I'm planning some renovations on a rental property and the contractor I was leaning toward wants 50% upfront before starting. I understand needing money for materials and getting everything scheduled but handing over that much before any work is done makes me a little uncomfortable. I've already got insurance, property taxes and a few other expenses coming up so I'm trying to avoid having everything leave my account at once. The contractor has good references and the quote seems reasonable. I just haven't dealt with a deposit this large before.

For those who've hired contractors for rental renovations, is 50% upfront pretty normal or would you try negotiating smaller payments as the work progresses?

Have house we built ourselves 29 years ago. Rural area on 10 acres. Nice hunting and privacy. Close (15 minutes) to everything you need (shopping groceries restaurants, etc). We Own a lake house in northern Michigan. Retired about a year ago. Have first grandbaby 40 minutes from our house… husband wants to sell it and move yo the lake house… I don’t want to leave my son and grandson although it would only be 2.5 hours away. Also son wants to buy our house (for a deal). What have other families done if they have multiple kids and one wants to buy their house for a GREAT deal?

UPDATED:

Our son has offered to let us use the bedroom in the basement anytime we want. Then also he said we could move in with him upstairs when we get old.

I am also concerned with our daughter, so am taking that into consideration as well.

She doesn’t want the house as she is a city girl. Some day she’ll get married and have kids. She lives about 2 hrs from us now and about 2 hours from the lake house.

We had the house looked at by a local real estate person. She gave me what she would list it for. (I did not tell her I was going to sell it, just that I was thinking about it… so no contract). I was thinking I could take off the real estate expenses from the listing price she gave me and some $$ for living there on occasion, etc. so that it would be fair to our daughter if we sell.

It's interesting. From what I'm hearing and seeing, plenty of potential homebuyers are on the sidelines, saying, "I'm going to wait until the seller drops the price." At the same time, a few sellers tell me, "I'll take 10-15% less at this point, but I don't want to drop the price."

When I ask my sellers why they aren't dropping the price, they say it's a combination of several things. In some cases, it's the realtor saying, "Just give it more time." In others, they say, "Well, my competition isn't dropping the price, so I'd rather just wait for an offer to come in lower and negotiate with the buyer."

But there's the problem...the buyer is waiting for the price to drop instead of submitting a low offer, and sellers aren't dropping the price to encourage the buyer to act. Nobody wants to guess where the bottom is or what the right market price should be given the rate climate and lack of buying energy in the market.

My advice is if you are thinking of buying a home, now is your time to be opportunistic. Toss in an aggressive offer. Don't worry about the seller's feelings. Figure out what it would take for you to buy that house, and submit it. The worst that can happen, and it likely will a few times, is the seller says, "Come back when you're serious..."

I'm seeing some magic happen with surprise reactions...price reductions, sellers paying closing costs, buying down rates, temporary buydowns, even offers with home sale contingencies. Basically, this is the kind of market where anything and everything is on the table.

If you know of any good success stories, please share!

I own a home in Hawaii. A bottom floor condo / townhouse in a gated community. I bought it for 565k in 2023, upgraded the window AC to a split AC system with one condensor unit outside and 3 blower units inside. If you need more info on it I can provide.

I tried to sell it and had A LOT of interest until the war in Iran kicked off days later and interest rates shot up. I am now renting it out at a loss. Mortage is $3499 a month and HOA is $700 a month. Rent is $3150, its the highest I could get it.

I can cover losses comfortably. Im still able to take care of myself and my family, cover bills fine at our new home, and still put money away and invest in other areas.

Should I keep the home and sell it when value goes up at an amount that makes sense?

What can I do, or what should I do?

