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^^^^ no it wasn't you. I'm not going to say who it was because they edited their comment (hopefully because they realized it was a crappy thing to say). I edited that statement as well so it doesn't sound like I was referring to you either. Sorry about that.
I think you are on to something about the HGTV effect. I also wonder how many of those 33 showings were lookie loos. My neighbor told me that one girl showed up who was all of 18-19, then a carload of 7 or 8 of her friends showed up and they were all going through the house together, like it was a girls night out activity or something. Other than the realtor, no adult there. HGTV has also made it seem OK for some to go look at homes they are apparently not interested in.
Wow, that's crazy! I wonder if it was a viewing organized by your realtor or through a buyer's agent? I can understand that kind of thing happening on an Open House day, but less so on an actual arranged viewing. If it was your realtor who organized that particular viewing- I'd actually wonder about their ability to pre-screen buyers, if what your neighbor says is actually the case!
- to the person who implied that I didn't bother cleaning my house then quickly edited that out - I still saw it. It was rude and uncalled for when all I did was ask what to do when the feedback I had received involved things that I couldn't change. I'm not going to post your name here, but hopefully you read this and realize what a judgemental thing that was that says more about you than me. Too bad this site doesn't have reverse reputation.
I assume you're talking about me, and that's why I edited it out, because after I read my own post, I saw that I came across the wrong way.
I agree with the poster who said it's not always about price. We have looked at some real stinkers, and it wouldn't matter to me how low they are priced, I wouldn't buy them. Well, maybe if they were tear down price, one of them had amazing views. But the house was horrible. Really awful.
The house we're in negotiations with stands out like a gem amongst a bunch of toads. I have no idea why it is just sitting. It is priced well, beautiful, great location. Maybe because there is no "open concept" floor plan, but we were searching for that, to tell the truth. In this case, it was just a matter of the right buyer for the property.
3 weeks isn't very long, especially this time of year. I'd wait a bit, and see how things go. Buying or selling is so stressful, so I wish you luck.
I will not be moving the cat. I have done everything, and I mean EVERYTHING to neutralize it. Replaced carpet,
People with cat allergies are not allergic to the smell of cats. It's the hair and dander. If you replace the carpet and then allow the cat on the new carpet, you have defeated the purpose of replacing the carpet.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ClayRing
The way it is glued down to the corian/solid surface vanity top, I think the whole thing would have to be replaced.
You sure it's glued down and not just putty to water-seal it? I've never heard of anyone gluing a faucet to a counter. Faucets wear out. I can't imagine replacing an entire counter because the faucet leaked.
It could be that some of those people who looked at your house have just started looking and will come back after they see how favorably your home compares.
Make sure the listing on mls from a regular buyer looking it up appears as it should. That a box was not ticked incorrectly. And look it from a realtor's point of view too.
If your area is a family area, this is a tougher time and increasingly so as it gets close to holidays, from end of October on. It's just such a busy time with children's activities as the normal focus.
Be nice to as many people looking as you can. You never know who they'll tell about how nice your home was.
Among homes with shared driveways, how is your house priced?
Check out what else is available in your area for similar price. Also, if you are near a hub...city, tech area, wherever a larger number of people would work...."stand" in that area and look for homes around it in your price range, radiating out to your neighborhood and all around from there. This way you will be looking at homes from your potential buyer's perspective. Sometimes they are not only looking in your area but in the totally opposite direction as well. It can all help.
I think you are on to something about the HGTV effect. I also wonder how many of those 33 showings were lookie loos. My neighbor told me that one girl showed up who was all of 18-19, then a carload of 7 or 8 of her friends showed up and they were all going through the house together, like it was a girls night out activity or something. Other than the realtor, no adult there. HGTV has also made it seem OK for some to go look at homes they are apparently not interested in.
Thanks all for the advice. I've taken a lot of criticism on this thread around certain things that I am not even looking for opinions on. I've tried to be open minded, but now it is time to defend a few things:
- the house is already professionally staged. I've already said that in this thread.
- I'm not replacing the sink. I wish people would stop bringing that up. Every single home that has sold or is still on the market is going to have one feature that is dated at my price point. That is mine. As I stated it is not a simple drop in because the whole vanity top would need to be replaced. If I had 33 people saying oh the horrors, a green sink, I'd replace it. I'm sorry I even mentioned it. Maybe one day I'll be lucky enough to own a home in a neighborhood where no home has anything that is dated and everyone has homes coming out of house beautiful. Frankly, if the most out dated part of my house is a 20 year old sink, that makes me more modern than most of the comps. There are some that sold with 70s and 60s era bathrooms.
- I am done with repairs in the home. I spent over $10k on renovations before putting it on the market. There will need to be things that will be done by someone else when they move in. The deck was simply a suggestion of that. Again, I wish one day I can live I a neighborhood like all you guys apparently do where it is reasonable to expect that everything is perfect. An older deck at the beginning of fall does not make a house non-move-in ready.
- if you are looking in my neighborhood, you would need to consider having a shared driveway that is wide, or a private driveway that is narrow that is still right up against the neighbor's. Apparently it is an issue for some, but I can't change it and it isn't something that is a surprise if you are looking here.
- it has only been 3 weeks. My concern is the number of showings is so high with no action. While I want to get rid of it, I'm going to rely more on my realtor to set the price based on his research and knowledge of the neighborhood. If there is no movement soon, then I will discuss next steps.
