|
Post by just PEAchy on Jun 1, 2016 15:47:22 GMT
We just sold our house after being on and off the market for 3 years. We did what you did-upgrades, staging, changed realtors several times. We had a beautiful home in a hard to sell market. The last realtor we had was considered the best in our area, but she had so many listings and did make a lot of sales, just not at our price point. Since the issue really wasn't with the home, as I think is probably true in your case as well, we felt we had to give the realtor extra incentive to sell *our* house. So, we increased her commission by 1% if she was the agent that sold the house. We also bugged her a lot-always asking for updates, requesting open houses, etc. I think she worked harder because she just wanted to get rid of us . Our house sold a couple months after that. Good luck with however you decide to proceed, I know how stressful it is to sell a "hard to sell" house.
|
|
Deleted
Posts: 0
Oct 8, 2024 6:44:11 GMT
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 1, 2016 15:50:39 GMT
What area of NC is this in? Does it appear to be a soft market? Do you know anybody else whose listed recently and what their results were? We're in Fayetteville. Yes the market is soft here and when people sell it's usually for a loss. There are a few homes that have sold for more, but they usually have pools. We can't afford to put in a pool.
|
|
perumbula
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,439
Location: Idaho
Jun 26, 2014 18:51:17 GMT
|
Post by perumbula on Jun 1, 2016 15:51:08 GMT
I say go with the open house and advertise it on base if you can. Can you post flyers in the commissary? Is there a base paper with a classified section? Also, ask your realtor to send out postcards to the neighborhood. It's pretty standard around here. You never know who is looking to upgrade or knows someone who is.
Personally I'd be a bit disappointed in the professional pictures. They are ok, but not something I'd pay money for. They seem cold. Your photographer should have warmed them up just a bit. The color toning on them makes your home look like it dark and cold. There's enough light in the photos, but cool tones feel darker than warm ones. Lots of people do drive bys before they decide to do a showing. How's your flower beds and front? No peeling paint? No overly fussy landscaping? All weeds taken care of? No dead spots in the lawn? Have you patched any cracks in the driveway? Those are things you can take care of. If you have neighbors who aren't taking care of their property, that's going to affect things, but there's nothing you can do about it.
In a slow market, it's a lot harder to sell a house. You have to have something that makes you stand out and marketing is how you do that.
Also, don't necessarily feel like you have to paint your cabinets. Look at one the new construction homes are putting in kitchens. If most of the spec homes are doing white, then it's a good chance white is popular in your area. Around here most spec homes are built with wood toned cabinets. That says to me that white isn't as hot in my area and painting my cabinets white might not appeal to the most buyers.
|
|
Deleted
Posts: 0
Oct 8, 2024 6:44:11 GMT
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 1, 2016 15:52:49 GMT
We just sold our house after being on and off the market for 3 years. We did what you did-upgrades, staging, changed realtors several times. We had a beautiful home in a hard to sell market. The last realtor we had was considered the best in our area, but she had so many listings and did make a lot of sales, just not at our price point. Since the issue really wasn't with the home, as I think is probably true in your case as well, we felt we had to give the realtor extra incentive to sell *our* house. So, we increased her commission by 1% if she was the agent that sold the house. We also bugged her a lot-always asking for updates, requesting open houses, etc. I think she worked harder because she just wanted to get rid of us . Our house sold a couple months after that. Good luck with however you decide to proceed, I know how stressful it is to sell a "hard to sell" house. This sounds EXACTLY like our situation. I think you may be onto something with offering an extra incentive to the listing agent. We've never heard of that idea before.
|
|
|
Post by MorellisCupcake on Jun 1, 2016 15:53:46 GMT
I feel your pain. My house in Charlotte wouldn't sell either, and we ended up renting it out after 11 months on the market. It seemed like nothing we tried would work. We have tenants in it until June 30 (end of this month).
I think your house is lovely. In a market like that (and I've been there!) anything less than flawlessly brand new won't work,and you can't redo anything that will make everyone happy. It's tough.
In my case, it is working out really well since (long story) my life is in massive upheaval and I'm really glad I still have my NC house. But for the last two years, it's been an anchor around my neck for sure.
