Where can I find information about a house selling thru a relo company?

Jumbonaut: Where can I find information about a house selling thru a relo company?
I am interested in a house that is listed at $ 425K. That price has already been reduced from $ 450K. I looked into the history of this house and it was purchased in 1997 for $ 230K (not that it has much to do with the current value). But I found out that the owners were company-relocated and a relo company is handling the sale.

Firstly, i think the house is slightly overpriced. Secondly, the realtor I spoke with says the company is highly motivated to sell (probably since it’s been on the market for a long time).

Is there any place where I can find out how much the relo company paid the owner? This information would be incredibly helpful in determining the offer I make on the house. Would $ 385K be too low-ball of an offer (90% of asking price)?

Answers and Views:

Answer by Jollyporky
It is not a matter of how much the house was purchased at in 1997 nor how the relo company paid the owner.

If you are really interested in that house, I’ll suggest you approach a finance company or a valuer to find out how much would they value that house. Then you can make a your offer with the value as a guide.

Good luck!!!

Answer by Ted
No, unless you have access to information provided by Title companies. Even then the relo company would have had to take title to the property for that information to be accessible.

Since you are dealing with a company and not an emotional home owner, write the offer you feel comfortable with. If you are too low, the relo company will probably not counter. If you are close then you may get a counter offer. The relocation company has already paid for an appraisal and a BPO (broker price oppinion). They have a game plan for the time being, they know the market is slow, now the trick is to write an offer that will trigger a counter……..you can always counter their counter.

Ted
Realtor
Simi Valley, CA

P.S. I’m an emotional home owner myself!

Answer by VolunteerJim
You probably have as much information right now as you’re going to get.

Based on my experience with relocation firms they typically do not actually take title to a house until just before closing with a new buyer and often not even then.

Generally a relocation company’s goal is to sell a house as quickly as possible for the best price they can get. The longer it sets on the market the more flexible they become on price and terms.

A lot of relo firms are also affiliated with mortgage companies and will sometimes cut you a better deal if you get your loan through their affiliate.

If you’re not already obligated to work with a particular Realtor I would find one that understand how relocation moves work and how to apply that to your advantage.

For example some companies that hire relo firms to manage their employee’s moves guarantee that employee will not lose money on the sale. For you that means you could actually buy the house for less than the current owner paid for it and the relo company will eat the difference.

An offer 90% below asking would not be out of line for a house that has been on the market for 90 days or more, especially if they’ve had a price reduction from 450 to 425.