What a Difference a Year Makes.......... 
JULY 2005
Within a month of putting her 2-bedroom house in San Francisco on the market recently, homeowner Linda Gao had five offers, each one above her asking price of $699,000. So before accepting the most- attractive bid, she threw in an extra condition: If you want to buy my house, you have to feed the squirrels. Two weeks later, she and the buyer hammered out a contract that included feeding the backyard wildlife.
In this booming real-estate market, prospective home buyers are encountering some unorthodox requests. As sellers are barraged by eager bidders, they're seeking not only the highest price or wrangling over who'll pick up taxes and closing costs -- but some also are asking to stay in the house months after the deal closes, or requesting fixtures that typically stay with the property, such as refrigerators and diving boards.
"As a buyer you have no leverage in this market," said Bruce Ross Bernor, an agent in San Francisco. "You have to bite your tongue and go along with it."
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Fast Forward??????..JUNE 2006
In one Loudoun subdivision, Tom Green, a 47-year-old airline pilot, put his five-bedroom house on the market six months ago for $1 million so he and his wife could downsize to a $592,000 townhouse nearby. But his home had to compete with 38 others for sale in the neighborhood with four or more bedrooms. His 5,600-square-foot, five-bedroom house, which he bought new for $515,000 in 2000, didn't get a nibble for months. Finally, a relocating California family agreed to buy it if the Greens would leave behind their high-definition TV and a life-size Spiderman statue that had been a gift from Mr. Green's sister -- plus slash the price to $820,000. (They also had to throw in a cookie jar with "Biscuit" -- coincidentally, the name of the buyers' dog -- written on the side).
"Sellers are dying out there," says local real-estate broker Michele Stash.
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(End of article for the Jun 2005 story:
Indeed, when Susan Butler was negotiating to buy Gao's San Francisco property, she was resigned to the feeding schedule. "At that point, I said, 'Yeah, what the hell, I'll feed the squirrels,' " she said. She signed a contract in April, paying $815,000 -- or $116,000 over the asking price. Will Butler actually feed her new furry friends? "Probably not," said the college administrator. "I don't want to encourage other rodents."
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(A joke about being "nuts" is just too easy
)
JULY 2005
Within a month of putting her 2-bedroom house in San Francisco on the market recently, homeowner Linda Gao had five offers, each one above her asking price of $699,000. So before accepting the most- attractive bid, she threw in an extra condition: If you want to buy my house, you have to feed the squirrels. Two weeks later, she and the buyer hammered out a contract that included feeding the backyard wildlife.
In this booming real-estate market, prospective home buyers are encountering some unorthodox requests. As sellers are barraged by eager bidders, they're seeking not only the highest price or wrangling over who'll pick up taxes and closing costs -- but some also are asking to stay in the house months after the deal closes, or requesting fixtures that typically stay with the property, such as refrigerators and diving boards.
"As a buyer you have no leverage in this market," said Bruce Ross Bernor, an agent in San Francisco. "You have to bite your tongue and go along with it."
--------------------------------------------------------
Fast Forward??????..JUNE 2006
In one Loudoun subdivision, Tom Green, a 47-year-old airline pilot, put his five-bedroom house on the market six months ago for $1 million so he and his wife could downsize to a $592,000 townhouse nearby. But his home had to compete with 38 others for sale in the neighborhood with four or more bedrooms. His 5,600-square-foot, five-bedroom house, which he bought new for $515,000 in 2000, didn't get a nibble for months. Finally, a relocating California family agreed to buy it if the Greens would leave behind their high-definition TV and a life-size Spiderman statue that had been a gift from Mr. Green's sister -- plus slash the price to $820,000. (They also had to throw in a cookie jar with "Biscuit" -- coincidentally, the name of the buyers' dog -- written on the side).
"Sellers are dying out there," says local real-estate broker Michele Stash.
-------------------------------------------------------
(End of article for the Jun 2005 story:
Indeed, when Susan Butler was negotiating to buy Gao's San Francisco property, she was resigned to the feeding schedule. "At that point, I said, 'Yeah, what the hell, I'll feed the squirrels,' " she said. She signed a contract in April, paying $815,000 -- or $116,000 over the asking price. Will Butler actually feed her new furry friends? "Probably not," said the college administrator. "I don't want to encourage other rodents."
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(A joke about being "nuts" is just too easy
)
wonder what his wife did with that? 
