Help - Why won't my house sell

[VandVsmama]

pic #17:
- is there a tub or shower in this bathroom or is this just a powder room?
- why is that towel rack so high up on the wall? It wouldn't look so out of place if you had white towels hanging on it.
- bathroom must not have enough storage. trash bin right next to toilet (put it under the sink instead). Spare toilet paper right next to the trash bin.
- repaint the painted wall to be white.

pic #18 (bedroom):
- meh, another dark & depressing bedroom
- hard to tell if this room is carpeted or if there's wood floors
- is there a closet?

pic #19-20:
- this room is a train wreck. Too dark. Too cluttered
- vaulted ceiling is really nice, but way too dark. If I was buying that house, I'd repaint the ceiling and support beams to brighten the room

pic #21-22:
- shed in the back looks like something out of a Stephen King book
- BUT you could repaint it & set it up as a child's play house!
- set up a sand pit right in front of the play house...small area with a border. stage it with some sand/beach toys. Or do that nearby the play house
- paint the inside of the play house something cheerful. Stage it with some children's play furniture (like stuff from IKEA or Target).
- next to the play house & sand play area, you could put another bistro set or an outdoor garden bench with a small table next to it....that way, Mom or Dad could sit out there and watch the kiddos play.
- in another part of the yard, you could spend $100 on a small portable outdoor fire pit and set out 2-3 outdoor chairs around it. Put firewood in the fire pit. Then bingo, you have staged another outdoor living space. I'd do this in some of the open space that's in pic #22.
- clean up all of the leaves

pic #23:
- the path that curves around the tree looks neglected.
- fix this by taking out the old stepping stones. Put down some decomposed granite in that walkway. it's cheap and you could do that yourself. Won't cost much.
- the potted flowers are poorly placed and are dwarfed by the size of the yard.

pic #24:
- potted plant in lower right looks nice, but it needs to be taller/bigger. You can't see it from the street.
- garden looks like it could use some work, but maybe it was just the time of year that the pics were taken
- grass could use some TLC

pic #25:
- that 1 lonely white chair is a step in the right direction, but it's sad sitting all by itself. It needs a friend.
- remove the neglected-looking pot that to the right of the white chair

pic #29:
- this is a train wreck of a picture
- is that a concrete patio?
- are there drainage problems?
- so there are stairs you walk up in order to get to the rest of the back yard?

You're close! The house just needs some minor things (and a new agent) and you will get a buyer.

 

[cabanafrau]

The pictures aren't doing your home any favors.

Mulch and some potted plants are probably your friend.
Detached windows or screens propped against the house make my thoughts go immediately to work waiting for me. You don't want that thought going around in buyers' heads. A broom or leaf blower would make the patio picture much more appealing as well.
Pictures of closets with items in them must be neat as a pin -- and never full.
Something with a pop of color in the kitchen would help -- bowl of fruit, well placed flower arrangement, etc.
Lots more light all around when taking pictures.

 

[LYSE]

You already got some good advice after you posted pictures!

The good news is if you take down the listing fix everything and post it back up you should be good to go.

Even though we've already mentioned it...again I'm going to suggest you have a stager and interior designer come in and get the house ready for pictures..let them pick paint colors...pretty much give them full control over how the house is presented...that's their speciality!

In the mean time toss those rugs and get a landscaper to come in.

 

[jaybirdsmommy]

other thoughts about the pictures in the listing...

Pic #1 (front of house):
- How do you get to the front door?
- is there a garage? Where do you park your car?
- too many leaves. They are clearly not gardeners.

Pic #2 (yellow room):
- too much furniture & clutter.
- is this a bedroom set up as an office? If so, is there a closet? Where's the closet?
- YOUR pic of this room when it's empty is way better. BUT...
- what is that black metal frame thing on the wall? take it down.

Pic #3 (fireplace room):
- your pic of this room is better than the agent's pic
- built in book case to left of fireplace is nice feature, but what is that thing in the wall? Is it a pet door?
- placement of the hutch/TV right next to the door feels a little weird. Makes the room feel cramped
- listing description talks about the wood floors throughout the house, but you can't see them because they're covered up in almost every pic

Pic #4:
- where is this taken from?
- what room is this?

