My Realtor Interviews and Fear of Selling Our Home

[Cornell]

My thoughts on this....Moving out of a house that you've lived in for a long time is never going to be easy, no matter when you do it. The timing will never be good. And the longer you wait, the harder it will be. I see too many people paralyzed by indecision, fears, worries. I did what you wanting to do 2 years ago. A tremendous amount of work but one of the best things I've ever done.

 

[WinniWoman]

Do you want projects at your next place?

Of course not! Not for us people in our 60's! But when we were young- each house we had was a project! Since we were age 21! With a few exceptions- including our timeshare at Smuggs-we spent all our weekends and most vacations working on our homes.

We just spent the last 5 -6 years remodeling the whole house for the most part. I am not going to turn around and do it all again in our final home. Not to mention- we will not have the money for it anyway due to the cost of homes today.Not like we will have paychecks coming in.

If it were not for the isolation, financially staying in our home would make the most sense. We can never get what we have in this house in another home in the Northeast for the sale price of our home.

I refuse to spend my best golden years working on a home every single day. Not doing it. Nope. Been there, done that. I am done.

And not for nothing- no matter how nice our next home is we will still need to do things. No escaping it.

 

[WinniWoman]

I hear ya. We've been in our 'new' house that we built for 5 years now. Still working on projects. Right now recycling old bowling alley into the basement bar. Then converting more bowling alley into a regulation shuffleboard table for the basement bar. Then.... That's just the inside stuff.

p.s. My DH is afraid to retire(4 years-ish) because of what I will come up with for him to do.

Wow! Well at least you will have fun stuff when it is completed! LOL!

 

["Roger"]

Lots of interesting stuff here and I admit that I have not read it all.

$400,000? Sound like a come-on just to get you to sign up with him. Also, when realtors post a price reduced sign that can be a turn off for some prospective buyers. (Hmm.. I wonder what is wrong with this house.) Given the other things that you wrote, I think you made the right decision not to go with him.

On the other hand, you want the price to be just a bit toward the high side in that you will almost surely get someone interested in the house but try to bargain you down a bit. What that price is, trust the realtor that you feel comfortable with.

Unless the paint in a particular room looks really awful (and it sounds as if that is not the case), fresh paint could be counter productive in that prospective buyers might not like the color that you chose and factor into the price the need to change the color. Same for carpets.

The two really good pieces of advise that I have seen in this thread is declutter as much as you can. Listen to the professional that you feel you can trust.

 

[flexible]

Your fears and concerns with difficult choices on what to fix/change etc are understandable. Very informative replies.

I just listed three parcels over Lake Mendocino with my home, rental on the middle parcel and undeveloped land on the third parcel. My husband purchased the parcels when the US Army Core of Engineers built a dam in 1962. My husband hired people and personally built the home. There are few qualified contractors in our county.

Lake view homes are desirable to a families from the San Francisco Bay Area or Silicone Valley. And people retiring to this area. There is only one other home over the lake currently for sale and it must be accessed by a winding dirt road that is often closed by winter mud slides.

We have numerous unfinished projects. My husband died at age 90 three years ago. He was still in excellent health a year before he died. We travelled in over 100 countries during our 10 year marriage so we only tackled one or two projects each summer.

The first roof on the house leaked occasionally. He waited until we replaced it with a commercial grade foam roof and was certain there was no possibility of leaks before putting our Clear Heart Vertical Grain Tonge & Groove Redwood along nearly all the interior walls. We didn't complete the foyer area. I have all the tools needed to complete projects. I just can not do them by myself. I have interviewed contractors and handymen over the years but do not have confidence in any of them.

 

[VacationForever]

That’s great! Yes- that is the way I see it. Take some money off the price. I am not going through all this construction and painting and so forth. And honestly it doesn’t need it.

