Hi, Guy ... the simplest answer to your question is to price your home well and make sure that it is being marketed aggressively. And this is doubly so in El Mirage, where there is an 11-month supply of homes at the current sales rate.

You're fortunate that your two properties are in subdivisions with homeowners associations; it is harder to attract a buyer to some of the non-HOA neighborhoods in El Mirage as there's less care given to curb appeal. And the soon-to-open Walmart Supercenter at Dysart and Thunderbird should help you with your property in Dave Brown; one of the challenges in El Mirage is the lack of retail development.

I've not checked in the MLS to see if your two properties are listed but I'll play it safe as far as the marketing side goes. Price, however, will be the determining factor given the sheer volume of homes in the city.

If you have any further questions about the El Mirage real estate market, please don't hesitate to ask.

Guy
Thank you for asking this wonderful question!

The average home...if there is one...is a three bedroom, two bath. So how does a four bedroom fit in to the market?

I work in the Glendale area (for your Westsiders, that means "the valley", but it's not really "the valley" it's at the end of "the valley"...is this significant? Probably not...maybe it will help my ratings!

1. Homes for sale need to marketed to two sets of buyers: Buyers, and their agents. Of home buyers who use an agent, over 90% employ a Realtor. What does that mean to you?
In all candor, it means not only do you market to "buyers", but you need an agent that "understands" that if the buyer's are under a representation contract with a buyer's agent, then you need to attract the agents of buyers. Period.

2. Buyers purchase a home for a number of reasons. The most important reason is that it meets a need, or solves a problem, for the family. Let me explain...Who might want a four bedroom home? A family with four kids? a family with three kids and a member that needs a home office? A family of five that has one moving out soon?

The truth is that we do not know...so we need to broadcast the message (read that to mean 'appeal to the largest audience possible' to we need to market BIG.

3. The average family is 2.3 kids...so why would they need four bedrooms? We don't know the answer...but we can guess...what other attributes does your home have that fits four bedrooms?
a) A large lot, room for family recreation
b) A large lot, featuring privacy
c) A large lot, featuring entertainment options
d) a smaller lot, but very centrally located.

So in the marketing, address those issues:
What benefits would a buyer receive from purchasing your home, and how will they learn about them?

Do you know that some homes are sold based on the virtual tour alone!?
What does that mean to you?
I. Remove all clutter (de-clutter)
II. If you are going to be buying furnishings for the new home...get rid of the "older furnishings" and use the new to stage your home.
III. You are preparing your home for the new owner...not you. So get over it, lose the ego, and stage the home ,re-personalize it, so a new owner can "see themselves" in your home...

Put one picture in each room that shows YOUR family enjoying an aspect of the home.
Remove MORE THAN YOU NEED TO.. At $500 plus per square foot, your junk is not important...
CLEAN< CLEAN< CLEAN,,.hire a professional cleaning crew, repaint inside and out.
IN most cases, this will do it....and, of course, hire a great Realtor....there are some homes that sell ONLY FROM THE VIRTual tour...don't know what that is? ASK!
Post an online layout.
Offer ABOVE average commission (it's cheaper than a price reduction)

TIME is YOUR ENEMY. Get GOOD ADVICE and USE IT! We are in a buyer's market. So let your agent market. If you don't like their plan, audition another agent.

Listen to the plan, adjust as required, then hold their feet to the fire, and make them perform!
Blessings
Keith

It depends on where the home is located. Not all of the country is slow. Charlotte, NC & Austin, TX are good examples. Throughout most of the country a 3 bedroom home is avg., so a 4 bedroom would stand as an upgrade unless the neighborhood it is in is different.
As you can see, there are many parameters that can go into selling the home besides the home itself. Others might disagree with me, but I think we need a little more information on location.