Whose house is for sale?

[marimara]

Let's have a place for all of us who currently have our house on the market. A place where we can talk about the ups and downs of keeping our home clean and show-worthy!!! Plus we can keep each other motivated in this tough market.

My house have been for sale for about 3 months, we are lowering the price today, we had about 8 showings, no offers. It's tough keeping the house clean w/ a 3 year old, we are home alot so that makes it worse. I lose faith so quickly, we tried to sell last year for about 5 months in the spring/summer. I hated every minute of it, we ended up listing our house too high in the beginning and lost all of our initial interest because of it. This year the market is worse rather than the better we were hoping for last year. We are going to take a loss on it, we've been here over 3 years. We are military and we don't have orders to move yet but we might within the next year or so, so we want to sell and get it out of the way so we don't have to move with a mortgage payment behind us.

Anyone else here???

[Katie T]

Wishing I could sell but we live in a very small town and have only owned our house for 3 1/2yrs so would loose money. Plus we want a acreage and won't be able to afford it until I go back to work when our youngest starts school full time.

It will be interesting to be able to see what we are going to be getting into when we do sell through this thread.

[walking burp cloth]

I'm in. We have had our home (it's a condo) on the market for about 14 months. We have lowered the price several times, and will not be making any money on the sale. We are looking to move this summer, so really hoping it will sell soon. Homes have started to sell in our price range again, so we are hopeful. I really don't want to have to rent our place out and be landlords from across the country. Our place is small (730 sq feet) and we are 2 adults, 2 kids (9 and 2), and 2 pets. It is impossible for me to keep it show worthy. Every square inch of closet/cabnet/and storage is holding something. I keep getting rid of things, but it is just not enough. I end up stashing things in my car and scrambling around trying to tidy up when we have a showing or open house. I just painted our kitchen (the previous owners had painted the cabnets black and it was just dirty and dingy looking in there) and I am also in the process of painting all the trim, as the previous owners thought that black trim would be nice. I have been painting it white, and it makes our place seem a little bigger and more opened up.

Thanks for starting this thread! It should be a great motivator and hopefully we can all get some ideas on how to keep order in the midst of messy life!

[BarefootScientist]

Our house isn't quite on the market yet, but it hopefully will be soon. We are interviewing real estate agents this week (a team is coming over in about 45 minutes actually), then we have some decluttering and cleaning to do and at least a few small projects, paint touch-up, that sort of thing.

So I don't know, hopefully our house will be on the market within a couple weeks at the latest?

The real estate team we talked to last night said $180's for our house. That seems just way too high for me. I don't think it will sell at that price. They want it to sell too so they should pick a good price right? But we bought it 3 years ago before the worst of the crash at $157,000 and I just can't imagine that it would sell for $180. Has anyone gone with an agent who quoted an exorbitant price like that and then listed it for like...$20,000 less?

I don't know, I guess we'll figure it out. I wouldn't complain if we actually made money on the deal, but I just don't think that's realistic.

[marimara]

Hello everyone. Lowered the price yesterday. Our realtor is going to bring out new flyers today and a new flyer box after someone STOLE our flyer box yesterday!!! Must be some kids or some really nasty competition (there are about 20 houses for sale in my neighborhood).

Barefootscientist: I would really caution against starting out too high of a price, made that mistake myself last year, misjudged the market. You get the most interest in the initial 30 days, if your price is too high you'll miss out on all that interest. I used to be a realtor, pre-baby, and saw it all the time. Some realtors want to get your business so bad they will quote you a higher price to try to appeal to you wallet. ALOT of areas have depreciated so I would want to see a lot of comps from that realtor (comparables, houses that have sold comparable to yours in the last 3 months). Depending on your area that is.

So for me, the daily task of keeping a house clean with a little one underfoot is so draining. It's so taxing on me and causing me stress that my cycle has been all messed up this month and I feel a mild depression coming on. I am upping my fish oil, I really just need to hang on for a few months (or less hopefully!) then things will start to look up. I love to do projects around the house (like sewing a quilt or painting) but I can't do any of this while the house is on the market and it's stifling me! I feel like I live in a museum. I try to get out more but I end up spending unnecessary money when I go out just to get out, since there is absolutely nothing to do in this town but shop or go out to eat (ok, almost nothing, there is the park).

