# Home sellers are selfish **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 11, 2018, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-sellers-are-selfish/814003 "2018-05-11T17:50:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2018, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-sellers-are-selfish/814003/1 "2018-05-11T17:50:32Z")
Just a pack of nasty, self-centered money grubbers, at least in my area. A [letter to the editor](http://dispatch.com/opinion/20180511/letter-current-housing-market-rough-on-new-buyers) of our local paper by a prospective new home buyer drives this home, in spades. _“Sellers are greedy and selfish. They don’t care about your story or your struggle. They care about money with no strings attached.” No one cares about young couples trying to start their lives honestly and on their own. This market loves trust-fund babies and business owners looking to flip houses or make some money on an investment… If there are sellers out there willing to sell their house to a young couple trying to start their lives in a cool neighborhood, we’d love the opportunity to meet them."_ Well I for one am shocked and disappointed that there are people out there who want money for their houses and aren’t interested in hearing about millennials’ struggles. Even worse, they might suggest this couple consider a starter home in a less than cool neighborhood, or even a rental. :eek:☹ ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2018, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-sellers-are-selfish/814003/2 "2018-05-11T18:04:44Z")
It’s hard to imagine— but even harder to imagine a world in which I would pay for a subscription to _The Columbus Dispatch_. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2018, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-sellers-are-selfish/814003/3 "2018-05-11T18:09:46Z")
Young people and reality sometimes have an uncomfortable first meeting. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2018, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-sellers-are-selfish/814003/4 "2018-05-11T18:18:47Z")
Fisherman – Selfish, too ---
**Author:** ![Delicious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@Delicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Delicious)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2018, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-sellers-are-selfish/814003/5 "2018-05-11T18:23:59Z")
I’m selling my house at the mom ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2018, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-sellers-are-selfish/814003/6 "2018-05-11T18:27:49Z")
A few years ago when my wife and I were house shopping, our realtor suggested that we include a personal letter along with our offer based on exactly the opposite reasoning. People _do_ care that you’re individual people planning to create a loving home in their beloved home. The people who sold us our house raised two children in that house, and it did matter to them that we wanted to do the same. I’m sure a buyer with a suitcase of money would have mattered to them in a different way, but still, they’re not robots. But of course, we didn’t _deserve_ to have the sellers care about us. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2018, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-sellers-are-selfish/814003/7 "2018-05-11T18:33:09Z")
> [@Delicious](#): > > I’m selling my house at the mom And right before Mother’s Day! How convenient. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2018, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-sellers-are-selfish/814003/8 "2018-05-11T18:38:29Z")
I’m sitting here grinning reading your OP - oh my! I feel so bad for these “young couples” who want a house but don’t want to pay fair market value for it! Oh dear, what is to be done?!? Well, I guess they can do what my husband and I did to buy our first house - find a broken-down fixer upper that we could afford and, you know, fix it up. And then when they are ready to sell it, I guess they’ll take a hit on the selling price so another young couple can get into the market, right? ---
**Author:** ![anomalous1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e56c9b/32.png) [@anomalous1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anomalous1)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2018, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-sellers-are-selfish/814003/9 "2018-05-11T18:54:14Z")
Wait a minute. Is the OP serious? ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2018, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-sellers-are-selfish/814003/10 "2018-05-11T18:59:36Z")
Reminds me of people I’ve met who get all bent out of shape about companies selling their products for more than they cost to make. How dare they make a profit?!?!? ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2018, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-sellers-are-selfish/814003/11 "2018-05-11T19:15:49Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > Reminds me of people I’ve met who get all bent out of shape about companies selling their products for more than they cost to make. How dare they make a profit?!?!? Indeed. It reminds me of a 4-year-old’s definition of “unfair”: “YOU WON’T GIVE ME WHAT I WANT!” ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Gay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ab097/32.png) [@Enola\_Gay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Gay)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2018, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-sellers-are-selfish/814003/12 "2018-05-11T19:16:11Z")
Stores are totally selfish too. Those greedy bastards make me give them money before I leave with the goods. Every. Single. Time. Where is the human decency?? Seriously, they seem to care not one iota about my story or my struggles. All they want is money :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2018, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-sellers-are-selfish/814003/13 "2018-05-11T19:21:02Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > A few years ago when my wife and I were house shopping, our realtor suggested that we include a personal letter along with our offer based on exactly the opposite reasoning. I’ve heard of this, but as a seller it would make no difference to me. I don’t give a tinker’s dam what you do with the place after you buy it. Want to bulldoze it and dynamite the hole? Surgically nuke it from orbit? Give me a better offer than the other guy and have at it! ---
