Anne,

I am glad that you find Trulia helpful.

Certainly, if you are not happy then you should move some place that you will be.

My advice to my clients is this, as long as you have enough to pay off your current mortgage and can qualify for another mortgage be happy and sell. If you make a little more after selling then you are ahead of the game. As long as you do not owe anymore money at the table, you are ahead of so many others right now.

Home owners always look to make a small fortune off of their homes when they buy and that is not the mind set that people should have when they buy. If the home appreciates just a little bit then consider yourself lucky. We just do not like to see homes depreciate.

Your happiness is more important in the long run than anything else because being unhappy and stressed can really take a toll on our health.

Renee Porsia
Associate Broker
RE/MAX ACTION
(215) 669-0589 Direct
(215) 358-1100 Office ask for Renee
http://www.reneeporsia.com

HI again Anne

If moving is, according to you, a personal choice, then you need to do what it will take to get the house sold so that you can move..

The general concensus here seems to be that it will take a price adjustment. Now, mind you, we are all working with limited information. Kind of hard to give definitive advice based on bits and pieces shared here.
The conundrum you face is............you want, but don't have to move....you can't lower the price much or you will be "under the bus". I assume by "under the bus" you mean you will have to bring money to the closing table (or, perhaps you mean you won't have enough left to use towards a new home) .

In either case, you will have to decide what is most important to you.......bite the bullet, take less money and get it sold.......or stay put for the time being.

I don't think anyone can give you any more advice than has already been shared.
Ringing up credit card charges in the hope that it will generate a higher price is not a realistic avenue if your expectations aren't realistic. That will only put your further in debt

You need to have a heart-to-heart, open and honest conversation with your agent. Find out what is realistic...get updated on the current market conditons and activity in your area.....and them make your decision
What you don't want to have happen is to be sitting on the market for another 6 months. That' s not going to get you anywhere except into a higher state of frustration.

Best wishes......and please update us!
Debbie

We have gone round and round here.............the answer to your problem isn't pretty. but it's reality. You say your agent isn't responsive......perhaps that is so....but perhaps you don't want to hear what he or she is saying.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
'
I currently have two listings that have not sold because the homeowners will not acknowledge the market has dropped from under them. One turned down an excellent offer after the house was on a week, wouldn’t even counter. The other has made it clear to me that they are not lowering their price. I have to confess I am not very responsive to either seller. I will be releasing both their listings in the near future.

Ok Anne - thanks for the repsonse.

Then I go back to my earlier comment....it's all in the price. NOt ot sound fresh, but the "market" really doesn't care what a seller wnats or needs...you will sell at whatever the market dictates, and the buyers dictate the price. So far, the buyers are telling you "no".
I would urge you against ringing up your credit card bill to do a "few things"...as you REALLY need to be realistic now about the price - with or without small "fixes" and upgrades. Overpriced with new paint or a new stove is still overpriced.

We have gone round and round here.............the answer to your problem isn't pretty. but it's reality. You say your agent isn't responsive......perhaps that is so....but perhaps you don't want to hear what he or she is saying.

Noe of us can really know for sure what is going on, as we don't know you, your house or your market.
I hope you don't sit for another 6 months waiting for a number that just might not be out there.

If I find my magic wand, you will be the first one I will lend it to!
Good luck to you!
Debbie

Debbie,

Its hard to answer that. Im my opinion, it is necessity but others tell us they think its a choice. However , they are not in my shoes. Its more of a personal reason rather than financial; we are not happy here and need to move on. Thats all I will say on that.

HI again Anne - this thread has been going on for so long, I feel like we are old friends by now!

You never answered (or if you did, I mised it) - why you are looking to move? Is this a choice, or a necessity?
I think this is a major part of the equation.
If you need to sell, then the advice given here by so many agents, may be hard to accept, but it is true - it' all comes down to the price. Thereis no way to sugar coat it.

If you do not need to sell now, however, and you can't reduce your price to a point that will bring in offers becasue that will put you "under the bus", then perhaps it's time to come off the market, and stay where you are.

No one has a magical wand.............if we did, we'd be waving them around like crazy in this market!!

