Anybody actually sell a house? (Atlanta, Alpharetta: for sale, real estate, lease)

[SaraSatin]

We're trying to sell and things just seem so slow! I can't figure out where we are going wrong... we've got a townhouse in a great school district, we fixed it up, and we priced it right. We were out of town this past weekend and our agent did an open house. There were 2 or 3 people that had called inquiring about the house that were scheduled to come during that time. Not only did they not show up, but nobody did! I know the market is slow, but if anyone has actually sold their house and has some tips I could use them. Our agent is doing a good job marketing and I'm worried maybe something about the house itself is doing it. Thanks!

[spacelord75]

We are in a similar situation - townhomes, in general, are just not selling right now. There are so many out there, and if you've got a premium house alot of people don't see the difference b/w that and a P.O.S. development down the street that's $100k. We are hoping to lock into a lease/purchase right now just to have someone at least pay our mortgage, since we've already moved into our new house (a single family, thank God). We've had our townhome on the market for almost 6 months now and have had okay activity, but nothing even close to a sale until this potential lease/purchase. Good luck.

[Go Blue 99]

Unfortunately, it is going to be difficult to sell a used townhome in this market. The big builders (Centex, Beazer, McCar, etc) are currently holding huge incentives on new townhomes all over Atlanta. We visited a few communities last weekend and they were offering $20-$35k off all inventory homes. Most people selling used townhomes cannot afford to drop their asking price this much. And considering buyers generally prefer new construction, I see rough times for the used townhome market.

[atlantagreg30127]

There are also little things that make a difference, too.

Example 1: Many realtors have pitiful open house hours. They almost always do Sunday as the open house day, and then it's 12-4, MAYBE a few 12-5 (but rare) and I've even seen them as short as 12-2! People want to SEE a home. Having one open house once a month for only 2-4 hours on one day is NOT showcasing a home.

Sellers should have their own open houses on their own, on Saturdays, 11am-6pm. Pass out your realtor's card. This is what a neighbor of mine did and in this sluggish market they sold the house in just over a couple of weeks. Meanwhile, the house next door which is also for sale (and actually a better house!) has been on the market because the realtor has only had one very short open house.

Example 2: I've seen some realtor sites with horrible photos of homes. Some with only one shot of a home. Some photos taken with cheap camera phones. When you are a realtor, you become three people... a home seller, a financial expert, AND a photographer. If you don't know the basics of all three of these jobs, you're not doing your best. Learn how to take good shots that are not compressed too much, with a DECENT camera, and at decently viewable sizes. A photo that is so compressed everything looks like colored pixel blocks and is the size of a large postage stamp just does NOT cut it.

Likewise, realtor sites that require you to "sign up" just to view home listings are a HUGE turn-off. And guess what? People don't usually take the time to do it, and it's the sellers that get hurt.

Example 3: Highlight little things. When people are buying homes that have shared walls (condos and town homes), they have concerns for things like audible noise from neighbors, as well as fire safety. Does your townhome have a concrete firewall? Is it well insulated against sound? Does it have a sprinkler system? If it does, make sure the realtor advertises this fact - many don't bother with these little details, but I know if I were looking for a town home, I'd certainly have noise and fire safety near the top of my list of wants.

The market is bad, but it's not impossible so long as the home has enough visibility on the web with lots of photos, good descriptions of little details, AND enough open house hours.

[lightkpr]

It is very discouraging. Our house is on the market and we have had no action. I think we have been listed for a month now and maybe 2 people have been through. We are relocating with my husband's job and already have lowered the price drastically. My real estate agent keeps reminding me to have the best curb appeal to attrack buyers, de-clutter, de-personalize(take down pictures of family). I am so tired of keeping the house spotless and no activity. I think the market is flat everywhere. I know how you feel. I know the houses in our area have been on the market at least 4 months. Not a fun time to be selling. Maybe you could rent your townhouse out for awhile until the market gets better. Just a thought good luck!

[SaraSatin]

Thank you for the comments, they have been very helpful! I wish I could rent out, but the condo association doesn't allow it. I know it will take awhile to sell, I am also just very sick of keeping my house spotless. We aren't dirty people, but living like a neat-freak when you aren't one is really annoying. However, the suggestion of having our own open house and handing out our realtor's cards is a great one. The open house we had was a Sunday, but we're trying to schedule another one on a Saturday soon. Thanks again!

[lightkpr]

I know what you mean about spotless. I have never been so busy. Fixing little things and cleaning especially windows and the stupid latches on windows, man I didn't realize how dirty they can get. Then you get the little hints from the real estate people about cleaning the carpets, staining the deck painting a room neutral colors, it is getting crazy! I have lost 10 pounds in the last month because of stress, oh wait maybe that could be a new diet plan!!

[SaraSatin]

We went ahead and changed out all of the floors except our bathrooms and repainted the whole house before our wedding a few months ago. Unfortunately, decluttering meant that all of the nice new stuff we got as gifts for our kitchen couldn't go up. I just have no patience for this...

[dens]

well I did not actually sell a house but I bought a townhome so maybe I can share with you what made the difference. After looking for months, I settled on a townhome in Alpharetta that was built in 2004 and was empty and spotless...nice paint throughout..all one colour but a nice latte color, carpet upstairs was spotless...curb appeal was good and backyard in phenomenal shape. What made the difference for me the excellent condition of the home...let's face it, there are a ton of townhomes on the market and so we the buyer has choices and we wil not settle for a house that feels worn when we can get new without buying new...additionally and you have no control over this but the community I bought in was still building so a much better deal on a resale than going new...good luck.

[atlantagreg30127]

Also, I know a lot of folks can't necessarily afford to do this, but a realtor once told me that the BEST thing is to buy your new home first, move completely out of the one you're selling, hire pro cleaners to clean it, shampoo rugs, etc., THEN list it.

Some realtors say to have some furnishings in it so people can "envision how it looks to be lived in", but the ones I talk to say that clean, empty units sell better because people feel that with no furniture, that flaws and glitches aren't "hidden".