REAL ESTATE & SELLING A HOUSE...grrrrrrrrrrr

R

RWattier

Cathlete
I have had it up to my ears with trying to sell our house! Its the most stressful thing I have ever had to deal with - (

My face is breaking out, my nerves are on edge, and I want to cry every single night!

Anyone out there have any great tips on selling your house on your own?? We are listed with our local For Sale By Owner website and in monthly newsletters and we have wasted money on ads in the newspapers!

Any tips would be appreciated :)
 
I don't have any tips on how to sell a house on your own, but if you're that stressed out, as I would be for sure, I'd seriouly consider listing it with an agent. While I understand the argument about how much money you can save selling a home on your own I'm not sure I agree with it. I prefer to leave it to the trained professionals, whom I believe can fetch a higher price for your home. We've sold 2 homes and the agents we used worked hard for their money--earned every cent! List it with the professionals then dry your tears ;)

Michele
 
Hi Reba!

I may be biased cause DH sells real estate, but selling your house on your own *is* really stressful. A good, experienced agent can take a huge amount of that stress away. I would advise avoiding any agent who promises the moon; instead choose one who gives you an honest appraisal of the market and your home in it.

We are currently looking for a house (keeping the one we have now as an investment) and we are using an agent ourselves, even though DH has been an agent for 15 years and I have my license as well. It's just flat out easier in the long run.

Good luck!

Sparrow


www.scifichics.com
 
Have you held any open houses? Posted flyers? Sign on the lawn? Spread through word of mouth?

Another thought - in my state, there are many realtors that will sell you and "advertise only" package, where they list the property and do all of the ads, but don't conduct the other realtor business like showings, etc. They either charge a flat fee or a much smaller percentage. These seem to sell better than FSBO houses. Maybe your state does this?
 
Reba I know this will sound crazy, but I have several friends that swear by this old wive's tale. Mind you it may sound a little sacreligous (sp?) but everyone who has told me about this is Catholic and attends church on a regular basis. That being said here's what they did. They went to a religion store and bought a little statue of St. Joseph and burried him upside down in their back yard. Each and every one of them that did this sold their houses quickly. In fact one set of friends are my DH's boss and his wife. He is the GM for a local hockey team and they have had to move several, several times. In fact I think since I have known them (which is about 7 years) they have sold about 6 houses (FSBO) and have done this every time and it worked.

Sounds hokey, but who knows. In any case, I know you are frustrated and regardless of how you sell it I hope it happens soon for you! Good luck :)
 
I'm also a bit biased (real estate agent here!)...I would agree that if you are firmly against using a Realtor to market your home, go with a flat fee company to at least get it in the MLS...That way, EVERYONE has access to your home...Like mentioned before, you'll pay a small fee (and if an agent brings a buyer, a partial commission), but your house will be SOLD which is the ultimate goal...

Best of luck, and I'd be happy to answer any questions for you! No, I'm not in your state, so won't hound you for a listing!

MJ
 
amy . you are correct I tired it and it worked for us.(St Joseph) We sold are house in one day! Could be a coninadence but what do you got to lose? My moms cousin sold several houses this way.lol
:)
 
I agree with Michele. If it's that stressful, why not just use a broker? The good ones do an awesome job.
 
They went to a religion store
>and bought a little statue of St. Joseph and burried him
>upside down in their back yard. Each and every one of them
>that did this sold their houses quickly.

Yup, my mom sold her house BEFORE SHE EVEN ADVERTISED but about a week after she buried her statue.
 
We are selling ours on our own. Several people I work with have done it with much success. We put a sign out Saturday evening and already have a prospect. I guess it really depends on how houses are selling in your area and if you have it priced to sell!

