Family frustration. A little help please??

[34saving]

You know you guys are my support system for all things remotely financial, right? Here's the deal: In-laws bought new (used) house. In-laws got good deal. In-laws should be fine in new house. The problem: In-laws need to sell old house. This problem actually has many facets to it, but the most pressing right now is that the Minnesota/Wisconsin real estate season corresponds pretty directly with the growing season. IE, it needs to sell soon or it probably isn't going to. This would be fine and dandy if the house was in anywhere close to "showable" condition, but it isn't. It's not disguising, there's just stuff everywhere. (I know what you're thinking and no, I can't move the moving process along any faster. Remember I'm just the DIL.) So, we're trying to market it as pre-listing "as-is" condition (knocking $30,000 off the realtor estimates), but can't really go the MLS route because that should really be saved for when the house is in "listable" condition. So, any hints on what we should be trying?? Street signs are probably out because they get kind of creeped out when people drive by without notifying them first. We've tried CraigsList with this website http://www.BuyOurMess.com and have done okay, but I think we need more exposure. Any good websites out there? Would adsense or the like be helpful? Which is more effective, a sign like:"$2000 finder's fee http://www.BuyOurMess.com" and nothing else or a sign with more details? Where are good places to put signs? Anybody tried eBay? Is it worth it? Any hints?? Thanks!

[Elgin526]

Does your local paper have a website? A lot of papers, even small ones, are going online, and many have real estate sections where you can advertise, and even upload photos. Many people are searching for homes online, so online options would be the first place I'd look.

Also, I've seen "as is" MLS listings in my area, so I wouldn't rule that out either.

[tinapbeana]

my area also does a lot of 'as is' MLS listings. 'as is' and it means absolutely anything: junk in the yard, 30 year old wallpaper, mold, stinky carpeting, caved in roof and floor, and sometimes all of the above and more.

honestly, i don't think there'd be any harm in them talking w/ a realtor and getting it listed. a lot of 'as is' properties here are marketed as 'investor properties' and it seems to work fine...

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

I really do not understand the reluctance to use MLS. The house is not a wreck, and even if it were, so what? Is the point just that the in-laws wish to handle the sale themselves? A house does not need to be empty-yet-staged in order to sell. Have the in-laws been watching a lot of those TV programs where they pretty up a house to sell it?

You know what people in real estate have told me? (Granted this was 15 years ago, so maybe it has changed.) They told me the houses that sell the fastest are usually the currently lived in homes, complete with most of the furnishings and accutrements of daily living that a family will have. Spiffed up and tidy, yes, but fairly full and lived in. Buyers are not surprised to see the house full of furniture, so a little bit of extra clutter is not really going to be such a big difference. If it is nasty, dirty clutter, and things are obviously broken and abused it might be a big draw back, I suppose. Buyers might think that if the owners did not take care of their smaller possesions, then surely they ignored the maintenance and needs of the house. But ordinary life going on in the house should not keep it from selling.

All the little flaws the "what's wrong" page point out are not a big deal. So what if there is pink carpet in one room and unfinished closet doors in another? Maybe I love pink and will see those doors a a chance to try out a faux painting technique I'd fallen in love with. So what if there is a little animal scratching on the woodwork in one place? I know how to use an electric sander and stain and varnish. Besides, getting all that gorgeous period style woodwork in the house is worth one little project. Some people may want to buy into absolute perfection, but that just is not totally necessary-- or few homes would ever sell. Your in-laws need to not worry about things like that so much. Really. Geeze, I'd be up there in a miute to look at this house if we were ready to buy and would be buying in that price range. The house is going to make someone very happy.

I did not read every word of the website, but I read enough to feel somewhat excited about the house, property, and location---as a person who really _does_ want to eventually move to Minnesota. And the Red Wing area is very desirable to me, too. Unfortunately, the home is not at all what I personally would be looking for, but it does strike me as a wonderful place. It is hard to believe it was built in 1992! It looks like an exceptionally well kept turn of the century (eh, 19th to 20th!) farmhouse. The wood trim, the exterior shape, the way it is sited on the land--so genuinely turn of the century. Oh, and those IR photos--gorgeous, they really set an enticing mood. I think it was a great idea to include then on your website.

