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Realtor Blues
I am hoping I am posting this inquiry in the right spot. Mods, do not hesitate to inform me otherwise if I'm incorrect.
Anywho... My husband and I are currently renting a small house. Now while it does have its perks (gotta love that 5 minute commute to work), it is definitely not our idea of a forever home. If we were to expand our family, it would be entirely too small for more than 2 people to live in. Plus, my animal lover of a hubby foresees a future with at least two dogs. We can't achieve this right now due to the no pets clause in the lease.
One of the big problems with this house is because of who is getting our rent checks. Our landlord seems nice, but it has been almost problematic to get in touch with her over problems. (Took a few weeks and having somebody else come in to fix something to get her to try to fix a broken set of basement stairs. As I am writing this, we are still waiting to hear back on getting a floor ripped out which is causing our plumbing to leak.)
My husband and I have begun the process of trying to look for houses in the area to possibly buy. It is definitely something we are excited about and we have already gotten ideas for how to make a new place our own.
Here's the problem: I had found a house that would not be bad to go look at. It looked very nice and seemed a reasonable price. I looked to go see who the realtor was...and it's my landlord.
I have two thoughts running through my head at this point:
1) Should I even bother contacting her? It was already a pain to schedule a house viewing for the rental place. I could see it becoming chaotic to arrange a day to see a larger property. Plus, with how long it took me to hear back from her about actual house problems, I don't know if she'd get back to me in a reasonable time frame.
2) Am I technically able to actually ask her about the property? I don't want it to become an issue where she is assuming I am breaking the lease and would penalize me or evict me. I would be able to stay my full year before I'd move out.
Any thoughts or ideas how I can approach this would be greatly appreciated.
Re: Realtor Blues
Could she also be the owner of the new home ? If so, I wouldn't look at it due to the fact that she doesn't seem on top of home maintenance.
If she isn't the owner, I don't know. Whatever happens, you need to find a buyers agent or someone who will have your best interests in mind. If you contact her, she will be looking out for her own or her sellers interest, not yours.
As the pp mentioned, I would check public records (our county has online tax records) to see who the owner is -- if she owns it, I wouldn't even bother looking.
If she is simply the listing agent, get yourself a buyers agent and check it out. Don't tell your agent you know the listing agent -- it's none of their concern -- and your landlord will never know you saw it, you don't have to leave your name or anything.
Good luck!
This.
I am a Realtor in Columbus, Ohio.. so keep in mind that things here may be a little different than where you are at.
1.) When searching for a new home usually it's better to consult with your own real estate agent. The sellers of the property pay commissions to both sides of the transaction, therefore you don't have to pay to work with a Realtor. They get paid by the seller once the transaction closes. By finding your own agent to work with, you are protecting yourself from any conflict of interest. Most listing agents are working exclusively for the sellers and are not going to be able to advise you accordingly. If you need help finding a real estate agent in your area just email me and I can help you. (Free of charge, haha) amanda.head@kw.com
When you find properties that you are interested in simply contact your agent and they set up the showings for you. If your landlord is giving Realtors a hard time about showing properties either one of two things is going to happen. 1. The house isn't going to sell because they aren't letting people see it or 2. Someone is going to report them to the local board of Realtors and they could be fined, or their license could be suspended.
2.) Technically, YES.. if they are listing a home you have the right to ask them anything about the property. They don't necessarily have to tell you EVERYTHING that you ask about but material facts about the home MUST BE DISCLOSED. (Prior damages, leaks, mold, radon, structural issues, foundation issues, roof issues, ect.) As long as you go about getting out of your lease the correct way (giving proper notice, not damaging property, ect.) you are doing nothing wrong. Your landlord cannot evict you just because he/she "assumes" anything. It's simply not legal unless you have given them a reason to evict you.
Hope this helps! If you have any questions please feel free to email me! amanda.head@kw.com.
Thanks - Mandy
You want to get your own agent - (who will represent your interests as a buyer "buyer's agent" at no cost to you - as that will be paid at closing by the seller)
Then let your buyer's agent deal with her -- she does not need to know who you are at this point - that will come later if you choose to make an offer on the house.
I concur with the other PPs about finding your own agent to help you house shop. I think that is just a good idea anyway. Since your landlord is a real estate agent, it probably isn't a bad idea to just let her know you are actively looking (because she might find out anyway), but assure him/her you will follow through with your lease.
Coincidentally, my previous landlord was also my real estate agent who I used to buy the house I currently live in (she was my agent, not the selling agent). But my situation was a little different because she was the one who initially encouraged me to look into buying a home (there was a special, local first-time homebuyer's program at the time).
And, I bought a duplex, so now I am a landlord also. And I have lost each of my last/current two tenants because they bought a house, lol (current ones are moving out next Sat). Unfortunately, while there are crazy and irrational landlords in the world, generally speaking a landlord is not going to evict you because you are thinking about buying a house. In fact my current (soon to be last) tenants told me up front before they signed the lease that they only wanted a 6-month lease because they were looking to buy a home. I still rented to them, even knowing the score.
I do hate being in-between tenants but, as long as someone stays for the duration of their lease(then it goes month-to-month) and gives me 30-days notice after that, it's all good with me.