Is the market really that bad? Trying to sell home poconos any ideas? (for sale) - Northeastern Pennsylvania - Pennsylvania (PA) -Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Pocono area - City-Data Forum

bluegirly08 · 08-12-2008, 06:16 PM

Is the market really that bad here? Our home is listed with a realtor, but it doesn't seem that their really doing a lot of work to get it sold....does it seem to happen to anyone else? Our house is 'worth' I guess 165,000 ish, 4 bd 3ba totally updated. I put it on craigslist for $155,000, $5,000 more listed through the realtor. We haven't gotten any showings and its been almost 2 months. Does anyone have any other ideas that you used to help sell your home? Any advice would be appreciated!

poconoproud · 08-13-2008, 04:17 AM

there are homes that are new home construction that are sitting, getting fewer showings than this time last year, so 2 months isn't a long time on the market. This is a buyer's market - and the buyer's are being very cautious and choosey. To have not even one showing is disappointing, though. Have you talked to your agent about this? Are there pictures of your home with the listing? Is the home in a community or on private land? If it's in a community, they often have community newspapers you could list it in, too. The biggest secret is patience. I know folks with homes on the market 6 months +. If you get a showing, make sure the lawn is mowed, the landscaping is trimmed back to reveal doors & windows, make sure the home is clean and does not smell of smoke or pets, take all of your Steak-Um magnets off the fridge & keep the drapes open so lots of natural light fills the home. Good luck!

nkotb · 08-13-2008, 06:28 PM

Yes, I think the market is that bad !!! I have a building lot in a development in
Florida I'd like to sell. I can't even get a realtor to answer my calls or emails !!!

BCG8 · 08-14-2008, 10:54 AM

market is slow, i havent had any lookers in 2 months. come join us on the real estate forum to vent, learn, and have a laugh.

pocopc · 08-14-2008, 12:15 PM

i did a job for a realtor a few weeks ago and they told me it is really really slow right now (not just people buying but people coming in to realtors even considering buying).

There are a few new construction houses that have been on the market for close to a year by me. Doesn't seem like anything is selling right now. Everyday for months the same houses are for sale in my development.

pocopc · 08-14-2008, 12:19 PM

Also - not knowing what you owe on the house so it might not be do-able... but if you really want to get rid of it consider dropping the price. It may be worth 165,000 as far as an apprasial goes but with this market just because it's worth that doesn't mean someone is going to buy it at that. Try advertising yourself in papers "House For Sale - 150,000. Appraised for 165,000" or something along those lines. That will give people an incentive to buy a propery that they have some equity in right off the bat.

Also make sure you are allowed to advertise the home outside of the real estate company. Sometimes they dont allow you to sell outside of the for X amount of time while you are under contract.

littlebunnie69 · 08-14-2008, 07:12 PM

The market is bad i Have had a piece of land in a development for sale for about a year. It is a nice piece of land about 4 acres. I spoke to my realtor who told me that things are so bad that almost everybody in his office are looking to get second jobs becuase they are basically selling a house every 10 t0 12 months. Thats a house imagine a peice of land.

I would suggest trying a auction. I have been going to a bunch of those this month and the houses seem to be selling.

bluegirly08 · 08-15-2008, 08:35 PM

Thanks for all of the advice! I know I am getting anxious, all of our business and work is in Port Jervis, so its a bit of a hike from the Ranchlands. Right now our commision is at 6%. When I talked to my realtor they said that if I wanted to raise the commision to 7%, they would only still take 3%, but give the buyers agent 4%. Does anything think that this would help?

BLUEDIAMOND64 · 08-16-2008, 05:08 AM

BlueGirl, You can do a number of things. Houses are a tough sell right now. You can offer a home owner's warranty (for a cost of about $250.00). You can also ask your realtor if they would cut their commssion - believe me if they want to be the listing agent they will agree to this. We raised the commission and it never helped, as we thought it would. When we offered the buyers a warranty then it sold. The key was offering the buyers something extra not the realtors. Some sales are even offering a vacation if they buy the house.....people are getting resourceful and creative because of the housing market. Good luck.