Tired of my property in North Tacoma (mortgage, credit)

[bellabella2]

Hi there everyone! Venting Here!

I tried to sell without luck after a wrong CMA was given to me in 07. It was wrong because my agent used 1800 sq ft instead of 1400 or so for the CMA. I told the agent that my house was not 1800 but she said that is what appeared in the tax records and that is what we had to list for... Well yes is 1800 if you include the garage!
Needless to say we followed her advice given the price range she suggested and have I known what I know now.... well I could have sold earlier at a lower price.... UGHHHH

I have tried renting without luck. NO I AM NOT FORECLOSING OR AT RISK OF IT !!
I just have an empty house and it has become a pain in my $%^ and I am tired of the BS

I am tired of dealing with agents and dishonest potential renters or dishonest property management companies..

SO what am I doing?
Well first of all I emailed my agent to remove my house from MLS ( which she should do as soon as I fax a document to her tomorrow morning),and I am just going to try to sell without an agent. Or perhaps use one of flat fee agencies so I can reduce the price of the house

any other suggestions?
Sick an tired of My empty house...

[daytripper]

Since the market has cooled....Rent it out yourself. You manage as a rental, do credit and background checks on all potential tenants. Be picky. No pets!!
( you'd be surprised at the damage they can cause) Or do a nonrefundable pet deposit. You will eventually find the right tenant and it's better in the mean time than an empty house. ( invites vandalizim ) Good luck!

[mthomson]

If you choose to sell, interview multiple agents, and have your questions ready in advance. What things didn't you like about your previous agent (pricing is obvious). Ask those questions in a directed manner and see if the agents give you the answers they think you want to hear, or are they answering honestly and intelligently. I've been amazed at how many people hire me with no real interview. Friends, people who saw my website, etc.
I think selling by yourself or with a discount brokerage is risky (investors can try to take advantage of you, legal liabilities you take on yourself, etc). If you have time and patience to devote to really doing it right, it works very well. Otherwise get very specific about what you expect an agent to do and interview several until you find one that fits. One good question that I've been asked that I really liked was, "Refer a good agent to me that isn't with your company." If I referred an agent that didn't interview well, it reflected on me; if I couldn't think of one it showed that I didn't have a good rapport with area agents; if I recommended a good one I ran the risk of not getting hired. Good question for a seller to ask!

[St.Croix to Seattle]

[Mod cut: advertising]....I tried renting my house on my own in the past did not go so well...since you wanted less for the house than it was listed for I would find a very good agent and up the commission you are willing to pay so no only do your agent work it better but also buyers agents will pay more attention to the listing,if you can hold out till early march,relist then with the new agent...when all esle fails offer a lease option which seems to be working somewhat is So CAL as i have friends there in Real Estate which keep me informed of the true picture of the Market...good luck

[ginanews]

I would have to reiterate, the key to renting is a rigorous screening. There are property managers out there that love what they do. I rented my home through a management firm for 3 years and it was o.k. when we came back. I would absolutely do it again. You probly would not get what you want to sell your home for right now anyway, the market and the season are slow. Rent it for 6 months see what the market's doing then decide. It still gives you an option and your not making the mortgage, not the entire mortgage.
Hey, I'm full of advice!
Gina

[Kim Emmons]

I owned 2 rental houses in Tacoma and decided to sell them in 2007. They both sold in one week. It is all about Price, Presentation and Promotion. If you are missing one of those items, you will not get your home sold. If you want more advice just ask.

[Bugqueen]

There are internet sites devoted to selling your home. One is called "For Sale By Owner". Another one lists your home for a small fee, claims it is MLS and claims that the selling realtor agent fee is 1% to 4%. Sorry, I don't have the links anymore, but do a google search. Another tip, watch HGTV, many shows give selling tips, one is called Design to Sell, another is Buy Me. HGTV has a website as well. We recently sold a home in one week by using staging tips. Also another tip is to price it 1% below comparibles.

[larrykcragun]

How much is your house worth?

[SeattleExpert]

hi, i'm putting my neck on the chopping block by saying that i am a real estate agent. i'm new so don't bust my chops - i'm not trying to get you to work with me - i just have a few things to say.

#1, it sounds to me like your agent was not representing your best interest. in the end, the owner of the property always sets the listing price. the agent should only advise you with a recommended price. with the CMA presentation, after you expressed your concerns, the agent should have ran a scenario with the 400 sq ft difference and allowed you to set your price. were the comps otherwise in line with your home (as far as location, # of beds, # of baths, year built, etc?)

#2, sometimes the only available square footage IS from the tax record. an appraiser should have been called to get it accurately measured. we are not experts in measuring property so we can only advise that if you aren't certain that you should have it measured professionally. i would suppose with your warning that the square footage was incorrect, the agent's advice should have been to get it accurately measured because misrepresenting square feet can be a liability. king county has very awkward laws regarding square feet. "livable" square feet are measured by taking measurements of the EXTERIOR of the house, but should not include the garage. it SHOULD include any finished parts of a basement, but exclude any unfinished parts of a basement or a the 'garage' part of a basement, only one flight of stairs can be counted and needs to be measure differently with cathedral ceilings, etc). for this reason, property should only be measured by a professional (an appraiser for instance). or a note on the property should have said "square footage to be verified by buyer".

#3 there are many other considerations before you try going at it alone or going through a discount broker who will charge you less because they don't offer full service. like: how is your property being marketed? how is it staged? what is the feedback your agent/you have been getting from people who have viewed the home? you might want to host your own little open house to hear what people have to say. if you have an MLS#, i'd love to look at your listing and run my own CMA to see if it falls near your agent's suggestion? trying to sell your home is a full time job in itself. you should have someone working for you and with you, who will negotiate offers with your best interest in mind. and you need to be willing to partner with them to do everything you can to get your home sold (meaning if they say clean this or stage this, that you really do your best to get it done).

there are so many circumstances that are involved with homes that do not sell - the market is not great, so it is especially important that all other factors are spot on.

you shouldn't give up on agents. this time around though, because you have been burned - i would suggest that you interview listing agents (agents that specialize in selling property rather than finding properties for buyers) - with multiple years of experience in your specific area.

also you are listing in a buyers market. homes are still selling, but they ARE definitely taking a longer time to sell and selling for less than the listing price in many cases. when i was thinking about taking the leap into real estate this year i interviewed a few agents - some were doing well, and some had the best year of business but only through August of 07 - with ZERO sales from then until december!

it sounds like you don't HAVE to sell now - and truly, if that's the case, you may want to just hold off until the market is booming again so you can get the most out of your home. the real estate market is cyclical - but it always turns back around!

good luck! Moderator cut: soliciting language removed