Selling a townhome --- ugh!!! The Realtor...issue?

Let me interject something about "internet based" house shopping.

I've been looking off and on at relocating and, while I use the internet to gauge home values, it's just window shopping. I have several co-workers who are serious about relocation after graduating with advanced degrees. Again, it's all window shopping online. The real house shopping comes when they decide on an area and then they get a realtor involved who will show them the homes. The web based shopping has been to shop values in general locations, not shopping for specific homes. Eventually it becomes a place to start but it's the realtor who's showing the houses where the sale is made and, often the homes purchased are not the homes viewed online.

I really don't care much for the web sites. They're not always easy to navigate to find what I would like to see and, many require I register, which gets me a lot of junk e-mail and/or spam. I would put a lot of weight into online listings and would put more weight on why my realtor isn't showing a property they've listed. If it's the price, then I'd be questioning why they listed the property at that price? Was it just to hook me into a contract with them? Do they not research or know that market in my area? I don't think I'd ever consider doing business with a realtor who I did not personally sit down with and discuss my property, it's value, sales history in my neighborhood and how many homes they've listed and sold similar to mine.

elaine said:

Personally, I would drop it to what you said for only 30 days, then drop it to $149K, esp. if you don't see a lot of foot traffic. $150K is a big cut-off, so there are people who won't even pull your listing up if they are looking u p to $150K. What ever realtor you have doesn't matter so much--it's all Internet based. Assuming it's in the MLS, every realtor and person on the internet will see it. Also, you have to compensate for the "oldness" of the unit--both in its date and appearance. Maybe consider beige carpet? good luck! Elaine

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Very good point on the 150k price example. Most buyers look in 25k increments such as 100,125,150,175,etc.

Staqing is well worth it

First, I agree with the "staging" suggestion. We sold two houses one day after "staging" them. I did it myself, and purchased some new some lightly used furniture for each. You'll be surprised how little you may have to spend to "stage" the townhouse yourself. If the purchaser wants to buy the property, they may pay a little extra. If not, you can sell it after it's sold.

The 2nd suggestion is a little late...I generally only give the realtor a 90-day listing to ensure they work a little harder to keep it.

We sold a house in 5 days with two offers May 2009, right after the melt down started.

The house was move in ready and appealed to a first time buyer that received an $8000 grant.

We picked the broker based on how well his houses appeared on the internet. He prided himself on his photography skills and setup lights for the inside photos.

We made it clear that we wanted to move the house fast, so he priced it to sell.

Every day from Monday to Friday we had lookers. On Friday we asked the two bidders to submit there high bid, then closed 3 weeks later.

I can be a PIA to any realtor. I have had several realtors "Release Me" from listing contracts as I WOULD not lower a price THAT they had recommended. I had one who did a meltdown when I demanded they RAISE my asking price -- it SOLD within 10 days above the prior asking price (that was when MLS just showed a "Price Change").

As for the realtor - I was at the house today - multiple lights were on, the rear garage door only had the DEAD BOLT locked and closed doors (closets) were now opened verses being closed 2 days ago. Supposedly, this unit has ONLY been official SHOWN one time. And it had lights on the last time I was in the house.

Wonka - There is a used furniture store with delivery about 10 miles from my residence ... I might head over there and see what I can get. Thanks for the USED furniture mention. I thought about that store as I have purchased furniture there 30+ years ago. I had been trying to figure out WHAT I could that down there from my personal home. Thanks for the comment .. it got that store out of the deep regions of the old brain.

Roger830 said:

We sold a house in 5 days with two offers May 2009, right after the melt down started.

The house was move in ready and appealed to a first time buyer that received an $8000 grant.

We picked the broker based on how well his houses appeared on the internet. He prided himself on his photography skills and setup lights for the inside photos.

We made it clear that we wanted to move the house fast, so he priced it to sell.

Every day from Monday to Friday we had lookers. On Friday we asked the two bidders to submit there high bid, then closed 3 weeks later.

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Winner winner chicken dinner! You priced it to sell and it sold

chriskre said:

Brown carpet, original 80's cabinets.

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And being a rental unit for 28 years! Given those significant negatives I would think you need to be priced near the lower end if not the low end of other comparable recent sales.

Hmm..having spent the past five years selling homes in the under $100k market and a slow market at that, I feel your pain! It typically takes 2 years to sell a home in my neighborhood. I sold mine earlier this summer to the first prospects who walked through the door...because I priced it right and it was move-in ready.

People want to bring their silverware and not have to think about anything else. More than "staging," in this price point, it's important to have the walls and flooring and appliances in place.

I'm curious how many similar TH's are on the market? Where are you priced relative to them and how does your condition compare? Buyers are scarce! In many areas, 2014 has been worse than 2013. FHA loans have been extremely tough to get.

