trying to sell house = so frustrated

[elf]

I know your pain. We had to lower $80,000 from when we started last July.

I did what the other poster mentioned I brought stuff into my car for showings. Dirty laundry, clean laundry baskets, and a bin of the day to day stuff my kids were playing with at the time. My dh thought I was crazy, I'm glad other people thought of that too. LOL.

You should ask your agent about the price and what's selling in the area.

I believe scent plays a big part in showing the house. Before an appointment I would take cinammin sticks and put in boiling water sometimes with orange peels. It gives the house a gentle homey scent as opposed to the stronger air freshners. Sometimes I would bake for the kids (not the people coming to look) a little before a showing also. MY SIL had house on market a month and she did the cinammin thing and they got a bid that day. LOL

Fresh flowers are good too. If I had them I would pick them or sometimes buy inexpensive bouquets on weekends when I know a showing will be.

 

[WDWHo]

If you have had your house on the market for one month and not one person has come, its your price. Your to high. You need to get comps and figure out what is reasonable.

Good luck!

 

[ELLE-TN]

Okay Everyone - All Of You Think That It Is The Price. I Say Not! Actually Our House Is Priced Below App. And There Are Several Others In The Area That Are Priced Higher. We Priced To Sell Quickly, Just Thinking That We Thought It Would Happen Faster. With School Just Letting Out Two Weeks Ago And Lots Of People On Vacation I Think That We Should Just Be A Little More Patient. It Will Happen Or So Agent Assures Me And He Also Insists That The Price Is More Than Fair

 

[me again]

I know everything you read about selling a home talks about staging, decluttering, redecorating with neutral colors, etc. I guess there's a lot to that, but its never influenced my decision to buy a home.

Our current home we purchased was vacant, horrible color scheme, dark old wood paneling, no vanilla scented candles, etc., but the reason I bought it was price, location, and floor plan. I could see past a few minor cosmetic defects. I looked at the things that couldn't be changed--location, floorplan, also great price. We put about $5000 into fixing it up, relatively minor changes, such as new paint and carpet, wallpaper, light fixtures, etc. Still have a great deal!

I watch those shows on HGTV about fixing up homes and am appalled at the comments people make during open houses--look at that ratty sofa! What an awful bedspread! Duh --they're not buying the owner's furniture, bedspreads, etc., that all goes with the owner. Or didn't they realize that? They should look at what they're buying, not the owner's personal effects!

But, that's the way it works! We might be moving soon and I plan to declutter, have moving slaes, get rid of anything I wouldn't pay to move, then move out of the house but leave a lot of our furniture behind (beats paying to store it), then fix up the place like a model home, all the designer touches, fancy dishes in the formal dining room, antique-type toys in the kids rooms, place settings on the breakfast bar, plastic food on the counters, display cookbooks in the kitchen,.....actually, I do have good taste, just can't keep that look with two kids running around. Probably it will sell better that way, we will live in rental property in the meantime. Also, will take the cats with us. Its hard to sell a home with a litter box and pet doors!

Good luck to the OP!

 

[cats mom]

I think price is just an easy target.
Buyers are almost non-existant here right now. It's a tough market to try and sell in.

There are 5 homes, all with basically the same floorplan, listed in our immediate nieghborhood right now (we'll be #6 really soon)
4 of them are priced within about $20,000 of each other and right on target with the very, very few recently sold comps.
The last one came on the market at almost $100,000 less than the others, was voted best of tour on a day with many, many houses on the realtor tour, and really is a killer deal. As I understand it (doing some undercover sleuthing here) they have gotten one low ball offer and when they countered they never heard back.

At least around here there is a LOT of press about what a buyers market it is and plenty of speculation that prices will continue to drop, so many folks are taking a wait and see stance. Not much moving at all.

Good Luck to you!

I may be checking back real soon to have a pity party with you. Just got to get those last few projects finished up. Whew, what a lot of work!

