Help - Why won't my house sell

[Southernmiss]

It's been 14 years since I sold a house. Our realtor was good, but got off to a slow start.

Before listing, we decluttered and had the entire house professionally painted all one antique white color.

I prepared a flyer that I left prominently in the entryway that said 'Don't miss the special features of this house.' I then bullet listed the extras that we had done when it was built and after to make it unique, in a good way.

I also baked slice 'n bake chocolate chip cookies right before we showed it.

We got what we wanted for it after I did that, but it was a couple of months after it was first listed. I think our realtor didn't 'plug' our house initially.

 

[jaybirdsmommy]

Well, I just got here to do some painting and a realtor was showing it to a family with teenage boys. I'm hiding in the car a couple of houses up waiting for them to leave. Cross your fingers.

 

[punkin]

So I'm thinking about possibly selling my house, but given the market here, the majority of the value is in the land. I have a lovely mid 60s split level in good condition, which needs some updates, but I can see a new buyer looking at it as a gut job or a total tear down. Makes me want to do absolutely nothing to it before putting it on the market.

 

[dclpluto]

You said advantage walking distance to schools but for most would be a disadvantage. But either way you cannot control this. Look at the things you can control not the ones you can’t.

 

[jaybirdsmommy]

You said advantage walking distance to schools but for most would be a disadvantage. But either way you cannot control this. Look at the things you can control not the ones you can’t.

Why would that be a disadvantage? I could see if we had the school right in our backyard but we don't. Kids can literally walk to any school they will attend starting in 3rd grade all the way through high school from here. But they are all around 0.5 miles away.

 

[ChristmasElf]

We have been trying to sell our house for about 5 months now. We aren't even getting showings (maybe once a week). I've done everything my realtor has suggested, but nothing has helped. I'm open to any and all suggestions at this point.

Specs: app 1800 sqf with another 300 sqf bonus space not included in that number. 4 beds, 2 baths, 0.75 acres lot, built app 1975, single story, no pool. Asking 217900, which is in line with other comps from the neighborhood if not on the low end. According to realtor.com the last time I looked we were actually in the lowest 5 listings price wise for similar size and # of bed/bathrooms.

Advantages: pretty neighborhood with a good mix of ages among the neighbors, walking distance to several excellent schools including the middle school and junior high, private backyard fenced on 3.5 sides, decent sized bedrooms, updated (not the latest and greatest but the appliances are new, main floors are new, roof is 7 years old, furnace/ac are 5 years old, both bathrooms have been redone since we have lived there).

Disadvantages: older neighborhood not on the "hot" side of town, the yard is a funny shape and slopes so no flat play area. No gigantic master suite, just a large master bedroom with a small attached bath. Honestly, I can't think of anything else. The only feedback we've gotten are the lack of play area in the yard (my kids played there for years, not sure where that is coming from but whatever, I can't change it) and that the laminate floors are too cold for little kids to play on.

We have had 2 open houses, no one showed up for the last one.

I don't know what else to do. We have already moved out and the house is empty (seems to be the preferred way to show houses here since there is a lot of new construction to compete with), the yard is clean, mowed, new flowers in the pots, bushes trimmed, etc. I repainted my sons funny colored room a neutral color before the last open house, all the other rooms were already neutrals.

I am going to get after my realtor to take new pictures. The ones on the listing now were taken while we still lived there and several of them aren't good. Any other ideas?

DO NOT have your current realtor take any new pics. Just call her and tell her you want to take it off the market since it hasn’t sold yet. Let the house “cool off “ for a week or so while you interview a new realtor. A top notch realtor will bring you neighborhood comps, have a great photographer come in and take pics of the property, and do a fantastic descriptive write up on all the features of the home, including pointing out any updates you have done.
Ask the new realtor what price they suggest before you lower the price. Also make sure your house will be on all the web sites like realtor.com, truvia, front door, etc.
Don’t be surprised if the new realtor asks you to “stage” a few rooms of the house in an effort to show people how the house would look with furniture. People can be really dumb sometimes and not have a clue how certain rooms need to be furnished. I’ve been through this many times and some houses sell the first day they hit the market and others take more than a month. So frustrating. Good Luck!

