I took a look at your house. I see you have reduced it. It is also empty. Some staging may help. How about a wing ding open house? Notice should be given to all neighbors, club members, friends, business associates in that area. You would be surprised how often people you know want to find a home for their friends. Make you offer attractive for the buyers by offering closing costs, appliances, decorating allowances, etc. It's time for you and your realtor to get proactive.

Glenda Marks, Owner/Broker

Marian, In order to sell your home in this market, you have to have THE BEST HOUSE ON THE BLOCK, at the cheapest price. I use to just say "a house on a cliff, overhanging a railroad will sell if the price is right." Part of the saying may still be true, but I have found that it is the pristine homes, staged well, clean, painted, no pets, no children's toys, not clutter, fresh, beautiful lawns, that get sold first for the lowest price that can wiggle out of the seller.

For instance, I just sold a home, there were 5 homes on the same street for sale. Some a bit higher, some a tad lower. We kept it shiny, windows clean, moved out excess furniture, repainted, took out cabinet door centers and added glass, perked up the lawn with new bushes, sod, flowers. We staged the house to look like a model home. We had a contract in two weeks and closed in six weeks. Some of the other homes are still on the market or now off the market, or in foreclosure.

So, do the best you can, and better. No smells, no pets! Make sure you are priced right in your market. It may be painful, but it has to be done correctly.

Good luck with your sale.

Glenda Marks, Owner/Broker
Marks Real Estate & Auction Co.
Lic, NC/VA/SC

The reason your house isn't selling is due to circumstances beyond your control.

Banks and mortgage companies have initiated extremely tight credit policies since they are currently stuck holding millions of properties that are underwater (or about to become so) and are extremely leery about lending out more money.

There are fewer people shopping for homes mainly because they cannot sell the house they currently own without taking a loss (assuming they can sell it at all.) So you lose the move-up market or those people who once considered relocating due to retirement and now cannot afford to do so.

The majority of the homes being sold are lower-priced starter homes, being purchased by people eligible for the first-time buyer's $8,000 tax credit. The next category of sales would be investors making 100% cash deals on foreclosures or short sales strictly for investment and/or rental purposes.

Realtors and others may tell you your house is overpriced. That's only partially true -- because in order to make it attractive to potential buyers, you would have to list your home at a rock bottom price.

If you don't need to vacate your home, my advice would be to continue to live in it until the market improves in a few years' time. But if you absolutely must move out, considered renting it so you can at least recover some of your mortgage and tax expenses.

I am very sorry to be the bearer of such discouraging news.

P.S. I am not in the real estate or property management business, so I do not have a horse in this race. My advice is strictly based on current financial news, first-hand experience with friends and neighbors who are going through the same process, and conversations with people in the real estate business who are frustrated by the current market.

The reality is that there are beautiful houses all over the country going begging for lack of buyers.

It always comes down to price. If a buyer can get a home as good or better than your home for less money, that is the home they will buy. Sellers sometimes have blinders on when it comes to their location, and look only within their development, school district, or even specific building in urban areas. In this market, buyers are less particular about "status" and really focused on price. In other words, expand your comps out of those right on your golf course and look in your entire area. Would that affect what a buyer would pay?

There may be things that you can do to appeal to a buyer - as mentioned, staging and decor changes that make buyers who view the home feel welcome and prospects who view the home on the MLS or internet wish to see the interior. Odors in the home can make or break a sale: Smoke? Pets? Heavy spices? Vacant houses can get a sad, stale musty smell. If the house is on market & vacant, get some reed diffusers in there - Fall scents right now are good, or laundry/linen/fresh cotton. Also, if the house is vacant, you need to keep the heat/AC level comfortable. So many sellers cut back here due to fear of the bill, but a too cold or hot and humid vacant house doesn't make buyers want to linger and look.

The cooperative compensation you're offering to the buyer's agents - is that enticing or a turn off?

Amen, Brother Richard! I have never understood that concept. Unfortunately, there are some beautiful developments that have treated agents so poorly during the good times that the sellers are suffering in this economic climate.