 

[Savsmommy]

Our house has been on the market for a month and we have had nothing. There is one other home for sale in our neighborhood and we are listed a few thousand cheaper. We live in South Florida in a gated community. A rated schools. We want to move to North Carolina but until this place sells we aren't going no where. I definitely will not pay 2 mortgages. It's very frustrating!!!!

 

[mommy2twingles]

I'm right there with you. Our house has been up for 2.5 weeks. We have had 3 regular showings and an open house with 5 couples coming through but no offers. I have totally decluttered, depersonalized, and cleaned top to bottom. DH and I are each driving 1 hour each way to work so we are really hoping to sell soon. The gas is killing us.

 

[ELLE-TN]

savsmommy - so it's not just me? whew, I was beginning to wonder.

mommytotwingles - I feel your pain too!

The point that I was trying to make is that it is so frustrating. You do all this work day after day, in my case seems like minute after minute, for nothing. Yes, I promise you I have done to clear out the clutter, deep clean...but the thing is I am doing the deep clean every single day. Getting sick of it. What good is a home if you can't kick back and relax and enjoy living in it? Granted I do want to sell so I guess I'll continue this freakish cleaning schedule for a few more weeks before I give up completely.

 

[gris gris]

You all have some strong will power! We really need to move to a bigger house, but I'm petrified of having to declutter, so I think we're just going to add an extra bedroom on to our house LOL!! How do you live in a decluttered home for months when you have kids?? I can't imagine the stress of having to sell one house and buy another and try to figure out where to live in between, seems easier and less stressful to just add on! Now if I could only find the $$ to do so Good luck selling your homes!

 

[me again]

savsmommy - so it's not just me? whew, I was beginning to wonder.

mommytotwingles - I feel your pain too!

The point that I was trying to make is that it is so frustrating. You do all this work day after day, in my case seems like minute after minute, for nothing. Yes, I promise you I have done to clear out the clutter, deep clean...but the thing is I am doing the deep clean every single day. Getting sick of it. What good is a home if you can't kick back and relax and enjoy living in it? Granted I do want to sell so I guess I'll continue this freakish cleaning schedule for a few more weeks before I give up completely.

Hey, I know the feeling!

Not trying to hijack your thread, but dh has been laid off for over 6 months, we've done all the right moves, followed all the advice, just nothing. Hardly a nibble.

Sometimes it seems no matter what you do you can't make circumstances work out for you. All the advice in the world is useless if the market--housing or job--just isn't in your favor. I wish I had some advice to give, but it just sometimes isn't something you can control.

Better times will come, the real estate market is cyclical. We had a condo on the market for ~ 2 years, finally sold for our note, had to bring money to closing, paid the comission and all closing costs, were glad to just get the monkey off our backs. I did everything, kept it spotless, maintained (didn't live there) spent more money on that place than where we lived. I know the feeling of doing everything right and can't get anywhere.

Good luck--things will look up, i'm sure!

 

[Colinsmom]

No one has really talked about curb appeal type stuff. Is your landscaping and lawn neat and clean? House in need of painting or powerwashing? Do you back to commercial construction, a highway or high tension wires (something that might turn off many buyers)? Are your neighbors slobs? It sounds like you aren't even getting appointments, so I wonder if something on the outside (or in the MLS photo) is unappealling to buyers?

Also, do you agree with your realtor's assessment that the home is properly priced (has he sat down and discussed comparables with you)?

 

[ELLE-TN]

Yes We Have Done Comp Prices,

I Don't Think It Is A Curb Appeal Problem. We Keep Our Yard Neat And Tidy And Have Pressure Washed, Cleaned Windows, Gutters, Etc. We Have Nice Hanging Baskets From The Porch And A Blooming Clematis (sp?) At The End Of The House Going Up The Gutters. Our Freakish Cleaning Spree Extends Inside And Out. We Live 250 Feet Off The Main Road With A Nice Wooded Area To Our Back. Lots Of Privacy.

I Think The Problem Is Actually Slow Market Right Now.

