First, visit - Florida, The Path Is Clear!.
Shortly after I received spousal approval to rent that same Naples condo (that I rented last winter) for the month of April, for the bargain price of $600, I emailed the dude.
But guess what. He reneged on the deal!
He said the foreclosure was staved off and thus he now wanted *market rent* for April - $1,400.
Drat!
I knew it was too good to be true.
How did he forestall the foreclosure?
Well, he decided to technically move into this particular condo. By declaring it his primary residence, that makes it more difficult for the bank to throw him out. He said, "Now they have to offer me a loan modification....and maybe even a principal reduction."
He's probably not going to move in until the summer (how's that for a scam!) so I could still rent it from him *under the table*. His phrasing was, "You'd be my guest."
The bank, getting yanked is SunTrust.
At the end of the phone call he emphasized, twice, that he was *willing to be flexible* which meant of course that I could counteroffer to his $1,400 rate.
And I might very well do so - BUT not until a week or two into March. This is how you negotiate, people!
I won't pay $1,400, not in this economy. The most I'd pay is $1,100 total - including electric and the internet. I'll even offer to pay him in cash or with a cashier's check in deference to his *tax management*.
So would I skip this entire trip over a mere $800, $400, or $200?
I ABSOLUTELY WOULD. I'm price sensitive on crap like this. Heck, I walked away from that great house over what would have been only $10-$15,000. And I've even jumped out of slowly-moving cabs over a couple dollars!
3 comments:
Sounds like you are going to Naples!
By the way, don't get too puffy on being able to walk away from the deal. My future FiL walked away from a 17k car deal over 130 bucks, just a month ago. That is STRONG. The dealer almost lost his mind, but FiL stood rigid and left. Funniest thing that I have ever seen.
PM,
I still very much hope to go to FL, but am serious about having my price points - no matter how irrational!
Realize that you mischaracterized the story of your FIL and the car.
It wasn't him who walked away from the deal over $130 bucks...
IT WAS THE CAR DEALER.
I once got stuck in Newark after missing a flight. Instead of waiting all-day for the next puddle-jumper home to Philly, I grabbed a cab and and told him to take me to the train station.
En route, I asked him how much to drive me all the way to Philly.
"$150," he said.
I countered with $125.
He said, "OK".
Then two minutes later he said I had to pay the tolls.
Nope. And the guy stopped the car literally on the exit ramp - the ramp was to the train station, the highway to Philly.
I said, "$125 and you pay the tolls out of that."
"You would do this over $7?", he screamed at me.
I calmly told him that HE was losing a fare OVER $7.
So we are sitting there, with cars whizzing by us on both sides. I told him to take me to the train station.
Then he relented, saying he would agree to $125 total.
"TOO LATE,...TAKE ME TO THE TRAIN STATION."
I had to teach this crumb a lesson. Plus, realize I was a professional pit trader at the time. So I was perpetually *in that mode*.
Guess where that car still is?
I would have paid one million to leave Newark. But, then again I live in beautiful Mississippi! Nine month golf season, so Florida is not that much of a value to me.
Post a Comment