I hope you sell. The stress is awful.
|
|
perumbula
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,439
Location: Idaho
Jun 26, 2014 18:51:17 GMT
|
Post by perumbula on Jun 1, 2016 15:57:03 GMT
ok, I just looked at the exterior shot, your lawn is patchy and you need to tame the evergreen bushes. they are looking over grown. Also get some annuals in your front bed so you have some color. You don't want your lawn to look as nice as the others in the neighborhood, you need to have the best landscaping. It's all about standing out from the crowd in a soft market.
|
|
Deleted
Posts: 0
Oct 8, 2024 6:44:11 GMT
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 1, 2016 15:57:05 GMT
I say go with the open house and advertise it on base if you can. Can you post flyers in the commissary? Is there a base paper with a classified section? Also, ask your realtor to send out postcards to the neighborhood. It's pretty standard around here. You never know who is looking to upgrade or knows someone who is. Personally I'd be a bit disappointed in the professional pictures. They are ok, but not something I'd pay money for. They seem cold. Your photographer should have warmed them up just a bit. The color toning on them makes your home look like it dark and cold. There's enough light in the photos, but cool tones feel darker than warm ones. Lots of people do drive bys before they decide to do a showing. How's your flower beds and front? No peeling paint? No overly fussy landscaping? All weeds taken care of? No dead spots in the lawn? Have you patched any cracks in the driveway? Those are things you can take care of. If you have neighbors who aren't taking care of their property, that's going to affect things, but there's nothing you can do about it. In a slow market, it's a lot harder to sell a house. You have to have something that makes you stand out and marketing is how you do that. Also, don't necessarily feel like you have to paint your cabinets. Look at one the new construction homes are putting in kitchens. If most of the spec homes are doing white, then it's a good chance white is popular in your area. Around here most spec homes are built with wood toned cabinets. That says to me that white isn't as hot in my area and painting my cabinets white might not appeal to the most buyers. These are all good ideas and things we hadn't considered. The house looks good from the front. Our neighbors yards are okay, but not great. I wish we could change that. I AGREE with your comments about the professional pictures. I feel like their lacking, but don't know HOW to say that to her without offending the photographer. I feel they don't "pop" at all. Good point about looking at new construction regarding cabinet choices. We will do that and then decide if/when we may want to change ours.
|
|
Deleted
Posts: 0
Oct 8, 2024 6:44:11 GMT
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 1, 2016 16:00:25 GMT
I feel your pain. My house in Charlotte wouldn't sell either, and we ended up renting it out after 11 months on the market. It seemed like nothing we tried would work. We have tenants in it until June 30 (end of this month). I think your house is lovely. In a market like that (and I've been there!) anything less than flawlessly brand new won't work,and you can't redo anything that will make everyone happy. It's tough. In my case, it is working out really well since (long story) my life is in massive upheaval and I'm really glad I still have my NC house. But for the last two years, it's been an anchor around my neck for sure. I hope you sell. The stress is awful. Thank you for the support fellow North Carolinian! I think I remember you posting about your home on the old forum and I really couldn't understand why it didn't sell. It was lovely from what I remember. I'm sorry your life is in a huge upheaval. I understand it far too well and would be happy to hear about it! I guess it's sometimes true that "everything happens for a reason" as is the case for you and the NC house. Good luck with everything! ETA: I've said the exact same thing about our house: "It's an anchor ...".
|
|
Rhondito
Pearl Clutcher
MississipPea
Posts: 4,799
Jun 25, 2014 19:33:19 GMT
|
Post by Rhondito on Jun 1, 2016 16:04:02 GMT
I don't notice anything major from all of the pictures you've posted. The only thing I would consider is taking a day or two and painting the kitchen cabinets and adding hardware, but I really don't think the cabinets are making that much of a difference. It has to be price or market. It wouldn't hurt to bury a St Joseph statue...
I used to live in Fayetteville and I still miss it.
|
|
Deleted
Posts: 0
Oct 8, 2024 6:44:11 GMT
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 1, 2016 16:08:12 GMT
It wouldn't hurt to bury a St Joseph statue... Funny, I was just saying the same thing to my DH the other day! LOL!
|
|
perumbula
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,439
Location: Idaho
Jun 26, 2014 18:51:17 GMT
|
Post by perumbula on Jun 1, 2016 16:17:39 GMT
Stop worrying about offending professionals! You are hiring them to do a job. If you aren't happy with the pictures say something. It's her job to take pictures that will sell your house. You will find she's not as easily offended as you imagine. Commercial photography isn't the same as artistic. She's not viewing these photos as art work. It's a job and you can have a say in how the pictures look.
|
|
Rhondito
Pearl Clutcher
MississipPea
Posts: 4,799
Jun 25, 2014 19:33:19 GMT
|
Post by Rhondito on Jun 1, 2016 16:23:50 GMT
It wouldn't hurt to bury a St Joseph statue... Funny, I was just saying the same thing to my DH the other day! LOL! You can get them super cheap from Amazon. I buried one in my flowerbed when I put my house on the market - it sold in one day. Now whether the statue had anything to do with it or not....? But it certainly didn't hurt!