I Seriously Don't Think That There Is Anything We Need To Do Except Be Patient. My Gripe Is All The Stress With Trying To Be Perfectly Neat With Three Kids And A Hubby.

 

[rentayenta]

I Seriously Don't Think That There Is Anything We Need To Do Except Be Patient. My Gripe Is All The Stress With Trying To Be Perfectly Neat With Three Kids And A Hubby.

This is the hardest part, hands down! One of my best girlfriends is going through this right now and she is about to pull her hair out.


Good luck, I hope it sells soon!

 

[disneyde]

see if you have a home stager in your area that can do a consult....this is one of the things I have done for homes I've needed to sell I sold my mothers house that hadn't been updated since the 1980's in 2 weeks in a flat Indiana market.....rent a storage unit......don't use a pod and have it sitting in your driveway........live with the bare essentials only ..... #1 reason a house doesn't sell the PRICE is too high...... 2nd reason the house isn't STAGED properly to appeal in a way that the buyer can imagine themselves living in the home........homes that are staged usually sell within 60 days, as long as they are priced right and the 3rd reason is no one is seeing the house ADVERTISEMENT/MLS/INTERNET .......houses that have multiple interior pictures on the internet sell much more quickly than those that don't......and better yet if your realtor doesn't use 360 degree pictures suggest he/she does.......it's an investment for the realtor to make in the sale of your home and it cuts into their commision but if a house sells quickly they are making money more quickly......the realtor I have used twice because he moves houses quickly uses circlepix.com out of Provo, Utah and they do an excellent job....the listing on the internet had music, 360 pictures of exterior and interior and a voice over describing the house.......most homes are screened by potential buyers by pictures they see on the internet.......I persoanlly won't even set up an appointment to see a house and waste my time if I haven't seen interior pictures.......there are too many houses on the market and not enough time to look them not to screen them well before hand.........if you any bold red walls repaint houses with red walls usually don't sell....keep everything neutral.......keep it a neutral color either white or cream......it's a blank canvas that the potential buyer can imagine his/her own mark on.....you want depersonalize your space..........no personal pictures at all.........VANILLA is the universal scent that is most appealing to both men and women........use the scented oil plug in's just don't let them run out it takes about 2 weeks because these things can get hot........if you have interior pictures of your house and want my personal recommendations then PM and I will give you my email address and I'll see what I can tell you from the pictures.

 

[mla2177]

Try showing your home 55 times since last July with a 3 yr old without one offer........................talk about frustrating!!!!!!!!!

Tip of the day......................never buy a house in a development that backs up to a major highway! Apparently, it's a BIG turnoff!

 

[knovak]

Try showing your home 55 times since last July with a 3 yr old without one offer........................talk about frustrating!!!!!!!!!

Tip of the day......................never buy a house in a development that backs up to a major highway! Apparently, it's a BIG turnoff!

I feel your pain! I've been on the market since Oct. 2005. Same problem. There is a small 4 lane freeway not too far from our house. Every time we have a potential buyer - the noise sends them packing. My house is only 2 1/2 years old - spotless inside - etc. etc. We've done everything we can to sell it. We are supposed to be relocating - my husband commutes. Turns out now he's not happy with the company and wants to look for work here. My motto: Everything happens for a reason. I just have to be patient and know things will work out the way they are supposed to - which isn't always what our plan is, but turns out to be the right road for us. To everyone: Hang in there - and PIXIE DUST to all of you!

 

[mla2177]

I feel your pain! I've been on the market since Oct. 2005. Same problem. There is a small 4 lane freeway not too far from our house. Every time we have a potential buyer - the noise sends them packing. My house is only 2 1/2 years old - spotless inside - etc. etc. We've done everything we can to sell it. We are supposed to be relocating - my husband commutes. Turns out now he's not happy with the company and wants to look for work here. My motto: Everything happens for a reason. I just have to be patient and know things will work out the way they are supposed to - which isn't always what our plan is, but turns out to be the right road for us. To everyone: Hang in there - and PIXIE DUST to all of you!

