Possible house for sale feedback (Seattle, Bellevue: hardwood floors, real estate market, buying a home)

[homerboy]

My wife and I are contemplating selling our current house. We live in a desirable area of South Bellevue in Bellevue School District. I've noticed most houses in my neighborhood sell within days ($1M+), typically full price and then some, most probably in cash by those coming overseas from Asia. Hence my neighborhood has a high concentration of Asians.

I spoke to my real estate agent. Our current house has great views of Seattle/Cascade Mountains/Partial Lake View, lots of light, and recently opened up the kitchen with new hardwood floors. He stated one downfall is that it is a split level (i.e. When you walk in the front door, you have to either go up or go down via a few stairs. He claims this is a negative for some, especially those from Asia, probably has a negative "Feng Shui" vibe. Disclaimer: Agent also has a split level house fwiw.

Can any RE agents or potential home buyers comment? Do split level homes take longer to sell?

[homesinseattle]

Hi homerboy,

I disagree. Split levels aren't problematic, especially if they are well presented. They can actually be favored by people who have extended families in the same home as the layout provides for the possibility of separate living areas. Also, don't assume your buyers will be Asian, there are lots of people out there. Make it look great, make sure high definition photos are taken, list on a Wednesday. Have open houses that weekend, make the home as available as possible for showings and/or preinspections. Review offers on the following Tuesday or Wednesday. If you have orchestrated things well, you should have some good offers. The view will certainly help.

One more important staging idea. When I list a split level, I try to make the transition area (stairs, landing) as cozy and welcoming as possible. This visually de-emphasizes the disconnectedness of the two levels, can be accomplished with stair rugs, photos, anything to help integrate energetically. Best wishes, Vince.

[Ruth4Truth]

I'm wondering if your house is a true split-level. Normally, the term refers to a home with bedrooms a half-floor up from the main floor, with a basement area, which in some cases has a spare bedroom or suite, 1/2 floor down from the main, often right under the bedroom section. A home in which the living room is a couple steps down from the entry is not a split-level. That's just a sunken living room. A home that has an entry on the ground level, say, then two separate wings, each a few steps up, isn't really a true split-level, either.

Anyway, I've seen split-levels get MANY competing offers, and go to the one person offering cash. There seems to be a fair amount of talk circulating, about how split-levels are undesirable, for various reasons, but it all depends on how they're designed, for one thing. But a split-level with lots of natural light and beautiful views will be just as competitive as other homes, or close to it. Don't buy into any negativity.

Instead, make sure your agent does everything possible to market your home effectively. Some of them will slack. Some are juggling too many clients at once, so they don't have time to give your listing the effort it deserves. Others are lazy. Don't go for the one who gives you the highest assessment price, necessarily. Ask them all what their marketing strategy is. Ask questions. Know the various listing venues in your area, in the local newspapers, etc. If there's a certain feature in the weekend newspaper, say, that requires an extra fee to get listed as a "featured property", make it clear you're willing to pay the fee to get on that page. That sort of thing makes a huge difference. Put that in the contract you sign, so that if the agent fails to list your property in such a special feature, he'll be in breach of contract, and you can legitimately quit and find a better agent.

Sometimes you have to watchdog the agent. (Not you, homes ). Have several do a value analysis for you, of comparables in the neighborhood, interview them all, then make a choice. Good luck!

[noah]

I've heard the same thing for the Seattle market, that Splits just don't sell for as much. Personally I would agree that it is a negative for not just some, but many...BUT there are always negatives in buying a home and sounds like your location is a huge positive.

[homesinseattle]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

I'm wondering if your house is a true split-level. Normally, the term refers to a home with bedrooms a half-floor up from the main floor, with a basement area, which in some cases has a spare bedroom or suite, 1/2 floor down from the main, often right under the bedroom section. A home in which the living room is a couple steps down from the entry is not a split-level. That's just a sunken living room. A home that has an entry on the ground level, say, then two separate wings, each a few steps up, isn't really a true split-level, either.

Anyway, I've seen split-levels get MANY competing offers, and go to the one person offering cash. There seems to be a fair amount of talk circulating, about how split-levels are undesirable, for various reasons, but it all depends on how they're designed, for one thing. But a split-level with lots of natural light and beautiful views will be just as competitive as other homes, or close to it. Don't buy into any negativity.

Instead, make sure your agent does everything possible to market your home effectively. Some of them will slack. Some are juggling too many clients at once, so they don't have time to give your listing the effort it deserves. Others are lazy. Don't go for the one who gives you the highest assessment price, necessarily. Ask them all what their marketing strategy is. Ask questions. Know the various listing venues in your area, in the local newspapers, etc. If there's a certain feature in the weekend newspaper, say, that requires an extra fee to get listed as a "featured property", make it clear you're willing to pay the fee to get on that page. That sort of thing makes a huge difference. Put that in the contract you sign, so that if the agent fails to list your property in such a special feature, he'll be in breach of contract, and you can legitimately quit and find a better agent.

Sometimes you have to watchdog the agent. (Not you, homes ). Have several do a value analysis for you, of comparables in the neighborhood, interview them all, then make a choice. Good luck!

Ruth, you are too kind .

[Seattleareanative]

In my experience selling houses in Bellevue and on the greater Eastside, as long as your house is priced correctly it will sell in a few days split entry or not. In general, most buyers don't prefer split entry homes but in this market buyers can't be too picky. If your agent hasn't already, ask him/her to show you only split entry comparable homes - when I provide a market analysis to my clients, I try to choose only the same style houses if possible. You should be able to see a pattern in the prices of 2 story houses vs. split entry vs. 1 story with basement. Good luck on your sale!

[Ira500]

I'll echo what others have said. In a normal real estate market, split entry homes around here are considered a little less desirable. But in this market, inventory is very low, and as long as the house is nice and presents well, it should sell quickly if priced right. When it goes on the market, you should clear out as much of the "landing pad" as possible, to make it appear a little more spacious.

[AreWeThereYet??]

What about homes that are attached to another home? Mine is attached to another home and I never heard a peep from neighbors and these homes arent actually attached if you look at the architectural design. However, these seem to be a big hang-up for most buyers.

[homesinseattle]

AreWe,


To your question, depends on the price point. As the price goes up, more people expect detached private homes. If you are in a great area, there certainly if a market for your place, just need to price it properly.

[Seattleareanative]

Agreed - you just need to compare apples to apples. Attached house to attached house, detached house to detached house.