Um, your other photos would be better if you backed up and showed some full room views (did I miss the photos like that?) instead of featuring so many details. Do include some details though, because that is part of what makes the house special. Like--oh my!--the antique newel and old stairtreads recovered from the South Dakota home. That is so cool! And if I were a potential buyer it would be meaningful to me. Make up some flyers with info like that to give to lookers when they actually visit the house.

Good luck!

[tinapbeana]

ok, i just looked at the website, and really: list it with a realtor. pick the pictures that don't look cluttered (there are a bunch of nice ones there) for a flyer, and any realtor worth their salt can spin the clutter as the fact that you're ILs are trying to get out of the house and to their grandkids ASAP, which means the house is ready and waiting for it's next owner.

the property is beautiful, the house is lovely, and any realtor with half a brain can get a buyer past the clutter...

good luck!!!

[creditcardfree]

Wow, that is really a beautiful house and property. I think the main problem with the pictures on the site is that you aren't using a wide angled lens. Our Realtor used one on our 1500 sq ft house and it made the rooms look amazing!! I highly recommend that.

It is such a nice house, it is honestly easy to overlook the clutter. Just think how much faster it would sell with clutter removed. Can your husband make the suggestion to help clear some clutter? Even if it was in just one or two rooms it would be better. Hide those bottles under the sinks. During our showings, I would toss things in the dryer or washer that I didn't want out. I realize that you have more than that, but try to think where the stuff could go temporarily...even if just to take the pictures.

Could you go on a radio show to promote the house? Buy a magnet to stick to your cars as you drive around. Put up signs at nearby grocery stores, gas stations, ect. Anything free or close to free that gets the information out.

In my opinion, even with an MLS listing this house would sell....it is gorgeous!!! The buyer can negotiate for pink carpet removal, or woodwork repair. Best of luck.

[kealina]

i don't know much about real estate but i liked the website and the house seems really nice...

[34saving]

Thanks for the advice and encouragement! I'm not exactly sure what the MLS deal is, but I think their thinking is somewhere along one (or both) of these lines: 1) You only get one chance to be "new" on the MLS and they want that first impression to be a good one. 2) (I'm guessing here . . .) I think they're okay with the financial hit of an "as-is", "overlook the clutter and minor repairs" sale. (Right now we're marketing about 10% lower than realtor estimates.) I also think they're okay with the financial hit of involving a realtor. (6%) I don't think they're okay with both (16%!). Anybody have any experience with eBay real estate stuff? It seems really weird to me, but they seem to be one of the few venues that actually has the traffic . . . Any realtors out there? Might a realtor be motivated by a "3% payout" type advertisement on Craigslist? (We have a $2000 finder's fee, but I doubt that's enough to motivate most realtors since they'd be used to $6000ish on a sale of this type. . . .but maybe I'm wrong??) Thanks everyone! At least I'm starting to think that maybe it's not an impossible situation

[nanamom]

Boy I wish I needed to move to Minn. That house is gorgeous!! I just bought a house in WI last December. It was a mess inside. I mean I had to step over dog uh stuff (byproduct of feeding the dog) that had been there awhile, tons of scattered lego blocks, a turtle in an aquarium, and various dust and dirt. I was quite adament that they clean before we buy of course and inspected it before going to the closing!! However I looked at the soundness of the house not the clutter and chaos created by a house of undisciplined kids. I have alot of painting (can't wait to be able to open windows and get started) and will probably spend about 500 per room fixing everything up but I still bought. The price was right (below estimate by a few thousand) and it sounds like yours is also.
I saw a house sold on ebay once. I was amazed. Apparently they sold it with everything in it and started over somewhere. They even sold half empty shampoo bottles. I don't know how it went, was never able to find the final info on it. I would consider the newspaper. The other thing to consider is an auction. I auctioned a house once in PA in November. I would have gotton more if I had done it in th esummer but I did OK. Paid it off with some to spare. I also auctioned off the stuff in it I didn't want to move. You can set a minimum price.