Here's to a good weekend, maybe some showings so all the cleaning is not in vain!!!

Now off to go clean bathrooms, I do this every 3 days, everything has to sparkle!!!! ughhhh.....

[marimara]

Woot, woot!! Showing today, they gave me 40 minutes notice, that's a shocker!! Got the house clean and scooted out of there, I hope they liked it!!!!

[walking burp cloth]

We had a showing the day before yesterday, and I just recieved the feedback. The man is a first time home buyer and we are on his top list!! WOOT!! Our place is a condo in a triplex, and we have no hoa. It is just real laid back and we just discuss and figure out issues that come up. He wants to know if the other owners would be interested in painting the exterior. We have talked about this a little with them, and I am sure they would be ready to paint. So I need to talk with them to make sure and then pass this along via realitor to him. Once he is prequalified he will look at his top picks again. I am way excited, as this is the most interested anyone has been so far (16 months!), but I do not want to get my hopes up yet.

marimara, It is hard work to try to keep up with the sparkle!! We are the opposite, and I have had a hard time keeping our place looking good, so I just work really hard, and usually have a few hours notice before a showing. But I need 2 hours minimun (usually 3) to get everything back in its place or hiding somewhere. And my LO is 2, so I totally understand that part! As soon as I finish one room I look at the one I have already finished and have to redo it!! Now that it is warming up (kind of... as it is dumping snow here today) I can get him out of the house more and just play outside or walk to the park, and by then it is usually naptime. Anyways, it keeps him from making as many messes. I am sorry you are so stessed and are not getting out your projects, as I am sure that doing those things helps you to sooth yourself!! I hope your showing went well!! I am always at the edge of my seat as I wait on feedback!!

[marimara]

Oh, I know about the feedback. We've had THREE separate people say that our house was on the top of their list, and 2 of them bought somewhere for a better school district. The other one, who knows, they just sort of disappeared. We are zoned so strangely here, where you'd think we'd be in the "good" district because of location but because of weird zoning laws we are not. But there are like 200 houses here and lots of kids so it's not like people DON'T ever choose here.
That is so awesome you get lots of time to clean for showings!! I don't know what's up with the realtors around here.

Congrats on the good feedback, def. try to keep the interest going! Good luck and let us know what happens!!!

[e(Lisa)beth]

My house has been on the market for seven weeks. We've had six showings, but they came to nothing. Lately viewers haven't even been leaving feedback. I think we did price too high initially, even though we were in fact looking at comps! So we lowered it once, and I'm willing to lower it again, if needed, but I'd like to wait a few more weeks.

We're pretty discouraged; our old house is small (although not as small as a PP, 2 kids and parents in 730 sq?! - how do you do that?!) - it's 1100sq and are three of us. Although it's not so much the size as the layout. The kitchen is claustrophobic. Anyway, we'd badly want to buy another house.

[marimara]

Lisa, have you been asking your Realtor to call the showing agents and ask for feedback? Rarely, do the agents/buyers leave feedback without prompting by my agent. I really don't like the layout of my house either, it's too large for such a small family and I'm looking for something more cozy. You are about 1.5 hours away from me, in Valdosta, GA. At least the weather's getting nice!

[marrymeflyfree]

Our's will be back on the market soonish. It had been for sale for over a year at the worst of the housing crisis. Lots of viewings, but not a single offer. I think there were a lot of reasons for that...it was empty at the time, and very dated. Our realtor said most buyers were expecting a perfect creampuff for a steal of a price. So we moved back, and have spent the last year and a half peeling miles and miles of wallpaper, among other things. We're installing new flooring in two rooms tomorrow.

It will be exciting for us to get the house back on the market for so many reasons, but I am NOT looking forward to keeping it perfectly clean with two teeny tornados in the house! Eagerly awaiting some tips from the been-there-done-that crowd.

