Help - Why won't my house sell

[wgeo]

I'm starting to wonder about my agent. I need to check to see if we have a contract. I don't remember signing anything but I'm sure I did. The house is not staged, it's empty. There seems to be a preference in this market for empty houses, not sure why.

The pictures are awful, I just looked at them again and called her to remind her that I want them redone. She "forgot" that we had discussed it earlier. There is one picture in the group that isn't even our house, 1 picture of a storage area where we were putting stuff while packing, some older pictures that I'm not even sure how she got, several pictures of her McDonalds cup that she brought with her that day. I had forgotten just how bad they were.

She has done 2 open houses and 2 "Caravans" for other realtors. The caravans seem to do well, one open house had a few people come and the other had no one.

Fortunately 6 months is a very common term in realtor contracts, so you may be able to get out of it soon. Sounds like she's not good.

 

[LYSE]

Probably time to find a new Realtor, while internet opinions aren't as good as local ones you may also consider posting your actual listing...I mean the more exposure the better right?

When you go to relist the house I would at least get it staged for the pictures and also ask the interior designer about any minor (cheap changes) that should be made to make it more appealing to buyers in your area.

A few general things:
Paint inside and out - This usually has fantastic ROI and helps move the home, I know you painted one room and the rest were left alone because they were neutral..however you would be surprised what a fresh coat of paint does.
Did you have the house professionally cleaned so everything is nice and shiny for the neat freaks? (the paint also helps with this)
Did you go back and make sure to add as much light as possible making sure all blinds curtains are pulled back for showing and every light fixture has been changed to the brightest bulbs possible (but making sure the color temperature is more on the warm side)
Consider having the home pre inspected, home + pest + roof tends to help, especially if you have the roof certified.

 

[Mizzoufan]

why are so many house for sale on your block

 

[clutter]

The pictures are awful, I just looked at them again and called her to remind her that I want them redone. She "forgot" that we had discussed it earlier. There is one picture in the group that isn't even our house, 1 picture of a storage area where we were putting stuff while packing, some older pictures that I'm not even sure how she got, several pictures of her McDonalds cup that she brought with her that day. I had forgotten just how bad they were.

What jumped out at me was the phrase "not on the hot side of town". If you're location isn't as desired right now, it doesn't matter if the neighbor is "nice", you are going to have to do something with the price to get people to take the "less desired" side of town.

Also - I concur with everyone - check out the relationship with the realtor. If your house has been on the market and you've only had 2 open houses your realtor isn't trying hard enough. AND good pictures are an absolute must, absolute.

These days its all about the pictures. Getting them in the door is pictures, pictures, pictures. You also say that you are comparing your house against other houses in your zip code. Generally, that is too large an area for comps. The identical house in a different part of a zip code could value a lot higher than you. Or less.

Empty houses tend to sell better, but that doesn't mean that they can't be staged. Also, going into the holidays is a tough time. I've always thought that I'd list my house in February. Before all of the inventory comes out in April.

So I'd stage it, photograph it, talk to another agent and ask what they would do differently if you re-list it. You might want to pull it until after the holidays so it doesn't get stale.

 

[jaybirdsmommy]

why are so many house for sale on your block

As far as I know it's the only one for sale on our block? Our zipcode covers the entire medium sized town that we live in. We live in a college town so there is always a good bit of turnover as far as houses and people coming and going so any given neighborhood may have several houses for sale at one time.

 

[mousehockey37]

As far as I know it's the only one for sale on our block? Our zipcode covers the entire medium sized town that we live in. We live in a college town so there is always a good bit of turnover as far as houses and people coming and going so any given neighborhood may have several houses for sale at one time.

How close to the college is the house? If it's further away, promote the fact that it's on the quieter side of the town. Likewise, if it's near the college, promote that it could be a great home for someone looking for a short commute to work (targeting younger, newer professors, etc).

 

[jaybirdsmommy]

Probably time to find a new Realtor, while internet opinions aren't as good as local ones you may also consider posting your actual listing...I mean the more exposure the better right?

When you go to relist the house I would at least get it staged for the pictures and also ask the interior designer about any minor (cheap changes) that should be made to make it more appealing to buyers in your area.

A few general things:
Paint inside and out - This usually has fantastic ROI and helps move the home, I know you painted one room and the rest were left alone because they were neutral..however you would be surprised what a fresh coat of paint does.
Did you have the house professionally cleaned so everything is nice and shiny for the neat freaks? (the paint also helps with this)
Did you go back and make sure to add as much light as possible making sure all blinds curtains are pulled back for showing and every light fixture has been changed to the brightest bulbs possible (but making sure the color temperature is more on the warm side)
Consider having the home pre inspected, home + pest + roof tends to help, especially if you have the roof certified.

Thank you for the suggestions, I had thought about re-painting a couple of rooms for just that reason. The paint is in good shape and only a couple of years old but like you said it's cheap to do. The outside is brick and the trim was done fairly recently but I'll check it again, too.

