Deal Breaker for a new home?

Where I live I can drive anywhere in town within 15ish minutes. I couldn't handle having to drive a half hour for groceries. It would require far too much extra planning to buy cold/frozen items.

Right now, I would not. I have in the past, and we lived there for many years. But as more time passed, the more we missed the walkability of being in town. Not suburbia--but right in the heart of a town. So that's where we are now. And I don't know that I will want to give it up again. Before moving out to our rural home, we both lived in areas with good walkability, so it was a big departure for us, and we're glad to be back in that type of environment.  We can walk to restaurants, stores, banks, post office, churches, parks, 2 of the district schools, the library, and more.  DH cycles to work, but he could even walk there if he wished to do so.  We just are so, so glad to have that ability again.

As for this:


Depending on where they live, people may not feel that the climate is right for making lower offers.  So many places require higher bids to even have a chance, that people might not automatically think to offer less.

It really doesn’t require any extra planning other than making sure groceries are your last stop if your running multiple errands. Groceries stay plenty cold enough during a 30 minute drive, nothing melts or gets too warm.

Really? Even ice cream? I honestly didn't know that. I do live a very sheltered life in some ways.  

I just had a chance to look at the actual listing. I think the house could be amazing with $100-$150k of renovations, but right now it just seems kind of… blah. Yard is lovely, bones are great, but finishes and furniture (which doesn’t matter, but contributes to the overall impression) are dated. Personally, I want a house that I can renovate, because I think it’s pretty unlikely I’d ever find one to my taste, but I think most people want move-in ready. It also seems like a higher price than I expected for Texas, so I think, in that higher range, you’re going to have more discerning buyers.

I'm having a hard time selling my house for that very reason. It's a nice house in a pretty country neighborhood, but being that far from the city has discouraged people from buying.  

In that area, I don't think that's what the problem is. My parents live in the Commerce area and there's people that live out there that commute into Dallas. I would say it's the last tax assessment that came in at 410K and it's on the market for 750K. The furnishings also make it look dated.

Sorry. Double post.

The drive wouldn't bother me...but if it did, I wouldn't even waste my time looking. I don't believe that's the problem. I've sold a couple homes, so I say with confidence, I believe the clutter and lots of personal decor are off-putting buyers. Most buyers have no imagination and are hyper-critical. Unfortunately, the way a person lives in their home when not on the market needs to be vastly different than when the home is on the market. I'm very surprised her real estate agent didn't say something about this. I know my agent would have been on my case for a while about it. I hope that helps.

I voted 'that's my drive to the grocery store now' so that's not the problem, IMO. Well, we have a small-town grocery store about 15-20 minutes away, but a larger grocery store, Walmart, etc. is about 20-30 minutes away. And a Costco is probably 45 minutes away. We've lived that far away from major stores for at least the last 15 years- I just made sure to stop at the store on my way home from work; since I've always worked in the city I would pass all of that shopping on my way home from work.

(and yup, freezer bags- the only time I would really worry is if it was 110F outside and I was transporting ice cream, or something like that... but usually, a freezer bag or cooler and keeping all the cold/frozen stuff together works fine.)

I don’t think it’s the clutter that’s the problem. We’ve all seen listings that are far, far worse. Do I think decluttering and new pictures is something your sister should do? Probably, they are easy things that can’t hurt, and in some of the rooms should have been obvious before taking a picture in the first place. But IMO, the house still reads clean and tidy, and not what dangers are lurking.

I think the problem is that two roadblocks were thrown down that will have the particular type of buyer your sister needs at that price point reevaluating. 1st roadblock… interest rates. At that price point, I don’t think it’s first time homebuyers, or business money looking at an investment property to hold for awhile. It’s people looking to upgrade, and given interest rates they may be reevaluating staying in their own home and renovating. Or moving somewhere else where a $500K budget can get you what you want. Some states and cities that gets you nothing, but I think in Texas you can still find a large range of features depending on what community you look. Some potential buyers may be looking even more rural to find a better price.

I also recently read an article that in my state, CO, prices went so high so quickly because out-of-state buyers had higher budgets than in-state. I assume that is true for most states receiving an influx of buyers, and Texas is one. So 2nd roadblock, do people from places like California, Chicago, etc still want to move to Texas, given the current political climate? IMO in the short term, it’s on pause, to see how November shakes out, and how courts and lawyers and hospitals handle how women experiencing miscarriages are treated. People with real interest in moving to Texas for better COL, family, etc. will eventually still come, but if politics is a bigger deal breaker then some potential buyers might head to different states.

Those are things your sister or her realtor can’t fix. But I agree the photos are evidence her realtor may not be the best suited for this property, especially if she is also not getting good feedback from the showings that have happened. I think it’s mostly bad timing, and the pool of potential buyers is smaller than it has been. Which allows the people in that pool some room to prioritize their wants and find a more perfect floor plan, instead of buying anything, just to get a foot in the door and not shut out. If she has to sell quickly, then price should be reevaluated. But it may not be overpriced, and would sell for that either last spring or next spring. Or the right buyer could show up any month in between. But it won’t be a flood, just single families for who the house is perfect.

It’s funny the thing about the photos that really jumped out at me were all the bathrobes hanging in the bathroom - I wonder if they are still there when they show the house to people lol

I would be willing. I searched for the link and would agree with others that the staging needs some work. I remember when we sold our house our realtor had us remove anything personal and we packed up a ton of stuff and had it in the garage. She told us that when people walk through, they need to be able to visual themselves and their stuff in the house. I remember internally rolling my eyes a bit but noticed it was very true when we were looking at houses. 

What jumped out at me was all the crosses.

Growing up, I lived about 15 minutes from a grocery store. That in and of itself isn't a dealbreaker but one big obstacle (which probably does not exist for this house in Texas) is what happens when it snows.

I live in the city and while my side street doesn't get plowed for less than 3 inches, the main road is nearly always drivable without too much headache so it's really easy to get out for provisions. Where I grew up was not only rural, but at the edge of the county and, thus, one of the last things plowed. 15 minutes on a a good day isn't abad drive but it sucks when you can't drive above 10 mph.