Best wishes
Debbie

If you are getting showings it means that 'on paper' the agents have not rejected your home's potential value to their buyer clients. If the showings don't result in a contract it means that the property either didn't show as well as they were hoping, the area/surroundings isn't what they were hoping for and, although the house attracted attention, it is being rejected by the buyers. So, on paper, your house seems priced correctly enough for viewing but the buyers are finding a better value someplace else. If you can't change what's objectional about your home then you have to change the price.

Thank you to all. I laughed at the one response about how this thread has gone from real estate to kittens and dudes! Ha ha. to answer your questions, yes we have a realtor but he has not been very responsive to our questions & concerns which is why I found this website in hopes of obtaining some opinions. No our home is not cluttered is any way it is in fact clean as a whistle, but yes, it is in need of updating.

Renee, I've never heard of anyone offering a bonus to the buyer's agent until someone mentioned it on here but I dont think I would consider that anyway. I agree with you that it wouldnt be right.

In real estate, it always, always, always comes down to price. Realtors might be actively showing your home as a comparison to lower-priced homes to show what good "deals" the other homes are. When you are having tons of showings and no one is coming back or making an offer they are telling you your price is too high and that they are finding better value elsewhere. They may not be saying so, but lack of offers indicates they are thinking so.

Anne, I also wanted to say that I do not agree with a seller ever offering a bonus to buyer agents or to buyers.. My feeling on this is why offer a bonus to buyer agents in order to sell your home to one of their buyers? It's their job to sell the home regardless of how much they will be paid. To me when someone only works when they see a bonus or then pushes buyers to buy your home so they can be paid more, is wrong on so many levels in my opinion.

Save your money. You need it more than the Realtors do.

If a buyer wants a concession, let them put an offer in and ask for it. Concessions have nothing whatsoever to do with how much your home is worth.

If you really want a better grip on how much your home is worth, hire an licensed appraiser to appraise your home and this will take all of the guessing out of the picture.

I understand that your friends are telling you that they would purchase your home and I am sure that they mean it, but you are not selling your home to your friends. This is not personal. It's all business.

All that matters is how much is your home really worth and no matter how many reasons, excuses theories other people, realtors give you, at the end of the day, your home is only worth X and that is what it will eventually wind up selling it for no matter how long it's delayed.

I hope this helps.

Renee Porsia
Associate Broker
RE/MAX ACTION
(215) 669-0589 Direct
(215) 358-1100 Office ask for Renee
http://www.reneeporsia.com

Hello again Anne,

Wow! This turned into a whole different animal.

I just wanted to respond to your recent post about lowering your price and it putting you under the bus and putting updates on credit cards.

I wouldn't want to see you go out and then "over" improve your home and then also put yourself in debt.

Updated kitchens and bathrooms are what brings the most value to your home. Buyers are looking for stainless steel appliances, updated cabinets etc.

I have a question for you, when was the last time your Realtor took a look at the most recent sales in your area? If the value is simply not there, no matter what you do to your home now, won't help to get what you want or need. If your Realtor hasn't done this since they listed the home and the home has been up for a while now, you may want to have your Realtor look at recent comps in your area.

I know a lot of the shows on HGTV tell people to stage the home or paint and then you will sell the home and I simply do not agree with that. If the last 3 homes that were similar to your home sold for $100k and say you want $180k well then you simply will not get that because it won't appraise even if someone offers you what you want. Unless someone is paying cash.

You should be in contact with your Realtor to see what steps you need to take now because the market is constantly changing. If you do not have to sell, perhaps you should take it off the market.

I am sorry you going through this.

Renee Porsia
Associate Broker
RE/MAX ACTION
(215) 669-0589 Direct
(215) 358-1100 Office Ask for Renee
http://www.reneeporsia.com

When the responses strayed from real estate advice to kittens and dudes, I tuned out. Now that we are back on the original topic, I will repeat what I and several others have said.

If you are trying to sell a house and nobody is willing to make an offer for it, you have to ask yourself why not? We have been told that there have been many showings. We have been told that the condition of the house may be off-putting to at least some potential buyers. We have stated that almost any house will sell…AT THE RIGHT PRICE.