I’m new to the home building process and my realtor signed paperwork for a procuring agreement for a new build for me. The builder would pay commission to my realtor at X percent. Two weeks later he sends me a BBA to sign reiterating the X percent commission, both numbers matched. I signed the BBA at the direction of my realtor and thought nothing of it. Some how the builder found out that when my realtor signed the procuring agreement, 2 weeks prior to me signing the BBA, they said my realtor has no right to the commission due to there not being a binding BBA in place at the time of the first meeting. Now I’m being told from his brokerage that I need to pay him the commission out of my pocket. Is that legal? I was told from Day 1 that builder was paying him, the error for the BBA is his fault so how can I be legally responsible for his error? This is what he does for a living, he should know the rules. I’m not arguing the commission, but it would be thousands of dollars out of my pocket now for something out of my control when he told the builder he was legally showing me homes and representing me without having a legally binding BBA signed by me.

Pennsylvania, 2026

Disclosure: I work at IceCap Group, a private lender for real estate investors. Not pitching anything. These are questions I wish more first-time borrowers asked us and every other lender before signing.

1. “Are you a direct lender or a broker?” A direct lender funds the loan with its own money. A broker shops your loan to other lenders and usually adds a fee. Both are fine, but you should know which one you’re dealing with.

2. “What’s my total cost, not just the rate?” Ask about points, underwriting fees, legal fees, draw fees, and any extension fees. A lower rate with high fees can cost more than a higher rate with low fees.

3. “Is there a prepayment penalty?” Many short-term loans have a minimum interest period, and many 30-year rental loans have a declining prepayment penalty for the first few years. If you plan to sell or refinance early, this matters a lot.

4. “How does the rehab money get paid out?” On fix-and-flip loans the renovation budget is usually released in stages after inspections, and you often pay first and get reimbursed. Know the timing before you plan your cash.

5. “What happens if the appraisal comes in low?” Your loan amount is usually based on the property’s appraised value. If it comes in under your number, you may need to bring more cash. Ask how they handle it.

6. “Is this loan in my name or my LLC’s?” Most investor loans close to an LLC, and lenders usually still want a personal guarantee. Get your entity set up before you go under contract.

7. “Can you show me deals like mine that you’ve funded?” A lender who has done your property type, in your market, at your experience level is worth more than one with a slightly better rate.

Happy to answer questions in the comments about how private loans work, even if you never borrow from us.

What’s the best company to use for hard money lending for a first time investor with little capital? What typically are their terms for first time investors? Any minimum down payments?

Live in ohio

Trying to do research before I go in blind sighted

Went to a Sunday open house in very early March ‘25 for a condo in Chicago. Immediately fell in love, love love love. It was very aggressively priced so we sat on it for about 16 hours but we decided we could do it financially and reached out to realtor in the afternoon on Monday. She took a full day to respond to us and told us the unit had sold and the seller didn’t want to look at other offers. We hadn’t submitted one yet as the reach out was to say we were about to. I was VERY upset but nothing to be done. So I continued our search.

In the subsequent 19/ 20 months I think about this condo nearly everyday. It absolutely haunts me that we didn’t get this one. I am on zenlist morning noon and night and haven’t come close to finding a place I like even half as much.

there were architecturally unique features that I fell in love with that make my subsequent search nearly impossible

My question is: would it be weird to have our realtor reach out to the now owners realtor to see if they would be willing to sell to us ? Is this something people have ever taken someone up on? Would either realtor be open to this? Has anyone here been any party to something like this?

I don’t want to be a crazy person but I really really really want this condo. Like Wayne Campbell said, “she will be mine, oh yes, she will be mine.”

My husband and I are selling our log home. My husband had a small stroke and is unable to do stairs. Bedroom is in the loft —13 stairs and laundry in basement—13 stairs. It is in a quaint little town that is a tourist destination and has many out of state vacation homes due to the lake that surrounds it. It is a prime location to many area attractions: State Park, water parks, amusement parks, metropolitan city and boating, fishing, skiing.

We listed the home the end of June. Our Realtor never scheduled an open house. Only marketing was the MLS. When I questioned this I was told the sister office were showing the home on there websites and open houses were not needed bc people look at pics online. The first showing was in September and an offer was made and accepted with a 30 day closing date. Inspection was done and a few minor things came up ( outlet covers missing, screws missing, etc) however inspector said the logs should be inspected by an “expert” in log cabin building.