I get the love-hate relationship with realtors. I'm afraid a lot of agents do sellers a disservice by overpricing the home. Keep in mind that agents have the buyers, especially the buyers in this price range. As an agent myself, extra $ mean nothing. If you want to sell, make sure you have the best price and it's move-in ready. In this r.e. environment, sometimes on the only return on investment is to stop the bleeding.

Focus on your competition - what a prospective buyer has from which to choose. Keep it listed. Agents still sell more houses than owners.

Wonka said:

First, I agree with the "staging" suggestion. We sold two houses one day after "staging" them. I did it myself, and purchased some new some lightly used furniture for each. You'll be surprised how little you may have to spend to "stage" the townhouse yourself. If the purchaser wants to buy the property, they may pay a little extra. If not, you can sell it after it's sold.....

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TODAY >>> Brought some staging furniture that with delivery and tax for $1506. Full living room - sofa ($289), recliner ($90), coffee table $35, 1 end table $25, 2 nice matching lamps (floor and table $80) plus over the sofa picture ($60) plus a high top (bar height) table with 6 chairs ($389) plus a Mission style MBR set with headboard, triple dress & mirror, chest and 1 night table ($395) - delivery and tax included (plus the store has a buy back plan - undamaged within 6 months 45-50% not including the $45 delivery or Taxes paid). Or I give it to my nephew who graduates college in May .... Or I stage my NEXT apt for rent or house for sale.

The matching lamps ($80) are the ONLY thing I would have brought for my house. Of course, I have spent YEARS finding my furniture for MY house - and maybe NOT much more in costs as I have brought a lot of USED furniture or I inherited it. But all of this stuff is tasteful enough I could use it in a second home. But I will write the cost off on the sale of this TH!

vacationhopeful said:

TODAY >>> Brought some staging furniture

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Arrange it in a way to make the rooms look large.
After it's all set up take some GOOD photos that really highlight the space.
Get your realtor to add the photos to the listing.

VegasBella said:

Arrange it in a way to make the rooms look large.
After it's all set up take some GOOD photos that really highlight the space.
Get your realtor to add the photos to the listing.

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At least this house, will have NO CLUTTER!

I am going to see how long it takes the realtor to notice I "staged it".

You can rent furniture for staging.

I have to go several counties NORTH of me - to get to staging a company - 45-75 minute drive thru all the traffic congestion and via the 3 years rebuild of the BIGGEST interchange mess on the major 2 roads (N-S FREEWAY and I-295) Then they charge MUCH more in base price and transportation as the houses are an additional $100K-300+K in that area. (ie the interstate nearest my TH is 2 lanes in each directions; the NJ Turnpike is 2 lanes in each direction; try 4 lanes and 3 lanes). The further NORTH you go - the closer you get to NYC prices and lifestyles.

How else can I afford to live on 3.5 acres of ground with a 140+ acre field (Green Acres ground) across from my house and 15-20 empty (so of wet) acres behind my house? I just don't have that much civilized features ... I enjoy by critters who wander thru my yard.

Used Furniture

vacationhopeful said:

I can be a PIA to any realtor. I have had several realtors "Release Me" from listing contracts as I WOULD not lower a price THAT they had recommended. I had one who did a meltdown when I demanded they RAISE my asking price -- it SOLD within 10 days above the prior asking price (that was when MLS just showed a "Price Change").

As for the realtor - I was at the house today - multiple lights were on, the rear garage door only had the DEAD BOLT locked and closed doors (closets) were now opened verses being closed 2 days ago. Supposedly, this unit has ONLY been official SHOWN one time. And it had lights on the last time I was in the house.

Wonka - There is a used furniture store with delivery about 10 miles from my residence ... I might head over there and see what I can get. Thanks for the USED furniture mention. I thought about that store as I have purchased furniture there 30+ years ago. I had been trying to figure out WHAT I could that down there from my personal home. Thanks for the comment .. it got that store out of the deep regions of the old brain.

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Linda -

Also watch Craigslist, etc. for ads where folks are selling the entire contents of their condo, etc. Often, people are moving and the short time frame simply doesn't allow time for selling piece by piece, etc. The prices for the whole house may be much less expensive. You can also find quasi estate sales where the beneficiaries are distant or local, but really don't need any of the contents of the deceased home. We were in that situation when my MIL died and just gave everything to a Women's Resource charity. Timing is often critical for sellers of home furnishing because of a move, new furniture coming, etc.

vacationhopeful said:

TODAY >>> Brought some staging furniture that with delivery and tax for $1506. Full living room - sofa ($289), recliner ($90), coffee table $35, 1 end table $25, 2 nice matching lamps (floor and table $80) plus over the sofa picture ($60) plus a high top (bar height) table with 6 chairs ($389) plus a Mission style MBR set with headboard, triple dress & mirror, chest and 1 night table ($395) - delivery and tax included (plus the store has a buy back plan - undamaged within 6 months 45-50% not including the $45 delivery or Taxes paid). Or I give it to my nephew who graduates college in May .... Or I stage my NEXT apt for rent or house for sale.

