June 23, 2008
Dear Prospective Home Buyers. . .
I won’t go into the details. I’ll just say that yesterday I was absolutely convinced I was having a heart attack as we finished cleaning up the house for a showing. I had terrible chest pain, and it killed to take a deep breath. When we arrived at my Mom’s house for my grandmother’s 91st birthday party, I told her that I thought I might be dying. She gave me some Maalox, and soon I felt better. Stress-related heartburn, not heart failure. Relief. Having your house on the market when you have two young children is one of the most stressful things you can do.
We have a big open house coming up. Over 200 invitations have been sent out to apartment renters. Door prizes will be given, the mortgage man and realtor will be on site, and if someone buys my house, they’ll get a flat screen HDTV. Because of recent events, I’m considering leaving a note on the counter that reads like this:
Dear Prospective Home Buyers,
If you’re looking for something cheap, you’re at the wrong location. You should probably go visit the Dollar Store and stop wasting my time.
Sincerely,
The Home Sellers
I’ve had it with certain buyers saying we’re "overpriced" when we’re at least $20K beneath the comparable homes right up the street that have 500 square feet less than us and virtually no upgrades to speak of. I’m tired of cleaning and getting my hopes up, and I’m not sure how to deal with it.
Do I approach things with a positive attitude every time someone expresses interest in my home and think that this could be it? Or should I prepare myself for the absolute worst and figure that nothing will come of it to spare myself the intense disappointment?
Anyone have advice? Positive thoughts? A sales agreement for me with a full price offer perhaps?
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Ah, if only I had a spare couple hundred grand laying around.
I say be positive, without getting your hopes up. Just be positive that the right buyer will come along.
My parents sold their house with dirty dishes in the sink, and unmade beds (it was a surprise showing). Maybe give up on cleaning? At least it would save you some unnecessary heartburn. Good luck with the open house!
Dear BBM,
Ahhh, this is a belt high fastball for me. As a builder in Mass., I have done many rehabs for folks moving on up or downsizing. I’ve seen some homes sell right away, and some sit for awhile.
Here’s my $.02: Your house will sell. No question. There’s a price at which every house will sell. What stinks is that your home is depreciating like a car. So is everyone elses and unfortunately, that’s in every buyers mind. Strange times in real estate indeed. Hang in there…you may need to make additional concessions in order to get the house to sell.
I would say this: When I bought my house, I bought in a down market just like this. This house was nothing special on the outside but it had the one thing we were looking for: front to back LR with a wood stove. When we walked in, the stove was going and the lights were dim. Perfect. It’s funny, we didn’t mind the incredibly small bathroom, ancient kitchen, etc. We saw ourselves sitting in front of the stove, sipping wine under dim lights. (Still do it 15 years later 🙂 We fell in love with the place and paid fair and reasonable price for both sides. We modified it over the years to help accomodate our family.
Here’s the point I think: As for cleaning, I wouldn’t go too crazy. When the right buyer walks in, they are gonna know that this is the place they want regardless of whether you’ve removed all the spaghetti sauce residue from the stove. Price will not matter as much as you think when the buyer wants the house.
Relax…take the pressure off and light the fireplace. 😉
I’ve never sold a home, but someplace I read advice on how to deal with a stressful situation that has served me well.
Do all that you can do. Literally everything that might realistically have a chance of bettering your odds. Then, when those little mental gremlins come sneaking in, they won’t have anything that they can possibly say about how you could have done this or that.
I don’t know how it is for others, but when I know, right down to the bottom of my toes, that I’ve done literally everything that could possibly make a difference, then it’s out of my hands and it’s easier not to eat myself alive mentally.
Oh I really feel for you! We were in the same boat just over a year ago and it is one of the most stressful and exhausting things I have ever done! Don’t lose hope- at least you have had offers, regardless of how crappy they are. The right buyers will come along, stay optimistic! I know it’s hard!
My mom is struggling with this too. She’s at wits end, frankly. There are people who love her house but no one puts an offer. They are gobbling up the houses that are being foreclosed on. She’s got a plan to rent it out come August so she can just move here. It’s so hard to keep your hopes balanced when you are in limbo like that. I don’t have any advice but I sympathize.
Add one more element to the showing–lock everyone inside and make it like Survivor, except in this case, nobody leaves the house until it’s sold. Oh, and lock the bathroom doors too. But hey, all the free coffee you can drink!
Check with the local pusher and see if he can supply you with any roofies to slip perspective buyers?
This is a tough one, if you sell for a price lower than what you want, you’ll be ticked and in this sucky housing market you’re probably not going to get full price. I’d wait it out in the hopes the market will improve.
Avitable: If only. . .
YM: My parents did too because it was a last minute showing. I think the whole quitting cleaning thing is moving in the right direction.
Pinan: Good advice. Thank you.
Dan: That’s the problem. I don’t know when to stop. I keep rearranging furniture, thinking we should do something else. We’ve done everything we can short of replacing our countertops with granite which I am not doing. I won’t even have granite in my new house!
GoMommy: Thank you. Helps to know others have gone before and are still alive and kicking.
Sizzle: That stinks! I can’t believe she’s still dealing with this either. Here’s hoping we both get the job done soon!
PB: I like where you’re going with this. I really do.
Chris: This combined with PB’s idea could be very interesting. 😉
I wanted to make my house a complete disaster area for a showing once. I was in such a Don’t give a shit place that I didn’t think I could bear cleaning it up. Obviously having it looking it’s best wasn’t working so let’s show prospective buyers what it will look like about a month after you move in.
We are moving in a week, but this house hasn’t sold yet. It’s my worst nightmare…2 house payments. I also have 2 foreclosures on my street so my hopes of selling have plummeted. I feel like the place is smothering me and I really hope that moving forward will help with my state of mind, if not my bank account