Egypt4u

It is absolutely heart breaking.

When they finished the "improvements" to Station Street some years back, we were offered a very good shop premises at a remarkably low price. I said to DH "bite their hand off - you won't get a chance like that again!"

But he was obviously uncomfortable and passed up the chance, because it was being sold by the bank. They just wanted quick money, but it we were not happy with the feeling that we were benefitting from another's crisis.

I admire your scruples MD, but I suppose that someone else benefited by it and was not so bothered about why it was so going so cheap and the bank would sell to the next bidder anyway

@Grandad - the appliances (stove/fridge/dishwasher) I had in the house were older appliances but were in good serviceable condition and working quite well. Problem is they were tan/almond/bone coloured which apparently is the LAST colour anybody wants these days.

This it the before condition when the tenants were in the house. It had bone colored cabinets with oak trim. Granted that is a fashion and style that was very popular here 25 years ago. AND since the tenants broke off quite a few of the oak trim pieces I was unable to fix the cabinet doors as the oak part was inset into panel. AND because the flood degraded down the sides of the floor cabinets they all needed replacing and the new ones are all white. Since I wasn't able to match or even fix cabinet doors I had to replace them so opted for white - which is also the cheapest vs real wood.

Before



This is the after photo of what the kitchen looks like now. Everybody here wants stainless steel or brushed nickel coloured appliances (hence the vent hood fan over where the stove will go) BUT I never thought that would set the precedent for anybody then wanting to purchase NEW appliances to match!!!

After



I figured by going WHITE cabinets with brushed nickel door pulls would leave the option open for stainless steel/brushed nickel or white or even black.......

I did have a big discussion with the Real Estate Agent about exactly what you suggested - filling the empty spots with good appliances (but not necessarily new). He said it really wouldn't matter if I did that as having NEW appliances would probably be, in his opinion, a requirement of the Buyer. It is apparently up to them to decide if they want white/black/stainless so my only way around it would be buy new top of the line stainless appliances. IF I buy white they might want something else.....??

Real Estate guy had also explained to me in an earlier conversation that my house is not a starter home. It is the next level of home up that people buy as they move UP the ladder..........sooooooo wouldn't that mean they already had their OWN appliances?

Mostly I just find that it seems nowadays nobody is working for what they want. Young couples start out and if 'whatever' doesn't fit exactly with whatever it is they have defined they need they'll beg, borrow and steal (or in my case negotiate heavily) to get it. The future doesn't seem to matter to them.

My first washing machine was a wringer washer and my dryer was a clothes line and I had kids and diapers!!

I just don't get it. When and how did 'we' (as in the collective universal we) come to value material things so heavily yet not see the bigger picture?

Like stated here if you keep borrowing money against your land the BANK is the only one that is going to benefit.

I just don't get it at all ....... AND honestly I don't know IF I will easily just hand over $5000 (which seems to be the common price) so that somebody else can purchase NEW appliances. Just rather rubs me the wrong way. Not totally sure why but it just doesn't fit with me. I mean you can offer me $5000 LESS on the purchase price of the house - that I see as just business negotiations but to hand over $$ after - dunno.

@MD - I'd of taken the low price offered by the Bank I figure IF the Bank is involved all the bad luck has already happened and passed. Not too often Banks offer any good deals so I would have definitely taken the 'deal' and then passed it on forward. "It" being any residual I had left over to pass ahead after I'd finished with the Bank.

Exactly Horus. But sometimes money isn't everything. We bought another smaller site, built on that and still have it as a little investment for the future, with a clear mind.

@MD - when you say "with a clear mind" did you have concerns that maybe there was something shady about the Bank offering? IF there was a glimmer that everything was not all on the up and up then I would not have been interested either. I was merely thinking that if a legit bona fide deal was to be had I would have taken it in a heart beat.

Surely if someone offers you the asking price for your property that is it, there is no negotiations after that otherwise just bump it up by the $5000 to start with and play them at their own silly game. At this rate in 12 months time they will be ringing you up and asking you to buy for a crib for the new baby.

The Estate Agent and I settled on a price for the house that IMO was fair. It is over the houses gov't assessed value and puts it at a very good 'comparable' to other similar houses on the market. It was after all the paperwork was done that he sprung the "appliance price factor" at me.......

I did exactly what you just suggested - the 'ok we bump the price UP by that much and I won't care' but apparently putting the price UP by another $5000 was putting me out of range/out of touch/it'll never sell/can't do it blah blah blah AND I had already signed the listing contract.........(did he withhold details from me?? Just happen to forget to mention this 'til after - yeah you bet he did)!!!

I really put Real Estate Agents in the same category as Used Car Salesmen - I really don't like or trust them one iota and if I could I would have preferred to list this house myself but given it is a 2 hour drive away from me, up north etc I opted to list with a Realtor. Am keeping my fingers crossed whomever buys it will have their own appliances!

On another note - I've only signed a 3 month listing. IF it doesn't sell in that amount of time I'm going to look to rent it again - JUST the upstairs (3 bdrm/2bath/kitchen/livingroom) and "I" am going to retain the downstairs as MY section of the house

Mostly I just marvel at the cheek to ask for and demand so much extra AND others must be providing it otherwise it wouldn't such a common thing to ask for.