Realtor Query

[D. Donaldson]

I've been trying to sell my house in the Riverside, Ca area for the last year. So far I have dropped the price about 4 times...and still no takers. I don't even have any offers. Is there any suggestion a Realtor can give to me?

[IggysListing]

Are you selling it FSBO?
How are the houses near you doing?
What style of house is it and what condition is it in?
Supply some more info.

[D. Donaldson]

The house is in excellent condition inside

There are 3 other houses for sale on my street & they are doing about the same. One house directly across the street from me has been listed for at least 6 months. No sale yet.

1/2 the external fence is missing from my house and needs to be replaced.
Its on a 16,000 sqft lot which needs landscaping. The current sprinkler system does not work and is not throughout the entire property.

I think the house externally looks fine, but it could use new painting. It has a 2 car automatic garage & has central heating and air.

It is a Spanish style house.

[IggysListing]

Do you ever watch the shows on tv that help people sell their
homes through staging? Some of those are pretty good.
How many showings are you and your neighbors getting?
So now is reality time.
Honestly, assess the following. Are people viewing your home and
not being attracted to it because of staging issues?
Is it priced realistically to reflect market value and market conditions
in your area.
Are people interested, but having trouble selling their home?
Do people know about your home?
Make your home more appealing in looks, functionality and price
and let the world know about it.
If you have more info, share it with this forum. There are lots of
talented people posting here.
Best wishes.

[Malok]

If a property isn't selling, it really comes down to 2 things generally:

1. Priced too high. (Lots of factors can be a consideration for value: location, staging, cleanliness, smells, debris, landscaping, layout, design, etc, etc, etc, etc.) In most real estate markets right now, you want to be the nicest and at the lower end of your relative competition/price range.

2. Marketing - its not getting seen by enough prospective buyers.


If you got 1 of the 2 covered - the problem likely lies with the other.

[Greg]

The fact that you lowered the price 4 times does not necessarily mean you are priced right. Even from the biased view of a home owner you have pointed out 3 major flaws in the property 2 of which are visible from the curb.

Fix the fence and paint the house or lower the price accordingly.

[VancouverWa]

Did you say you have a listed property?

In this market it's all about price and exposure. Price overcomes all objections.

Selling office commission is also very important in this market. Lots of hungry Realtors out there. I've been offering 3%, but I've seen 3.5 and even 4s!

If you are listed what has sold/pending in the last week/month in your specific area?

best of luck

[kwaltersmi]

My best guess would be that it's still a price issue or a market saturation issue. Price is king and can fix all other problems, but you may not be able to afford to go low enough to beat the competition.

[VancouverWa]

I just wanted to add this too.

Securing the buyer is only the first stage in this process.

[kwaltersmi]

True enough. Securing the buyer only begins the real work. Get the deal to close is an entirely different animal.

[Jon Brady]

Nobody wants to buy a home that needs work. Fix the current issues and go from there.

[D. Donaldson]

Thank you all for your comments. They are greatly appreciated!

[ScottsdaleHomes]

You say you have had the home on the market for a year or more. Have you listened to the feedback that Realtors and potential buyers have given you through showings, open houses, etc.....

It doesn't matter if you think the home looks fine from the outside. In fact, it really doesn't matter what you think on most things when it comes to selling your home. All that matters is what potential buyers think period.

The 4 main factors in selling a home are price, location condition and marketing. The only one that you can't change is location.

I'm sure some of this has been mentioned but...

1. Start with price. What is happening in your neighborhood right now. Not 2 months ago, not 6 months ago. Right now. Go out with your Realtor and look at the homes that are available. Why should someone choose your home over the one down the street. Be honest with yourself....

2. Go out and look at how builders are staging their new model homes. They know what they are doing when it comes to staging a home. If you can't stage yourself, pay someone to do it for you.

3. You said your home needs paint, and the sprinkler doesn't work etc... What are you waiting for. Get to work. Buyers have a mental checklist when they look at homes. Once they tally up enough things that they have to fix, or rennovate upon moving in, they check out mentally and move on to the next home.

The bottom line is that you need to be the best perceived value in the neighborhood. You better be priced right, and the home better be clean and show immaculately to have a decent chance of getting the home sold.

Kind of harsh I know, but I don't like to sugarcoat things. It doesn't help your situation.

Good luck on the sale.

[IggysListing]

You say you have had the home on the market for a year or more. Have you listened to the feedback that Realtors and potential buyers have given you through showings, open houses, etc.....

It doesn't matter if you think the home looks fine from the outside. In fact, it really doesn't matter what you think on most things when it comes to selling your home. All that matters is what potential buyers think period.

The 4 main factors in selling a home are price, location condition and marketing. The only one that you can't change is location.

I'm sure some of this has been mentioned but...

1. Start with price. What is happening in your neighborhood right now. Not 2 months ago, not 6 months ago. Right now. Go out with your Realtor and look at the homes that are available. Why should someone choose your home over the one down the street. Be honest with yourself....

2. Go out and look at how builders are staging their new model homes. They know what they are doing when it comes to staging a home. If you can't stage yourself, pay someone to do it for you.

3. You said your home needs paint, and the sprinkler doesn't work etc... What are you waiting for. Get to work. Buyers have a mental checklist when they look at homes. Once they tally up enough things that they have to fix, or rennovate upon moving in, they check out mentally and move on to the next home.

The bottom line is that you need to be the best perceived value in the neighborhood. You better be priced right, and the home better be clean and show immaculately to have a decent chance of getting the home sold.

Kind of harsh I know, but I don't like to sugarcoat things. It doesn't help your situation.

Good luck on the sale.


Very well put!
Great advice.

[California-Appraisal]

I've been trying to sell my house in the Riverside, Ca area for the last year. So far I have dropped the price about 4 times...and still no takers. I don't even have any offers. Is there any suggestion a Realtor can give to me?

I am a Certified Real Estate appraiser and if I can be of any assistance to you please contact me.

[zonecancun]

how many visits in this time?