Pic #5 (kitchen):
- stainless steel appliances - NICE!
- kitchen has good lighting
- like the cabinets
- but wow, that seems cramped. How can you have somebody eat at that island and have somebody wash dishes at the same time?
- range hood over the top of the stove doesn't go w/the stove. Makes it look like the owner ran out of money
- potted plants in the window look neglected

Pic #6:
- wow, how can you even open the fridge door without hitting the door handle to the outside?
- does that door lead to the back yard?
- what's behind those folding doors on the right?

Pic #7:
- I suppose THIS is supposed to be the dining room?
- how come there's no dining room table?
- you can't have dinner parties here. There's only room for 4 people to eat
- can't have a big family get together at Christmas. Nowhere for everyone to sit together and eat.
- you should remove that big butcher block bulky built-in island/table thing.
- put an ACTUAL kitchen table placed underneath the hanging light fixture in the dining room

Pic #8:
- depressing hallway, but floors are in good shape.

Pic #9 (master BR):
- nice sized room
- without the area rug, I like this room

Pic #10 (in master BR, looking to closet):
- that's a weird looking curtain from this angle
- must not be enough storage in this house since they have storage bins stacked up under the window
- small looking closet
- that thing hanging on the closet door isn't doing you any favors

Pic #11 (bathroom):
- everything in this house is too dark
- bathroom way too dark
- repaint it with white
- install a REAL toilet paper holder.
- what is that to the left of the sink?
- tile floors don't even go with the wall color
- whole bathroom is ugly. Feels like a cave

Pic #12-13 (bathroom):
- shower looks mildewed. Pay to have house professionally cleaned top to bottom
- Nice sided shower. Is this the master bathroom?
- must not be enough storage in this bathroom if they have to hang the shower sponge on the door

Pic #14:
- this pic is a trainwreck. Real estate agent should be ashamed of herself. It's blurry!

pic #15:
- too dark
- depressing bedroom
- can't even see the size of the room because the picture is so dark
- repaint the room white

pic #16:
- what is this pic for? To feature the furniture?
- Maybe somebody Grandma lives here, grandma has gone into a home or has died, and they're trying to sell everything off?
- why is that lamp there and it's not even plugged in?

Well, in good new my Zillow view count has gone way up. I wonder why?

Like I said, the realtor managed to get the worst possible view of every room in the house. I just don't know what she was thinking or what I was thinking letting her do it. I hit a major travel spurt at work right after the listing was done and have only recently slowed down enough to get frustrated at the lack of movements.

Let's see, picture #1 I have begged her to re-do. That's actually the worst one of the front that she took. she likes it because of the one lonely blooming azalea.

Picture #2 - that room was EMPTY when she came to take the pictures. Even the red chairs were gone. She thought the picture she took that day was too dark and used this one instead.

Picture #3 - Cat door, I have it on the list to take it out and patch the hole. It wasn't noticeable until we took all the stuff off the shelves. We put the rugs down at her advice.

Picture #4 - Should have been looking down the hallway to the front door. Again, worst possible angle and doesn't show anything.

Picture #5 - Again, bad picture, there is plenty of clearance between the sink and the counter. The angle of the picture makes it ook crowded.

Picture #6 - Door leads to driveway, and yes, the fridge is crowded. Nothing we can do about that, there isn't anywhere else to put it. That's a common issue with the newer larger fridges in older homes.

Picture #7 - I see what you are saying here, but even without the countertop there isn't room for a large table. We had a regular drop leaf table in there for years and if the leaf was up someone was climbing over a chair to sit in the back. There is actually room for 6 at the counter and a small 4 top table will fit in the dining area with no problem. If I was staying in the house, I would knock down that wall where the hutch is and make one large space out of that and the yellow room.

Picture #8 - Not sure how to make it less depressing other than more light? The floors are new.

Picture #9 - the rug is history.

Picture #10 - Don't get me started on that one. I told my husband to move the storage bins and close the door, she told me it was fine the way it was. Can't do anything about the closet size, it is what it is.

Picture #11 - Purely bad lighting, the walls are the same color as the accent on the tiles. I have no idea what is to the left of the sink? Agree with you that it looks dark, there aren't any windows in there so it's hard to get a good picture.

Picture #12 - 13 - that's a shadow. There is no mildew.

Picture #14 - makes my teeth itch every time I see it.

Picture #15 - This is actually the room in the house with the best light. The walls are a pale blue, I honestly don't see how she managed to take such a dark picture.

