Real estate agent ? (for sale, lease, condos)

[Mylu]

We are very fond of our listing agent and fully realize how slow the market is in Jax. In slow markets are some agents "better" or more aggressive at selling than others?

We have had our property in the market for about 15 months now and are very competitively priced. In the past 15 months, we have not had any offers and haven't had any "lookers" in I don't know how long.

Has anyone had any success in selling in Jax lately? Any tips?

Thanks!

[FLPL75]

mylu
I think it depends on how the agents market the property in combo with the fact that there are so many houses for sale.
2 of our friends had their homes for sale and had agents that did nothing. One even used an open house at my friends to promote his other listings.

I recommended another friend who is a realtor and both houses sold with in 30 to 45 days.

I would think pricing is going to be a major influence, we have a house in my neighborhood that was just listed in the $340k range, this for a house under 1900 sq ft. Either the realtor didn't do a CMA or the homeowners are dreaming large because the house next door sold a few months ago for the same price and it was 2400 sq ft.

From what my friend has told me the number of homes for sale in the $300 to $400k is huge. If your house is in this range it maybe one of the reasons your not having much interest.
How is your "curb appeal" this is one of the major first things folks see when they are searching the internet.
I am not sure if it is allowed but I have seen posts on the R/E forum where folks have shown a couple pictures to get feedback.

[Mylu]

Thanks, Karla. Ours was in that price range over a year ago, but we have significantly reduced it....hum....

[FLPL75]

what part of Jax are you in

[Mylu]

San Marco...

(BTW, I do "rep" you...)

[David in JAX]

I can give you my opinion from an active buyers point of view. We have been looking at houses in San Marco for the last 24 months (we have probably seen yours) looking and looking for just the right home. I can safely say that if a home was being sold in that area over the last two years, we have walked through it. Homes in San Marco are typically being well marketed and have a lot of exposure since it’s considered a premier area of town. I think that one of the main problems is that with the loss of the “investor” group of buyers, there are just not many people who don’t own homes and are looking to buy right now. And, I can definitely say that those people who are looking are looking for deals. The homes that are selling right now are the ones that are priced right. Homes that are priced to high are just sitting. Several of the homes that we have walked through in San Marco have been for sale for over two years because they are flat out priced to high. Several others moved in less than a month because they were priced lower than other homes in the area.

My advice would be to lower the price. If your home is priced right, it will sell. A new, more aggressive agent is going to tell you the same thing.

[FLPL75]

Originally Posted by Mylu

(BTW, I do "rep" you...)

tee hee

I decided I needed a new "title"
My goal is to make sure others on the forum get the reps they deserve

I have not spent much time in san marco so won't be able to say much
maybe we need our next PPP to take me there and show me around
I know there are many regulars here that say terrific things about the area.

karla

[riveree]

I know that part of town well and I agree with everything David said.

Also keep in mind that with lenders tightening their standards, the pool of people that could have qualified for the size loan needed for your place has shrunken.....some of them just won't qualify for as much as they may have a year or two ago - that knocks some people out - they have to look for less expensive homes.

My advice would also be to drop the price so you bring the interest level up - if you're not getting viewings, then there is no interest and that's usually directly related to the price. If the price is acceptable, you'll at least get viewings.

Any realtor can drop the price for you, what you need is an aggressive marketer. If you like your realtor, have a sit down and express your concerns. If your realtor already has 15 months into the project, then maybe a subtle push to "market harder or lose the listing" will get things going again.

[Mylu]

David- If you at all considered riverfront condos, then you probably checked ours out.
We have lowered it $40,000 from the original listing and are currently below what we purchased for, and not looking to re-coup any $ down. If someone came without an agent, we'd sell for what we owe on it b/c we wouldn't have to pay another realtors commish. We are priced comparably to similar units in The Alex. Actually, it seems as though every time we lower ours, others lower as well. The 2 others don't have the proximity to the river and view, either. Under 270 for San Marco riverfront, I don't think is too high, even in a buyers market. the unit across tha hall from us with the same 2 story floor plan, is $94,000 more than ours, so actually, ours is a deal

Karla- Come on over to San Marco and check out Pizza Palace! We' d love to hear PPP's reviews (and Elmo's)

Riveree- "I hear ya"... on the mortgage front, I know that things have tightened and we added that we'd do a lease-purchase.

Thanks, guys! I do appreciate your feedback

[David in JAX]

Originally Posted by Mylu

David- If you at all considered riverfront condos, then you probably checked ours out.
We have lowered it $40,000 from the original listing and are currently below what we purchased for, and not looking to re-coup any $ down. If someone came without an agent, we'd sell for what we owe on it b/c we wouldn't have to pay another realtors commish. We are priced comparably to similar units in The Alex. Actually, it seems as though every time we lower ours, others lower as well. The 2 others don't have the proximity to the river and view, either. Under 270 for San Marco riverfront, I don't think is too high, even in a buyers market. the unit across tha hall from us with the same 2 story floor plan, is $94,000 more than ours, so actually, ours is a deal

Karla- Come on over to San Marco and check out Pizza Palace! We' d love to hear PPP's reviews (and Elmo's)

Riveree- "I hear ya"... on the mortgage front, I know that things have tightened and we added that we'd do a lease-purchase.

Thanks, guys! I do appreciate your feedback

Thanks for the invite, but we need a SFHome. As for the mortgage tightening, I agree completely. As I have posted before, my wife and I have 800+ credit scores, make great salaries, have almost $0 debt, have owned before, and have a substantial downpayment and are finding it tough to find a mortgage right now. It's like night and day compared to when we bought our first home.