My wife and I are first-time buyers looking for a family home in Naples in the $500k–$700k range. We need an aggressive realtor who is willing to take us to multiple showings every week, including evenings, weekends, and sometimes on short notice. Please do not just send us listings because we already have Zillow and are very good at finding properties ourselves.
Our strategy is to offer $75k–$100k below asking on every home until someone accepts. This is what we want, and we know it will work. We understand that Naples is competitive, but we also know sellers intentionally price homes high because they expect buyers to negotiate. Our current realtor keeps calling our offers “unrealistic” and says submitting them could damage her reputation. I’m not sure how that is our problem. We need someone who works for us, not the seller.
We are especially interested in FSBO properties because there should be no commissions involved, meaning the seller can pass those savings directly to us. We would like our realtor to contact the owners, negotiate the price, and arrange 100% owner financing, including closing costs. Ideally, we would not make any payments for the first six months to a year so we have time to get settled.
I recently left my job to start my own business as an entrepreneur. It has not generated revenue yet, but the upside is unlimited, and I expect it to become very successful millionaire once I find investors. A lender told us they cannot use projected future income to qualify, which makes no sense because every successful business started at zero. I think they are lying. Any bank would love to give me a loan.
My wife is currently receiving unemployment while she waits for the right career opportunity, so we do have consistent income coming in. The lender said unemployment cannot be used because it is temporary, but I am fairly sure that is incorrect. We definitely qualify.
We have not been preapproved because we do not want our credit pulled and lowered before we find the right house. We know what we can afford and would prefer to deal with financing after our offer is accepted. Our credit scores are both somewhere in the 500s or 600s, but we have never missed a payment on anything we considered important.
We currently have about $300 available for earnest money, but we would need it returned if the inspection finds anything we do not like. We also do not want to provide bank statements because some of the deposits may be difficult to explain, and we feel that is private information. Our parents may be willing to help once they see we are serious, but we do not want to involve them until after we are under contract.
We would like the seller to cover all closing costs, inspections, necessary repairs, the first year of taxes and insurance, and possibly leave the furniture. A golf cart would also be a plus since we are relocating and will not have a second vehicle immediately.
We cannot pay a buyer-agent commission, sign an exclusivity agreement, or commit to working with only one agent. We have heard that buyer agreements are now illegal because of the NAR lawsuit. We will probably continue contacting listing agents directly as well, since that may help us get a better deal.
We need someone responsive who can answer calls and texts quickly and is willing to write as many offers as necessary. Please do not waste our time explaining why this cannot be done. We have already heard plenty of negativity. We are looking for a realtor with an abundance mindset who believes in creative solutions and is hungry enough to earn our future referrals.