How long has your house been on the market? (Oceanside: for sale by owner, real estate)

[deevee]

Hi
Just wondering how long its been taking Long Islanders to sell. Im in Oceanside, thinking of selling and would be interested in hearing about your time frames.
Also...are you pricing to sell, or holding out for the best price.
Thanks

[wardlwag]

Hi there...I am in Hewlett and my house has been on and off the market for 2 years...I put it on each spring and take it off in the summer because i do not want my 3 kids starting in a new school after the school year has already started..unfortunately this plan has not worked for me....also i put it on 2 years ago at a very high price because at that time everything was selling, I have since reduced a number of times and my house is now a real steal...the problem is nobody cares!!! I am absolutely fed up with the 4 brokers I have had and am waiting for the contract I have with my current broker to expire...I don't know about other areas but here we have a bunch of wealthy housewives as brokers that show houses when they are not lunching with their friends or hanging at the country club...it is extremely frustrating...I think the problem may be that I have a "stale listing", buyers think there is a problem with my house because it has been on so long, that is even if they know about it...I don't think the brokers even tell them about it...Why my house has not yet sold is a mystery to me...whoever sees it loves it..it is an all brick colonial in perfect condition...oh well, I still love my house and if we have to stay we have to stay...there are certainly worse places to live...the market is terrible now but if you want to move then you must put your house on the market, give it a try, you have nothing to lose!!!! Oceanside is a nice area, I do some of my best shopping there....good luck

[jgennaro]

Our house has been on the market for 2 and a half months. 2 open houses, 2 showings and another open house next weekend. We live in Islandia (not a great area) but have one of the nicer houses in the area. Unfortunately we have to wait it out too. A neighbor of mine (who is an agent in the area) said (if the house is priced correctly) that the houses are taking about 6-9 months to move...if we're lucky. Good luck and let us know how things go.

[pad3]

what type of commission are you offering? Do you really think that makes a difference getting agents to show your house?

[wardlwag]

I was offering a 4% commission...no brokers were showing my house so my listing broker advised me to increase the commission to 5% and the selling broker would get 3% (an extra 1%) as an incentive...I would imagine that a $28,000 commission is good enough incentive, but apparently not...I think the market is just dead and the brokers have nobody to show the house to...so their famous last words are reduce the price and create a greater incentive by raising commission..either way it is less money for the seller...I say go for sale by owner, that is what I plan on doing when my listing expires!!!

[Positiveone]

Are these homes priced too high? There must be a reason nobody is buying them right? 2 years wow!

[engsmom]

Some are priced high and others are priced right. My husband and I have been searching in Suffolk County for a home for a few months now. Some things we are seeing in good area's - taking into consideration, schools, crime rate, taxes, neighborhood, etc - are priced to sell and in good condition w/ some work needing to be done but it is not unlivable while renovating...others however are priced SOOO high that despite having to put $50K worth of work just to update the necessities - roof, windows, heating systems...you cant get them to budge. Those are the homes that sit on the market for ever. It is unfortunate, it is a buyers market - however all the buyers are very cautious right now - especially due to interest rates and forclosure rates - no one wants to be in that position. I know my husband and I will take our time to make sure we are getting a good house for our money and if some have to slip by then so be it, we'll just wait longer.

[NY652]

Originally Posted by pad3

what type of commission are you offering? Do you really think that makes a difference getting agents to show your house?

This may or may not make a difference to Long Island buyers, sellers and agents, but I heard it straight from the "horse's mouth" (my sister-in-law who is a real estate agent in the state of Indiana). She shows buyers any house they want to see; however, if the commission is from the "2% guys" she will pick-it-apart (her exact words). In other words, she will make sure she finds fault with the house in every corner, inside and out - enough to convince they buyer he or she should really take a look at another house instead. Of course I'm assuming she then takes them to one of HER company's listings or at least another where the commission is higher. Remember that next time you go out home-shopping with an agent. Listen to what they say to you. Listen to what they praise or find fault with regarding the house. See if they are doing it here - they must do it in Indiana. Maybe they train them to do this. I also feel agents ask seller's to lower their price and/or increase the commission to make homes sell faster so they'll get their check faster - why else would they care? Do you agree?

[momix5]

Yes they ae doing it here on LI my husband works with a real estate broker that suggested that to us if we re list, just another reason why I hate these shady people.I am listing my house myself below what the house down the block got and my house is done you would just need to replace the toilet seats.

[clamboy]

That is sleazy....I can believe these SOBs are steering on commissions.

That industry needs overhaul.

C