Picture #16 - Again, no idea.

 

[kirstenb1]

The yard looks like the pictures were taken in winter, with all the leaves off the trees. I sympathize, because I like gardening, and my own yard looks sort of meh in winter. I'd move the pots up close to the sidewalk entry, or the front stoop. And I'd do a few more, with pansies, ornamental cabbage, kale etc that will withstand winter temps, and look good. When the house sells, you can take them to the new house. Hire someone to rake all the leaves, and put down some mulch. Before that, has someone pressure washed the exterior and sidewalk/pavers? That can really freshen things up. It's a great brick rancher that just needs a few things to make it shine.

 

[Pamlur]

You are being such a good sport! I agree that you need to let this contract run out (hopefully it's soon, I think?) and find another agent. This one seems to be fixated on taking pictures of floors.

 

[jaybirdsmommy]

pic #17:
- is there a tub or shower in this bathroom or is this just a powder room?
- why is that towel rack so high up on the wall? It wouldn't look so out of place if you had white towels hanging on it.
- bathroom must not have enough storage. trash bin right next to toilet (put it under the sink instead). Spare toilet paper right next to the trash bin.
- repaint the painted wall to be white.

pic #18 (bedroom):
- meh, another dark & depressing bedroom
- hard to tell if this room is carpeted or if there's wood floors
- is there a closet?

pic #19-20:
- this room is a train wreck. Too dark. Too cluttered
- vaulted ceiling is really nice, but way too dark. If I was buying that house, I'd repaint the ceiling and support beams to brighten the room

pic #21-22:
- shed in the back looks like something out of a Stephen King book
- BUT you could repaint it & set it up as a child's play house!
- set up a sand pit right in front of the play house...small area with a border. stage it with some sand/beach toys. Or do that nearby the play house
- paint the inside of the play house something cheerful. Stage it with some children's play furniture (like stuff from IKEA or Target).
- next to the play house & sand play area, you could put another bistro set or an outdoor garden bench with a small table next to it....that way, Mom or Dad could sit out there and watch the kiddos play.
- in another part of the yard, you could spend $100 on a small portable outdoor fire pit and set out 2-3 outdoor chairs around it. Put firewood in the fire pit. Then bingo, you have staged another outdoor living space. I'd do this in some of the open space that's in pic #22.
- clean up all of the leaves

pic #23:
- the path that curves around the tree looks neglected.
- fix this by taking out the old stepping stones. Put down some decomposed granite in that walkway. it's cheap and you could do that yourself. Won't cost much.
- the potted flowers are poorly placed and are dwarfed by the size of the yard.

pic #24:
- potted plant in lower right looks nice, but it needs to be taller/bigger. You can't see it from the street.
- garden looks like it could use some work, but maybe it was just the time of year that the pics were taken
- grass could use some TLC

pic #25:
- that 1 lonely white chair is a step in the right direction, but it's sad sitting all by itself. It needs a friend.
- remove the neglected-looking pot that to the right of the white chair

pic #29:
- this is a train wreck of a picture
- is that a concrete patio?
- are there drainage problems?
- so there are stairs you walk up in order to get to the rest of the back yard?

You're close! The house just needs some minor things (and a new agent) and you will get a buyer.

Bad angle on the picture, towel rack is the same height as the rest in the house. We should have moved the toilet paper holder or at least taken the spare roll out of it. I was afraid that would be too much white and with my kids it would have looked nasty almost immediately. Now that we are out I will think about it.

Pic 18 - agree

Pic 19-20 - Again, that room was almost empty when she came to take the pictures. THis is another one that I have told her to remove repeatedly. I'm not painting the beams, though, because everyone raves about the dark wood. I did paint the walls a lighter color.

Pic # I've lost track - the yard is definitely a mess. I love the playhouse idea, I'll run it by my husband, that's adorable. We replaced the roof on it a couple of years ago but the floor might have to be redone but that's cheap.

No drainage issues with the patio. We've only had one flood and that was a 500 year rain event where everyone in town had some type of flooding. The other side of the yard gets some standing water occasionally but we've fixed that with a dry well and sump pump. Nothing comes in the house on either side. I think this is mentioned in the realtor notes in case the question comes up.