|
|
|
Post by melanell on Jun 1, 2016 16:45:16 GMT
Stop worrying about offending professionals! You are hiring them to do a job. If you aren't happy with the pictures say something. It's her job to take pictures that will sell your house. You will find she's not as easily offended as you imagine. Commercial photography isn't the same as artistic. She's not viewing these photos as art work. It's a job and you can have a say in how the pictures look. I agree. I really feel the photos are lacking, too. I don't know is the photographer took photos from better angles and you just didn't show them here, or if this is all you have to work with. But I feel like the photographer's positioning seems awkward to me. As if I'm always wondering what's just off the edge of the photo.
|
|
|
Post by snappinsami on Jun 1, 2016 16:54:18 GMT
The second time was just a disaster. In the end (after FOUR YEARS of having the house as a rental while we lived 3,000 miles away), we finally sold it but took a $100K loss. Ouch. We're still smarting from that one. (Lesson learned... don't buy at the height of the market and try to sell when it's crashed. Not that we could help it at the time...) This is our problem too. We bought at the height of the market, thought it had recovered, but will be losing tens of thousands of dollars. When we buy again, it will be in another state where we anticipate paying a lot more again. We're torn on what to do and the stress is taking a huge toll on all of us. I do feel your pain. We had no choice when we tried to sell that house. DH had been laid off in NJ and found a new job in CA. We had to move THEN. We've rented ever since. For one thing, real estate prices in southern California are ridiculous; I cannot believe how much houses here go for. Houses that have incredibly crappy build quality and are pretty much right on top of each other. But also, I'm just really gun shy. I never want to get into that kind of situation again. So until we know we'll be someplace long-term (like, forever), we'll be renting. And long-term/forever will NOT be in SoCal.
|
|
Deleted
Posts: 0
Oct 8, 2024 6:44:11 GMT
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 1, 2016 16:56:00 GMT
Stop worrying about offending professionals! You are hiring them to do a job. If you aren't happy with the pictures say something. It's her job to take pictures that will sell your house. You will find she's not as easily offended as you imagine. Commercial photography isn't the same as artistic. She's not viewing these photos as art work. It's a job and you can have a say in how the pictures look. I agree. I really feel the photos are lacking, too. I don't know is the photographer took photos from better angles and you just didn't show them here, or if this is all you have to work with. But I feel like the photographer's positioning seems awkward to me. As if I'm always wondering what's just off the edge of the photo. I feel like the photographer was trying to be "artistic" in his approach to the pictures (a lot of them seem to do that around here). The rest of the pictures are relatively standard with some close-ups of fixtures thrown in to the mix.
|
|
|
Post by Merge on Jun 1, 2016 17:06:43 GMT
Is your priority to make money on the sale or to sell as quickly as possible? It sounds like in your area right now, you're not going to have it both ways. When we wanted to move last year we priced our home at the absolute bottom of the comps for the area. We had a contract inside of a week. In a soft market, price can make all the difference.
|
|
|
Post by compwalla on Jun 1, 2016 17:10:24 GMT
You're in Fayetnam and PCS season has just started. You need to decide if you want to make money or if you want to unload this house. If the market is as tough as you say, you probably won't be able to do both.
And I know it helps you not at all but this is one of the reasons we usually chose not to buy a house when DH was active duty. You can't time when you have to sell so if the market tanks right before you get orders you're fucked.
|
|
Deleted
Posts: 0
Oct 8, 2024 6:44:11 GMT
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 1, 2016 17:17:23 GMT
Is your priority to make money on the sale or to sell as quickly as possible? It sounds like in your area right now, you're not going to have it both ways. When we wanted to move last year we priced our home at the absolute bottom of the comps for the area. We had a contract inside of a week. In a soft market, price can make all the difference. When you say make money do you mean make MORE money than we paid for it? If so, that's NOT our plan. We just want to make back some of the money we already invested into it so we can have some for a down payment on another house (way down the road) or savings. We're planning to rent for a couple of years at least. At this point, we may not buy another home for a long time. But we're a large family and renting isn't always a great option for larger families.
|
|
raindancer
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,095
Jun 26, 2014 20:10:29 GMT
|
Post by raindancer on Jun 1, 2016 17:25:43 GMT
Quick question. What do you mean about the schools? Is the great schools rating what you are talking about? I can tell you that when I search for a house for rent or sale I base it on that. So trying to sell a family home in a mid-range (4-7) is going to be tough if you are competing with 8-10 ratings near by.
