Selling house opinions?

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wander2039

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Feb 26, 2005
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Kansas, USA
After number two child gets here next month we're looking to move. Frankly we're tired of thieves, neighbors and everything about KCK and Kansas. I was going to tidy things up like put up trim, paint etc. The wife doesn't see why I'm going waste my time. She wants to just put it on the market as-is.

Her reasoning is if it doesn't sell it wasn't a waste of money. Probably take around $500-750 and probably a month of my time I don't have. Likelihood of it selling is a million to one. 5-6 houses are for sell per block and 3-4 are abandoned around this area. Hate to say the only way to get rid of this house is probably give it back to the bank. Yes we want to move that bad. I'll probably be burned at the stake but we will try to sell it for 6 months for what we owe. That did work will my old house. No banks want to re-finance since we only owe $57k. Opinions... let me have it
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If it doesn't get any interest as-is, you will have to consider dressing it up a little...especially if it doesn't have anything to set it apart from other houses for sale in the area.
 
If you really want out, gotta price it right. It will sell. If I'm reading your circumstances right, I don't know if the time to add curb appeal is worth it. Winter is already right around the corner. Nobody buys then.
 
It's a buyers market and your house has to stand out against the competition. People want to buy a house and not have to do a thing to it. So fix whats broken...paint what needs painting and get rid of the clutter. Start watching HGTV for more ideas.
 
Originally Posted By: Eric Smith
I was going to tidy things up like put up trim, paint etc.


That is typically a very good idea. It sounds like your market is pretty bad, and your work may be just what it takes to set your house apart from the others. You need to give them a reason to buy yours vs the rest. (I am a licensed home inspector here, but our market isn't like yours, so I'm sure no expert on your particular situation.) I wish you the best!
 
I'm drooling at the mere thought of buying a house in this market.

Though personal circumstances aren't perfect.......

I would agree that making it stand out would be worth the money and time. As well as staging. Just affirming the previous statements the guys mentioned.

Good luck I hope you do OK
 
Originally Posted By: zrxkawboy
Originally Posted By: Eric Smith
I was going to tidy things up like put up trim, paint etc.


That is typically a very good idea. It sounds like your market is pretty bad, and your work may be just what it takes to set your house apart from the others. You need to give them a reason to buy yours vs the rest. (I am a licensed home inspector here, but our market isn't like yours, so I'm sure no expert on your particular situation.) I wish you the best!


That's what I was hoping. Truthfully though we'd have to sell it for at least 58k or so to break even. A 4 bedroom 2 bath big brick home around the corner is going for $32k.. but it does need work. Curb appeal wise our house is one of the nicer on the block. The only bad it doesn't have a driveway. My wife got suckered into buying this house and it was way worse off before I started doing repairs. I guess it could happen.
 
Talk around and be prepared to practically live somewhere else.
That cat that you think to yourself "Oh everyone loves cats!" can cost you $10,000. Those gutters you think "Oh that's an easy fix! THEY can do that when THEY move in!" can cost you $10,000. Curb appeal is everything. Curb appeal is EVERYTHING. CURB APPEAL IS EVERYTHING!

Also, get a real agent. Not some woman who sells a house once in awhile that is good friends with your mom. Get someone who does it full time and can continue to do it through the current economy. Listen to what they have to say and DO IT. It can easily cost you $10,000 or more if you don't. Be prepared to live elsewhere, you are planning on making a move and other people will live there if you sell it. If you have to put half your house in storage for a few months, or sell some stuff on e-bay, do it. It could cost you $10,000 easily.

If you get someone who sells homes occasionally, they will occasionally get a sale. You want someone who SELLS HOMES like they were freaking hot cakes. Someone who can REALLY MAKE THINGS MOVE.

You can fix up your place and sell it. Or you can kinda sorta wishy washy sell it and maybe perhaps sell it if you discount it enough so that someone with enough change in their couch cushions can buy it.

Selling is not a half way proposition (especially in this market). You are either in or out of the market.

Now get out there and kick some tail!
 
32K? LMAO.. that is unreal.
I so badly want to buy a place and I can't afford anything here because small 2bdrm brick houses in decent communities in my town are minimum $250K. [censored] neighborhood $150-200K.
 