 

[firecracker725]

After seeing the listing, I'm doubling down on my original advice: Fire. Your. Realtor.

OMG. I cannot believe a professional posted those pictures. Heinous. Spend a little bit on landscaping and cleaning up the yard, and please get rid of that woman. She is doing you no favors.

 

[yoopermom]

OP I just have to give you kudos for knowing that everyone here has your best interests at heart, and just wants you to sell your house, fast!

When we listed our last house for sale (the one that we're renting now, because it didn't sell) I was *devastated* at all the horrible, mean, but TRUE comments that people made who saw it. We had to make the difficult decision to either invest BIG money into making it more sell-able, or rent it as is. We were very lucky that good friends chose to rent it, and are probably going to buy it in the next year, because we have allowed them to settle in and see that it's okay the way it is (and a good bang for the buck, too). I know you can't do that, but I just want you to know that you have my sympathy.

I still blame a lot of this on many buyers wanting new or newer construction and are willing to pay the price for it, rather than saving money and buying something a little older/not as "modern". Nobody seems to want a "starter" home anymore (although that's probably a topic for another thread...).

Hang in there, do what you can, and keep your chin up, we're rooting for you!

Terri

 

[mummabear]

There is just no way that video works in family oriented places. Beverly Hills perhaps but geez there's no actual selling of the property in the video. It's mostly half-naked women---wonder who they are marketing towards---nevermind I know..the guy bachelor who is looking for women and now they can have the perfect place . Reminds me of the "buy this car and women will love you" type thing.

Icky..I got the creepies just from attempting to watch that.

Some of the video tours can be great, here is an example of a family home listed on my street and how the video tour gives you a better idea than the photos alone

http://harcourts.co.nz/Property/826012/PE7943/8-Tararua-Close

 

[yoopermom]

Just a couple of questions, and you don't have to answer them:
1) How old is your roof? From the front view, it looks "old".
2) I don't know if it's common to paint brick homes in the South, but my cousins just bought the same decade similar style house, painted those same bricks a very light grey, with white shutters like you have and WOW does it "pop" now and look a million times newer.
3) The video of it is HORRIBLE and you should MAKE your realtor take it down immediately.
4)What did the owners do before you with that space between the counter with seating and the living room? I see that you had a hutch and something else there. Is it wide enough that you could put a bar height table at it with two of the stools from the counter seating area? If you took the two from the kitchen side, it would make the kitchen seem bigger, too.

I understand that the placement of your refrigerator is necessary, but I would feel as though that back door was useless with the frig right there. I actually think it looked better in the video with the smaller white frig in the same spot, because it didn't stand out so much. I would also wonder, if you had to have a separate a.c. unit in the 3 season room, if it was "really" usable space all year round.

Personally, I wouldn't stage the bedrooms, but I would sure try to figure out some way to "modernize" the main living areas (which is where a good stager might be worth every penny).

Terri

 

[yoopermom]

Some of the video tours can be great, here is an example of a family home listed on my street and how the video tour gives you a better idea than the photos alone

http://harcourts.co.nz/Property/826012/PE7943/8-Tararua-Close

Great, now I want to move to New Zealand, what a gorgeous place!!! (Note thought how the videographer "covers" the fact that there doesn't seem to be any true dining space, except for the six(!) chairs pulled up the counter, and a little two top on one end of the living room.)

Terri

 

[kuhltiffany]

Had a peek at the listing. Looks like a renter who didn't care lived there when the picture was taken, not someone who actually wanted to sell!

Tidy the yard, clean the fireplace and hire a NEW realtor. If mine had showed up to take pics and the house looked like that, she would have refused!

I always read over my listings and would have been mortified had ours had so many mistakes, looks so unprofessional...

 

[mummabear]

Great, now I want to move to New Zealand, what a gorgeous place!!! (Note thought how the videographer "covers" the fact that there doesn't seem to be any true dining space, except for the six(!) chairs pulled up the counter, and a little two top on one end of the living room.)

