in all, she seemed to like the property and said it is priced right and should have no problem selling or renting.

Oh, while at her office, I met the broker again. I had sent her an email earlier in the day with some RE agent questions, but she had never responded. At the office, she apologized and said she had a very busy day, yadda, yadda, yadda. But she was very interested and sitting down with me when we both had more time to go over my questions and to talk about it more. She definately sounds like someone I'd like to work with/for, but, again, you just never know.

As soon as the listing goes out on realtor.com, I'll post a link on my blog.

Also, I haven't heard from the tenant since we closed the deal last week. He was supposed to send me a condition report of the property within 5 days, but I haven't goten it. However, I haven't checked the mail in two days, either, so it could be sitting in there. I'll check the mail after work and if it's not there, I'll give him a call.