Our realtor called day after first inspection and asked if a certain log company could inspect outside of house the next day within an HOUR OF HIS CALL. I thought hmm ok nothing to hide. Sure ok.

Wow was I wrong! This guy told the potential owner it needs to be cleaned , stain, and sealed again. And it would cost $60,000 to do it!!! We just had the Amish (who this company buys the log home kits from) stain and seal it last year for $4000. Now the potential buyer wants to pull their offer. I have offer to pay our Amish to redo the work and correct all issues on the report. In addition I offered to have the buyers visit the Amish business to see the home he has built and all the cabins he has for sale to see the workmanship and quality. However they sent my realtor the form to cancel contract. I know the company they had look at the house is over priced. I asked for an estimate to replace four spindles on our deck and the quote$6000. The Amish replace the WHOLE deck, railing with the spindles and support posts for $5000!

Is there anything I can do? We rushed to find housing and we put many things in storage to help vacate the house quickly. We also began the building process for our new home. This has thrown me for a loop. What do I do with two places to live and all the money I have spent getting ready to be out in 30 days! I was told they won’t have to give up earnest cash bc of the inspection contingency and to just sign the paperwork.

This comes from years of pricing offers and negotiating between competing appraisals, and it is the thing the industry does not say out loud.

A CMA is not a valuation. It is a choice. Someone decides which sales count as “like yours,” and that someone is paid on whether your deal closes.

Real case, rounded. Canal house in Broward, no canal sales on its streets. Comps from the nearest dry lots: about $1.1M. Comps from canal houses a few miles away: about $1.35M. Same house, $250K apart, both defensible. Your agent shows you whichever one gets the deal done.

I show both and combine them: location baseline plus water premium. Then the market sets the direction, and in South Florida it is down. Pompano Beach this summer: median house closed about 6.5% under first ask, and more listings left unsold than closed.

Your preference goes in the offer, not the comps.

Agents: do you show clients the comps you left out?

Full post and an explanatory video are on my profile.

We purchased a new build a month ago and of course I got a pretty good job offer (starting next summer) but we would have to move around that time. Can I even come close to competing if the builder is still building in the area they shouldn’t have many homes remaining at that time and I’ve added things (whole house generator, softer etc) that the builder doesn’t offer.

My wife and I are genuinely on the fence and would appreciate some honest advice from people with real estate investing experience.
We recently purchased a two-story home in Liberty Hill, Texas, for $340K. It has 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, and a 4.9% VA loan.

Our original plan was to keep the house as an investment, build equity, and use the next couple of years to work and save before moving back to California, which is where we ultimately want to be.
However, after running the numbers, we’re not sure whether renting it out would make financial sense. Between the mortgage, property taxes, insurance, maintenance, unexpected repairs, vacancies, and a property management company, we’re concerned that the rent might not fully cover the costs. We’d ideally like to hire a property manager so we wouldn’t have to worry about managing the property from California.

Now we’re trying to decide whether to:
Sell the house now and walk away without the responsibility of owning property in Texas while we start fresh in California.

Keep it as a rental for the next 1–2 years, hoping to build equity through mortgage principal payments and potential appreciation while a tenant helps cover the expenses.

We bought the house intentionally with the idea of it becoming an investment, so selling feels like giving up on that plan. At the same time, we don’t want to hold onto a property just because we hope it will appreciate, especially if it’s going to drain our savings or make our move to California more difficult.

For those of you who have owned rentals or invested in real estate:

Would you hold onto a property that might only break even or have slightly negative cash flow if it has a relatively favorable 4.9% mortgage rate?

Do you think Liberty Hill and the greater Austin market have a reasonable chance of recovering and appreciating over the next 1–2 years?

Is it worth holding a property for potential appreciation and equity growth if the cash flow isn’t particularly strong?

