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We are going to move to Seattle in January, so we need to sell our house.
We paid $143,000 for it in the summer of 2004. It's 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, 1750 sq ft (big, open, rooms). I think it's pretty nice. Built in 1991, quiet family-type neighborhood in Sachse, TX, just barely in Collin County.
We got rid of the carpets and put in laminate floors throughout, except the kitchens and bathrooms, they have tile. We've remodeled both bathrooms, they are no longer tacky monsters but now nice (the master is very, very, nice, IMO -- we had it done by pros and it shows). We built a new cedar/steel pole fence this summer, and there's a large side yard too.
But there's a ton of houses around for sale. They're cheaper in Wylie, though further away from Dallas. I think we have a nice location -- right by Firewheel, right off Campbell, you don't have to deal with traffic on 78 -- but I'm not sure non-locals would realize that.
So in this market, how hard is it to sell a house like that? I don't expect to get back all the money we put in (and it's been a ton and we've improved it dramatically, but things *have* changed). It would be nice to get some, though. Seattle's expensive, I don't want to have LOST money here.
So what do you think, generically, of a house like that?
Can anyone PM me a good seller's agent in this area?
Go into the collin county tax records and find out which houses have actually "sold" for. Those are the numbers you need to go by. Then check out your competition. Clean up your house and de-clutter. You need to make your home look and smell better than anyone elses'. It could be hard to sell in your area so you need to price it right.
Sachse is right along Hwy 78, south of Wylie, north of Garland, and east of Richardson. Right by Murphy, too. If you take Bush to where it ends in the east at Hwy 78, that's Firewheel, and we are just northwest of there.
Boy do we have a cleaning and repair list. Not a huge one, but we went through some houses in Seattle and they all sparkle. We have a baby, so the sparkle is kind of... well... dulled a little. But we'll get there. Nothing wrong, just haven't dusted in a very long time, walls could use fresh paint, etc.
I know how to find out how much is OWED in mortgage on a house, and how to find out what the TAX assessment is, but I don't know how to find out what a house actually sold for??
Actually, I'm hoping that somebody who knows the Dallas market can just say, Things are taking forever to sell, You're screwed, or Things aren't that bad, or something. SOME idea of what's going on. Yeah, we'll have to get a local realtor at some point, but we were screwed by an incompetent realtor in the past -- this time I'm doing my homework. If nobody can generalize, fine, then sorry I wasted your time.
I've previously addressed how I interview agents...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eric Young
For what it's worth, when an out-of-state family member with whom I am very close asked for advice on selling her home, I researched for the best agent I could find in her area. My criteria was that the agent had to be full-time, have a minimum of fifteen transactions closed within the past year, have at least three current listings, and that he or she did his or her own work without relying on a staff.
Once I had three agents identified, I requested that the data sheets for all of his or her current listings be provided to me so I could review each for completeness, detail, spelling and marketing message. I also asked to see the client sheets to verify that a full complement of photos were taken and that the photos were of good quality.
After that, I intereviewed each, asking them their assessment of the market, to provide me with a few anecdotes of difficult situations that they overcame, how they thought my relative should position her home in the market in order to give it the best chance of selling and what advice we could expect if Plan A didn't work.
I would reduce the number of completed transactions to seven or eight in many of the more challenging markets today.
You bought for $143K last year? It is worth 10% less now.
You want to sell it by Jan.? You do mean Jan. 2009 right?
Why would anyone want to pay you retail for your house when the banks are holding weekly foreclosure auctions selling the same home as yours for 30 cents on a dollar.
I don't practice in Dallas but this stuff is not hard to find. D/FW is doing better than most places. Sales are down year over year but not hugely...prices are about the same. Inventory is up but still not bad compared to most places. You should get out fine. You may lose a few bucks if you want to push for a quick sale. Normally it appears that 50% probability of a sale is under 4 months.
The bad news is that you are going to Seattle..take money.
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Why all the BS?
