各位壇友，
最近剛剛幫一位客戶成功地完成了一個Probate Sale 的實例， 頗有心得。現以日記的形式向大家分享。
大家知道， 目前灣區的房子是搶得非常厲害的， 到處都在瘋狂加價，殺價是幾乎不可能，一切以拿到房子為大， 而且往往賣家連counter的機會都不給的， 人人隻有一顆子彈，一次機會。這個房子開價56萬， 我給客戶做了市場分析後認為這個房子市價應該是在62~63萬之間， 所以先出價62萬，但是down payment放30%以上，5天remove contingency， 14 天close。 結果在8個offers 中一舉勝出。
請看listing agent email：
“Hi,
I would like to congratulate you. My seller accepted your offer today for ### Drive.
I would like to let you know we had 8 offers. Two cash and the other financing.
The top financing offers were 610, 615 and 620, 620. Yours won by price, down payment and short contingency period.”
我知道probate sale至少要30天左右close， 所以在offer裏故意放5天
remove all contingencies，14天 close。 這樣就把我們的offer outstanding了。
Seller 簽了我們的offer後， listing agent 特別打電話和我confirm： "Is it any reason
you guys have to close the sale within 14 days? Is it OK for 30 days?", "Yes
, we offer quick close is just to make our offer strong", "Oh, OK. You got
it. Here is seller signed contract". “Thank you!”
這裏是具體買賣過程。
Day 1：
今天和broker， loan agent， listing agent worked了大半天。心得如下：
For probate purchase, first and most important thing you have to know is
whether the sale needs court confirmation or not and how long seller shall
wait for the court hearing. Thus, loan agent can figure out how many days
they have to lock the rate (45 days or 60 days)
IF it needs court confirmation, buyer have to make everything ready and
remove ALL contingencies before court hearing. Court confirmation is one way
decision. Which means once court approve the sale, buyer can't back out OR
will lose 3% deposit BECAUSE court hearing is a big charge to the seller and
they can't afford having another court.
Also, buyer's all offer terms will be open to the public during the hearing,
price, down payment, days to close and whether it has other contingencies
or not. If someone overbid you, you will lose the contract. Overbid 的最低銀
碼是5% above +$500. So the buyer is better to appear on the court to protect
their position.
Court can approve sale的min price 是90% court appraisal value or contract
price whichever highest. 所以， probate sale的listing price不能掛得太高 （
buyer overbid 上去is OK）， 否則，court 會說你是用這樣的方法故意拖延sale。因
為probate sale 的目的就是要盡快把房子賣掉。
IF it no needs court confirmation， then, you have to figure out how many
child(ren), including their spouses, have to sign, the more people they
have to sign, the more complex to get all parties agree upon. Either one
can call for canceling the sale. So there will be some uncertainty there.
Day 2:
今天是星期日，下午做了Home Inspection。 報告應當2天後出來。同時在property 遇
見seller’s heirs 大女兒，女婿正在做最後的打掃，清理。大女兒是 will executor。 所以合同也是她簽的。
Day 3：
今天是星期一，loan agent一早就submit的loan。 並且order了rush appraisal。
Listing agent 打了各自lawyer 的電話。Lawyer 說 actually min overbid 是10%。
Which makes it unlikely. 事實上最可能的黑馬恰恰是heirs本身。這是當如果合同價
太低，heirs出來把房子bid回去， 以保護自身的利益。
Day 4：
今天是星期二， Election Day。 Nothing update。
Day 5:
今天是星期三， Appraiser came for inspection. Home Inspection報告出來。
There are tons of $50, $100 repair items. But no $1,000 repair item.
Day 6:
今天是星期四， Got some disclosure reports, including termite inspection
report， from the seller, 大女兒. But, most are exempted.
Day 7:
今天是星期五， Got conditional approval from the lender. Listing agent confirmed 不需要court hearing。 Lawyer's Notice of Proposed Action letter (for the probate sale clearance) was out this afternoon.
Day 8:
今天是星期六，在loan agent的點頭下， remove all contingencies even borrower haven
't got final approval yet。
Day 9~23:
此處省略若幹日。No major progress. Just waiting lawyer's Notice of Proposed
Action letter 15 days waiting period elapse.
Loan agent was helping borrower to clear all loan conditions. Buyer called a couple of
contractors for remodel / upgrade quotation. Happy Thanksgiving holiday.
在請裝修師傅估價時， 有一位說，他除了做裝修外， 也可以做貸款。Interesting！ 裝修師傅也能辦貸款？拿什麽做collateral 呢？ 仔細一想有道理。因為裝修師傅可以file mechanic's lien. 而且這個lien的地位比mortgage 還高。 3萬， 5萬的裝修費你可以1年， 2年後才付， 當然價格就上去5%， 10%了。 不就是貸款你3萬， 5萬嗎？ 老中賺錢真有門道啊。
Day 24:
今天是星期一， 按老規矩， 我總是先試著把我給客人的rebate用來減房價。Listing
agent said: "It is OK. That makes sense." 幾個小時後，馬上改口說： “ Sorry
, just talked to the attorney, since Notice of Proposed Action letter was
out already, we can't change the price. Otherwise it has to re-run again.
所以probate sale 和short sale 類似， 隻是婆婆由銀行改成了 court 或者attorney。
Day 25:
今天是星期二，lawyer got all heirs Consents to the Notice of Proposed Action
back. Loan agent ordered the doc.
Day 26:
今天是星期三，loan agent 一大早就催了lender3次， loan doc就是出不來。馬上打
AE手機， 原來情況是這樣的：做GFE時，為了留有餘地，一般loan agent都會把
interest rate訂高0.125%的， 3個星期下來， 一方麵， rate drifted down a
little bit, 同時我們everything is ready and all PTD / PTF are cleared out.
所以我們隻要 lock 15天就可以了。 這樣rate 低了0.375%， per lender guideline
， GFE 要重做，又要等3days。 不懂，低0.375%不是 benefit buyer嗎， 為啥又要等
3天尼？還不能waive。
Day 27～ 30：
Nothing progress。Just waiting that 3 days， weekend。
Day 31：
今天是星期一。 Loan doc 終於出來了。
Day 32：
今天是星期二。雙方簽字。Buyer當場交down payment。
Day 31：
今天是星期三。 Lender review the doc.
Day 32：
今天是星期四。 Lender fund the loan。
Day 33：
今天是星期五。Sale is closed。 Transaction became a public record. Seller （heirs）分了錢各自開始度假。
預祝各位聖誕， 新年快樂！