I think the pictures are off, but over all I think the house looks good. Not being a pro, but someone who just sold and then bought out here in NC, I think comparatively it shows ok online.
If you are thinking about buying in AZ the housing market there is crap right now too. Tucson was rough to sell and we listed with the "top" agent in our area and sat on it for 6 more months. Those long contracts suck.
I also keep hearing about how open houses are not useful, but I feel like it's a way to get people in at least. Maybe not. We didn't have any, but a friend of ours in real estate disagrees with them not being useful to sell. I think when you have been trying so long then doing something else can't really hurt.
Is it a 3 bedroom 2 bath? I'm trying to think about what the cons are that might be holding things up? Do you have pets in the home that are causing an odor you aren't aware of? Do you smoke? Does the backyard need a lot of work? Do you have things like cracks in the ceiling or peeling flooring, or kid rooms that are bright and colorful that need to be painted neutral? (I ask because my son's room was gray with a wide orange stripe. It looked really awesome but it's very specific to the person so we painted it off white.)
|
|
|
Post by jamielynn on Jun 1, 2016 17:29:05 GMT
Could you contact large employers in the area to share the info with HR in case new hires are moving to the area? Highlight the low from family friendly area.
|
|
Deleted
Posts: 0
Oct 8, 2024 6:44:11 GMT
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 1, 2016 17:30:44 GMT
Quick question. What do you mean about the schools? Is the great schools rating what you are talking about? I can tell you that when I search for a house for rent or sale I base it on that. So trying to sell a family home in a mid-range (4-7) is going to be tough if you are competing with 8-10 ratings near by. The schools are rated at 5 around here. I know that's not great but it IS average and there's not a a darn thing we can do to change it. There are better schools and worse schools not too far from us. All of our schools were rated higher until a few years after we lived here...we couldn't have predicted that outcome.
|
|
|
Post by Merge on Jun 1, 2016 17:31:04 GMT
Is your priority to make money on the sale or to sell as quickly as possible? It sounds like in your area right now, you're not going to have it both ways. When we wanted to move last year we priced our home at the absolute bottom of the comps for the area. We had a contract inside of a week. In a soft market, price can make all the difference. When you say make money do you mean make MORE money than we paid for it? If so, that's NOT our plan. We just want to make back some of the money we already invested into it so we can have some for a down payment on another house (way down the road) or savings. We're planning to rent for a couple of years at least. At this point, we may not buy another home for a long time. But we're a large family and renting isn't always a great option for larger families. And I totally get that - I'm just saying that in your market, making back that money AND selling quickly may not be possible, no matter what your realtor does. You can have one or the other but not both.
|
|
|
Post by Merge on Jun 1, 2016 17:32:29 GMT
Quick question. What do you mean about the schools? Is the great schools rating what you are talking about? I can tell you that when I search for a house for rent or sale I base it on that. So trying to sell a family home in a mid-range (4-7) is going to be tough if you are competing with 8-10 ratings near by. The schools are rated at 5 around here. I know that's not great but it IS average and there's not a a darn thing we can do to change it. There are better schools and worse schools not too far from us. All of our schools were rated higher until a few years after we lived here...we couldn't have predicted that outcome. Ugh. I hate the great schools ratings, which have little/no relation to the actual quality of the school. But so many people put so much stock in them because it's easier than actually visiting the schools and talking to people whose kids go there.
|
|
Deleted
Posts: 0
Oct 8, 2024 6:44:11 GMT
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 1, 2016 17:37:51 GMT
The schools are rated at 5 around here. I know that's not great but it IS average and there's not a a darn thing we can do to change it. There are better schools and worse schools not too far from us. All of our schools were rated higher until a few years after we lived here...we couldn't have predicted that outcome. Ugh. I hate the great schools ratings, which have little/no relation to the actual quality of the school. But so many people put so much stock in them because it's easier than actually visiting the schools and talking to people whose kids go there. I agree with you 100%. The great school rating is the bane of my existence! I've seen plenty of kids graduate from our schools to go on and do great things with their lives. It doesn't seem to matter. Especially in this military town...they only want to know where the best schools are and refuse to consider anything less. It drives me crazy!
