[JayCT]

Originally Posted by dad1501

309 Ely Ave Apt 2 is contingent for $299k. It's also 2 bed 1 bath and has no dining area and 300 sq feet smaller. They have a 10x12 storage room. Ours is 25x18.

https://www.zillow.com/homes/309-Ely...AwrvdpuAuIar1w

People who are complaining about our staging should go and look at theirs lol. I don't think our problem is staging or photography. Probably just a slower market right now and things will take longer to sell, particularly one with some unique features like ours. I just don't believe someone would prefer their tiny cramped kitchen to our gigantic one just because their cabinets are white. They've also got awful plastic countertops.

I think you are fooling yourself by blaming the market for not selling faster. The market is strong right now. There is nothing to show it has otherwise changed. At the end of the day, it comes down to price and competition. For whatever reason buyers in your price range are seeing better value in other units on the market right now. It’s that simple.

The unit on Ely may be smaller but it has less wasted space and has a more attractive layout. The kitchen is immediately adjacent to the living area. The kitchen in your unit is far removed from the living area. Your unit may be bigger, but a lot of that space is wasted by the large hall between the living room, kitchen and guest room.

I see what others are saying about staging. Though your unit is beautifully decorated, that is different from staging. Staging allows buyers to see themselves living in the unit. The major selling point is your large living room but you don’t have it staged to show that. The kitchen may be able to have a table but people can’t use it for comfortable entertainment. Is it possible to add a small expandable dining table in the living room? That would help buyers envision how to entertain in the unit.

The color of the living room is bold. I like it but it’s pretty specific and it may be turning off some buyers who can’t see beyond what’s in front of them.

And then there’s the price. You are listed at $325,000. Ely was $299,000. In that price range that is a big difference. When people look at listings they usually put in whole numbers for prices. The Ely unit being under $300,000 will get a lot more looks than yours only because of the price.

I know it may seem that people are being brutal but you asked so rather than argue accept the thoughts being offered, accept and acknowledge them. We are just trying to help. Jay

[SteveM85]

Originally Posted by dad1501

309 Ely Ave Apt 2 is contingent for $299k. It's also 2 bed 1 bath and has no dining area and 300 sq feet smaller. They have a 10x12 storage room. Ours is 25x18.

https://www.zillow.com/homes/309-Ely...AwrvdpuAuIar1w

People who are complaining about our staging should go and look at theirs lol. I don't think our problem is staging or photography. Probably just a slower market right now and things will take longer to sell, particularly one with some unique features like ours. I just don't believe someone would prefer their tiny cramped kitchen to our gigantic one just because their cabinets are white. They've also got awful plastic countertops.

Don't concern yourself with staging or decorating. None of that matters in this market. That stuffs on the backburner for the time being.
It's your location. Your best bet is a nurse or younger med school grad with a new job a the nearby hospital.

Best as always. Keep us updated. Don't be a stranger.

[bobspez]

I see three things.
Most important, most people want a place where 6 people can comfortably dine together. That's the minimum. You would be better off with a dining table and chairs and hutch on one side of your living room. This apartment has no place for dining other than a small table, 2 chairs and a bench seat.

Second, listing agents will say anything to get a listing. After that they can sit back and let you figure out the rest. They get their commission regardless.

Third, it's early days. Wait a week or two and see what happens. If you don't get any offers, lower the price.

[Reilly1017]

Originally Posted by bobspez

I see three things.
Most important, most people want a place where 6 people can comfortably dine together. That's the minimum. You would be better off with a dining table and chairs and hutch on one side of your living room. This apartment has no place for dining other than a small table, 2 chairs and a bench seat.

Second, listing agents will say anything to get a listing. After that they can sit back and let you figure out the rest. They get their commission regardless.

Third, it's early days. Wait a week or two and see what happens. If you don't get any offers, lower the price.

2 bed 1 bath condos with 15% of the sq footage being a hallway probably doesn’t demand seating for 6, but at least seating for 4. I’ve been to restaurants where they use those small round tables for people and it just doesn’t work well, maybe if outside and the meal is simple, couple beers, 2 plates, nothing else but this condo basically says you must eat in the living room which is down a hallway and not near the kitchen anyways, what a pain. For social gatherings, dinner, etc it’s just not functional. This is fine if priced correctly but again, it’s priced $30K (10% more) then every other 2 bed 1 bath in town. Heck, they should have found a way to add a small half bath powder room to that hallway, even a little 7x4 toilet and pedestal sink would have been something.

Regardless, it’s not terrible, it will sell, but is over priced, period. Any agent that won the business by stating from the beginning “we expect 20 offers and most over asking” just set it up for at a minimum slight disappointment right from the start. It’s like a restaurant or a comedy movie someone saying 100 times “have you tried _____ or watched ______ it’s the best food/movie I ever tasted/seen. Your expectations are so high going in you likely will be disappointed on some level.