I figure if the house does not sell after the 6 month contract ends, we will take it off the market (November), reorder our firewood ( lol!) and then put it back up in spring. Or maybe try to sell it ourselves during the winter months. Throw it on Craig’s List or whatever just for ha ha’s.

In CA, it is legal to give buyers' credit on things like carpet. My 3 houses ago, my realtor listed the asking price and with a footnote that there would be a $5K credit to the buyer for new carpet.

 

[WinniWoman]

Your fears and concerns with difficult choices on what to fix/change etc are understandable. Very informative replies.

I just listed three parcels over Lake Mendocino with my home, rental on the middle parcel and undeveloped land on the third parcel. My husband purchased the parcels when the US Core of Engineers built a dam in 1962. My husband hired people and personally built the home. There are few qualified contractors in our county.

I believe a lake view home will be most desirable to a family from the San Francisco Bay Area or Silicone Valley.

We have numerous unfinished projects. My husband died at age 90 three years ago. He was still in excellent health a year before he died. We travelled in over 100 countries during our 10 year marriage so we only tackled one or two projects each summer.

The first roof on the house leaked occasionally. He waited until we replaced it with a commercial grade foam roof and was certain there was no possibility of leaks before putting our Clear Heart Vertical Grain Tonge & Groove Redwood along nearly all the interior walls. We didn't complete the foyer area. I have all the tools needed to complete projects. I just can not do them by myself. I have interviewed contractors and handymen over the years but do not have confidence in any of them.

First off I am so sorry about your husband. It sounds like you had a wonderful life together.

It must be so hard being by yourself in a home and having to do projects. And it is so hard to get good contractors.

A divorced friend of mine finally sold her home here and moved to Virginia to a rental to make her life a bit easier. Another divorced friend of mine - after they sold the family home- she moved into a first floor condo in Conn.- did do remodeling- only 3 rooms- very small. Best thing she ever did to simplify her life.

Best of luck to you!

 

[wackymother]

We've bought and sold about five or six houses and condos over the years. So not super experienced, but we've been around the block.

The husband and wife team sounds good to me, too. The fact that they sold your friend's home and your friend recommended them means a lot. Also, the more they know your exact area and market, the better.

There's no question that this is absolutely the time to put it on the market. Spring and summer are IT.

As to price--I feel that when you finally decide you want to sell, you just want it to be over. Right now you feel like you could live there for a few more years, but once it's on the market, you want it to MOVE so you can get on with your life. You've made the decision.

The husband and wife team said $339K? I would say $329K or $334K and make it happen. That way your own realtors will be excited about it, because it's a bargain and an easier sale. Other realtors will feel they need to get buyers in NOW because it's not going to last.

 

[Karen G]

Is there any way to stage the big room upstairs or the study downstairs as a bedroom? Maybe get a blow-up mattress if you don't have an extra bed, put it on cinder blocks, and put a nice bedspread on it? Sometimes buyers don't have great imaginations but if you make it look like a bedroom, they get the idea.

 

[wackymother]

In our area a bedroom has to have a window. Sleeping areas have to have two means of egress in case of fire or other emergency.

 

[zinger1457]

I bought a home in California years ago that was originally a 3 BR, the original owner added an addition (family room) and converted the 3rd BR into a dining room. It worked out good for me since I was single. When it came time for me to sell it was initially listed as a 2BR although the total sq-ft was larger than almost all of the 3BR homes in the neighborhood. Hardly anyone came to look at my house while it was listed as a 2BR. My agent changed the listing to a 3BR with a note that the family room could be converted to a 3rd bedroom. All of a sudden people started to show up and it sold quickly, without needing to convert to a 3rd BR. To get maximum views I would definitely do what it takes to get it listed as a 3BR.

 

[VacationForever]

In CA, it is legal to give buyers' credit on things like carpet. My 3 houses ago, my realtor listed the asking price and with a footnote that there would be a $5K credit to the buyer for new carpet.

...and that way they can get a larger mortgage.

 

[am1]

...and that way they can get a larger mortgage.