**Author:** ![Twoflower](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/twoflower/32/22_2.png) [@Twoflower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Twoflower)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2018, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-sellers-are-selfish/814003/14 "2018-05-11T19:26:04Z")
> [@Delicious](#): > > I’m selling my house at the mom I’ve heard of quick sales, but that’s ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2018, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-sellers-are-selfish/814003/15 "2018-05-11T19:28:43Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > People _do_ care that you’re individual people planning to create a loving home in their beloved home. Some do, some don’t. A few years back a friend of mine bought some property, and an important factor in the transaction was the fact that my friend and his wife were starting a family; I don’t think the owner would have sold if that weren’t the case. OTOH, when my wife and I bought our current house, the seller knew absolutely nothing about us except how much we were offering. We never even met her; she pre-signed all the closing docs and never actually attended the closing. She bargained hard, but I never thought of her as greedy or selfish for it. > [@FairyChatMom](#): > > Reminds me of people I’ve met who get all bent out of shape about companies selling their products for more than they cost to make. How dare they make a profit?!?!? Some years ago when everyone was in a swivet about the ATM fees that were being charged by banks, The Onion did [one of their “American Voices” opinion surveys.](https://www.theonion.com/banning-atm-fees-1819558932) One of the ‘respondents’ offered this gem: “I don’t think it’s right for a business to charge money for a service it provides.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2018, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-sellers-are-selfish/814003/16 "2018-05-11T19:33:46Z")
How quaint. A thread bashing millennials. No clouds to yell at, today? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2018, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-sellers-are-selfish/814003/17 "2018-05-11T19:54:25Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > Indeed. It reminds me of a 4-year-old’s definition of “unfair”: “YOU WON’T GIVE ME WHAT I WANT!” I’ve always liked Porsches. Used to have a 911, and have regretted selling it since I sold it. So I went to the local Porsche dealership and picked out a new Carrera. They wanted $92,000 for it! :eek: I explained that I have a mortgage, credit debt, home improvement costs, food, utilities, and so forth; and that I’m not quite making the U.S. median wage. They wouldn’t budge. Selfish bastards! :mad: ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2018, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-sellers-are-selfish/814003/18 "2018-05-11T20:38:50Z")
there was someone selling the family farm in Indiana but the condition was that you kept it as a family farm and took care of the animals and anything harvested was farmers market/personal use only and they had a lot of animals too … or you get something like six flags magic mountain …where the condition of any sale is the land cant be used for anything but magic mountain …much to the chagrin of time warner and people who want to put up million dollar apartments and such ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2018, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-sellers-are-selfish/814003/19 "2018-05-11T21:12:51Z")
Everything is worth what its purchaser will pay for it. Publilius Syrus (about 100 BC) ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2018, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-sellers-are-selfish/814003/20 "2018-05-11T21:45:57Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > _“Sellers are greedy and selfish. They don’t care about your story or your struggle. They care about money with no strings attached.” > No one cares about young couples trying to start their lives honestly and on their own. This market loves trust-fund babies and business owners looking to flip houses or make some money on an investment… > If there are sellers out there willing to sell their house to a young couple trying to start their lives in a cool neighborhood, we’d love the opportunity to meet them."_ > > Well I for one am shocked and disappointed that there are people out there who want money for their houses and aren’t interested in hearing about millennials’ struggles. Even worse, they might suggest this couple consider a starter home in a less than cool neighborhood, or even a rental. :eek:☹ I’m shocked that homeowners are reluctant to give their homes away to the first nice young couple that comes along. 😃 I suspect that this “nice young couple” are the kind of idiots who – if and when they get into the housing market and eventually are selling – will be complaining about the “greedy and selfish” buyers who just want the lowest price and don’t care about all the money and struggles that said idiots have put into the house! These idiots’ lack of empathy and real-world perspective is astonishing. If they’re already old enough to consider buying a house, they’re probably doomed to be whiners for the rest of their lives. > [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > A few years ago when my wife and I were house shopping, our realtor suggested that we include a personal letter along with our offer based on exactly the opposite reasoning. > > People _do_ care that you’re individual people planning to create a loving home in their beloved home. The people who sold us our house raised two children in that house, and it did matter to them that we wanted to do the same. I’m sure a buyer with a suitcase of money would have mattered to them in a different way, but still, they’re not robots. > > But of course, we didn’t _deserve_ to have the sellers care about us. Every time I’ve sold a house I’ve always left a letter of welcome for the new owners telling them, not just mundane practical things they might need to know, but something about the neighborhood and the history of the house that they might not otherwise have known. There is, in fact, often an emotional connection on such a big life-changing transaction. I’ve never felt the obligation to give the house to someone for free, though. :rolleyes: [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-sellers-are-selfish/814003.md?page=2)