Trade our house with builder?

[BigDog]

Has anybody done this?

We are looking to "upgrade" our house.

I want a place to store all my "stuff" (stockpiles).

Well, that...and I can't buy my #4 a bed, cause it just won't fit. so she is in a toddler bed. (Can't buy bunks yet, cause #2 is just 5, and that is "no no").

But, even when my #2 goes to bunk. #5 still has to fit in that room when she need a real bed, it won't fit.

So, we looked at buying a house. And we got to point A. Sell our house.

Well, we did a dry run. We tried to keep the house clean for about 1 week.

I made it 1 hour and I was exhausted.

Really my kids are pigs. Esp. the 2 yo.

But, that doesn't matter, we can't keep the house neat enough to show.

We called a realtor, with some land we really like. She said after contacting the builder. To just trade our house and build a new one.

Has anybody done this?

I'm VERY leery. This isn't a good idea is it?

She comes over Tuesday to talk and see the house, then the builder will come over IF he like the pictures she has taken.

I tried finding his name or company in the BBB, but, I can't. She is WELL known in the real estate down here. And she said she trusted him.

I'll get refs, before we do this, IF he likes our house.

Enough babbling.

Need ideas please.

ETA 6/30:

Realtor came to the house yesterday. She took pictures of our house. She said, it looked show ready. She said except for the walls. She said the walls are in a bad need of paint well the bottom half. That is where the kids have became quit the little artists. She suggested rewards systems and everything else.

It would take an average in our neighborhood of 4 months to sell the house. We ran the numbers.

After closing costs, realtor fees, fix ups, and random other things. It is going to be about $700 more profit to sale it with a realtor vs. trading.

Obviously she wants us to sell it with her.

By trading she would get NO commission from our house. But, she would get if we sold our house, then got the new house from the builder.

So she is pushing to sell by her then get a house. But, $700 I don't have to
1. Worry about painting.
2. Worry about how long to sell.
3. Worry about the kids having spilling drinks/food/toys.
4. Worry that I'm playing with them instead of cleaning.
5. Worry that in 3 seconds. I could get a call to leave, or it could be 3 weeks.
6. Stop homeschooling right in the middle of a really good lesson that we are both enjoying. Just because somebody might think about coming inside.
7. Worry about where the crayons are....you know what I mean.
8. Worry about when we are painting, the kids aren't getting into it and thus tracking it all over the house.
9. Keeping the weeds at bay.
10. Everything else.

I'm not entirely sure what to do....
It definately needs paint. But, it took us almost 4 months to paint 2 rooms (the kids bedrooms).

We still have to paint the office/toyroom (badly needs it 2 or 3 coats).
We still have to paint the kitchen/eating area.
Need doors on the kids bedroom closets.
Fix windows (that are the kind that fold down to clean and the tabs are missing (not sure where, will have to buy new ones.

$700 is a lot of money, but, not sure it is worth the headache or rollingof the dice here.

[wookin]

My RE lady has been in the business for over 20 yrs. I could have her check him out if you'd like. Just PM me his name and I will get back to you.

[434Teresa]

I maybe wrong but I dont think you would get a good deal in a trade like that..

[Troop1379]

I would not do anything like that with a realtor. My realtor had a great name and we had so much trouble with everything.and now we are stuck with the way the housing market is going. i would try and stay in and just add on if you can do that.

[CW&M Mom]

I would get a storage unit or two. Get as much out of your house as possible....esp the stuff the kids make a mess with LOL...the less stuff in your house...the easier it is to keep clean.

[saving-n-va]

That doesn't sound like a fair trade anyway. A house for only a pc of land? Is the land ready to be built on? Water, power, sewer lines already on or near the property? I'd contact a real estate lawyer if I was going to do that. Can you afford to pay for the house to be built? Is it the same builder that you are getting the land from?

[meems]

I can't say for certainty that it's a bad idea, but that I've never heard it done before makes me very leary...

[loaslaen]

That doesn't sound like a fair trade anyway. A house for only a pc of land? Is the land ready to be built on? Water, power, sewer lines already on or near the property? I'd contact a real estate lawyer if I was going to do that. Can you afford to pay for the house to be built? Is it the same builder that you are getting the land from?

I don't think that's how it works. Not old house for piece of land, but old house for new house. Here's a link:

More builders are taking trade-ins - Jun. 5, 2007

[couponfanatic]

I've never heard of trading in a house, but woudn't it be a bit like trading in a car?
The dealer will give you X off the new car for your trade in, X being less than what you could have sold it for on the open market?
If it's worth Y on the open market, the dealer will only give you X because he can only sell it for Y, and he wants to make money on it.
I'd think trade-ins for anything would work like that. I'd tend to stay away.

[nurseannette]

whatever you decide, I wish you good luck. Just be sure to research it and double check, triple check. We too live a small house with 4 messy pigs, I mean sweet children. There are much worse things than living in a small house.