Well first, posting here means you'll get opinions on stuff you weren't asking about. It's the C-D way of life. I think we mostly mean no harm, and you definitely get the Blue Ribbon for First Place "Good Sport."
As to your post above, I think most people (myself included) weren't trying to offend, but merely give you suggestions on how to make the place more appealing, as you requested.
I understand that you live in a neighborhood like most of us do, where the houses all have something dated about them. The home I'm renting (and considering purchasing) has green countertops. They're new(ish) and in great shape...but green?! I would love to know the thought process that went into that particular decision.
Anyway, I'm off track. We can only go by what is said on here, and based on what was said, all I can conclude is that your online listing + price is appealing enough to get people in the door, but once they walk in, something is making them walk back out and search for another place.
Let's try another tactic -- how are the schools in the area? Is there a better school district nearby with comparable houses? How is the area itself? A good area, lots of shopping/entertainment options, or out in the middle of nowhere? I apologize if you've already said this, I must've missed it.
Has your realtor had any open houses, or just scheduled showings? An open house could be a great way for your realtor to overhear some spontaneous feedback from people walking through. I know my husband and I have gone to several open houses and, since I can't keep my mouth shut to save my life, those realtors probably got a lot of feedback from me alone!
The other thing that just occurred to me was the size of the kitchen. Is it comparable to others in your neighborhood, or on the smaller end? I know you had it upgraded beautifully, but all of the upgrades in the world don't mean much if the kitchen is tiny...which was a hard lesson learned by me when we sold our last house. Does it have a good amount of natural light? That was one thing we did when staging the house, made sure our windows were open to let the light through.
I'll keep thinking and come back if I think of anything else. You've been a champ about dealing with criticism, and it makes me want to help.
Thanks again for all the comments, even after my cranky post. I'm getting lonely and frustrated.
- there are many reasons why I replaced a carpet in addition to cat dander. This may shock you - carpet looks worn over the years and new carpet before going on market spruces the home up. If you are allergic to cats, you don't want my house and I'm not going to engage in any more conversations about the cat, the odors, the allergies, etc. I've heard it before and it's sounding like a broken record. Move on.
- I let my realtor have it after I heard the party of girls came by to visit. I also let him have it when we had someone come by and unscrew every light bulb in the house and then closed all the blinds. I know he isn't at fault for these things, but someone isn't vetting their buyers. He has requested that anyone who comes around is pre-qualified. But I know from my own home search right now that a buyers agent will gladly take you to anywhere you want to go, even if you have no intention of buying. I still call this the HGTV effect - people feel entitled to snoop in on homes now. I've toyed with the idea of a nanny cam to see who the lightbulb sabotager was, but it seemed to be a one off event.
- no open houses yet. My realtor says the numbers don't support that they work in my area. I'm not living there anymore so I don't care if we decide to have one - it won't inconvenience me. But since I've had problems with scheduled showings with lookie loos, I'm not sure what kind of person the open house will bring.
- the driveway is priced accordingly with similar comps.
- the schools are in the top 90% of the state. It is also about 1.5 miles from the highest rated catholic school in the state. There is a Montessori school down the block and ample parks for kids.
- I'm not sharing the geographic area for my own privacy but the home is located in an inner ring suburb of a metropolitan area. It's walking distance to public transportation to the city, as well as plenty of restaurants, shopping, culture, etc. You are not going to find many McMansions here (there is the odd one or two and they are eyesores), so smaller room sizes are not uncommon.
- the kitchen could be larger, but I'm a cooking addict and I'd find a way to use every square inch of a kitchen even if it was the size of a small family home. I have quite a bit of counter space. It does not have an eating nook - keep in mind the age of the home, this is very normal around here. The light is fantastic in there - I had custom garden windows fabricated across one wall and the effect is amazing. But it is not an open kitchen - it is not possible to make it one either without rerouting the stairway. But again, if you are looking for an open kitchen, you aren't going to find it here and you're better off going to a further suburb or exburbs and buying new construction. Overall - the kitchen was a $75,000 upgrade that I'm eating. It was over-improved for the neighborhood and the price reflects a typical kitchen, not one where I'm going to recover the costs. Eventually I'll have a viewing with someone who is a FoodTV nut instead of HGTV and they will appreciate it!
The layout of the home is what it is. I may just need to wait more than 3 weeks to find a buyer. Plus this time of year is bad. But the fact that I'm getting so many showings seems to indicate that something is appealing in the listing but it just isn't translating into the live showing and I wish I knew what it was.
This ^^^, and the lookie loos comment which you made earlier.
There was unlikely a real buyer in the first 33 which wandered through.
Just sit tight. Run with it for a few months. Don't sweat the things which you can't change. Clean, fresh, painted, yard mowed and neat. That's what you can do. The rest of it just takes time.
If it doesn't attract bidders in the first six months, then consider dropping the price. I think you said you were 5% high to the comps anyhow, so maybe you bring it in line sooner rather than later. The 'pop' which created those bidding wars for a few weeks is over. I spoke with my local banker and he says now that mortgage rates have moved up a little, there is NO demand for mortgages. The pop is over.
So, you remember the dimension of time. It is frustrating, but there is little, if anything you can do about it.
Good luck. Don't lose patience, and don't start searching to silly resolutions. There are none. In time a real buyer will s how up. By the third real buyer you will get a deal done. The first one or two will likely fall apart for whatever reason.
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