[marimara]

Well, I officially have some GREAT news to report. We signed an offer on our house this weekend The day after we lowered our price we had a showing, they liked our house, but I hadn't heard anything. The next night, Sat night, I was going out with the girls and dh was home w/dd and our doggie. My cell phone was acting up that night and apparently the agent was trying to show our house again Sat night but couldn't get ahold of me. He called my agent who called dh and dh amazingly cleaned the house and got the house ready for show w/dh and the dog!

That night about 8pm my agent called me and told me they were writing an offer but she was expecting it to be low. So the next day we waited till 3pm w/ bated breath, finally go the call. It was 5k lower than our lowered price, and they asked for 5k closing help. So it wasn't that low of an offer. We were nervous about countering for the closing help so we just accepted it, and it turned out they thought we would counter so they were surprised that we accepted it. Oh well. I'm very happy though, our house was on the market 72 days.

BUT, in GA, there apparently is a 10 day due diligence period where the buyer can change their mind and back out of an offer for 10 days. So we are going to continue to have showings and keep the house clean and ready to show for the next ten days. After that it should be smooth sailing. The thing is though, next week we will be gone on vacation for a week, so when we get back we only actually have 2 WEEKS to find a place to live, downsize, pack and move!

So I don't want to jinx it, but I can tell you that this is a miracle that our house got an offer in less than 75 days in this market. These are the things we did for others to read who are hoping to sell theirs.
-kept the house immaculate, everyone commented on how nice and clean and clutter free the house was

-Last year we tried to sell and we didn't, we had all neutral colors in the house and it was boring. I know it goes against conventional wisdom but I scoured over catalogs like Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrell and painted my living room and lovely light blue (Seaside Villa) and the eat-in kitchen area a light sunny yellow, other than those 2 areas the rest of the house were neutral colors.

-I played with the furniture arrangement more times than I care to remember trying to get that perfect feel for openness but cozy

-We put fresh mulch out and some pretty potted plants on the back patio and front porch

-I washed the windows and kept the blinds up in key places to let the sun in

-Most importantly we priced the price on the lower end. There are just soooo many houses for sale and we have to compete with all of them. Buyers want a good deal. My house isn't that fancy compared to others in the same neighborhood, we don't have covered porch, we don't have granite countertops or ss appliances. So we have to price accordingly.

I don't know if these ideas will help anyone but that's what I did. Now I'm going to be praying and keeping my fingers crossed that the next 10 days goes by without a hitch and we'll be on our way to settlement

[walking burp cloth]

yeah marimara!! That is wonderful news!! I will be praying for you and your family!!

The gentleman who was interested last week wanted to come by again today and look a second time. He has been asking our realitor all sorts of questions for us to answer, he is a first time homebuyer and brought his dad with him this time and he seems interested. Our agent thinks he is going to put an offer out there!! I hope if he does, it is not too low, as we are priced almost as low as we can go before losing $.

I still don't want to get my hopes up, but must admit I am excited. This is as far as we have gotten the whole time our place has been on the market!!

[marimara]

oooh, awesome!!! hope he follows thru, coming back a 2nd time is always a good sign!!!!! Good luck!!~!

[mattemma04]

We are not in the market,but I try to be ready in case we need to sell right away.

Is everyone using a realtor? All realtor homes seem to have lower prices around me.The one house by us that sold by owner sold for 123k when realtor listed homes are priced at 90k or less.Even with the price difference I would probably list with a realtor.I just wish the realtors used that SBO as a comp!

Has anyone done a pre-listing home inspection? I was considering having that done before listing the home.

We have pets too,but I recently moved them all outside,or into the garage side room.Debating on paint colors for a small(very small) bedroom and a bathroom with a tan colored tub/toilet/sink.Suggestions on color?

Hoping you all sell soon!

When our last home was on the market(condo) we had a lot of showings with no luck.One day we had a guy come who was needing a place asap with room for when his kids visit(divorced dad).Our condo fit the bill for him perfectly.Our new home will meet the needs of someone,and so will yours.Even if you sell low you will also(hopefully) be buying a home at a low price. I keep having to tell my dh that,because he can't seem to let go of the idea that he wants 100% return on what we put into this home.It it rare if you get back 60%!

