selling a house - vent

[OceanAnnie]

Unfortunately it doesn't get better when you sell it either. The nuttiness continues. We sold our house and we were told to take our lawn mower away shortly afterwards. After moving the lawn mower as they requested, they then asked if we were going to mow the lawn for them before they moved in.

They didn't understand when the mower is gone, it's gone. We certainly weren't going to bring it back. We gave them the name of a good lawn service that was close by.

 

[mickeyboat]

We have my FIL's house on the market. We can't even get people to look at it!

 

[golfgal]

Unfortunately it doesn't get better when you sell it either. The nuttiness continues. We sold our house and we were told to take our lawn mower away shortly afterwards. After moving the lawn mower as they requested, they then asked if we were going to mow the lawn for them before they moved in.

They didn't understand when the mower is gone, it's gone. We certainly weren't going to bring it back. We gave them the name of a good lawn service that was close by.

Why would they care if your lawn mower was there, were you still living there????

 

[OceanAnnie]

Why would they care if your lawn mower was there, were you still living there????

I don't know. It was in the shed. No. I wasn't living there any longer. Everything was still in transition. Everything was cleared out of the house. They had not taken possession yet.

They were just short sighted. I couldn't believe they thought we'd haul the lawn mower back!

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

So, my wife and I have bought a few homes together. We saw many homes. We were taken to many homes (by a realtor) that did not meet our specified requirements. Every time that happened, I would point it out to the realtor and ask to leave. Sometimes this happened as we pulled into the driveway.

For instance, I said that I was not interested in a split level home - wanted a colonial. I can't tell you how many split level homes we were taken to, only for me to say that I would not even walk in the front door. Some realtors got miffed, saying things like, "You don't know what you are missing." You're right. I don't - and I don't care. I am about to pay over $500k for a home. I am not going to compromise.

If realtors are bringing these folks in, that may be the problem. If not, look on the bright side - you are getting people to look at your home. It will sell eventually. But don't expect people to compromise. It is their money.

 

[Swan4Me]

For instance, I said that I was not interested in a split level home - wanted a colonial. I can't tell you how many split level homes we were taken to, only for me to say that I would not even walk in the front door. Some realtors got miffed, saying things like, "You don't know what you are missing." You're right. I don't - and I don't care. I am about to pay over $500k for a home. I am not going to compromise.

If realtors are bringing these folks in, that may be the problem. If not, look on the bright side - you are getting people to look at your home. It will sell eventually. But don't expect people to compromise. It is their money.

You didnt have a good Realator

I think the OP is selling herself & thats why she is upset

Using a Realator keeps you from hearing those comments. We tried selling ourselves and it was frustrating-we then went with a Realator & got it sold-and yes a TON of people saw our house-it takes a while

 

[cassandrap83]

So our nice raised ranch has been for sale for months. It is on the internet so it is quite clear that it is a raised ranch painted in greys, greens, blues. We don't have hardwood, evident in pictures and the room sizes and square footage are listed. No, the basement is not finished but pictured. Oh and the back yard has a fence, play area, shed and deck. So please don't schedule a viewing and tell me:

it is too big/small
we want neutral colours (really grey is neutral)
too bad there is no hardwoodoh there are stairs
no finished basement (house priced to reflect that fact)
we could not possibly do ANYTHING with the back yard
we would have to buy all new furniture to live here

you are wasting my time and your own. Did you think we took pictures of the neighbours house.

Thanks for listening. I really needed to vent.

This just cracks me up. ESPECIALLY the parts I bolded.
I can't believe people would realy like a house but pass on it because of those points. Do they know that paint exists? Or that you can buy your own hardwood flooring? Or that you could finish the basement yourself? It's called an INVESTMENT. If you find a house that needs these things done, it is an easy way to make your house worth more money & increase your investment. Everyone wants a move-in-ready house......which really has no equity. Then, they'll be crying the blues in 5 years when they can't pay their mortgage, or sell their house for what they paid for it.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

You didn't have a good Realator...