Your house is overpriced for the current market. If you cannot or will not reduce the price to a market correct level, you should rethink selling. You are frustrated because you house has not sold. Continue to be frustrated by continuing the course or end the frustration by finding the right price or removing your house from the market.

Yes, it is easy to speak to you bluntly because I don’t know you and I work far from you. The truth is I would tell you the same thing if you were sitting across the table from me now. Having a house for sale doesn’t do you or your agent any good. Selling it is the goal. If you are unwilling/unable to take the steps needed to sell the house, the alternative is to stay where you are.

Hi Anne............you are considering putting "upgrades on a credit card"? In the hope you will get the price you need?
Turthfully, if you can't afford to sell your home at the price it's worth, in the condition it's in...maybe you should rethink moving. I don'tbelieve you ever stated why you are selling. If staying is an optiong - it might be worth considering.

To put yourself in debt, and do a few fix ups is dangerous. You may wind up with a slightly improved version of the house you have......still not selling for the price you need or are hoping for.

JR said it all........the market doesn't care what a seller needs....not one bit....

Think long and hard before increasing your debt in the hope it wil generate a higher price,
I'd urge you to sit down with your agent (I forgot...do you have one?) and ask him or her to be really honest about the numbers. I am concerned that you will spend money, and still be sittig for another 6 months...further in debt.

Best wishes........I truly feel for you and the situation you are in. Seek honest guidance before you do anything!
Debbie

They will not buy because you think they should.
~~~~~~~~~~~

Exactly. What you want, what you owe, what you think you should get, what the neighbors think you should get, what the neighbor GOT (I can think of one lucky seller I know who got much too much OVER The appraised price because the buyer's mother lived next door and she grew up there and her husband had money coming out of his ears and he'd do anything for her), is irrelevant. It sounds as if you are priced too high, there is no question in my mind from the information given and your comments.

Anne,

i am too lazy to research this thread, so I'm clueless (normal for me) as to your status regarding representation. However, even though you're getting showings, and whether you are represented by an agent or not, the blog attached to the link below may be of some interest to you. While it is directed to FSBOs, even if you are represented, there are some ideas in it that you could possibly use to supplement your agent's marketing plan. You might want to pay careful attention to the section on a 321 buydown. Please if represented, always keep your agent abreast of anything you do on your own, and use him/her for the contact person. Good luck.

http://www.trulia.com/blog/rockinblu/2008/08/thinking_about_…

Anne

If my kitten story bothered you I apologize, it's been a story I've been telling for awhile in the forum and was not intended to confuse you but to lighten things up a bit after the insults in this thread.

I don't know if you saw the comments before Trulia deleted them but they got rather insulting and strange, the chit chat is sometimes a way to get back on track rather than stop trying to help...

The people here can only respond to the information they are given and that information in this thread was given in pieces, first it's tons of showings and we are priced right, then it's we fixed some things, then it's there are small things that could still be fixed, then it there are quite a few things but buyers are being to nit picky in your opinion, then it's you are not or cannot going to fix the small things and the whole time everyone stayed and responded to try and help. Now it's you can fix them and lowering the Price seems to be in your opinion not an option because it would put you under the bus.

Your situation is/was being taken seriously and that is why you have so many responses and those responses are based on the info you share which as I said was a little here and a little there, the differences in opinion are because of the fact that those who respond here wish for you to be able to choose from the best options available.