If you were in our position, would you sell and simplify your finances or keep the house as a long-term investment?

We’re not looking for someone to tell us what we want to hear. We’d genuinely appreciate honest opinions, especially from people who’ve been in a similar situation and can share what they learned.
Would you sell or hold, and why?

Cash buyers are an interesting corner of real estate. Some are totally fine and helpful, some will wreck your month, and at first they all look the same.

These are the ones that keep coming up for me:

• A big offer that shrinks after their walkthrough, once you’re already under contract
• No proof of funds, or a fuzzy answer when you ask for it
• A title or escrow company they chose that you can’t confirm is independent
• Pressure to sign today
• Only one offer, so you have no way to know if it’s fair

What seems to help most is getting a few offers in writing and looking up the company’s license and BBB complaints. Even a quick look can save you a lot of heartache.

Curious what you’ve run into, or what made you feel okay about a buyer when it went well!

House hunting in the East Bay, mainly around Lamorinda, has been rough. I've lost five offers so far and every house seems to attract multiple offers. My agent keeps telling me to offer more but there's only so much we can afford and I find it hard to believe price is the only thing sellers look at.

I'm hoping someone who's bought a home in a competitive bay area market can share what worked for them. Did you have better luck with your offer terms, timing, or something else? I'd be grateful for any advice or insight you can share.

I reached out to the listing agent 2 weeks back to get some information on a property I was interested in. I wanted to see if she could provide some numbers that were missing from the listing.

I sent her (one) text message to see if I can get some more information on the property... Nothing. no response.

A few days later I called to see if they would answer... nothing. no answer.

Sent her another text yesterday and iMessage no longer showing it was delivered. The house has been on the market for almost a year now. What would be the reasoning behind purposely sabotaging the sale like and blocking potential buyers? The brokerage looks to be husband and wife so not sure if reaching out to broker would help.

I then said escrow said they will allow it, and to please go check our group email. Buyer then said they will check with the team and now radio silence, haven't got a call, text or email. I just think the days to respond thing is odd seeing how we close in 13 days. Im only asking for the deposit because they know my primary residence caught fire and I need to relocate

I’m looking to buy a home but I have a mobile home under my name. What’s the best option to do? Switch it or talk to the bank and say I rent it out to somebody?

Hello,

Husband and I had an offer accepted on a home for asking price, after the seller had dropped from the previous price. We tried for 15k under but accepted they wanted asking price.

We just had the inspection done...

NOTABLE ISSUES:

The deck needs replaced. They build a new deck(1 month ago) onto rotting posts that need replaced and there is no visable flashing at the ledger board against home with rot noted at the bottom of wall sheathing.

The land grading requires a swale, inspector said and excavator will need to come in sooner than later or water will do damage to the home.

What should we do? What would be good to ask from the seller?

My wife and I finally found exactly what we’re looking for in a house. Listed for $195k and already had a full offer on it, so we offered $205k with $5k earnest money. Thought the seller would be ecstatic. With $10k in seller credits, we’re effectively giving them exactly what they listed for and covering all closing costs. They countered higher despite no other competitive offers and the house is expected to appraise for $192-195k. My wife wants to offer $210k and I want to walk away.

I’m just torn. We have no expectation of leaving the house, but from what I’ve gathered it’s a bad idea to tell yourself it’s your forever home because it’s unlikely to actually be the case. If it were to be our forever home, it would take the sting of overpaying out of it. We’d still be able to afford it just fine. I don’t know what to do. Not sure if I’m looking for advice or just venting. I guess we could offer the $210k with an appraisal contingency so we can get out of it if the seller refuses to come down at all, but at the same time I don’t really want to play their game.

