Starter home won't sell in a hot, gentrified market (renting, house hunting, Realtors)
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Right there on the Zillow listing it says the house is overpriced. The "Zillow Zestimate" values it at 220,000 Plus it shows that the price was recently reduced. That will make potential buyers think it will come down more. Even someone interested in the house would see that and say, "Nah, it's overpriced!"
I'd take many of the recommendations from this thread to tidy, clean and spruce up, and then I'd hire a professional stager....someone who can put nice urns full of fall foliage, wreaths, and pumpkins, outside and really spruce up your look inside.
You absolutely need new, professional pictures with good lighting once all that is done! Your realtor should be ashamed of those pics. If need be, you pay for them and take it out of the commission.
It might be worth putting a bit of money into the kitchen to make it look cuter somehow....maybe paint the cabinets a current color such as sage green (if that's considered current) and put new brushed nickel hardware on them (fill the old holes and drill new ones so they are not on an angle) and put in an inexpensive counter and backsplash. You don't have to spend a lot of money to do this.
Is your bathroom in a similar state as the kitchen? If so, you might need to fluff it too, new pain on walls, and some staging with a pretty shower curtain and accoutrements.
Lastly, get some opinions from others on if there is any smell at all in the house...if there are any glade plug ins or similar smelly things present, ditch those and air out the house.
This coming from a lover of cottage style homes AND Ashland!
BAD photos. The house looks lie a rental. Remove the draperies instead of tying them. Tidy up the yard. Suggestion to remove the chain link fence is a good one because it looks kinda ghetto. Not liking the vinyl floor but of course it's too late now. Furnishings detract. The wall colors, though neutral, seem so blah to me since its coupled with drab furniture. Nothing pops. Again, those photos are horrible.
I get the feeling the OP doesn't have a realtor, she's showing us the link on Zillow, not from the MLS. Plus, no realtor worth their salt would have posted those pictures in their listing.
ETA: Sorry, yes, she does have a realtor. I need to make a note not to ever use them.
Yard does need some tidying. If you're not good at landscaping do you know someone who is?
I agree with leaving the kitchen alone. If someone wants to remodel, let them do it to their taste.
Looks better without the furnishings. That was a good move.
If you don't have a realtor, get one. if you do, ask what the lookers are saying about it? Why haven't they offered?
You're carrying two mortgages so you weren't planning to use the proceeds from this sale to provide the down payment for your home in your new location. In your situation, I'd counter the lowball offer and try to just break even on the deal.
I don't know your market but I ran a search for properties in Ashland, OR 2BR+, 1BA+ between $150k-$250k and found that there are many homes that fall within those parameters that appear to be in better condition that are priced around your selling price.
The house does not show well online. Perhaps it looks better in person, but these days, many buyers aren't willing to see a home if the online presentation does not pass the smell test. The home seems to be in ill repair and neglected. It does not look updated and shows as a "project" rather than a move-in home for a singleton, couple or family. In these days of House Hunters and HGTV, few people want to move in to a "project home." You may think it's priced right, but a savvy buyer can begin calculating the dollar signs to get it in the shape they desire.
The house does not show well online. Perhaps it looks better in person, but these days, many buyers aren't willing to see a home if the online presentation does not pass the smell test. The home seems to be in ill repair and neglected. It does not look updated and shows as a "project" rather than a move-in home for a singleton, couple or family. In these days of House Hunters and HGTV, few people want to move in to a "project home." You may think it's priced right, but a savvy buyer can begin calculating the dollar signs to get it in the shape they desire.
I think plenty of people are very happy to buy fixer uppers - and there are lots of shows on HGTV dedicated to exactly that concept, assuming people really base their purchasing decisions on HGTV as opposed to buying what they like and which happens to be shown on TV.
The issue with this house is that it's not priced as a fixer upper and people don't want to pay the same price for that as for comparables that have already been updated, have their yards taken care of, etc.
Every time there is a thread of people complaining about Zillow Zestimates and people say why would you care? This is why you would care, because people actually look at them as if they are some authority and base decisions on them. Not saying it is smart, but it happens.
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