And the agents a higher commission? More taxes to pay at the time of sale and ongoing?

 

[GrayFal]

Is there any way to stage the big room upstairs or the study downstairs as a bedroom? Maybe get a blow-up mattress if you don't have an extra bed, put it on cinder blocks, and put a nice bedspread on it? Sometimes buyers don't have great imaginations but if you make it look like a bedroom, they get the idea.

That would be my suggestion as well with the downstairs den. This way it shows as a three bedroom on the first floor. The large upstairs room could remain as a nice large bonus room.
It’s all in the staging. People need to walk in and say, “there’s the third bedroom”
I know I said it before but the value of a true three bedroom over a two bedroom is huge.
People who don’t need the third bedroom can always use it as a den just as you do.

 

[elaine]

yes--if you can stage then den as 3rd BR, that's great. They make aerobeds that inflate to full height beds for about $125. A dressed bed and chest or dresser is all you need to signal it's a bedroom.

 

[VacationForever]

And the agents a higher commission? More taxes to pay at the time of sale and ongoing?

Yes.

 

[Big Matt]

Just a few things that you should understand. There are different types of realtors. Many who have big names in your area may simply just list a lot of properties, but not try to sell them as hard. They tend to want you to upgrade things and then price it at the market or lower. This gives them a chance to market your house as a bargain. Other realtors are grinders and will spend a lot of time on their listings and try to find buyers also. Many realtors work in teams and split commissions.

Don't upgrade anything. It probably won't pay for itself. Just make sure you house is clean and get rid of all unnecessary clutter, personal pictures, and such. You don't want smelly things even though you may like them (pot pourri). Pets should be out of the way when a showing happens.

Pick the realtor who you think will work hardest for you. Don't worry about 5% vs. 6%. You are talking about $3,000 give or take. Would you rather pay 6% to the realtor who sells it at full price or the one who charges 5% and then tries to convince you to sell for $20,000 under market value?

Finally, you cannot under any circumstance make this personal or emotional. Just let the realtor tell you what to do and follow their directions once the house is listed.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

After hearing more that you recently updated the home, I'd get it listed NOW since summer is rapidly approaching and you need it sold during peak season. Who knows what the economy and interest rates will be next year. You can feature that the upstairs bedroom could be turned into an extra bedroom. (and paint the upstairs vanity white in a day if you so desire.)

If it doesn't sell your back-up plan should be to do some of the upgrades the agent suggests, and those from buyers feedback from this round of selling next winter.


BTW...cancel the firewood. When we sold our last home, the agent was mad because she said that she had to pay to have the firewood we left removed because the buyers didn't want it. We thought we were doing our buyers a favor. Your home will sell. You can buy firewood later if needed - don't sweat this.

 

[clifffaith]

Don't let the thought of the actual move(s) freak you out. I met Cliff in March 1983, then moved in with him in June of that year. Spring 1984 we bought a townhouse together (married in October 1985). Then we moved again in 1998. While in that house one Sunday morning I said "it would be easier to move than to get someone to come talk to us about remodeling this kitchen" ( we'd been stood up or not gotten back to with a price numerous times); we were in escrow on a new house at the end of that day in May 1999. Moved again in 2002 and again in 2011. And every move since 1998 involved moving mountains of tools, ladders, samples and client files for our window covering business.

This past weekend we had the first of several garage sales, pending our final move to the " old folks home" in two years. I have a mountain of stuff left that is NOT going back into our basement. A guy came just now to buy a tool "tableau" I put together. I have several more groupings of like items (wine, crystal, Kitty related stuff, etc) that will go to Salvation Army in two weeks, along with huge bags of linens, if they don't sell. Kills me to know what I paid for things and no one wanted to give me a dollar for them, but that's just the way it works.