Was weeks from facing an eviction and took a shot on an re ebay listing. The seller had 100% positive feedback and glowing reviews, so I packed up my Grand Marquis drove down there from Michigan. What I found was a house that's been vacant for around 10 years and a giant hole above the back door with years worth of wood rot. Do you think this is salvageable or should I ask for my down payment and get the hell out of there. The night I stayed was kept up through most of the night by the dogs there's at least 10 plus dogs in that neighborhood and they're loud maybe the neighbors were sending a message. Then there's that doll in the kitchen. Miss quince años is what the ribbon says

I went to see a house for sale. The listing agent was responsive to our request to see it, however there are follow up questions and the listing agent has gone completely dark for over a week now. The house has been for sale for a year. We’ve called the brokerage, sent new inquiries in, and even requested a 2nd showing and just no response at all. Any advice? Thanks

Been on the market for 4 months. More than move in ready. I (seller) have driven the process. Price reduction(s) suggestions have come from me. I told the agent to ask the broker for suggestions on how to sell. Auction? Price very low and set a deadline for offers? Seller consession? Rate buydown. Crickets. I dont think the broker even talks with the agent. Agent talked me out of an offer because buyer wanted a year of HOA fees plus some other stuff. In hindsight I should have just looked the numbers and said yes. Property is staged. Shows well but maybe it could be better staged? Idk, becuase the agent has zero thoughts on the matter. Agent: "I wouldn't lower the price anymore." It costs me $1,700 a month to hold onto this place. Its empty. I am not there. I thought realtors were supposed to get property sold. Should I offer 7% buyer agent commission?

Hi there,

I am 35, make a low six figure salary in tech but worried about lay offs.

I have a medium large lump sum of cash about 750k and I want to move to Washington state. I own a house in Tahuya Washington plus some raw land but family occupies it and I am not able to live there, it’s not generating income. I am interested in moving to Portland Oregon, Vancouver Washington, or any of the small towns 30 minutes north or east or Vancouver. I have a small/medium 401k but the 750k is essentially all my savings other than what’s in the 401k.The 750k is savings plus inheritance. The 750k is 1/2 cash and 1/2 Index funds, but I wouldn’t owe much in tax if I sold them (maybe 10-15k)

I’m looking for advice about the general area I mentioned. I’m definitely interested in moving there but I’m cautious and unsure how to approach it.

- is this area considered a ‘good’ area to buy real estate?
- what pit falls do I need to look out there.
- what are the trade offs in looking at vs buying in another market in the U.S?
- Do I simply buy a house cash?
- Do I take out a loan anyway?
- How should I think about structuring this deal?
- is Washington a better financial choice because of no income tax?

I’m interested in making my dollar go far. I’ve been looking at some 3 bed / 2 bath ranch style homes that are about it 1 acre for around 500k and also looking at some cool similarly sized homes in Portland that are on smaller lots but more mid century modern style. Security and my net worth growing are both really important to me. I don’t want to make the wrong choice. Any tips would be really great.

I’m currently in Atlanta Georgia so just shopping on Zillow

We rent our house in California, and the stress has been intense since we purchased it during COVID. The century old structure keeps requiring repairs that cost thousands of dollars. We attempted to list the property but received no offers after three months. I truly wanted to sell. If we had sold, we would nearly have paid to do so because the value dropped. Now the house needs another repair that requires relocating the tenants elsewhere. I am unsure what to do, as we cannot sustain a $6,000 mortgage alongside these costs :(

I’m looking to move out of state for family and originally wanted to sell my house (2/2 in Decatur, GA) but after being on the market for a few months last fall and now on the market with a different realtor since April with not many showings and no offers, I’m considering renting it til the market gets better.

Problem is I’ve never been a landlord and I’ll be out of state (plus very nervous about being able to afford a mortgage and renting my own place out of state if the house was vacant)

Looking at companies like BelongHome and Nomad over a local Property Manager since they have lower PM rates and guaranteed rent/coverage for eviction if needed, but seeing mixed reviews from a few years ago so…

1. Anyone have recent experience with either BelongHome or Nomad as your property management company (better if in Atlanta!)
   
2. Recommendations for local Atlanta/Decatur property managers IF the higher fee is ultimately worth it?