Listing sf house for sale in mid July - no big deal? (2015, mortgages)

[Burakkupawaa]

I sold my house in Feb. Depends on selling agent and market. It's a pretty decent climate for a seller right now. I used A. Belcher, who used all sorts of genius tactics. Good luck

[BOS2IAD]

We listed our single family home in mid-September. It sold in 6 days.

We, too, worried that we might have missed the prime selling time for those who had school aged kids. Yet, not everybody who buys a single family house has kids.

[Old Guard]

Originally Posted by BOS2IAD

We listed our single family home in mid-September. It sold in 6 days.

We, too, worried that we might have missed the prime selling time for those who had school aged kids. Yet, not everybody who buys a single family house has kids.

In my neighborhood it seems that a good number of buyers are buying the house so they can have kids.

[BOS2IAD]

Originally Posted by Old Guard

In my neighborhood it seems that a good number of buyers are buying the house so they can have kids.

Yes, some people are planning ahead. The person who bought our house is young and single.

[17thAndK]

Just in general, you don't want to sell to the first people who walk in the door.. You want to sell into the high end of the market -- those highly motivated buyers who are most attracted to your home. That's the seller's interest. "Priced right" serves an agent's interest, which is in a quick sale that gets their commission into the bank as soon as possible. The notion that "Good things come to those who wait" is not without its merits in real estate markets.

[BOS2IAD]

Originally Posted by 17thAndK

Just in general, you don't want to sell to the first people who walk in the door.. You want to sell into the high end of the market -- those highly motivated buyers who are most attracted to your home. That's the seller's interest. "Priced right" serves an agent's interest, which is in a quick sale that gets their commission into the bank as soon as possible. The notion that "Good things come to those who wait" is not without its merits in real estate markets.

But yet real estate shows on HGTV have said that more often than not, the first offer turns out to be the best one.

If the first offer is the asking price, why turn it down? After all, if the house is priced according to the local comps, trying to price it higher isn't a good idea --- unless it's a very hot sellers' market, and even then, it depends on where the house is located.

"Priced right" also serves the seller's interest, too. No one wants to have their house languish on the market.

[17thAndK]

My god! What do HGTV shows have to do with anything? A house is normally a person's single largest investment. Selling one is something a person is apt to do infrequently. You really can't afford to get it wrong, as money lost will never be recovered. You would like to sell to the one buyer out there who is willing to pay the most for your home, but needles can be difficult to find in a haystack. That doesn't mean you should throw money away. You still try to sell into the top of the market. It's just common sense. Days on the market are not as important as dollars in your pocket.

[BOS2IAD]

Originally Posted by 17thAndK

My god! What do HGTV shows have to do with anything? A house is normally a person's single largest investment. Selling one is something a person is apt to do infrequently. You really can't afford to get it wrong, as money lost will never be recovered. You would like to sell to the one buyer out there who is willing to pay the most for your home, but needles can be difficult to find in a haystack. That doesn't mean you should throw money away. You still try to sell into the top of the market. It's just common sense. Days on the market are not as important as dollars in your pocket.

As I pointed out, realtors check comps in your neighborhood, then price your house accordingly. If you insist on pricing higher than the comps, unless you're in a very highly desirable neighborhood, your house will languish on the market. We had a neighbor price his house higher than the comps. After a month, he dropped the price by 25K. He then got an offer that was much lower(over 10K lower) and ended up taking it.

Not everybody wants to have their house languish on the market in hopes of getting a high price that isn't justified by the comps.

Have you ever sold a house before? If you have sold a house, then you would understand how things work. When you get ready to sell your current house, will you be willing to leave it on the market for months in hope of getting some mythical high price? If you say "yes", then be aware that after a while your house will be considered to be a "tired listing" and will get less and less traffic.

We took our realtor's advice and got an offer on our house at asking price in 6 days. Believe me, we didn't "throw money away" and are quite happy with the results.

[FCNova]

Originally Posted by 17thAndK

Days on the market are not as important as dollars in your pocket.

Too many days on the market will cost you dollars though in carrying costs

[ssa78]

We bought our house in the Vienna-Oakton area in 2013. For those who remember, that spring/ early summer was like a feeding frenzy for real estate. Every decent house that hit the market on Friday morning was under contract for asking or above asking price by Sunday.

As buyers, we missed on several houses during the frenzy and then decided to take a step back after Memorial Day. A few weeks later we noticed the houses that were left were not left because they were bad houses in bad areas - they were left over because they started out with too high a price. We made a bid on a house late June that had been on the market for 2 months but was just priced too high. We got it at a great price. And it is a lovely home in a fantastic neighborhood.

I think if the owner of this home had listed it for a lower initial price in the Spring of 2013, she would have gotten back a lot more. The bidding wars of the spring market for a well priced home can be a great thing for a seller.