|
|
|
Post by 2peaornot2pea on Jun 1, 2016 17:40:04 GMT
- From a cosmetic standpoint, I would consider painting the kitchen cabinets white and adding hardware. - Can you provide pictures of the bathrooms and exterior? I agree with what epeanymous says - interview about five to seven other realtors and see what their price points are. I disagree. The cabinets don't need to be painted. Your home looks lovely. I would go to the broker. In the future, I wouldn't sign a six month contract with a realtor.
|
|
raindancer
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,095
Jun 26, 2014 20:10:29 GMT
|
Post by raindancer on Jun 1, 2016 17:40:13 GMT
The schools are rated at 5 around here. I know that's not great but it IS average and there's not a a darn thing we can do to change it. There are better schools and worse schools not too far from us. All of our schools were rated higher until a few years after we lived here...we couldn't have predicted that outcome. Ugh. I hate the great schools ratings, which have little/no relation to the actual quality of the school. But so many people put so much stock in them because it's easier than actually visiting the schools and talking to people whose kids go there. Well I do all of those things, the rating gets me to those schools. When I can look at an area and can narrow it down by the top 10 schools or so then I'm not going to bother going to a 3-5 rated school when I can visit higher ranked schools. I understand that those are not the be all and end all for a school, the fact is that I'm not going to waste my time. It is a lot of work moving to another state, it's why I use health grades to help narrow down doctors to interview, and optometrists and dentists. It's already such a massive effort that it is vital to shrink it down a bit. So you can't change the schools, but I think you really eliminate a chunk of buyers when they have a bad school system in place particularly if you can buy similar homes in a higher rated school. So you may have to just try to break even.
|
|
raindancer
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,095
Jun 26, 2014 20:10:29 GMT
|
Post by raindancer on Jun 1, 2016 17:41:29 GMT
Ugh. I hate the great schools ratings, which have little/no relation to the actual quality of the school. But so many people put so much stock in them because it's easier than actually visiting the schools and talking to people whose kids go there. I agree with you 100%. The great school rating is the bane of my existence! I've seen plenty of kids graduate from our schools to go on and do great things with their lives. It doesn't seem to matter. Especially in this military town...they only want to know where the best schools are and refuse to consider anything less. It drives me crazy! I went to school in a town with one of each. So I get that greatness can come from anywhere. But as a parent who utilizes public schools, it's a great tool. I have used it in three cities. So while maybe everyone doesn't use it as anything more than a direct answer, it's still valuable, IMO.
|
|
raindancer
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,095
Jun 26, 2014 20:10:29 GMT
|
Post by raindancer on Jun 1, 2016 17:44:20 GMT
So I looked up fayetteville and overall it is the average rating in your area. So if that's what the schools are rated there, then you are right, it really shouldn't be about that. In terms of city wide, you are in line with the rest of the area. So that's sort of irrelevant I would guess.
I'm truly stumped.
I think the house looks fine.
|
|
CeeScraps
Pearl Clutcher
~~occupied entertaining my brain~~
Posts: 3,894
Jun 26, 2014 12:56:40 GMT
|
Post by CeeScraps on Jun 1, 2016 17:45:32 GMT
I'm not a realtor, nor have I sold a house in 10 years. The last one I sold was my mom's. We did it by owner.
My initial reaction when I saw the front of your home is that it's nice. Nothing special jumped out at me. Please don't be offended as I know you're looking and wanting help.
The photos make the exterior of the home seem cold. Look at your landscaping (in your backyard too). Trim the bushes. Plant some flowers or get potted plants. Get a large planter from a greenhouse that already has flowers in it. Put it at the corner of your front walkway. Put some pots with flowers on your steps or in the corner of your front porch.
If you can purchase rod iron planter hooks get a couple of those to put amongst your bushes. Put bright colored hanging baskets on them. You could put some of these in your backyard too up against your home.
Inside...I don't need furniture so that doesn't bother me. I like the inside. Personally I know everyone is saying to paint the cabinets. That's probably what you should do. Me, I like the oak. I would put hardware on them.
Oh.....get some plants for inside the house. You could leave those. Hit up garage sales for pots. When you have an open house get a vase of flowers or maybe small bouquets and put them in different rooms.
I say all of that for the inside because that may help someone. Again, me, I wouldn't need any of that.
Good luck!
|
|
TankTop
Pearl Clutcher
Refupea #1,871
Posts: 4,831
Location: On the couch...
Jun 28, 2014 1:52:46 GMT
|
Post by TankTop on Jun 1, 2016 17:49:04 GMT
Your front yard needs some color and life. Maybe bright flowers on the porch and from each of the carriage lights. A nice flag?
Good luck. This whole process is so frustrating for sure!
|
|