Now that my basement (basically a huge alley-like space off the garage) is clean except for my Christmas stuff, the real decluttering can begin. I have the bad habit of being a collector. Right now it is of all things Mexicany and folk arty. My issue for the retirement community isn't going to be the shelves of stuff I have, but the walls covered in textiles, paintings, and baskets. A whole bunch of this stuff will move with us, and the we'll have to use the kitchen table for our computers because the new office will be stuffed with boxes of stuff! The moving really isn't the challenge, but the unpacking certainly is. In the past I had to keep my business going, so a box or two a day was all I could work on. At the old folks home we will want to start meeting people and joining in with the various activities, so unpacking may be slow.

The trick to packing to move is good labeling of boxes, and if possible keeping possession of the important boxes, rather than letting the movers have them. By "important" I mean two place settings and a Pyrex dish for heating leftovers. And a box with current bills, night time reading etc. And a box of sheets and towels. And a suitcase with clothes, medications, and jammies. Basically stuff that allows you to camp out in the new house until you are settled.

We actually hope we can get Mom to move in with us once Dad dies, which would put our move off indefinitely. The whole point of the move to the CCRC was that Cliff didn't want me dying alone and the cats having to eat me. Well, I've seen what old and sick and unable to drive looks like these past two years, and my parents have two daughters to help, whereas we have no kids. So no worry about me not moving, even if I'm making the move alone.

 

[WinniWoman]

So today I called the husband and wife realty team (owners/brokers) and told them we would like to retain them. The wife said she would get back to me regarding a time next week for the photographer to come out and for signing of the paperwork.

The firewood was put on "hold" and no issues with that, so that is a relief.

I notified the realtor/broker for the developer in NH of what we are doing just so she knows we are serious (but I realize this might not work out so not getting my hopes up). She told me to let her know when it is listed..

So here we go.

As for staging the big room - that is a good idea except we literally have no where to put the other furniture- which is my husbands office desk - it's is big-- and my exercise equipment which I use every day. And again- it has 4 windows , 2 closets and barn doors for the entrance.

As for downstairs, it is not a den that could be another bedroom it is a study/office. It has a desk and it has a pull out couch. Again- no where else to put these if I move them. I use these rooms A LOT! I mean - we are still living here. LOL!.

Again- the only realtor that said anything about the upstairs bathroom was the one I did not like anyway. The other realtors all said they think our house will show great and we don't have to do a thing. Our house actually looks "staged" all the time because it is not cluttered and I am an OCD neat freak. No pets either. The only personal pictures I have are in our bedroom and I can easily remove them if necessary.

As for marketing the house as a 3 bedroom, the realtors are very aware of what to do and we will have this discussion again when I sign with them. They can word the ad in such a way so that people will know it has the possibility of 3 or 4 bedrooms. They can direct market it as 3 bedroom if they can find out the size of our septic- I think that is what they were saying if I understood them right. We think it is 1000 gallons but not sure. It was so long ago and it might have been in the ground already when we went to look at it while it was being built.

So- anyway- here we go! Thanks you everyone for your input. It was very helpful. Love the TUGGERS!

 

[WinniWoman]

Don't let the thought of the actual move(s) freak you out. I met Cliff in March 1983, then moved in with him in June of that year. Spring 1984 we bought a townhouse together (married in October 1985). Then we moved again in 1998. While in that house one Sunday morning I said "it would be easier to move than to get someone to come talk to us about remodeling this kitchen" ( we'd been stood up or not gotten back to with a price numerous times); we were in escrow on a new house at the end of that day in May 1999. Moved again in 2002 and again in 2011. And every move since 1998 involved moving mountains of tools, ladders, samples and client files for our window covering business.

This past weekend we had the first of several garage sales, pending our final move to the " old folks home" in two years. I have a mountain of stuff left that is NOT going back into our basement. A guy came just now to buy a tool "tableau" I put together. I have several more groupings of like items (wine, crystal, Kitty related stuff, etc) that will go to Salvation Army in two weeks, along with huge bags of linens, if they don't sell. Kills me to know what I paid for things and no one wanted to give me a dollar for them, but that's just the way it works.