*Forgot to add: Purchase a few of the plug in air fresheners for the house so that it doesn’t get a stale smell. Houses that smell good sell faster.

 

[ChristmasElf]

Would you mind telling me approximately how much it cost?

Staging usually runs about $3-4000 depending on how much they do.
If you have an extra couch and chair, just place it in the living room with a new carpet (Home Goods= $229)
Maybe a table for either the kitchen or the dining room with some kind of centerpiece
A pretty framed picture on the living room wall.
Fresh towels on the towel rack in the bathrooms

In the patio area, place a couple of outdoor chairs and a small table

 

[wgeo]

Hope the showing went well. But doesn't your realtor notify you of showings before they happen? You should always get advance notice so you can get all the lights turned on and make sure everything looks right before they go through the house. Seems weird that they would just have people in the house without letting you know first.

 

[dclpluto]

Why would that be a disadvantage? I could see if we had the school right in our backyard but we don't. Kids can literally walk to any school they will attend starting in 3rd grade all the way through high school from here. But they are all around 0.5 miles away.

I’m assuming bus service isn’t available since you are a half mile from school. So if parents don’t want their kids to walk to school they will have to drive them. If bus service is available not a disadvantage.

 

[sk!mom]

You need a better realtor, excellent pictures, and a price that will draw people to the less desirable area. Laminate floors would be hard to sell here. Get a realtor who moves their listings and then listen to them regarding pricing.

 

[Happyinwonerland]

I think I found your listing too. Honestly, you need to de-clutter. Rent a storage unit and put all those books and bookshelves, cluttered shoes, off season clothes, exercise equpiment, etc. away in storage. You have a lot of stuff and it makes the house feel small.

It would help to spend some time cleaning up the yard, prune the trees, and re-mulch the flower bed. Always need to make a good first impression.

I'd store the bath sponge and air freshener under the sink in the bathroom. Maybe add some new towels in there and get rid of the ones draped over the shower stall.

Really it just needs to be presented better. get rid of anything not neceasary for everyday life, hang some nicer curtains and bathroom linens to make it feel inviting. And hire someone to take better pictures. I'm amazed the realtor thought it a good idea to a)post a pic of the toilet and b) leave a can of spray air freshener on if I am mistaken, forgive me, I'm just going on what I think is your listing.

 

[Cubbiecakes]

Have your house professionally and thoroughly cleaned, and then;

The new "thing" is to have professional pictures taken of the inside and outside.
When we sold 2 years ago, I had a few people tell me the pictures didn't do the house justice and that they almost didn't come to see it.
I told my realtor and she was not happy that people thought her pics weren't good, but I kinda agreed with them after I looked back.
We got lucky and sold in a few days, but the market was really hot at the time.

Good Luck!

Great photos are an absolute must. You really need a professional photographer who knows how to shoot houses to make them look their best, a good shot can make a small room look large and a dark room look bright etc. I would start looking at other agents immediately. Comb local listings, see who is selling the most inventory, see who has the best photos, best descriptors etc. and set up appointments, see what they are willing to bring to the table to work for you and to sell your home.

Use a professional real estate photographer who takes pics for a living. It makes such a big difference! You could also consider staging the house with some furniture

Every idiot with a cell phone thinks they can take pictures these days, but most people are absolutely terrible photographers. Just look at your Facebook feed...

Our house sold in 2 hours (for a 1950s ranch style), and the pics were amazing.

 

[lorimay]

You said advantage walking distance to schools but for most would be a disadvantage. But either way you cannot control this. Look at the things you can control not the ones you can’t.