She was the best in the area. I mean, she knew EVERY listing, she knew the neighborhoods, she knew the school districts, she knew the local politics. She was amazing, but she was used to people a little more "pliable" than me.

She did help us find an amazing home.

 

[golfgal]

She was the best in the area. I mean, she knew EVERY listing, she knew the neighborhoods, she knew the school districts, she knew the local politics. She was amazing, but she was used to people a little more "pliable" than me.

She did help us find an amazing home.

My guess is that there were incentives to sell those houses then-if she was a good realtor, she wouldn't have brought you to something so out of your style unless there was something in it for her .

With all the moving and house looking we have done, all of our realtors have been good about bringing us to houses we would potentially buy. I'm with you, NEVER would I buy a split level. We ended up at one house that was a 4 level but only because the listing had it "wrong" (I think they purposely listed it as a 2 story).

I also think that until you get into a house, knowing that the living room is 12x14 doesn't mean that much--is it a 12x14 room that it totally enclosed and had no good wall space or is it part of an open floor plan, etc. In our old house our kitchen was on the small side but the layout was great and the cabinets were such that they held a LOT of stuff. Plus there were extra deep built-in's in the family room that held all of my small appliances, serving dishes, etc. If I had just gone on room size alone, I wouldn't have even looked at that house. There have been houses where the actual floor space of a kitchen was huge but they only had one wall of cabinets and NO storage space. They had limited photos online so you can't always tell what is what until you get into the house.

 

[stargazer2892]

DH and I just bought a house after 6 months of looking. And yes we did look some houses and said no and in a few the paint DID have factor in it. Of course it wasn't the deciding factor but it did play a part. One house the ENTIRE down stairs was dark red almost the color of blood. Talk about a headache to try to repaint that. They also smoked so the whole house reeked of smoke, the layout was kinda odd,and the back yard was non existent so we passed on that house. Not just because of the paint but the other issues but it did have some pull. That house has been on the market for almost 2 years now. The house we did end up with was completely white. I HATE white. DH and I spent a full week painting almost every single room in the house still. And I may end up repainting the living room. We also need to replace all the carpets, the yard is nothing but weeds, and we need to put a patio in. So there are things we have to do and where well aware of it when we bought. It was very overwhelming looking for a house, thankfully our real estate agent is a good friend so it was nice knowing he was honestly on our side and not just there for the paycheck.
OP, Hang in there, someone WILL buy your house. It sounds lovely. Try not to take it to heart, there are some not so bright people out there.

 

[dakcp2001]

I think this is why most folks use a Real Estate agent, and leave anytime someone comes to look at the house.

Um ever sold a house? The realtor has the people fill out comment cards.

 

[TheIncredibles!]

Unfortunately it doesn't get better when you sell it either. The nuttiness continues. We sold our house and we were told to take our lawn mower away shortly afterwards. After moving the lawn mower as they requested, they then asked if we were going to mow the lawn for them before they moved in.

They didn't understand when the mower is gone, it's gone. We certainly weren't going to bring it back. We gave them the name of a good lawn service that was close by.

When we sold our last house, a week before closing we received a list from the buyers detailing what we were to leave behind and what we could take.

Really did you think you actually bought the house AND everything in it? Those dopes wanted our furniture in the family room, our bedroom set, the dining room set, the washer and dryer etc. They told us we "could" take the living room furniture, the kitchen table, the kids furniture etc.

They fought tooth and nail with us and were delaying the closing as some sort of a sticking point to try and get us to give in and give them some of our furniture. It backfired on them since we didn't care about the closing date since we were buying a new home that was not going to be done for another 3 months. We were going to live at my mom's while we waited so no skin off our nose if they kept pushing out the closing.

Oh and no we did not leave them anything they asked for.

 

[herdtoDisney]

On the other side of the coin-we were looking at and bought our house about 2.5 years ago...probably the low point in the market in my area. I was kind of astounded at what some sellers thought was...fine...and wanted full top dollar for.