The house is clean, I touch it up every time I go over there. I check lightbulbs too, amazing how things get dirty and lights burn out even when there is no one there. Probably won't hurt to give everything a good go-over again so it will have that just cleaned smell for a while.

The house was pre-inspected when we did the inspection for the house we bought - no major issues were found, the roof is only a few years old and we have had a termite bond on the house for years. THe only thing he said to fix was a sink stopper that wasn't attached and replace a couple of GCFI outlets which has already been done. The inspector did fuss about the slope on the yard as a potential drainage issue, but again there isn't anything I can do to fix that and we have plenty of drains, etc around the house to alleviate it.

 

[Christine]

Would you feel comfortable posting your link from realtor.com? I'd love to see if there is anything you can do to show it better.

 

[gillep]

Great photos are an absolute must. You really need a professional photographer who knows how to shoot houses to make them look their best, a good shot can make a small room look large and a dark room look bright etc. I would start looking at other agents immediately. Comb local listings, see who is selling the most inventory, see who has the best photos, best descriptors etc. and set up appointments, see what they are willing to bring to the table to work for you and to sell your home.

 

[jaybirdsmommy]

How close to the college is the house? If it's further away, promote the fact that it's on the quieter side of the town. Likewise, if it's near the college, promote that it could be a great home for someone looking for a short commute to work (targeting younger, newer professors, etc).

We are about halfway between close and further away. How's that for an answer?

You could walk to a college football game from our house, we are about the same distance from the stadium as some of the more remote parking areas but it's still about 2 miles. If you had an office on the closer side of campus you could probably walk or bike, not so much the farther side. No students not living with family allowed in our neighborhood per city code.

I think it has been marketed as a game day house (party pad) to the realtors alumni contacts. That seems to be a thing these days.

 

[LSLS]

Pictures are huge in this day and age. I do all my looking online before I even start with a realtor. Then if they want to show me one, they need to convince me if it's one I saw and thought little of. There was one house I am thinking of on our last move we ALMOST ended up in. I had written it off immediately because it almost looked like a mobile home (not bashing that at all, but we were coming from a 2 story plus basement and have 6 pets, so we need space). Turned out that it was up a hill, and the angle they took the picture at made it look TINY. My wife and I both gasped at how big the house actually looked once we got inside. We actually really liked that place, but ended up finding a house we liked a lot more.

 

[LYSE]

Thank you for the suggestions, I had thought about re-painting a couple of rooms for just that reason. The paint is in good shape and only a couple of years old but like you said it's cheap to do. The outside is brick and the trim was done fairly recently but I'll check it again, too.

The house is clean, I touch it up every time I go over there. I check lightbulbs too, amazing how things get dirty and lights burn out even when there is no one there. Probably won't hurt to give everything a good go-over again so it will have that just cleaned smell for a while.

The house was pre-inspected when we did the inspection for the house we bought - no major issues were found, the roof is only a few years old and we have had a termite bond on the house for years. THe only thing he said to fix was a sink stopper that wasn't attached and replace a couple of GCFI outlets which has already been done. The inspector did fuss about the slope on the yard as a potential drainage issue, but again there isn't anything I can do to fix that and we have plenty of drains, etc around the house to alleviate it.

Good Luck! I do think the paint will be worth your time, especially if you relist the home and get new pictures, people that are still in the market will find them selves not recognizing your house and clicking it again and taking another look, if it still looks like the same house you wont get the clicks and and reconsideration.

It sounds like you have things covered...I would probably blame the lack of interest solely on your realtor and the way the house is being marketed, try and make sure the next Realtor pays for ads all over social media and even consider picking someone that will make a video instead of just pictures.

I was really happy with how our last home was marketed, just to give you an example this is the video our realtor had made and then paid to have advertised all over social media (of course the youtube video didn't get much exposure but the ads had thousands and thousands of local views:

Sold in 7 days for 50k over asking and it set the mark for all future sales in the area. (Of course it was the CA Bay Area market so it was going to be quick)

 

[mousehockey37]

We are about halfway between close and further away. How's that for an answer?

You could walk to a college football game from our house, we are about the same distance from the stadium as some of the more remote parking areas but it's still about 2 miles. If you had an office on the closer side of campus you could probably walk or bike, not so much the farther side. No students not living with family allowed in our neighborhood per city code.

I think it has been marketed as a game day house (party pad) to the realtors alumni contacts. That seems to be a thing these days.

If that's how your house was marketed, then that's a big flag as to why it won't sell. I don't know too many people that want to actively buy a party pad. So if the realtor has pushed it that way, they possibly gave a death sentence to you trying to sell the house.

 

[jaybirdsmommy]

If that's how your house was marketed, then that's a big flag as to why it won't sell. I don't know too many people that want to actively buy a party pad. So if the realtor has pushed it that way, they possibly gave a death sentence to you trying to sell the house.

