Offers may be submitted via the contact form (including any links to Docusign, DotLoop, etc.), e-mail ([email protected]), or dropped off in person at 629 Kirkwood Ave. We prefer standard purchase agreement contracts for ease of comparison of any competing offers, but will consider any complete bona fide offer with the suggestions below addressed.
Suggestions for Your Offer
First of all, communication is key! We don’t know what you don’t tell us, and can’t answer the question you don’t ask.
Proof of Funds, Lender Pre-approval or Full Underwriting
We encourage you to include evidence that you’re capable and prepared with respect to financing. We will not discriminate based on source of funds alone, but will consider the soundness/availability of the funds supporting your offer. Expedited offers or all cash offers will need sufficient documentation and verification with banking entities.
Inspections
We welcome offers with inspection contingencies — in fact, we would encourage you to include one. We want you to know what you’re getting, to be comfortable with the state of the property and for that state to be consistent with what you understand it to be on submission of your offer. That said, your inspection contingency should make clear that it is not merely another chance to negotiate purchase price. You should not expect replacements/repairs/concessions for items that are simply old, or an undesired color, but not defective, or that are otherwise imperfect but substantially consistent with what we have provided in the disclosures.
Brand New Roof!
While the roof doesn’t leak, and has performed well, it is older. As we approached getting ready to sell, we ultimately figured we’d rather spend the money on a new roof rather than an agent–more value to you, less uncertainty with inspection or insurance, and a lot of peace of mind with the warranty that will transfer to you (50-year manufacturer defect coverage, 25-year workmanship coverage). Weather permitting, it will be installed on July 9th. You are welcome to include a contingency to ensure the roof gets replaced, as well as an inspection contingency to make sure everything is done right (though the roofers will have to satisfy us first!).
Timeline
Most houses in the Iowa City area target approximately 30-45 days from offer to close. We are open to faster or slower, but want to understand what’s driving your timeline in order to best work toward that goal and to be confident that it’s realistic. We are prepared to hand over keys at closing, no need to offer any sort of rent-back or other accommodation.
Buyer Agent Commissions
We’re happy to facilitate the payment of your agent’s commission, in whatever amount you’ve negotiated with your agent. Your agent should represent you, and be paid at a rate that’s acceptable to you. July 1st marked the start of a requirement under Iowa law for a buyer representation agreement to be in place prior to making an offer if you are to be represented (note that Iowa Code doesn’t require that agreement prior to showing, though the proposed NAR settlement covering a large number of agents has a similar requirement that does). To that end, we encourage one of the following approaches:
- Include a copy of your buyer representation agreement, and if we decide to proceed with your offer, we’ll return it with an addendum directing payment of your agent accordingly.
- Include terms in your offer directing the appropriate amount to be paid to your agent, by us, at closing. Your agent should be familiar with how to go about this. While already permitted for transactions with us, it is likely to become quite common with respect to transactions with brokers/agents on both sides of the table.
- Direct your agent to contact us regarding a separate agreement to pay their commission before submitting your offer.
- Decline any request for commission, whether because you’re unrepresented, your agent is representing you for free, or some other arrangement.
Regardless of the form of the arrangement, we are happy to work with you and your agent, and to make sure your agent gets paid.
Furnishings
When we purchased the house in 2015, the previous owner offered to leave a number of things behind — ranging from a dining room table to silverware, and a lawnmower. The discussion of what to take/leave was informal, and for a first-time home buyer, ended up proving incredibly valuable — we didn’t have to run out and spend a bunch of money right after closing. We’d like to offer something similar to you, if you’re so inclined.
We will include with the disclosures a list of furnishings, supplies, tools, etc., that we are willing to remove or leave behind at your request, without any financial consideration either way — stuff that we’re happy to leave if you’ll find it useful, happy to take with us if you won’t. If there’s something in particular that you want us to leave behind or remove before closing guaranteed, feel free to include that in your offer. Otherwise, you’re welcome to figure that out with us as we approach closing, after you’ve started planning the move to make 629 Kirkwood your new home.
What Conveys
Unless requested otherwise, items on the list below will be left in place.
- Kitchen Appliances
- Cooktop
- Convection Oven
- Combination Convection/Microwave Oven
- Dishwasher Drawer
- Garbage Disposal
- Refrigerator
- Basement
- Upright Refrigerator/Freezer
- Chest Freezer
- Screens for front and west side storm doors
- Miscellaneous home improvement supplies/tools on wood shelves in SW (pink) room in basement, including paint, cleaning supplies, and extra flooring materials
- Front-load washer and gas dryer on main floor (in laundry closet)
- Bedroom TV on main floor
- Kitchen TV
NOTE: Solar System will convey in full: We purchased the solar system outright. It is not subject to any lease agreements, power purchase agreements, or any other encumbrances. The new owner will be subject to the current rate tariff set by MidAmerican. Buyer will be responsible for transfer, and setup of a new connection agreement, if required by the utility provider.
What Conveys at the Buyer Request
Unless requested otherwise, items on the list below WILL BE REMOVED prior to closing.
- Sofa, Loveseat and Pillows
- Dining Room Table and Chairs
- Lawn and Garden Tools
- Storage Locker in Carport
- Desks in Sunroom/Office
- TP-Link Omada Networking Equipment (Router and PoE switch in basement, access point on dining room wall)
- Wall-mounted Computer in Basement with Home Assistant
- Blink Security cameras (2 front of house, one at side door, one in carport)
- Washer and gas dryer in basement (not currently connected)
- Emporia EnerVue energy monitor
- RadonEye radon detector
- Bedroom suite (headboard/bed frame, 2 dressers)
- Living room TV and stand
- Nightstands and lamps in downstairs bedroom
- Weight bench, server rack, wire shelves in basement
We will continue to add to this list as we organize/pack. If there’s something you see in the house currently and you’re wondering whether we intend to leave it or not, feel free to ask!
After Closing
Something that we have come to appreciate (that real estate agents caution against) after handing over the keys is to do a post-closing “introduction” for the new owners. Once all of the usual pre-purchase diligence and to-do lists are behind both you and us, we’re happy to take time walking you through as much as we can with respect to using and caring for the home. Over more than 9 years, we’ve learned a fair bit about the place–knowledge we’re happy to share. That could be simple things affecting daily life like where/how to change the air filter, what detergent and how much we use in the dishwasher, how to care for various plants, or showing you where we’ve planned for your future projects–like where to find the ends of low-voltage cable run to the carport or office, where to find water shutoffs, how to replace window seals, etc.
We’ll also provide a binder that has a map of every electrical outlet, switch, and appliance and which breaker controls it, receipts/invoices, warranty information, owners manuals, paint “recipe cards”, flooring information, etc.