My house was less than a quarter mile from an elementary school and the buyer was thrilled, she had a 3 yr old.
I walked my kids to school every morning and then my grandkids. Having a school within walking distance is a plus for 99% of families.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

DO NOT have your current realtor take any new pics. Just call her and tell her you want to take it off the market since it hasn’t sold yet. Let the house “cool off “ for a week or so while you interview a new realtor. A top notch realtor will bring you neighborhood comps, have a great photographer come in and take pics of the property, and do a fantastic descriptive write up on all the features of the home, including pointing out any updates you have done.
Ask the new realtor what price they suggest before you lower the price. Also make sure your house will be on all the web sites like realtor.com, truvia, front door, etc.
Don’t be surprised if the new realtor asks you to “stage” a few rooms of the house in an effort to show people how the house would look with furniture. People can be really dumb sometimes and not have a clue how certain rooms need to be furnished. I’ve been through this many times and some houses sell the first day they hit the market and others take more than a month. So frustrating. Good Luck!

*Forgot to add: Purchase a few of the plug in air fresheners for the house so that it doesn’t get a stale smell. Houses that smell good sell faster.

This is true. A home we rented once was put up for sale, before we moved out. DH was transferring out of state. They wanted to give it time to sell, so they had showings with us living there. The person who bought it asked us to sell them everything in it down to the curtains & decorations. They said the way it was decorated was one of the things that made the house attractive to them. I guess they didn't realize the owner didn't own everything in the house, until they had already bought it. We told them that we'd be taking our stuff with us, then they tried to talk us into taking the furniture, but selling the curtains & decorations. No, we didn't sell them all our curtains & decorations.

 

[mjkacmom]

My house was less than a quarter mile from an elementary school and the buyer was thrilled, she had a 3 yr old.
I walked my kids to school every morning and then my grandkids. Having a school within walking distance is a plus for 99% of families.

I agree! No buses in my town, kids either walk or get driven. I love the fact that my kids can walk to school, I walked them there myself until 2nd grade. No worries about missing the bus, or having to leave the house an hour before school starts.

 

[melanielll]

I just found the listing, too. I am going to say you have a few problems.

First - the pictures and any realtor who would put up those pictures. You need a new realtor and new pictures. A good realtor does not charge you for professional pictures. Remember that when you find another one. Is that the realtor's reflection in the mirror over the fireplace? Such bad pics. We sold a condo recently. Our daughter lived in it during med school. It looked sooo much better in the pictures than when she was living there.

Second - and part of this goes back to your realtor - your house and yard are kind of mess in those pictures. If that is how you are showing it, you will have trouble. A good realtor would have told you this firmly. You need to declutter, and spruce it up. It does not look inviting. If nothing else, clean up your patio. If I see screens lying around the patio in for sale pics, I am wondering about the maintenance of the house.

Here is one of the pics of our condo. The red blanket in the bottom corner slightly annoys me.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

So I'm thinking about possibly selling my house, but given the market here, the majority of the value is in the land. I have a lovely mid 60s split level in good condition, which needs some updates, but I can see a new buyer looking at it as a gut job or a total tear down. Makes me want to do absolutely nothing to it before putting it on the market.

You can always throw it out there and see what you get.

 

[jaybirdsmommy]

Hope the showing went well. But doesn't your realtor notify you of showings before they happen? You should always get advance notice so you can get all the lights turned on and make sure everything looks right before they go through the house. Seems weird that they would just have people in the house without letting you know first.

No, when we moved out she asked if she could put that it was available for showing anytime. I agreed to it since I wasn't always available to run over there and turn on lights. We leave the front lights and the hallway lights on most of the time.

 

[LYSE]

No, when we moved out she asked if she could put that it was available for showing anytime. I agreed to it since I wasn't always available to run over there and turn on lights. We leave the front lights and the hallway lights on most of the time.

That's the right call, showing any time is best.

Keep the a/c on so it's reasonably comfortable, make sure it looks and smells clean 24/7 and your Good

 

[jaybirdsmommy]

Just to make sure things are clear-we have moved out of the house. I appreciate the advice to declutter but there isn't anything left in the house to declutter.

I honestly don't even know where a couple of those pictures came from. I think she took a few earlier in the year when we had first discussed selling but decided not to. I've asked several times to have them removed but they are still there.

I'll take some recent pictures and post them tomorrow.