Your home listed price has been chasing the market price down from $579,000 to $439,000. The current market price is about 10% less than tax value in Brunswick County. Your tax value is $462,000 so your current market sale price will be in the $399,000 to $416,000 range IF you want to sell your home.
Your gated and guarded community makes it tough to sell with limited access and no signs for sale. You can not change your location but the price and your agency are in your control. You need to ask yourself if my agency that is 50 miles away can service my home listing.

First, it's probably overpriced. It's sad but true that any home will sell if it's priced right. True, you are citing some sales that may be comps nearby and, based on those, it wouldn't sound like your home is overpriced. But, first, conditions have changed substantially in a year. And the market is telling you that, today, $439,000 is too high.

Second, just looking online I see larger houses in Wilmington going for $100,000-$140,000 less than yours. OK: Yours is on a golf course and it may be nice inside (we'll get to that in a moment). But given a choice between your home at $439,900 and, say, MLS No. 437421--a 4 bed, 2.5 bath home, 2,542 sq. ft. on the 7th fairway of Echo Farms Golf Course priced at $300,000, which do you think buyers might choose?

As for what it's like inside: Who knows? The pictures posted online are tiny. You need larger pictures. And you need some home staging in there. Right now, visually--the combination of the postage-stamp sized pictures and the vacant, empty feel--it's a turn-off.

There might be other areas to work on--marketing, for instance--but the primary issue is price, followed by its presentation.

Hope that helps.

You have gotten some excellent advice here, but you could also take a look at this in a different way. Walk up to your house as if you are a prospective buyer. Does the house have great curb appeal? Does the front door open easily? Is your house always neat as a pin, (I know how hard that is). Are there any aspects of your house decorating-wise that you think are great, but may not appeal to every buyer? Are your walls painted an unusual color? Or, maybe even worse, are they all white? Is there anything at all that can make your house the one they choose when you look to buy?

Marian, I am so sorry that you are experiencing so much stress. Edith is absoluting telling the truth that we are all searching for the buyers in the haystack. Unfortunately, in this area our leaders focus on tourism and retirees and not so much time is spent bringing in businesses that in turn bring in young executives and their families. In my opinion, the lack of an industrial or business base has left us with a glut of houses in the 350,000 and up homes especially those on golf courses so buyers have a large inventory to from which to choose. I'm sure your agent can provide you with the sales since January in your price range, not just your community. You can't use it for an appraisal but you can see what is selling in the county. I hope this helps.

Hi Marian,
I would like to take the sting out of your situation a little, although not a Realtor from NC as Realtors we are seeing similar situations all the time, more in some price ranges, types of homes, home sizes and locations than others.... But many homes and therefore their sellers are struggling with having to or wanting to sell, or wanting to down grade or upgrade, whatever the situation may be.... With recently bought properties, more often than not there is NO appreciation and often a loss because of the economy, the market and the fact that there are in most markets many more properties available for sale than there are ready and willing and financially sound and secure buyers out there. So we are in a buyers market, they determine the value and price of a property, they have many to select from, they can cherry pick the BEST for the LEAST.... So you are not alone....
And you will hear a lot reduce the price any property at the right price will sell, I like to say, a well prepared and staged property, value priced will sell sooner or later, if and WHEN the right buyer comes along....

If you Agent can put your property with the most wonderful photos on just about every venue on the internet so that browsing buyers can see your property, that will certainly help, not sure he or she is not already doing so.

The funny thing is I have a seller here in Illinois, also on the golf course a large executive home on app.l 1/2 acre and we are doing all we can to find "buyer" in the haystack....

Hope all will work out for you and may be some local Realtors will have some good ideas for yuo and your
Realtor!
Take care, good luck....
Edith Karoline YourRealtor4Life!
Working always in the very BEST interest of her clients....
EdithSellsHomes@gmail.com
Covering the city of Chicago, the entire North Shore and most if not all N and NW suburbs