First I need to commend you for choosing Chris James-Hector; she is a consummate professional. My family's independent real estate company has cooperated in numerous transactions over many years with her. That being said, you are selling in a very difficult market. If the property is marketed and prices correctly, then it should sell. However, given the current climate of uncertainty (e.g. inflation, general election, war, consumer confidence, etc) you should not count on a quick sale of your house

Hi Jason: You must be priced somewhat correctly, if the showings are continuing. What is the feedback from the agents that are showing the home? Do they say you are priced right? Do they comment on condition? Why was the offer low? Was it due to condition? Was the offered price, similar to other homes in the area that have sold lately? Is your home correctly marketed on craigslist, trulia, zillow, realtor.com, homes.com, google and yahoo, etc? Thanks Don BRadbury http://www.bradburyteam.com 215-536-6777 x 329

Jason, I am predominantly a buyer agent. Buyers want three things, location, price and condition. So, if a buyer wants to move into your area, the price first of all must be realistic, and the condition must be considered. So, I agree with my collegues, you and your agent may want to revisit the price and/or condition of the property.

Consider painting the white walls a warm, neutral color. Neutralize the faux finish in the master bedroom. Give every room one clear purpose and highlight a key feature in each room (view from a window, fireplace, etc). Remove the clutter from the lower patio area. Add some curb appeal with some seasonal flowers in the beds/by the front door. Best of luck!

Hi Jason,
All the advice you've been given so far is valid. And truly, it's difficult for any of us agents to pinpoint the exact culprit without additional information. However, the best advice I can give you (and it's a strategy I use with many of my sellers BEFORE we even list the property) is to preview/tour at least 3 or 4 competing homes in your rmarket (i.e., in your neighborhood, similiar in size and price). And it's not too late for your agent to asist you in that endeavor. That will give you just the information you need to be better positioned in this highly competitive marketplace. You'll soon find out if it is: your price, your condition (i.e., how well the home shows) or your location (easier access to major roads). Good luck, Jason!

Jason
The fact is that buyers are buying homes right now. In your area.

How long has your home been on the market?
During that time, how many homes have sold or gone into escrow?

Find out.

Homes that sell in the first 30 days of market time sell closest to asking price. Homes in my MLS at 120 Days sell at 93.6% of asking, and that is AFTER price reductions.

It is a fact that many times, when a low offer is received in the first week or two of market time, that IS the offer you should have accepted.

The rule of thumb is 10-12 showings in the frist 2 weeks should yield an offer. In slower markets it could be twice as many showings. The buyer that purchases the home they buy first sees it with a REaltor 90% of the time. So if you are not getting showings (which you are not, increase the value (the easiest way to to lower the price, there are other ways, but space doest not permit).

Curious.....What do you consider an unrealistic offer?

Jason,

I have lived in the Pottstown (Stowe) area all of my life and work daily with buyers in the area, so I am very familiar with the community and Upland Village. In looking at your property on Realtor.com I see that you are asking $199,000. There may very well be several other properties for sale in your local area and the prices of those would be affecting your home. Take a good hard look at your home from a buyers perspective...is everything clean and sparkling? Do they get that warm and fuzzy feeling when they walk in the house? Did you know that buyers form their opinion of your home within seconds of entering the front door? Most don't even realize it--so the entrance to your home MUST be in tip-top condition; free of clutter and spotless! I would suggest checking with your agent on showing feedback--she would be able to tell you what the buyers are "hedging over"...Best wishes.

You're getting good showing activity, and in the currenty market that probably means many buyers find your home appealing, at least from what they can see in a listing and a drive-by. Only one offer with all those showings likely means potential buyers are dissapointed once inside the home. Whether it's the condition or presentation, backyard characterisitics or maybe more promised in the listing verbiage than reality, they are not seeing the value based on current price. Hopefully, your agent is keeping you up to speed with current pricing, as it has been changing downward in most markets. Your agent is the best source to tell you if the home's condition or presentation is a problem, so if he/she has been advising you to move out some excess furniture, or paint and touch-up, etc. it's a good idea to take that advice as gospel. Certainly, you want to try everything that is practical and affordable to make your home appear at its best. But if that doesn't work, price is most likely the culprit.

I am not familiar with the values in your area, but that would be one thing to take a look at. The property may simply be priced too high. If that is not the case, there is something that potential buyers are seeing and not liking. Try not to let your emotions get in the way and step back and look at your home as if you were the buyer. What do you see? It may simply be an organization issue, put up clutter, kids toys and be sure and show off the best parts. Also, make sure that it "sparkles", windows and all, any projects not finished, finish them. If rooms have too much furniture or really large furniture, they seem small, if it means moving pieces out and renting a storage building, that is a small price to pay vs. getting your home sold. Yours is the hardest job in real estate, waiting for that buyer to want your home. I don't know how long it has been on the market, but during my education to obtain my license, I was told that I would show a home at least ten times before I got an offer on it, and to mentally thank each person that didn't want it, because I was that much closer to the person who would. Keep a positive attitude!

In the current market ,there is a lot of inventory (homes for sale) from which the buyer can choose. Typically, if you are having a reasonable number of showings, but no offers or low offers, this indicates a slightly high price (as perceived by the buyer). I recommend to my seller clients that their home needs to be in the top 1/3 of all competing homes in terms of its condition, and it needs to be listed in the bottom 1/3 in price. Comparable homes in the same price range are used for these evaluations. This will usually bring about a sale in a reasonable period of time.