[marimara]

Originally Posted by mattemma04

We are not in the market,but I try to be ready in case we need to sell right away.

Is everyone using a realtor? All realtor homes seem to have lower prices around me.The one house by us that sold by owner sold for 123k when realtor listed homes are priced at 90k or less.Even with the price difference I would probably list with a realtor.I just wish the realtors used that SBO as a comp!

Has anyone done a pre-listing home inspection? I was considering having that done before listing the home.

We have pets too,but I recently moved them all outside,or into the garage side room.Debating on paint colors for a small(very small) bedroom and a bathroom with a tan colored tub/toilet/sink.Suggestions on color?

Hoping you all sell soon!

When our last home was on the market(condo) we had a lot of showings with no luck.One day we had a guy come who was needing a place asap with room for when his kids visit(divorced dad).Our condo fit the bill for him perfectly.Our new home will meet the needs of someone,and so will yours.Even if you sell low you will also(hopefully) be buying a home at a low price. I keep having to tell my dh that,because he can't seem to let go of the idea that he wants 100% return on what we put into this home.It it rare if you get back 60%!

Hmm, I wonder if there's something different about that By Owner home that made it worth the higher price? Realtors don't usually include By owners in their comps if the information isn't in the MLS. Are you sure that that was the selling price and not the list price? Because in my experience, By Owners tend to list higher and sit on the market longer.

Anyways, I don't know the particulars about that one house, it could be a million things that made that one house more expensive.

But we are using a realtor, most people around here are, the FSBOs sit on the market a looooooong time unless they get lucky, like they know someone themselves.

A pre-listing home inspection might be a good idea if you have an older home or if you suspect some problems that might be expensive or a turnoff to a potential buyer.

As far as paint colors, usually the smaller the room the lighter the color. I would look at some magazines or order some catalogs and try to find something similar and pick a nice but not loud color. Even a neutral can look really modern and fresh.

Well, water's boiling have to run!

[CarricksMom]

Hi everyone. I just saw this thread, will post more later. We've ben trying to sell for 2 years. I totally NEED a support thread!

[walking burp cloth]

I would also suggest a lighter color for a small space. When we bought ours, the walls were painted very dark colors and the trim back.
NAK
Throughout the past 3 years I havw exerimented with different colors, and then I went with a light creamy yellow that really warmed up our place and made it seem much more open. and working on getting all the trim white.

We are using a realitor, as we would not have a clue as to how to do it ourselves. i would imagine if you were to sell by owner, you could be more flexible with your price because you woulnt have all the realitor fees. but only if you knew what you were doing.

Hi everyone. I just saw this thread, will post more later. We've ben trying to sell for 2 years. I totally NEED a support thread!

wow!! 2 years is a long time!! look forwaed to hearing from another long termer!!

[BarefootScientist]

Congrats marimara!

So I posted before about talking to a realtor that quoted about $20k more than I thought our house would sell for. Now admittedly, I know nothing about economics and that sort of thing. But the other realtor couple we interviewed came back yesterday and said more like $150-155k, which I think is a little low.

How can two realtors have such a huge difference in opinion?

The high-price ones used more comps, were much more enthusiastic about selling our house, had many more positive things to say, and I felt we clicked with them better. But they had the comps before they came to our house, so maybe they were thinking our house was nicer than it was before they actually saw it?

The low-price ones had only 3 comps (two that sold recently and one that they had just listed) , and they were really kind of downers, with nothing nice to say about our house and didn't seem like they wanted to sell it at all, in fact, they advised us to rent it out or sell it FSBO. They looked at our house before they went to find the comps, but not very closely and didn't ask us as many questions as the other realtors. I didn't really like them because they just depressed me.

Regardless, we're not going to list at $180k. We're thinking of going with the more enthusiastic realtors who actually sounded like they wanted to work with us, and just listing it at a way lower price with them.

I don't know if I'm looking for opinions or just want to see myself type. Anyway, good luck to you all. I'll be calling the happier realtors today.

[walking burp cloth]

I would definatly call the happy realitor today!! I couldn't imagine working with someone who didn't want to help us!!