Selling a home, need spending advice

[Bright]

Definitely not redoing the counters or sink again lol. And I know I'm in the minority on this but I really hate stainless appliances. Don't think there is a way to recolor the floor -- if anyone knows of options for that I'm all ears. We did paint some tile in the bathroom upstairs to match new counters but it was just a single row of backsplash tile, definitely don't think it would work for floors and all the wear they endure.

Good point on the cabinet above the fridge. We didn't replace it when we got the new one and I think it would be easy to find something to fill in the gap. Thanks for the thoughts!

I hate stainless also. Not everyone loves the same stuff. We let our agent keep showing even after offers for another 2 weeks. I laughed so hard when he told me one woman huffed about it not having and en suite bathroom. She was looking knowing we had an accepted offer and back up offers. It was also a 160 year old farm. I personally would change the floor if I bought it but as a seller would not unless I got bad feedback. Your right the pics are bad. I found it amazing how big pics of some rooms looked compared to when we were actually in that room.

Have you thought of offering a bonus to any Realtor that can have the house closed on in a certain time frame?

[snafu]

If you've lost your enthusiasm to sell, you can cancel the contract. If you want to proceed it seems you'll need to motivate your agent, and keep written evidence of requests, delivery of service, gaps in service etc. I suggest getting on to your agent to request the photos of at least the best rooms/spaces be done by a professional and confirm the date and post to electronic MLS site date. If your agent or his company run their own website, when will your home be featured? What other outlets are cost effective in your area? What is your agent's marketing plan?

In our area the 1st shot is most often the outdoor, full on photo followed by best rooms. Serious buyers pour over pictures of listings. It's your most valuable marketing tool. 2nd critical factor is 'caravan'/open house for agents/realtors as they are the link to buyers. I've always made mini cheese buns and coffee so realtors remember my house. Has your agent prepared hand-out sheets for realtors at any showings? If your house isn't priced correctly, the buyer's agent's will discourage visits to avoid wasting their time.

Ask your agent to specifically call the agent who showed the house and ask for feedback. If the window sills are visibly damaged it's likely worth the time and effort to sand, use filler and repaint. I think 'open house' is mostly a marketing plan for agents to find clients who are not yet affiliated with a realtor. 90% are lookey-lou's snooping on neighbour or looking for no cost entertainment. Keep in mind the deal can fall apart until the last document is signed, the walk through is complete and the keys are handed over.

[TBH]

River, I really think you need a new agent. I understand the appeal of a lower commission, but I think you're seeing what a cut-rate agent does for you. You could do more selling it FSBO than this agent is doing for you, and there are ways to get FSBO houses into the MLS so today's internet-savvy buyers could find your house as easily as they can now.

I see a couple alternatives.

1. Take the house off the market, do the kitchen floors and replace the windows in one or two main rooms if you can, especially if those rooms face the street so the curb appeal will be raised. Re-list in the spring with a full-service agent, or hire a professional photographer and re-list as a FSBO. Meanwhile, look for acreage. It sounds like you can't really sell now anyway since the acreage you wanted to buy is gone. (Sorry about that. I know how heartbreaking it is to lose a place that felt like it could have been home.)

2. Light a fire under your current agent to get better pictures up, arrange a broker's open house for the agents to come through as someone else has suggested, and just try to sell it as-is. Maybe lower the price a bit.

[mo0n]

My BFF's hubby is a photographer and he routinely shoots houses. He uses some kind of fancy wide lens that is able to capture the entire room and make it appear bigger/not as cramped. Realtors like using him because better pictures equal more views equal quicker sales.

So my advice: Splurge and get a photog that knows what they're doing.

[riverwed070707]

Loving all this feedback. Thanks all! On the fence about going full service or FSBO. I do have a friend that is a great photog so maybe taking it down a few months, shooting some nice spring pics and relisting is the way to go.

[creditcardfree]

You really did a great job improving the kitchen! Those before pictures show it. Again, I think the floor is okay for listing. Listing should list the recent upgrades, pointing out the NEW is a good thing when selling.

Price may be your biggest issue, even before the pictures. Realtors showing homes won't show homes they know are overpriced. And maybe they don't show homes that are listed with a lower price brokerage firm...not sure. The fact that you had ONE showing backs this up.

Another thought is that a $174,900 might be a better price simply because of price points. If you went searching for homes between $150K and $175K, your home as listed currently wouldn't show up. Yes, it would show up for those buyer looking at homes between $175K and $200K, but is that the buyer you are marketing for?

More than likely you will end up selling for less than $175K, so why not start with your best price. The amount you have put into the home has no bearing, nor does your mortgage or what you want to get out of it. The best price is the one that attracts buyers who want to buy your home. The upgrades will help your home sell faster when buyers compare your upgrades to a home without upgrades.

[sandrark]

We sold our house in Oakland, CA in 2011 - when our competition was foreclosures that were CHEAP, or fully-restored Craftsman cottages that were not. We decided spending some money to get the better buyer was the way to go.

We sold our house in 90 days, to the first offer. We did lower our price to sell, even though comps were supportive of higher pricing.

What we found:

- Buyers have no imagination. That brown floor would be a huge disincentive to even looking at your house for many. I'd change it - cheaply. You can get a floor done for $1500 or so.

- Buyers also don't know about quality. So while I agree that *I* would want upgraded windows, I would not pay for them to be enjoyed by the next owners.

- Paint matters. Solid countertops matter. Storage in the bathroom matters. Clean matters, Good light fixtures matter.

Small things you can do that make a difference -

- Make ALL the light controls and electrical outlets the same brand and color, throughout the house. It's a subtle thing that screams quality.

- Make sure all baseboards and light fixtures and windows are clean. Hire a carpet cleaner to get the rugs shampooed.

- Stage the home. New pillows, bedclothes, towels in the bathroom look fresh to buyers.

- Clear everything off the kitchen counter, except possibly a coffeemaker and knife block.

- Clear out your closets. All of them. Same for the garage and basement. Buyers don't like storage spaces that are crammed full.

- Box up photos and books and magazines and DVDs and movies and CDs. Move them to off-site storage.

We ended up printing out an Excel spreadsheet of the improvements we'd made over the past 5 years, with vendor and cost, that we had on the table for Open Houses.

We also rented a storage unit where we put extra books, music equipment, winter ski supplies, photos, etc. It made a big difference in lightening up the space.

The people who bought the house told us that they were impressed with the colors (we repainted almost every room); the quartz counters in the kitchen (we replaced the laminate); the spaciousness of the rooms (aided by ruthless decluttering) and the roman shades that let in a lot of light.