We met with our realtors last night. Unfortunately the real estate market is still headed down down down in our area. Which means that the comps have lowered drastically (again). So in order to stay competitive- and believe you me we are- we lowered the price of our house again.
Here is where I could say that it was painful or piss and moan about how unfair it is that our house hasn't sold yet. Or how our house is one of the only ones in the price range that doesn't need TLC and is move in ready. Then I could mention that we are the biggest house of all the comps and have the biggest yard, along with the nicest two car garage.
But you know what.
I'm not going to gripe (that much) about all this because such is life right now. We're in a million times better housing situation than so many other people across this nation facing foreclosures, bankruptcy and loans that are way over valued. Our house, while it is a pain to have on the market, isn't really holding us back from anything else or our other plans right now. We're still going forward with renovating the Wee house and can't wait until we can move in there to call it home.
Can you tell I'm still riding an optimism buzz?
Showing posts with label Selling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Selling. Show all posts
March 3, 2010
December 16, 2009
Showing # 19
Yesterday we received a request for a showing! Exciting! The screeching halt of the real estate market hitting the winter season was and is being felt with our house. I don't really mind though. Like I've mentioned before, in order for one to sell their house it must be on the market and available for showings. The appointments have been pretty rare, so the inconvenience for us is very minimal aside from one or two showing ready cleanings.
Staying positive about ever selling the house is really important. If I don't work at being optimistic about every showing, I'll quickly feel defeated by the housing market and downward spiral into a pretty crappy funk. A deep funk that not even ice cream, beer and Star Wars can bring me out of. While cleaning last night I kept reminding myself that the house will eventually sell. It has to. It will. Even if this person isn't THE buyer, then at the very least we don't have to clean the house again this weekend.
Sigh. This house selling stuff. I'm not sold on it yet.
Staying positive about ever selling the house is really important. If I don't work at being optimistic about every showing, I'll quickly feel defeated by the housing market and downward spiral into a pretty crappy funk. A deep funk that not even ice cream, beer and Star Wars can bring me out of. While cleaning last night I kept reminding myself that the house will eventually sell. It has to. It will. Even if this person isn't THE buyer, then at the very least we don't have to clean the house again this weekend.
Sigh. This house selling stuff. I'm not sold on it yet.
November 13, 2009
Selling in a Bad Market
Our Realtors came over earlier in the week to discuss a new selling strategy. The WTown house has been on the market since June and unfortunately we still own it.
Pete and I have talked for hours about all of our options regarding what we want to do about getting this house sold. It is well known that winter is notoriously bad time to sell a house. The buyers are few and far between, with most people choosing to stay put through the holiday season and dreary winter months. Early spring is when buyers start to look again, focusing on closing during the late spring/summer so children can finish out the school year.
Do we keep our house on the market through the winter? Out goal after all, is to sell and ones house must be FOR SALE in order for that to happen. But do we hold out hope for the rare winter buyer? Or do we re-list in the spring so the house can get a fresh and clean appearance on the MLS hot sheet?
I've already seen a lot of homes in my town go off the market because of the impending slow season. Which is fine by me, because I'd rather be in a smaller sales pool where the house has a better chance of standing out. We learned that pulling your house off the market and then re listing in the spring does not reset the dreaded days on market count. I wonder if these people think that four months off will bring the counter back to zero. That Days on Market counter scares me, I don't want to be that house with the high number, cause then I think it scares buyers too.
After talking about all our options with our Realtors, we decided to keep the house on the market through the winter and in two weeks we're going to do (ANOTHER) major price drop. Two weeks because that will put us right past Thanksgiving and we'll have decorated the house for the holidays. Our house always feels really cozy and nice during the holiday season, so we think that it can only help if we manage get any showings.
So, There is our plan. Hopefully it works! and fingers crossed that we don't have to come up with a new one.
Pete and I have talked for hours about all of our options regarding what we want to do about getting this house sold. It is well known that winter is notoriously bad time to sell a house. The buyers are few and far between, with most people choosing to stay put through the holiday season and dreary winter months. Early spring is when buyers start to look again, focusing on closing during the late spring/summer so children can finish out the school year.
Do we keep our house on the market through the winter? Out goal after all, is to sell and ones house must be FOR SALE in order for that to happen. But do we hold out hope for the rare winter buyer? Or do we re-list in the spring so the house can get a fresh and clean appearance on the MLS hot sheet?
I've already seen a lot of homes in my town go off the market because of the impending slow season. Which is fine by me, because I'd rather be in a smaller sales pool where the house has a better chance of standing out. We learned that pulling your house off the market and then re listing in the spring does not reset the dreaded days on market count. I wonder if these people think that four months off will bring the counter back to zero. That Days on Market counter scares me, I don't want to be that house with the high number, cause then I think it scares buyers too.