OP said “ours is the nicest in the whole complex”. I don’t even know what that means. You’ve seen every unit in the complex? Are you saying you have the nicest floor plan? If so I’d hate to see how bad the other units are. Also, putting $20K into cosmetic changes is great, if the next buyer likes it as well. Looks like they only lived there for under 2 years, that’s an expensive cosmetic change for a place you are selling so quickly. I know condos are different, but I’d be way more excited buying a single family home that just upgraded the paved driveway, windows, roof, HVAC then some fad design aesthetic that will likely look dated in 10 years anyways. And on top of that, I’ll take an extra half bath over remodeling any day. Let me take my morning dump in piece without someone banging on the door wanting to shower or go use the bathroom themself

[SteveM85]

Originally Posted by bobspez

I see three things.
Most important, most people want a place where 6 people can comfortably dine together. That's the minimum. You would be better off with a dining table and chairs and hutch on one side of your living room. This apartment has no place for dining other than a small table, 2 chairs and a bench seat.

Second, listing agents will say anything to get a listing. After that they can sit back and let you figure out the rest. They get their commission regardless.

Third, it's early days. Wait a week or two and see what happens. If you don't get any offers, lower the price.

Not even remotely an issue
What 2 bedroom condos under 1100ft have 6 people AND dining together? 3 tops live in the place, are they having The Last Supper.
Maybe for a holiday or two

[kamct]

The LOCATION is a huge turn off for me, basically a deal breaker. I don’t want to live right next to a parking lot in a congested area. For resale, that will be a huge problem.
There is only one bath, 2nd deal breaker.
The price, 3rd deal breaker. I would never buy a condo over $300,000 in Norwalk, never mind how nicely decorated it is.
At that price, if I add 30000-40000 more, I could get a HOUSE in a more residential area.

[url]https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/289-Strawberry-Hill-Ave-Norwalk-CT-06851/58818871_zpid/[url]

One last thing, you’re the 2nd most expensive condo in all Norwalk, in a bad location, half the size of the other condo which has 2 baths.
[url]https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/50-Aiken-St-APT-326-Norwalk-CT-06851/58806164_zpid/[url]

And even that one is not selling, the price needs to come way down.

People are fleeing NYC and engaging in bidding wars for greener (literally) pastures, a back yard, a house, a full eat-in kitchen, more than one bath, etc.

I used to think like you, whatever I bought my property for and whatever I invested in it, I had to recoup. Unfortunately, that's not how real estate works.

[SteveM85]

Originally Posted by kamct

The LOCATION is a huge turn off for me, basically a deal breaker. I don’t want to live right next to a parking lot in a congested area. For resale, that will be a huge problem.
There is only one bath, 2nd deal breaker.
The price, 3rd deal breaker. I would never buy a condo over $300,000 in Norwalk, never mind how nicely decorated it is.
At that price, if I add 30000-40000 more, I could get a HOUSE in a more residential area.

[url]https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/289-Strawberry-Hill-Ave-Norwalk-CT-06851/58818871_zpid/[url]

One last thing, you’re the 2nd most expensive condo in all Norwalk, in a bad location, half the size of the other condo which has 2 baths.
[url]https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/50-Aiken-St-APT-326-Norwalk-CT-06851/58806164_zpid/[url]

And even that one is not selling, the price needs to come way down.

People are fleeing NYC and engaging in bidding wars for greener (literally) pastures, a back yard, a house, a full eat-in kitchen, more than one bath, etc.

I used to think like you, whatever I bought my property for and whatever I invested in it, I had to recoup. Unfortunately, that's not how real estate works.

Location. Agreed.
When you want cheap condo in Norwalk, this is what you want. Probably sold the first hour after go-live and over-ask.

https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/199-Gregory-Blvd-Apt-I4_Norwalk_CT_06855_M48144-77095

[kamct]

Originally Posted by SteveM85

Location. Agreed.
When you want cheap condo in Norwalk, this is what you want. Probably sold the first hour after go-live and over-ask.

https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...5_M48144-77095

Absolutely agree. And that's not even comparable because that's a townhouse (which is more desirable). The beach and amenities are what sold it, hands down.

[gentlearts]

I see nothing wrong with any of the photos, so maybe your agent is just overly optimistic on the timetable. The price per sq ft is horrifying, but I assume it’s in line with the comparables.

The only thing that would keep me away is having only one bathroom.

[dad1501]

Guys, I'm really not arguing with anybody. Except the people saying my realtor lied to get my business, because it's simply not true. She said nothing until after we already decided to go with her. I have no reason to defend her, but that's not what happened.

The price is obviously high, and I agree that the staging could have been done better, but I don't think that's making the difference here. I think it's the price, the location, and the 1 bath. I didn't realize how much people liked having the 2nd bath, but apparently it's worth $50k. I don't think the price is off by much though, since we've had showings. I'm sure if we dropped to $295k we'd be fine. I was always happy to negotiate down from $325k, just wanted to test the waters and see what happened.

I don't know if the market has cooled or not. If not, it's good news for us, because we are about to list our single family 3 bed 4 bath at $890k. I have a feeling you guys will like that place a lot better. I will make sure to show you photos of the staging before we have a photographer come out! Lol.