I see these pretty regularly, but this one was surprising because of the price.
Traditionally, these deals have involved $1m homes and leases on cars like a Mercedes or BMW. This is a house priced at $260k, and the car is an outright purchase. The house is either brand new, or pretty recently built.
They are paying a premium to the buyer’s agent as well.
Why am I mentioning this? I bet your first thought was that I wanted to help someone buy the house… but that wouldn’t be right. I want to warn buyers about these types of deals. They can be great, but there are some pitfalls.
The ad says that the house is priced “below Market Value.” Well… market value hasn’t been determined yet. Market value is defined as the price at which a buyer and seller can agree to the purchase. It may be below appraised value, but that is the opinion of one appraiser.
So, what is the danger, Lane? The danger is that if the new owner needed to sell the property in the near future, it is likely that there would not have been enough appreciation to cover the cost of the car. That means that the buyers could find themselves upside down in the home for a few years. It is likely that the home would have to appreciate for 5 years or more to allow the new owner to sell without involving their checkbook.
Perhaps it is a great marketing move… but it could be a move that doesn’t provide a positive financial impact on the buyer in the future.
A real estate deal is made up of a lot of components, and there are a lot of opportunities for exposing both buyers and sellers to legal or financial pitfalls.
Car is NOT the included vehicle.