One place looked like it hadn't been painted since 1985. Another had a 'vintage' kitchen-yes, they called it that One place that stood out, the sellers had notes stuck everywhere and were taking offers on their crappy furniture. Then there was the house with the 'bath in basement' that was literally, a blue toilet in the middle of the room So, they lived there for years and couldn't wall that in??? Another realtor touted the stained 'wool carpet', you can dye it don'tca know? I laughed at her.

Between the sellers' attitude and the overpricing, I could NOT see my way past the paint and such. Our home we eventually purchased was a MESS, but it was priced as such and touted as such. By mess I mean 2 year old food and trash and disarray. But dh and I could SEE it how we wanted it, somehow-we did a ton of work to it. It came out how we saw it in our heads, that cold day we looked at it with no heat or lights (it was daytime).

I'm glad both places we've ever bought were foreclosures-I never had to deal with an acutal seller personally, just the bank.

 

[abdmom]

Um ever sold a house? The realtor has the people fill out comment cards.

A good real estate agent won't tell the seller every stupid comment they get. Their job is to take the stress out of selling, not add to it.

 

[chris1gill]

I agree. I think all the "home staging" shows are responsible. This is not the first house I have sold in a bad economy. These days I think they want to walk into the perfect home. Here are some things I want to tell potential buyers:

No, I am not going to paint. I still live here and like these colours.
No, I am not putting in hardwood, if I put it in for you I will put in the cheapest I can find. If I put it in for me I am putting in what I like. Go get your own.

Sorry this is not tv but reality. All houses need your finishing touches.

I had to laugh at this (sorry), we actually did repaint all the family living space in one house which we sold in nine days in January, and in another house we sold we were so sick of hearing there were no hardwoods we spent something like 500.00 to put down bamboo in the dining room, we then proceeded to sell the house for just about asking as well... Sometimes small changes can mean a very big difference in how your house is perceived.

Whether or not people are influenced by the home shows, who knows, but if you keep hearing the same remarks over and over again, and for less than a thousand dollars you can make those changes, I'm of the mindset make the changes. We just sold a second home in the worst economy in our second home's history... yet ours is the only one that moved. It had what people wanted..... if you really want to sell, make the changes yourself (for small dollars) or drop the price significantly. The only other thing I would comment on, is that people seem to still feel your house has a finished basement, in the description put something like "this wonderful solid basement is looking for your touches to become the retreat of your dreams" or some such thing.... make it CRYSTAL clear in the description it is not finished, but get their imaginations going...

I know this probably wasn't what you wanted to hear, but having sold three homes in this economy I can tell you what worked and what didn't.

 

[chris1gill]

A good real estate agent won't tell the seller every stupid comment they get. Their job is to take the stress out of selling, not add to it.

Not true at all, if they keep getting the same complaint multiple times they need to address it or be willing to hold onto the house or drop the price significantly to spur on someone who will make the changes THEY see as necessary.

Of course there are some things that cannot be changed (like it's too small), but some of these cosmetic things are so easy, yet seller's aren't necessarily willing to do them. In one of my friend's cases she offered a dollar figure to be applied towards neutral paint. Personally for a few hundred dollars my family could have done a near professional job... but to each their own.

 

[OceanAnnie]

When we sold our last house, a week before closing we received a list from the buyers detailing what we were to leave behind and what we could take.

Really did you think you actually bought the house AND everything in it? Those dopes wanted our furniture in the family room, our bedroom set, the dining room set, the washer and dryer etc. They told us we "could" take the living room furniture, the kitchen table, the kids furniture etc.

They fought tooth and nail with us and were delaying the closing as some sort of a sticking point to try and get us to give in and give them some of our furniture. It backfired on them since we didn't care about the closing date since we were buying a new home that was not going to be done for another 3 months. We were going to live at my mom's while we waited so no skin off our nose if they kept pushing out the closing.

Oh and no we did not leave them anything they asked for.

I believe it! During the process sometimes people can get very nervy. You have to have thick skin and a sense of humor, because it'll make you wonder if the world is nuts or if it's you.