Now that my basement (basically a huge alley-like space off the garage) is clean except for my Christmas stuff, the real decluttering can begin. I have the bad habit of being a collector. Right now it is of all things Mexicany and folk arty. My issue for the retirement community isn't going to be the shelves of stuff I have, but the walls covered in textiles, paintings, and baskets. A whole bunch of this stuff will move with us, and the we'll have to use the kitchen table for our computers because the new office will be stuffed with boxes of stuff! The moving really isn't the challenge, but the unpacking certainly is. In the past I had to keep my business going, so a box or two a day was all I could work on. At the old folks home we will want to start meeting people and joining in with the various activities, so unpacking may be slow.

The trick to packing to move is good labeling of boxes, and if possible keeping possession of the important boxes, rather than letting the movers have them. By "important" I mean two place settings and a Pyrex dish for heating leftovers. And a box with current bills, night time reading etc. And a box of sheets and towels. And a suitcase with clothes, medications, and jammies. Basically stuff that allows you to camp out in the new house until you are settled.

We actually hope we can get Mom to move in with us once Dad dies, which would put our move off indefinitely. The whole point of the move to the CCRC was that Cliff didn't want me dying alone and the cats having to eat me. Well, I've seen what old and sick and unable to drive looks like these past two years, and my parents have two daughters to help, whereas we have no kids. So no worry about me not moving, even if I'm making the move alone.

Thanks. Yes. I am pretty organized (an understatement). I am going to take it one step at a time and breathe a lot. Who knows how it will go? These real estate things never go smoothly and although we have our hopes and dreams depending on this we really can't get our hopes up at this point. Did I mention the dream I had a few weeks ago?

The dream: I was outside a home- I couldn't see the home. My son was in the dream- he was a kid. A medium sized black dog was evidently a new pet for us and I was not familiar with her and I decided to take her for a walk in the neighborhood. I noticed that she did not pull too much- I had a choke chain on her for training just in case. I was impressed on how good she was on the walk. We walked on sidewalks lined with trees (which we do not have here where I live right now). Then we came up to a big pool with a lot of people in it- especially kids- and a lot of people around the pool, which was also surrounded by like a 2 story u- shaped hotel or condo type building. I approached one of the ladies about the pool stating I never knew it was there. She said it was for all the residents in the area and was $50 for 3 days use. She and the other ladies barely looked up at me. But anyway- I was happy to find this out and intended to take advantage of it now that I knew it existed and then the dog and I turned around to go back. The dog's name was "Faith".

I feel this dream was very symbolic. I keep telling myself to have "Faith". (I am such a worrier).

When we get our new home someday, I am going to rescue a mid sized, all black dog like the one in the dream and call her "Faith".

 

[WinniWoman]

Don't let the thought of the actual move(s) freak you out. I met Cliff in March 1983, then moved in with him in June of that year. Spring 1984 we bought a townhouse together (married in October 1985). Then we moved again in 1998. While in that house one Sunday morning I said "it would be easier to move than to get someone to come talk to us about remodeling this kitchen" ( we'd been stood up or not gotten back to with a price numerous times); we were in escrow on a new house at the end of that day in May 1999. Moved again in 2002 and again in 2011. And every move since 1998 involved moving mountains of tools, ladders, samples and client files for our window covering business.

This past weekend we had the first of several garage sales, pending our final move to the " old folks home" in two years. I have a mountain of stuff left that is NOT going back into our basement. A guy came just now to buy a tool "tableau" I put together. I have several more groupings of like items (wine, crystal, Kitty related stuff, etc) that will go to Salvation Army in two weeks, along with huge bags of linens, if they don't sell. Kills me to know what I paid for things and no one wanted to give me a dollar for them, but that's just the way it works.