Terri

In many house in our subdivision the style is to have a formal lounge then a kitchen, dining and family room space, so size wise it is there but it depends how the owners layout their furniture really

 

[jaybirdsmommy]

Just a couple of questions, and you don't have to answer them:
1) How old is your roof? From the front view, it looks "old".
2) I don't know if it's common to paint brick homes in the South, but my cousins just bought the same decade similar style house, painted those same bricks a very light grey, with white shutters like you have and WOW does it "pop" now and look a million times newer.
3) The video of it is HORRIBLE and you should MAKE your realtor take it down immediately.
4)What did the owners do before you with that space between the counter with seating and the living room? I see that you had a hutch and something else there. Is it wide enough that you could put a bar height table at it with two of the stools from the counter seating area? If you took the two from the kitchen side, it would make the kitchen seem bigger, too.

I understand that the placement of your refrigerator is necessary, but I would feel as though that back door was useless with the frig right there. I actually think it looked better in the video with the smaller white frig in the same spot, because it didn't stand out so much. I would also wonder, if you had to have a separate a.c. unit in the 3 season room, if it was "really" usable space all year round.

Personally, I wouldn't stage the bedrooms, but I would sure try to figure out some way to "modernize" the main living areas (which is where a good stager might be worth every penny).

Terri

The roof is 7 years old

We have had several houses in the neighborhood paint their brick. That is a $$$$ job, though and I'm not sure the return on investment would be worth it.

She paid someone $250 to make that video. It looks to me like all they did was make a slideshow of the pics already on the listing. I told her next time she needed one done I'd do it for $125.

There's plenty of room for a small table tbere..I'll have to see what I can do since that's not something we have any use for at the new housr.

 

[jaybirdsmommy]

Just a couple of questions, and you don't have to answer them:
1) How old is your roof? From the front view, it looks "old".
2) I don't know if it's common to paint brick homes in the South, but my cousins just bought the same decade similar style house, painted those same bricks a very light grey, with white shutters like you have and WOW does it "pop" now and look a million times newer.
3) The video of it is HORRIBLE and you should MAKE your realtor take it down immediately.
4)What did the owners do before you with that space between the counter with seating and the living room? I see that you had a hutch and something else there. Is it wide enough that you could put a bar height table at it with two of the stools from the counter seating area? If you took the two from the kitchen side, it would make the kitchen seem bigger, too.

I understand that the placement of your refrigerator is necessary, but I would feel as though that back door was useless with the frig right there. I actually think it looked better in the video with the smaller white frig in the same spot, because it didn't stand out so much. I would also wonder, if you had to have a separate a.c. unit in the 3 season room, if it was "really" usable space all year round.

Personally, I wouldn't stage the bedrooms, but I would sure try to figure out some way to "modernize" the main living areas (which is where a good stager might be worth every penny).

Terri

The white fridge was WAY too big for the space.

The bonus room isn't included in the square footage but the portable unit is more than adequate for keeping it comfy.

 

[piccolopat]

I agree with other posters here that you need a new realtor and new photos that showcase all of the positive things about your home. Stage your yard to show that it really is kid friendly even though it is a bit odd. Market your home as a great family home and not as a game day house. Stage it for the holidays and emphasize that it can close quickly so a new buyer can be in before the holidays. Fresh paint will help but also consider replacing the laminate with engineered hardwood if the cost is reasonable. Keep your front yard tidy and freshen up the landscape with seasonal flowers.

 

[jaybirdsmommy]

I agree with other posters here that you need a new realtor and new photos that showcase all of the positive things about your home. Stage your yard to show that it really is kid friendly even though it is a bit odd. Market your home as a great family home and not as a game day house. Stage it for the holidays and emphasize that it can close quickly so a new buyer can be in before the holidays. Fresh paint will help but also consider replacing the laminate with engineered hardwood if the cost is reasonable. Keep your front yard tidy and freshen up the landscape with seasonal flowers.

Unfortunately all of the flooring quote we have gotten have been in the $10,000 range.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Some of the video tours can be great, here is an example of a family home listed on my street and how the video tour gives you a better idea than the photos alone

http://harcourts.co.nz/Property/826012/PE7943/8-Tararua-Close

Oh no I didn't mean that videos aren't a good way to showcase the house, they can totally help. I was talking only about that particular video the poster linked here in the the thread due to the content of the video.

 

[AquamarineSteph]

OP - Thanks for sharing the listing. I totally agree that your iPhone photos are WAY better than the Realtor's photos. I am betting that most people who view the property online with the current photos never make it all the way to the end, because the Realtor's photos are just awful.

Get a new Realtor. It's not personal. It's just business, and their business should be your best interests when it comes to selling your house.