The matching lamps ($80) are the ONLY thing I would have brought for my house. Of course, I have spent YEARS finding my furniture for MY house - and maybe NOT much more in costs as I have brought a lot of USED furniture or I inherited it. But all of this stuff is tasteful enough I could use it in a second home. But I will write the cost off on the sale of this TH!

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Best of luck! I sure hope it works, or I'll feel responsible for adding to your costs. Make sure your realtor notes the furniture is "available" during showings also I should mention I did a little more....it was very inexpensive. I set the dining room table up with dishes, candles, centerpiece and stemware and folded the napkins fancy and setup knickknacks throughout the home. In the bath I had towels on the racks and by the bathtub glasses with candles and a bottle of champagne by the tub. All these little "touches" helped and cost so little. Goodwill or discount stores is a good place for such things.

vacationhopeful said:

I am going to see how long it takes the realtor to notice I "staged it".

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Hello? Are you and your agent on the same team or do you just enjoy having passive-aggressive relationships? Communication is the key to any good relationship.

Might want to call, request new photos...and then see how long it takes for your team to respond.

ottawasquaw said:

Hello? Are you and your agent on the same team or do you just enjoy having passive-aggressive relationships? Communication is the key to any good relationship.

Might want to call, request new photos...and then see how long it takes for your team to respond.

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I start my days at 5:30AM ... realtors don't start til a bit latter. I try to relax on most Sundays and HOPE realtors are working like dogs on FRI, SAT and SUN. I just started returning calls now at 9:30AM Monday ... My "wait to see when the realtor notices" is not important or to schedule new photos til after the FURNITURE get delivered sometime on TUES and I add some "homey touches".

No offense taken ... I try to keep all players in my team informed, but I rather NOT give a person a reason to NOT show the house (Oh, I will wait til I see it staged before I take someone over to see the "empty" house; we have other places for them too look at.)

OK, so you have found another reason to not update your agent...other than the one posted.

I'll agree that there are plenty of agents who began their career in the gravy days which are now gone, but please don't assume that you get up earlier and work harder. Keep in mind, you are the one who picked this group to represent you.

Anyway, good luck to you! Hope this staging helps you sell.

Just read an article that staging historically does not make a property sell at a higher price, but it does help it sell faster. Good luck.

Patri said:

Just read an article that staging historically does not make a property sell at a higher price, but it does help it sell faster. Good luck.

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A link or reference of some sort would be nice.

If there are carrying costs then faster = more money unless the market is rapidly changing (bubble).

This is only slightly related to your thread but here is what I have learned from living in the DC area.

This area is the very best for used furniture and thrift shops. There is a large community of transient people. Lots of military folks moving in and out every year or two. Large community of diplomats that move all the time. Diplomats and other short term international workers are generally upper class and do not have roots here, so they have nothing to do with their excess furniture. Selling or giving can be cheaper than moving furniture to their home country. So during the summer time, it is a great place for yard sales, craigslist searching, and thrift shops. You can find good stuff in like new condition sometimes. When visiting other thrift shops in the country, I only find very old/worthless things.

I hate to bring a negative view to the table, but I don't believe that staging is likely to help you sell your place. This simple fact is that your realtor has had no success in generating clients to view your townhouse, which points to only two potential problems in my opinion:

1. Lack of marketing/exposure
2. Priced too high for the market

You're not going to go wrong buying $1500 worth of furniture that can be resold or reused, but I doubt it will be the difference-maker. I hope I'm wrong, and that the right buyer materializes for you!

I got the furniture into the house this afternoon. One thing I noticed immediately was there is NOW 2 places to sit -- in the LR on a decent sofa & the recliner AND in the eat in kitchen area at the hi-top table with 6 chairs. The hi-top table fully opened is 5 square feet - does it ever belong and NOW is the eye catcher for the country kitchen.

The master bedroom now shows that a KING would not be TOO much for that room. The large dresser has a BIG LARGE mirror which acts like an anchor. It is easy for people to see this is not a small box TH. I left the BDR "chess on chess" as a cabinet item in the eat-in kitchen area. As for the formal DR, the 3 tier crystal lighting fixture shows nicely in the open floor space. With all the rooms empty .. there was no reason to look ... you were just walking thru a shell of a house.

I want a person looking at the house to linger and be able to picture themselves living there. I am used to showing EMPTY rental units --- it is easy to see the difference a buyer sees between an EMPTY and a "live in" place.

And the walls and brown rug don't look as bad either --- my eye has other things to see. I still have to hang my SOFA PICTURE -- but that will really draw your eye UP off the floor.

good luck--let us know how it goes. I would still consider dropping to $150K if foot traffic does not dramatically improve in the next 30 days--we priced too high and learned the hard way in the past.

What's the address of the property? I'd like to see what you are talking about.