Dave
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You're right. It's nothing that major. I need to put the trim up around the header I put to open up the house. Not going to be easy since someone stole our miter saw. The drywall and painting will be the hard part. They used the knock down texture and it takes forever to paint. The bathroom needs the wall in the shower fixed I was just going to get a sheet of fiber board versuses re-tileing it. All the subsystems are in good order (electric, water and gas).

Exterior wise the gutters are good, it has vinyl siding and new windows except the kitchen but I've put a good storm window on it. Maybe this house isn't as bad as I thought.
 
Judging by where the housing market is heading, I'd agree with your line of thought. Fix it up and give it a chance for a while, but I'd prepare for the fact of just letting it go. While I realize this not a popular option, (here for sure, granted I'm not a fan myself)but the most important thing here is to do what is best for your family.


If you can really improve your family's standard of living (better house, better schools and such), might as well do it. Just make sure you like the area, as the credit repair will take a while...

We will be shopping next year in the horror story we call MI. Lots and lots of choices here.....
 
Well, I guess that little blip we just had threw out some comments. Mine is gone.

Basically warstud is right. I'd throw a couple days' work and not more than a couple hundred dollars into fixing up little stuff and painting trim. It may save you a few months' mortgage payments if it helps you sell your house faster.
 
Our house is in escrow right now after being on the market for 16 days. Our market is slow, many houses listed for over 120 days. I kept the house in great shape and went around and took care of the tiniest maintenance issues. One of the many comments of potential buyers/agents was "this house needs zero work done". A little peeling paint, missing trim, etc doesn't give a first impression of "well taken care of".
 
Don't forget to bury a statue of St. Peter upside down in the front of your house. It sounds funny and kooky but I swear this worked for me. After having my house on the market for 10mo. I buried the statue because my aunt told me to, within a week this couple just drove up and said we want your house! They paid pretty close to what we were asking too. I believe!

Good luck, and just do basic touch ups. Paint is probably the most cost effective way to make your house stand out. Don't put much more in than that.
Forget the realtor too, just pay to have your house listed on the MLS website which can be viewed from anyone looking to buy in your area from anywhere.
 
Originally Posted By: daves87rs
Judging by where the housing market is heading, I'd agree with your line of thought. Fix it up and give it a chance for a while, but I'd prepare for the fact of just letting it go. While I realize this not a popular option, (here for sure, granted I'm not a fan myself)but the most important thing here is to do what is best for your family.


If you can really improve your family's standard of living (better house, better schools and such), might as well do it. Just make sure you like the area, as the credit repair will take a while...

We will be shopping next year in the horror story we call MI. Lots and lots of choices here.....


http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-search/66102/beds-2/baths-1/price-na-125000#/pg-1/sortby-1

Here's the houses available in our zip. 122 all together and most under 50-60k. I'm just going to the easy fixes nothing really involved. Yes truthfully we would be better off else where. Schools are lousy over here and our 3 year old should be starting preschool next year. I'm also worry about him and the street if I get the place I want that won't be a problem.

Originally Posted By: chubbs1
Don't forget to bury a statue of St. Peter upside down in the front of your house.


Huh never heard of that. That might actually work with the high Spanish population.
 
You can sell anything at the right price. I would advise to dress it up and increase the curb appeal. You have to be marginally better looking than the rest of the neighborhood.
 
It sounds like you may be in the perfect situation to keep this house as an income property and buy yourself the one you want to live in. Call a property manager in your area and ask what you could get for rent. Do the numbers and see if it breaks even monthly or even cash flows for you. The only catch may be that you have to rent this house in order to get a mortgage on the new one, having to find temporary housing.
 
Originally Posted By: volvos_rock
It sounds like you may be in the perfect situation to keep this house as an income property and buy yourself the one you want to live in. Call a property manager in your area and ask what you could get for rent. Do the numbers and see if it breaks even monthly or even cash flows for you. The only catch may be that you have to rent this house in order to get a mortgage on the new one, having to find temporary housing.


Funny the wife said the same thing. But instead of renting the whole thing just rent the downstairs and close off the upstairs. That way I could stay up there instead of driving 200 miles a day only 100. I've had bad luck renting... got alot of cool tools though!
 
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