That's our problem!!!! My house is immaculate inside. They all love it till they get to the sunroom and see the highway. I just never thought it would be a problem because we live in a resort town and are only 2 miles from the beach! Lesson learned!!!!!!

 

[MyZoeJane]

see if you have a home stager in your area that can do a consult....this is one of the things I have done for homes I've needed to sell I sold my mothers house that hadn't been updated since the 1980's in 2 weeks in a flat Indiana market.....rent a storage unit......don't use a pod and have it sitting in your driveway........live with the bare essentials only ..... #1 reason a house doesn't sell the PRICE is too high...... 2nd reason the house isn't STAGED properly to appeal in a way that the buyer can imagine themselves living in the home........homes that are staged usually sell within 60 days, as long as they are priced right and the 3rd reason is no one is seeing the house ADVERTISEMENT/MLS/INTERNET .......houses that have multiple interior pictures on the internet sell much more quickly than those that don't......and better yet if your realtor doesn't use 360 degree pictures suggest he/she does.......it's an investment for the realtor to make in the sale of your home and it cuts into their commision but if a house sells quickly they are making money more quickly......the realtor I have used twice because he moves houses quickly uses circlepix.com out of Provo, Utah and they do an excellent job....the listing on the internet had music, 360 pictures of exterior and interior and a voice over describing the house.......most homes are screened by potential buyers by pictures they see on the internet.......I persoanlly won't even set up an appointment to see a house and waste my time if I haven't seen interior pictures.......there are too many houses on the market and not enough time to look them not to screen them well before hand.........if you any bold red walls repaint houses with red walls usually don't sell....keep everything neutral.......keep it a neutral color either white or cream......it's a blank canvas that the potential buyer can imagine his/her own mark on.....you want depersonalize your space..........no personal pictures at all.........VANILLA is the universal scent that is most appealing to both men and women........use the scented oil plug in's just don't let them run out it takes about 2 weeks because these things can get hot........if you have interior pictures of your house and want my personal recommendations then PM and I will give you my email address and I'll see what I can tell you from the pictures.

Would I get in trouble if I posted a link to our house website for you to look at? I'll take ANYONE'S opinions on this shack we're trying to sell!

 

[famofsix]

Yes We Have Done Comp Prices,

I Don't Think It Is A Curb Appeal Problem. We Keep Our Yard Neat And Tidy And Have Pressure Washed, Cleaned Windows, Gutters, Etc. We Have Nice Hanging Baskets From The Porch And A Blooming Clematis (sp?) At The End Of The House Going Up The Gutters. Our Freakish Cleaning Spree Extends Inside And Out. We Live 250 Feet Off The Main Road With A Nice Wooded Area To Our Back. Lots Of Privacy.

I Think The Problem Is Actually Slow Market Right Now.

I Seriously Don't Think That There Is Anything We Need To Do Except Be Patient. My Gripe Is All The Stress With Trying To Be Perfectly Neat With Three Kids And A Hubby.

I think you need to relax a bit. Stop thinking about the house every minute and the cleaning. If you have already done the main stuff, then I suggest you make a checklist of things that have to be done every day. You don't have to have your home in show condition every day unless you have a showing.

Then invest in some Lysol wipes, windex and bulk paper towels. Have potential clients give 24 hours notice for you before a showing. Vacuum at the end of each day since kids make messes all day long.

Then plan day trips out of the house so you are not there mulling it over all the time.

Give your kiddos some simple jobs that they can do to help you keep tidy.

You sound stressed out.

It will be OK, I promise......


OP how old are your kids?

 

[MEM]

That's our problem!!!! My house is immaculate inside. They all love it till they get to the sunroom and see the highway. I just never thought it would be a problem because we live in a resort town and are only 2 miles from the beach! Lesson learned!!!!!!

I spent 40 summers in Rehoboth Beach and Lewes - are you near Route One?