At lunch with Cynthia and a local real estate baron, we heard about a new tactic for getting a deal on a property. Rather than offering a lower price, ask the seller to handle closing costs, which can run up to $10,000 or more.
Builders with multiple units prefer this approach because they avoid recording a sale at a discount, and listing agents like it better, too. If you have a funny or insightful story for us about how you bought your house, send it to bahn (at) redfin (dot) com; we’ll probably use it, and then we’ll send you a gift certificate for a dinner anywhere you like.