Bob ThawAnyone involved with today’s market undoubtedly knows that we are in a period of low inventory. This week, we’re going to look at five strategies that allow Buyers and Agents to help thaw an otherwise frozen market.

  1. One Day Exclusive Listing Agreements:

Ordinarily, a Buyer’s Agent will search the MLS looking for homes that meet their Buyer’s requirements within a given area. Due to low inventory, very often there are few homes, if any, to show a Buyer. In this situation, an Agent should consider what’s known as a “one day exclusive listing agreement.” Very simply, the Agent will send a letter stating that they are an Agent of a Buyer who is interested in their home. The Agent will represent/list the recipient’s home for a single day to allow their Buyer to view and potentially submit an offer and as an additional benefit to the Agent, even if the Buyer does not make an offer, for whatever reason, the Seller will often ask the Agent to list their home for sale because now their mindset has shifted due to the excitement of moving. Result: the Buyer is able to see more houses, the Seller is spurred to list their house, and the Agent either sells a house or gets a listing: this is  truly a win, win, win situation.

2. Technology/Social Media: 

One may take the “old school” approach of actually knocking on doors and asking if the owner is interested in selling; and it may work. With social media as a platform to broadcast a desire or need, it’s easy for an Agent to post what their client is looking for, perhaps enticing an otherwise non-selling homeowner to sell their home. For example: “I have a Buyer looking for a 3 bedroom home with a yard big enough for their dog in Mytown, USA.” As an additional benefit, you are marketing and developing your brand as a Real Estate Agent. Friends who didn’t know you were an Agent will be reminded by such posts. Use technology and creativity to “manufacture” inventory and develop your brand.

3. Negotiate a Home Sale Contingency:

Many Buyers are sitting on the sidelines waiting for inventory to increase. The problem is that many of these Buyers are also would-be Sellers. To increase inventory, Buyers who also need to sell should make an offer which includes a home sale contingency with their offer. That said, not all home sale contingencies are created equal. There are generally four types which expire at different points of the sale process: 1) the Seller becoming party to a signed offer, 2) the Seller becoming a party to a signed purchase and sale agreement, 3) the Seller’s Buyer receiving their mortgage commitment, or 4) the Seller closing on their sale and receiving proceeds. An Agent guiding their Buyer should define precisely which type of home sale contingency they are seeking. Sellers should bear in mind that while inventory is low, there’s a good chance that the Buyer will sell their own home quickly assuming their home is properly marketed at a realistic price. The Seller’s agent may be able to evaluate the Buyer’s marketing strategy and home to get a better sense of how likely it will be to sell at the Buyer’s listing price.

Notwithstanding, Sellers may also choose to include a “Kickout Clause” in their counter offer. Generally speaking, a kickout clause allows the Seller to continue listing their house for sale, during which time if the Seller receives a bona fide offer that is stronger than the Buyer’s offer, the Buyer is given a defined period to either waive the home sale contingency or exercise their rights under the contingency to terminate the Agreement. For more information on kickout clauses, read our article, The Offer Part 2 – Contingencies for Sellers to Consider.

4. Negotiate a Suitable Housing Contingency:

Many Sellers are saying that “If I found the right house, I would sell mine.” Those Sellers are sitting on the sidelines waiting for inventory to increase so that they can find their next house. (Some homeowners simply prefer to Sell before they buy. Buying before selling comes with the risk of not being able to find a home to purchase before having to close on their sale.) As with sale contingencies, not all suitable housing contingencies are created equal. A suitable housing contingency generally expires at one of four points: when the Seller 1) signs an offer, 2) signs a purchase and sale agreement, 3) receives a mortgage commitment, or 4) closes on their purchase. The benefit of sharing the risk is that Buyers who would otherwise wait for inventory to increase before listing will be willing to list and sell their homes, thus, increasing inventory.

5. Disclose the Seller’s Time Requirements:

Finally, a Seller may choose to disclose on the listing that they need more time than is customary between signing the Purchase and Sale Agreement and closing: sixty days or even longer is not unreasonable when properly disclosed. Many Buyers are flexible and wouldn’t mind extra time if it means buying the home of their dreams.

While the above strategies do not present a complete panacea, using one day exclusive listings and strategic contingencies can help to bring homes that would otherwise stay off the market, into the market. The common thread between these five strategies is creativity. Creative thinking can help to thaw the frozen market, benefiting Buyer, Sellers and even Agents, alike.

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Stiles Law, with offices located in Boston and Marshfield, Massachusetts, is a firm concentrating in real estate conveyancing and mortgage lending services, representing buyers, sellers, borrowers, banks, mortgage companies, investors, builders and developers in all of their real estate and mortgage transactions. Stiles Law serves all areas of eastern Massachusetts–the North Shore, Boston, and Cape Cod, in addition to the entire South Shore, including: Plymouth, Kingston, Duxbury, Hanover, Pembroke, Marshfield, Scituate, Norwell, Cohasset, Hull, Hingham, Weymouth, Braintree, and Quincy.

Copyright © 2016 Stiles Law, All rights reserved. Stiles Law is a Massachusetts licensed law firm and all content is based on Massachusetts law. The information presented above is meant to be used for general informational purposes and it should not be construed as legal advice or legal opinion on any specific facts. No child labor laws were breached during the creation of this Blog, further Bob Bonkley was compensated for his likenesses and appearances in the same.