Now that my basement (basically a huge alley-like space off the garage) is clean except for my Christmas stuff, the real decluttering can begin. I have the bad habit of being a collector. Right now it is of all things Mexicany and folk arty. My issue for the retirement community isn't going to be the shelves of stuff I have, but the walls covered in textiles, paintings, and baskets. A whole bunch of this stuff will move with us, and the we'll have to use the kitchen table for our computers because the new office will be stuffed with boxes of stuff! The moving really isn't the challenge, but the unpacking certainly is. In the past I had to keep my business going, so a box or two a day was all I could work on. At the old folks home we will want to start meeting people and joining in with the various activities, so unpacking may be slow.

The trick to packing to move is good labeling of boxes, and if possible keeping possession of the important boxes, rather than letting the movers have them. By "important" I mean two place settings and a Pyrex dish for heating leftovers. And a box with current bills, night time reading etc. And a box of sheets and towels. And a suitcase with clothes, medications, and jammies. Basically stuff that allows you to camp out in the new house until you are settled.

We actually hope we can get Mom to move in with us once Dad dies, which would put our move off indefinitely. The whole point of the move to the CCRC was that Cliff didn't want me dying alone and the cats having to eat me. Well, I've seen what old and sick and unable to drive looks like these past two years, and my parents have two daughters to help, whereas we have no kids. So no worry about me not moving, even if I'm making the move alone.

BTW - I wish you the best of luck with everything. You have a lot going on with your parents. Hopefully it will all work out for you as well. This moving thing is a BIG DEAL- especially when you are older and life is a bit more complicated.

 

[Fredflintstone]

After we get past the rental we will be forced to live in for awhile, it will be really hard to find something to buy- especially in NH- with the quality of what we have now, in our price point.

It's like we did all this work (and $$) these past few years and have been enjoying the fruits of our labor and now will be giving them up.

Meanwhile, a buyers agent in NH just sent me an email and said she has sold 4 homes in the community we want to buy in and they are almost built out which we know.

The good thing about renting is you can pick the best time to buy. Timing is everything.

My guess is the chances of recession in the US is high within 18 months. Markets are getting the jitters and if sustained, the slow down will be seen about 8 months later. In a way, this is good for you as home prices drop in a recession.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[vacationhopeful]

Air bed laugh:

I had a house up for sale 10+ years ago but the realtor whined that an empty house does not show very well. I should 'stage' it (and of course, realtor had a suggested $$$ vendor).

I decided MAYBE she was right .. but I had a different way to do it. I went down to a 'resale' furiture store (across the street from a 55+ newer development) and brought some "staging furniture". The store also delivered the furniture for free. As for the MBR (the only bedroom I put furniture in), I brought a Queen size air mattress, and used a headboard from the used furniture store, plant pots from the new bushes just planted under the air mattress. Threw a bedspread over the airmattress. Looked good; cheap cost to me.

Except I still got no offers but got better reviews from realtors. And I still own that mortgage free house. And I still renting it out ... at $1675 + utilities.

BUT my handiman came in to fix a 'running' master BDR toilet. He opened the door, saw LR & DR furniture, LEFT immediately to call me and claimed someone had moved in. "oh, that is my staging furniture" was my replied. He went back in, walked into the MBR and dropped his tool box on MY staging bed .. except the airmattress flipping into the air, dumping his tool box onto the floor and scared the 'crap' out of him. He told he later, he screamed ... when he demanded that I never do that again.

I politely asked him, if he would have dropped his tool box on his mother's bed (OCD clean freak mother)?

BUT I now always remind him if a place is empty or occupied.

 

[easyrider]

Oh one thing I forgot is to declutter the house. Last time we sold a House we rented a storage unit. We backed up books, book cases, etc. It made the third bedroom appear much bigger with only a sofa and TV in the room. Nick nacks, etc were stored away.

I always like to have a house empty before showing it. It looks bigger and cleaner, imo.

I'm kind of stuck with family member realtors when we use realtors.

Bill