But here's the Truth....This is your situation, your decisions and your responsibility to be realistic, informed, and honest about your options. When asked how you knew you were priced right, you said because the neighbors thought you were, when asked about repairs, you said the buyers were being nit picky, when suggested you make the repairs you said you were not or could not.

I am sorry for your situation and sorry there are not better options but the buyers do not care about under the bus or anything other than getting the best buy possible and at this time in many markets they can be nit picky, it's just the way it is right now. Perhaps if you do not have to sell you should wait, if you do have to sell then you are going to have to be realistic about what that means in your market area and what choices the buyer have that you must compete with.

They will not buy because you think they should.

I honestly do wish the best for you and hope that all will work out.
I apologize for the comments you feel do take your situation seriously....

Good luck

By the way, kudos to those of you who turned this thread into a party chat room!! lol!

What the heck??? I dont even know what to say about that last post. Huh???

Anyway, lowering the price would throw us under the bus and we cant do that. I guess upgrades are an option since we could at least put that on a credit card. We are in a tough situation.

Thanks Debbie I like that "nice segue" makes me feel sophisticated. (I'll have to switch from MD 2020 to Boones Farm wine)....

Just got back from walk with Daughter and Kitten (She bought a little kitten collar and lease). It's one of those retractable things where you push a button and it rewinds. Was having fun playing with that and the kitten but my Daughter took it away from me (Something about it's not a torture device)...Kids

The kitten spent the entire walk yelling at me (I swred go weft hueman weft) it was annoying. There are a lot of fairly large parks and the University Campus close by so lots of enjoyable walking choices.

I will be going to Tony's Plumbing supplies and House of Kittens tomorrow to shop for a muzzle so I think the walk tomorrow will be much more enjoyable...

Well, my vote goes for: PR, PR, PR ! (and I don't mean public relations!)



nice segue back to the question, Dunes!

Well Christine shall we continue the discussion of what options Anne has to get those Buyers from the Ton of Showings to be interested enough to begin making offers?

I deleted my comments about this as my intention is not to disrupt threads.

I see no point in discussing this privately in emails so I can be told about procedures and policies in place and somebody will discuss it all adding up to nothing changes and no actual answers being given.

I want the answers public so everyone can be aware of what they are as well as the questions

Trulia should start a Thread so all the questions by everyone can be asked and Trulia can provide some actual answers to the questions or everyone can see they do not answer the questions

Hi Dunes,

Please email me privately if you wish to discuss this situation further.

Emily

There was only one person insulting anyone, there was no bandwagon to jump on....

Hi Dunes,

We don't believe your post was insulting to Christine per se, however it was placed amongst other posts that were only personal insults. It thus could be construed that you were jumping one on side of the bandwagon.

In regards to the other thread you mentioned, we actually removed several posts from it earlier today but found it necessary to follow up and remove others that were very recently posted. Alan brought it to my attention and those posts were removed before I saw the two answers you've recently posted.

If you have further questions about our moderation, please send them to me via email, or create a new thread in the Using Trulia section.

Thank you,

Emily Gibson
Community Moderator

JR, Thats the point I never said anywhere I wasn't a Dude...I was trying to respond to you using Dude to address me by calling You the female version of the Word Dude but went blank and couldn't think of it so said nevermind.....

One more suggestion I'm not a Dude and....NO THUMBS UP FOR YOU!!!!!
; )

Now watch out I'm trying to get Trulia to explain this removed comment for stuff don't want anyone I like to be injured in the so far non-exchange....

Dude Dunes

::Dunes is one stingy dudette.::


Just cause I'm stingy is no reason to give me a sex change...lol
~~~~~~~~~~~
I thought you were a dude, when you said on another thread you weren't a dude I had to change my mental image.