 

[JoiseyMom]

When we sold our last house, a week before closing we received a list from the buyers detailing what we were to leave behind and what we could take.

Really did you think you actually bought the house AND everything in it? Those dopes wanted our furniture in the family room, our bedroom set, the dining room set, the washer and dryer etc. They told us we "could" take the living room furniture, the kitchen table, the kids furniture etc.

They fought tooth and nail with us and were delaying the closing as some sort of a sticking point to try and get us to give in and give them some of our furniture. It backfired on them since we didn't care about the closing date since we were buying a new home that was not going to be done for another 3 months. We were going to live at my mom's while we waited so no skin off our nose if they kept pushing out the closing.

Oh and no we did not leave them anything they asked for.

OMG! DId you agent hand you the list with a straight face??

I know when we bought our house I saw the orange red carpet in the family room and said ok, this has to be changed. ANd I did that with the wall paper etc. In our heads we added up what we knew we wanted/had to change and then decided if the house was for us. I wasn't going to not buy a house because of the ugly old carpeting. It was just the first thing we replaced...after we painted!

 

[mickeysgal]

Trying to sell a house is always a pain, but I think it has gotten worse. I think too many people are watching HGTV. They think every house must have hardwood floors, cherry cabinets, granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances or it just isn't worth buying. Ridiculous! In another ten years, all those things will be out of style and people will be looking for just the opposite.

OP, hope you find the right buyer soon!

I agree!! Just watch HGTV house hunter buyers...they complain about the absolute silliest of things...the color of a wall, a ceiling fan they don't like, wallpaper. All easily fixable/replaceable things - cosmetic things. People just don't want to lift a finger anymore and/or don't want to learn how to do anything for themselves. They want it all done to their taste. It's a $59 ceiling fan - replace it! It's a $12 gallon of paint - paint the wall! Makes me nuts. And it makes people look petty, superficial, and honestly, spoiled.

 

[ksjayhawks]

I had to laugh at this (sorry), we actually did repaint all the family living space in one house which we sold in nine days in January, and in another house we sold we were so sick of hearing there were no hardwoods we spent something like 500.00 to put down bamboo in the dining room, we then proceeded to sell the house for just about asking as well... Sometimes small changes can mean a very big difference in how your house is perceived.

Whether or not people are influenced by the home shows, who knows, but if you keep hearing the same remarks over and over again, and for less than a thousand dollars you can make those changes, I'm of the mindset make the changes. We just sold a second home in the worst economy in our second home's history... yet ours is the only one that moved. It had what people wanted..... if you really want to sell, make the changes yourself (for small dollars) or drop the price significantly. The only other thing I would comment on, is that people seem to still feel your house has a finished basement, in the description put something like "this wonderful solid basement is looking for your touches to become the retreat of your dreams" or some such thing.... make it CRYSTAL clear in the description it is not finished, but get their imaginations going...

I know this probably wasn't what you wanted to hear, but having sold three homes in this economy I can tell you what worked and what didn't.

I agree with the bolded. If you are hearing the same comments over and over again, look at the ones you can fix and do something about them! Yes, you like the colors and are still living in the house, however your goal is to sell the house! So, ask yourself if it is more important to sell the house or live with colors that you like. If adding a hardwood look to one or two rooms in the house would help, consider doing it. Then you can add "new hardwood floors/fresh paint" to you listing.

You can't change the size, the fact that there are steps, your backyard, etc. You can make sure your listing is clear that the basement is unfinished and can be completed to the new owner's dreams/needs.

We have bought and sold many houses over the years. When looking, we always looked at a variety of houses because, as a PP stated, you can't tell everything by looking at room sizes or pictures. You need to see layout, flow, openness, wall space, location of stairs, amount and type of cabinets and storage, etc. I don't let paint colors or wallpaper bother me, but if I need to do a lot of repainting or tear off a lot of wallpaper, it is something that I am going to think about. Same with flooring. I also look to see if the house is priced to acknowledge these changes are needed--outdated, old flooring and repainting, kitchen updates--or if it is priced like a house that already has these changes.