I was showing a home that we just finished renovating. The home is on the market for $259,900, the home looks great, as we did a beautiful job with the renovations. The prospective buyers loved the home, but felt the monthly payment was just a bit out of reach.
As I spent some time with these folks, it was obvious that this couple smoked. I asked if they smoked and both were surprised by my questions. They said yes, so I asked how much? They said they each smoked a pack per day. I asked how much they are paying for a pack of cigarettes, they said about $7.50 per pack, so that means $15.00 per day, which means $450 per month.
They looked at me like I had two heads. So, if you had an extra $450 available per month, could you then afford the mortgage payment? They seemed shell shocked by my question, but said we have a lot to talk about. I have no idea if they are willing to give up smoking to purchase the home of their dreams, as that is what they said this home would be. Hopefully they buy the home and do something healthy for themselves at the same time.