Hi Everyone,

We've had to remove several posts from this thread that became off-topic and inappropriate. Disagreeing with someone is fine as long as it's done so in a courteous and respectful manner. Personal attacks or insults on the other hand are never acceptable.

Please let me know if you have any questions about this.

Thank you,

Emily Gibson
Community Moderator

::Dunes is one stingy dudette.::


Just cause I'm stingy is no reason to give me a sex change...lol

I'm a dude, when I responded to you I couldn't think if the proper lady form of Dude, thus my yada yada not-dude stuff.

Now if you'll excuse me I feel the sudden urge to go watch The View...

I'm not going to give you multiple Thumbs up cause you split your response into multiple comments LOL

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LOL.

::Dunes is one stingy dudette.::

"ain't it the trooth man, ain't it the trooth??"

BTW I am still cleaning sticky limey drink stuff off my Led Zeppelin T-Shirt.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
dang those Limeys.

And nothin but ta trooth.....My Anti Mayor campaign is picking up steam, why just this morning after explaining all this to the Kitten he said "Wahtever hueman Wahtever hue sway"

I west my case.....BTW I am still cleaning sticky limey drink stuff off my Led Zeppelin T-Shirt.

use to be a civil place with nothing but excellent information and lots of birds singing (even free coffee) then Trulia started that silly Mayor Program.
~~~~~~~~
ain't it the trooth man, ain't it the trooth?? ... all those privileges... (that was my best Bert Lahr)

Thanks Joan but it's CZAR or nothing.....I already got the non-privelege ; ) thing by being a non-agent lol

Aww man! I spelled privilages wrong. I just can't let that go. Sorry!

Dunes,

As you can see, even mayors don't get any respect around here.
However, if you want, I will make you Honorary Non-Agent Mayor, with all the privelages that entails, which is absolutely nothing.
Sounds good though!

Actually Joan this Forum use to be a civil place with nothing but excellent information and lots of birds singing (even free coffee) then Trulia started that silly Mayor Program.

Downhill ever since.....It's a shame ; )

Dunes, Debbie, J R,
Sheesh! Where do you find these people?? Or do they find you?
Christine must be living in her own little world because I'm new and even I know that price is king.

Anne, I hope you haven't been scared away. All these answers later, and the vast majority of them are giving you good information. Lowering price is painful but so is having a house and all the associated expenses with that house on the market month after month.

Good morning Dunes, JR, et al..........

I'm still stuck on: " What is oyyyyy- mean anyway?" ha

The other comments were truly too silly to comment on in the light of day......... (paraphrasing) ...."let's not reduce homes so we can keep the prices up"...........yes, that's great advice!

Have a great day all!

JR

I'm not going to give you multiple Thumbs up cause you split your response into multiple comments LOL

I'll give you one though...ineey meeney minney moe ; )

Go ahead - keep lowering the prices of homes - before long YOUR home will be one of them...we'll see how you react then.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
I've already acknowledged that my home is worth much less than it was 3 years ago. Unfortunately when the tide goes out all the boats go down. What you are doing is what is keeping the already record inventory with the same stale old overpriced houses where it is.

Anne, the longer you're listed, the less you are going to get. Just pull of the bandaid with one tug and get on with your life.

POINTLESS - ok lower the price geeeze....wake up to what is happening in the U.S.

http://www.zillow.com/blog/americans-lose-14-trillion-in-hom…
~~~~~

I get it now, Christine wants to prevent sellers from lowering their prices because she feels that somehow this will continue to prop up inflated prices. Yer spittin in the wind Christine, prices were artificially inflated, and now they're coming down. And because we acknowledge what is going on, we are "shallow", living in a bubble" and various other insults.

I was watching Real Estate Intervention last night. After the host brought the homeowners to two comps that blew them away and were listed or sold for MUCH less than theirs, the husband turned to the wife and said of the agent something like he means well but “I just don’t think he understands this market”. This because the agent didn’t think the homeowners house was worth as much as the homeowner did. You are in denial, Christine. I understand you’re frustrated and maybe you too bought at the wrong time, but there is nothing that can be done about the ebbing of the price tide. No matter how much you kick, scream, deny and name call, you’ll have less stress if you just acknowledge the facts of what is going on.

As long as it has a Bar I'm in.... that is as long as you promise you won't let Alan throw a Drink at me. LOL

Guess I'll check this tomorrow so I can see how wrong I am about whatever she's talking about...

Wishing you a Good Night and a Spectacular Tomorrow...

That Shallow Guy, Dunes

Debbie, it just makes me wonder what all this blah blah was about.....Guess being stuck in that box makes it hard for a fella like me to keep up with all those free thinkers wandering around free thinkin ; )

Bottom line,your price is to high.Your ammenities do not exceed the price you are asking.

Something is wrong. Anything sells for the right price. Sometimes buyers don't want to be rude. Ask for help on what price it would take for it to sell in 30 days or less and what is unattractive with the home at the current price. Let them know you're feelings won't get hurt and it would be extremely helpful to you.

Yes Berna, I talked to (email) and heard back (email) from Trulia ..

Crack the whip/insulted/hurt...No, just noticed you had two profiles and that is not allowed by Trulia. (It has been a problem many times since I've been here) Not hurt or insulted at all..

Dunes,
IT has already been taken care of. There was no way for me to delete my old user but I have asked Truilia to handle it. Boy, you really crack the whip considering I didn't say anything to you that was insulting. I apologize if it hurt you in any way.......................................

Anne,
Not to stir the pot, but have you thought about offering a bonus to the buyers agent?