After talking about all our options with our Realtors, we decided to keep the house on the market through the winter and in two weeks we're going to do (ANOTHER) major price drop. Two weeks because that will put us right past Thanksgiving and we'll have decorated the house for the holidays. Our house always feels really cozy and nice during the holiday season, so we think that it can only help if we manage get any showings.
So, There is our plan. Hopefully it works! and fingers crossed that we don't have to come up with a new one.
August 4, 2009
lowering the bar
We dropped the price of our house last night.
Ten friggen thousand dollars.It sucks to have invested six years, money and buckets of sweat equity into our house to just slash out thousands of dollars in one instant, but that was our only option. You don't have twelve showings and no offers if the price of the house is right. Or maybe you do since there is a rail road track running right through the driveway.
All we keep thinking about is how different this would have been if we'd put the house up for sale in the Fall of 2007, like we'd originally planned. The whole reason the house didn't get listed back then was to get more money for it once everything was "perfect". The goal of hitting a certain value mark was keeping us working on it.
Not to say we put off listing the house solely for the potential financial gains. The idea of living in the house after it was completely finished was originally our goal. In fact, when we bought this house we really were set on it being our "forever home". There would be no more major projects. No more unusable areas due to missing floors. All those hard years of work and we would finally have our fixed up house! You can imagine how appealing this idea was, especially during the wedding planning. I'm not sure I would have survived major renovations and planning a wedding. My poor little nerves can only take so much.
In the end, all the reasons why not don't really matter. Just the fact that we didn't do it matters. There is no going back in real estate, like with the rest of life hindsight is 20/20. All we can do it go forward with our now altered plans and not let the market or the economy deter us from the ultimate goals we have as a couple. I count us among the lucky ones in these troubled times, cause we got each other and that's a lot.(for love).
Ten friggen thousand dollars.It sucks to have invested six years, money and buckets of sweat equity into our house to just slash out thousands of dollars in one instant, but that was our only option. You don't have twelve showings and no offers if the price of the house is right. Or maybe you do since there is a rail road track running right through the driveway.
All we keep thinking about is how different this would have been if we'd put the house up for sale in the Fall of 2007, like we'd originally planned. The whole reason the house didn't get listed back then was to get more money for it once everything was "perfect". The goal of hitting a certain value mark was keeping us working on it.
Not to say we put off listing the house solely for the potential financial gains. The idea of living in the house after it was completely finished was originally our goal. In fact, when we bought this house we really were set on it being our "forever home". There would be no more major projects. No more unusable areas due to missing floors. All those hard years of work and we would finally have our fixed up house! You can imagine how appealing this idea was, especially during the wedding planning. I'm not sure I would have survived major renovations and planning a wedding. My poor little nerves can only take so much.
In the end, all the reasons why not don't really matter. Just the fact that we didn't do it matters. There is no going back in real estate, like with the rest of life hindsight is 20/20. All we can do it go forward with our now altered plans and not let the market or the economy deter us from the ultimate goals we have as a couple. I count us among the lucky ones in these troubled times, cause we got each other and that's a lot.(for love).
June 21, 2009
June 17, 2009
House for sale...
Last week we accomplished something a long time in the making. Pete and I sat down with our Realtors, talked shop and signed the sale papers. This is the first time we've ever put a property up for sale, so everything is uncharted sellers territory for us.
I can't help but to be stupidly optimistic about selling the house, even in a bad market coupled with a crappy economy. I guess all sellers see the greatness in their own homes, as they are such personal things. I'm attached to this house, far more than the buying who is simply looking at another listing. Everything reminds me of something, from the carpets we bought as our Christmas presents to the tile in the back splash we picked out and put up together. I can see ourselves growing and living in the house over the years, and now I'm opening it up for strangers to see the same things. Or for them to judge me on all the choices we made regarding renovation and decorating.
When we get a showing I always think the same things, will they see the potential? will the railroad turn them off before even stepping in the house? are these our buyers? The hour that we spend away from home is nerve wracking for me.
In one week we've scheduled five showings, with only one cancellation. Even if it takes 90 showings... that is only 18ish weeks if we keep up the current pace! Ha!I'm not so certain I can actually keep the house clean for 18 weeks.
I can't help but to be stupidly optimistic about selling the house, even in a bad market coupled with a crappy economy. I guess all sellers see the greatness in their own homes, as they are such personal things. I'm attached to this house, far more than the buying who is simply looking at another listing. Everything reminds me of something, from the carpets we bought as our Christmas presents to the tile in the back splash we picked out and put up together. I can see ourselves growing and living in the house over the years, and now I'm opening it up for strangers to see the same things. Or for them to judge me on all the choices we made regarding renovation and decorating.
When we get a showing I always think the same things, will they see the potential? will the railroad turn them off before even stepping in the house? are these our buyers? The hour that we spend away from home is nerve wracking for me.
In one week we've scheduled five showings, with only one cancellation. Even if it takes 90 showings... that is only 18ish weeks if we keep up the current pace! Ha!I'm not so certain I can actually keep the house clean for 18 weeks.
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