Sorry, I probably mis-stated that. She mentioned that she had sent the listing to some alumni contacts as a potential game day house if they or anyone they knew was interested. The regular listing doesn't mention anything other than convenient to campus and other locations. I wouldn't have let her market it that way, although seeing my neighbors reactions to the idea might be worth it.

 

[mousehockey37]

Sorry, I probably mis-stated that. She mentioned that she had sent the listing to some alumni contacts as a potential game day house if they or anyone they knew was interested. The regular listing doesn't mention anything other than convenient to campus and other locations. I wouldn't have let her market it that way, although seeing my neighbors reactions to the idea might be worth it.

It honestly doesn't matter. The realtor put a death sentence on your listing just by mentioning the house as a game day house. I'm sure word of mouth got around and as people ask or may talk about your listing, if that description comes up, it can kill someone's interest in a second. You want your realtor to say all the right things. That phrase isn't it.

So let's look back... there's a game day house (by word of mouth) for sale in a college town with bad pictures in the listing and they want XXX,XXX amount for it. It is in the bottom 5 for homes in the area as well. Your realtor really didn't do you any favors here, from what you're telling us.

 

[jaybirdsmommy]

Good Luck! I do think the paint will be worth your time, especially if you relist the home and get new pictures, people that are still in the market will find them selves not recognizing your house and clicking it again and taking another look, if it still looks like the same house you wont get the clicks and and reconsideration.

It sounds like you have things covered...I would probably blame the lack of interest solely on your realtor and the way the house is being marketed, try and make sure the next Realtor pays for ads all over social media and even consider picking someone that will make a video instead of just pictures.

I was really happy with how our last home was marketed, just to give you an example this is the video our realtor had made and then paid to have advertised all over social media (of course the youtube video didn't get much exposure but the ads had thousands and thousands of local views:

Sold in 7 days for 50k over asking and it set the mark for all future sales in the area. (Of course it was the CA Bay Area market so it was going to be quick)

Oooohhhhh, your house is pretty. I love the colors. That was a great video.

 

[jaybirdsmommy]

OK, after looking at some other listings online I called my realtor and raised holy #$$#%*$()%.

1. I requested to have the pictures professionally redone and I want to see them before they are added to the listing.
2. I want an actual video, not just a slide show of the pictures from the gallery (which she apparently paid someone $250 to do, I told her to get her money back).
3. I want the listing completely taken down and re-done, not just new pictures added to the old listing.
4. I want another realtor showing (caravan) and another open house.

In return, I'll do as much painting as I can get done this weekend and replace a light fixture she doesn't like. I'll also have my son drag 2 outdoor chairs up to the back of the yard so people will think there's a seating area up there. I'll also take the window ac unit out of the bonus room since she is convinced it is an air purifier and an eye sore. We live in the deep south, up until yesterday we needed that ac in there.

Hopefully this will shake something loose. I wouldn't mind if we were getting showings and people just didn't like the house. It's the fact that no one is looking that is bothering me. If not then we will revisit the price in January.

Everyone has had great suggestions so far and I do appreciate the input. Please keep them coming.

 

[jaybirdsmommy]

It honestly doesn't matter. The realtor put a death sentence on your listing just by mentioning the house as a game day house. I'm sure word of mouth got around and as people ask or may talk about your listing, if that description comes up, it can kill someone's interest in a second. You want your realtor to say all the right things. That phrase isn't it.

So let's look back... there's a game day house (by word of mouth) for sale in a college town with bad pictures in the listing and they want XXX,XXX amount for it. It is in the bottom 5 for homes in the area as well. Your realtor really didn't do you any favors here, from what you're telling us.

You know, anywhere else I'd agree with you but people are so rabid about football here that I'd think the fact that it could be used as a gameday house would be a bonus. I'm not defending her by any means, but I can see where she might have thought it was a good idea once it was obvious that it wasn't going to move quickly.

 

[mousehockey37]

You know, anywhere else I'd agree with you but people are so rabid about football here that I'd think the fact that it could be used as a gameday house would be a bonus. I'm not defending her by any means, but I can see where she might have thought it was a good idea once it was obvious that it wasn't going to move quickly.

Well, you did defend her, honestly. If she wanted to market it that way, that should've gone through you first.

Also, college football isn't a year round sport. People aren't going to pay over 200k for a house to use 12 weekends a year as a party pad. It's a home, not an alternative tailgate location. At this point, IMHO, you need to cut your losses and find a fresh approach with someone that's going to actually try and help you sell the home.

 

[Feralpeg]

Unfortunately, you are heading into a bad time of year to sell a home. The holidays are notoriously bad. Cold weather climates are difficult during the winter months.

It may just be your area. Are other houses selling? If not, you have to make your listing more attractive. That probably means lowering the price. It doesn't matter if other homes are listed higher if nothing is selling.