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We listed our house on Jan 1. We have had one showing since we listed it, with the feedback being positive but buyers have decided to go in a different direction. (our agent never was able to get the buyer's agent to respond.
Our house is priced only a little higher than some of the comps, but our lot is desirable and larger than other homes. Our house is in the low 300s. Our agent says that the market is slow and it will pick up. I thought we would have more showings. This is the first time selling a house so any help is appreciated. We live in SW Durham. Thanks
Homes are selling, but it's taking a lot longer. I've heard of realtors giving up on the business because it's so rough now. It will sell eventually. February starts to get busier I think, and March, too.
Good luck. Hang in there.
toodie
given the market, that doesnt seem that bad. make sure your realtor is doing everything possible to market it! set up a webpage on flickr showcasing the home- LOTS AND LOTS of pics!!!! make sure the address of the house is in the description along with for sale and the price and details.... make sure MLS has lots of pics
right now you need technology to try and give your home every advantage there is!
given the market, that doesnt seem that bad. make sure your realtor is doing everything possible to market it! set up a webpage on flickr showcasing the home- LOTS AND LOTS of pics!!!! make sure the address of the house is in the description along with for sale and the price and details.... make sure MLS has lots of pics
right now you need technology to try and give your home every advantage there is!
Things will be picking up in a few weeks. Just the way it is on top of a weaker market. Technology is 100% the best way to market your home. You may hear 10 different agents tell you 10 different ways they are going to market it, but bottom line is 85% of buyers start searching for their future home online so make sure your agent is tech savy. Some will say open houses also, but I do not believe they work (depending on the neighborhood). If your home is exposed on the internet it should get some activity and then your agent does their second job...negotiating and counseling.
A question along this line, what are the slow times of the year here in the Triangle for home sales? Are their specific months that are the best/worst for selling? Thanks!
A question along this line, what are the slow times of the year here in the Triangle for home sales? Are their specific months that are the best/worst for selling? Thanks!
In general for me at least...oct. through feb. have been slow although I have been busy at times. March is usually when it really picks up because school is a few months from being out and most people with children schedule looking or selling around then.....and it slows down after school starts...the sept. oct. time frame. This year b/n those times it has been even slower, but as the other agents on this board know, it's all peaks and valleys.
If you are looking to sell I would start to get ready because in a few months there will be a lot more competition. With that said you could list now, but you may not get much action because it's slow. I have learned RE has no easy answers and it has a lot to do with luck and timing.... Luck= when preparation meets opportunity
A question along this line, what are the slow times of the year here in the Triangle for home sales? Are their specific months that are the best/worst for selling? Thanks!
December was a great month for many agents.
January indicates a great year, I think.
I haven't seen anything slow enough to comment on for quite a while.
given the market, that doesnt seem that bad. make sure your realtor is doing everything possible to market it! set up a webpage on flickr showcasing the home- LOTS AND LOTS of pics!!!!
I'd disagree slightly. You want enough pictures to highlight the best parts of the house, but not so many that people think they've seen everything. If you give them that, there's no reason for them to visit the house in person. No matter how good the pictures are, you can't get the feel of the house without being there, so you want to draw them in with the pictures but not overload them.
So, what do you do with that vague advice? I'd look for 6-10 pictures tops. Have a few exterior shots. Show the front, and maybe the back if there's something unique about it (nice deck/patio, landscaping, fence?, trees screening the neighbors, etc), but if you're looking into your neighbor's living room maybe skip that one. A kitchen shot is good, another of the master, maybe a bathroom shot if you can get a good angle, and a few of the general living areas. Highlight stuff that's unique, show nice trim/paint colors/hardwood floors, etc. But I don't need to see pictures of 3 standard 12x12 bedrooms unless there's something unusual about them. I also don't need pictures of hallways (yes, I can give MLS numbers), multiple pictures of the front of the house, pictures of the horse living across the street (saw that one too), and so on.
What might be useful is to look at other listings comparable to your house on hpw's web site or realtor.com. Try to be objective and see what jumps out at you - it'll likely jump out at the people looking for your house too. Don't be afraid to copy what works!
I'd disagree slightly. You want enough pictures to highlight the best parts of the house, but not so many that people think they've seen everything. If you give them that, there's no reason for them to visit the house in person. No matter how good the pictures are, you can't get the feel of the house without being there, so you want to draw them in with the pictures but not overload them.
So, what do you do with that vague advice? I'd look for 6-10 pictures tops. Have a few exterior shots. Show the front, and maybe the back if there's something unique about it (nice deck/patio, landscaping, fence?, trees screening the neighbors, etc), but if you're looking into your neighbor's living room maybe skip that one. A kitchen shot is good, another of the master, maybe a bathroom shot if you can get a good angle, and a few of the general living areas. Highlight stuff that's unique, show nice trim/paint colors/hardwood floors, etc. But I don't need to see pictures of 3 standard 12x12 bedrooms unless there's something unusual about them. I also don't need pictures of hallways (yes, I can give MLS numbers), multiple pictures of the front of the house, pictures of the horse living across the street (saw that one too), and so on.
see, this is where different personalities and likes and preferences come in. As a buyer, 6 pics is not enough (generally speaking). I DO want to know what it looks like - because I don't want to walk in a house and know immediatly that I am not interested. That wastes my time, the sellers time, and the agents time. I want to see pictures of EVERYTHING - exterior, interior, and hubby REALLY wishes people would take pictures of their garages! lol
We have our house choices narrowed down to about 6 - that we think are DEFINITE possibilities, and now we just have to go for showings this weekend to get a feel for the houses in person. While viewing the homes we will each take pics, of what we like, dont like, etc, and go back and compare notes and thoughts. All of our searching is done online. A quick check shows me the fewest pictures one of our choices has is 9 ...
But you also have to consider the type of buyer we are, very very picky (house must be near perfect, especially in this market and our price range), and we are very high tech/internet savvy/ research perfectionists ...lol
I have a friend looking to buy a house and she prefers to physically look at 100 of them, and only glimpses at any photos....so it really depends on your buyer.
But in this market, I would do everything possible to market your home in every possible venue to every possible buyer. And if a buyer doesnt like the photos, they *probably* wouldnt like it in person...true?
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