wetdawgs's Discussions

test test test

Look at your home very carefully.  Is it in good repair?   Is it in "move in" condition?    Is it cluttered, or have you moved most of your material possessions off site?   Is the paint clean and fresh and "boring" colors?   Is the wall paper gone?     Do you have pets causing scents and dander? Have you visited the homes that are selling for a more direct comparison?   I sold recently and toured those comps, and priced lower than a comparable floor plan in much worse condition.  Mine sold, theirs is still on the market.

Recently I looked extensively in your area (and purchased).  I found there was no discounting of even the most stunning house that was sufficient  to consider living so close to the freeway due to the constant roar.     Of course, some are not as picky as I am, but it is a much harder sell than the same house a mile or more from the freeway. While your house looks great, the sales push of an incredible agent may help work around this freeway disadvantage.   Good luck! 

Once upon a time (when I lived here long long ago), I knew someone who chose a freeway home because they could sleep with the quiet that some of us covet.   But, you are right, they are definitely rare fish.  I did get a great deal in 98011, and sold successfully elsewhere.  I'm expecting the valuation here will drop, but no more so than "elsewhere".    It is clear you don't want to take a loss, but is it not possible that a small loss is better in the long run than walking away?    I don't know any realtors who will work for peanuts, but see a lot of FSBO homes languishing forever while good realtors are indeed selling (albeit slowly).    How are you targetting the populations that like the noise?   

Recently I moved out and staged  in NoCal, and got an acceptable offer (97% of asking) in 2 weeks.     I staged, and the staging was minimal.     I had to move due to job relocation, and couldn't hang around.  I took a big financial risk. If I didn't have a time deadline for moving,  I would have packed 95% of my stuff except core furniture and put it in a storage unit.   I'd be prepared to run with 1 minutes notice with pets and all humans (big and small) no matter how inconvenient.  As the cost of staging can be high, if you are moving locally, perhaps you could leave a few core pieces of furniture behind.   Not every room needs furniture.  

Before spending too much time focussing on asking price, spend more time looking at actual sales prices to help calibrate your offers. It does take time to write up and present offers.   You are absolutely right, if 50% offers are not the norm in the area, no agent will be giving you the time for free to play this game.  If 50% offers are the norm and are indeed getting accepted, then you will find an agent who will help you.

Redfishblue is right on target.  Look at comps that have sold recently (last 30 to 60 days) with the upgrades vs no upgrades.    You may be unpleasantly surprised how little the upgrades add to the sales price of the house.   Don't waste your time with houses on the market still, because you don't know what they will sell for. As a potential buyer, I'd prefer a $$ contribution to new paint and carpet rather than having them done already.  Why?  Because most sellers who do replace the carpet make choices that wouldn't be my choice. 

All inspections are up to the buyer to initiate and approve. What did your agent say when you asked for advice about inspections?  Why did you move ahead when you were getting answers you were uncomfortable with?  Unfortunately the time to scream is when you've not yet paid the money to the seller.    Savy sellers are getting inspections done before putting on the market so they don't have big surprises, but savy buyers will also have inspections done with an inspector of their choice. At this point I'd hire a contractor to replace the roof and put it down into the category called "expensive lessons learned".  

I'm puzzled, if you are listing for $184 k and bought for $200 k, how does that come up to a profit?  Is this new math?   I would call it a loss of $16 k plus fees.    

Cathy:  The title of the thread says "profit", therefore, I used the word "profit".