If we don't sell it in a month we are going to a flat fee company. If trying to sell your house is making you nuts, then using some sort of service is probably best. No need in making yourself crazy x(
 
We currently own 2 homes (not by choice) My dh got a job transfer 2,000 miles away. The real estate market is slow right now everywhere. So it's not you. Rates have gone up and the holidays are nearing. A real estate agent can give you more exposure, especially to relocators. But, I diagree that an agent is the answer though. If you have an updated, mint condition house, in a good area at a reasonable price, sell it on your own! Agents take up 7% commission, which I think is a rip off for what they do. Our agent isn't doing so great with our house and we have had him since August. We have only agreed to give him 4%, which he agreed to. We sold our first house FSBO in 1 weekend. If you get a realtor make sure he/she will negotiate commission.

Two house payments are really stressing us out too, especailly with the holidays coming. I'm not much into the holiday mood this year. This is our 4th house, never this long have we owned 2 houses. I guess I'm am hoping in February it will sell.
 
Houses are still selling in Florida and California from what I hear, but other areas are slowing down due to interest rate hikes.
 
Okay, couple of things:


- FSBOs are easier in a hot market, when people list their houses for ridiculous prices and those willing to become house poor slap money down within a couple of days. In a calm or slow market, when it can take 2,3 months sometimes, FSBOs are a pain in the tush. DH has several former FSBO clients who have come to him because the market has slowed and they are stressed out trying to manage it on their own.

- it's not just the selling of the house the agent takes care of. He or she takes care of everything that comes after the actual sales agreements are signed. If things get a little crazy, which they often can with selling a home, an experienced agent will have the resources, experience and contacts to help get things done.

- commission are *always* negotiable. If someone doesn't want to pay 7 percent, he or she can go with another agent (though I don't know many agents charging 7 percent). And, I have to say, it amazes me how people complain about having to pay their realtor. A good realtor works hard for his or her clients and earns every penny of the commission. Most clients don't see what goes on behind the scenes and so think a realtor's job is limited to sticking signs in yards and then sitting back and waiting for the bucks to roll in.

- price is the only thing that does or does not sell a house. If your house isn't selling, the price is too high.

Sparrow
___________________
www.scifichics.com
 
Sparrow, No agent is worth $20,000 for selling my house. They don't do that much work. Like I said this is my fourth house. We could have sold it on our own this summer if we had more time. We had 2 people interested, but because we to had to have some exterior work done last minute and getting contractors in summer that are already booked up, it took too much time. If we could have put it on the market in May by ourselves, we would have sold it because we live in prime location. Realtors can give you more exposure, but I am not too thrilled thus far with ReMax. I wonder how much he is really doing to sell our house.
 
Sparrow, I agree wholeheartedly with everything you just said...I have to ask, though...Are DH's FSBO's the most high maintaince clients he's ever had?? I know the FSBO's I've listed have been!!

I hate being lumped in as "just another agent"...I work hard for the money I make!!!

MJ
 
>Sparrow, No agent is worth $20,000 for selling my house. They
>don't do that much work. Like I said this is my fourth house.
>We could have sold it on our own this summer if we had more
>time. We had 2 people interested, but because we to had to
>have some exterior work done last minute and getting
>contractors in summer that are already booked up, it took too
>much time. If we could have put it on the market in May by
>ourselves, we would have sold it because we live in prime
>location. Realtors can give you more exposure, but I am not
>too thrilled thus far with ReMax. I wonder how much he is
>really doing to sell our house.

no doubt there are lousy agents out there! There are also alot of people in the business who simply got on when things were hot and they could make a quick buck. Many - though certainly not all - of these folks don't have much interest in the client as a (worried) human being. If you are experiencing that right now, I feel for you. Maybe you could talk with him about canceling the listing contract?

Sparrow


www.scifichics.com
 
>Sparrow, I agree wholeheartedly with everything you just
>said...I have to ask, though...Are DH's FSBO's the most high
>maintaince clients he's ever had?? I know the FSBO's I've
>listed have been!!
>
>I hate being lumped in as "just another agent"...I work hard
>for the money I make!!!
>
>MJ


MJ, I think DH would agree with you! He says former FSBOs are difficult because most of them have either 1) been burned by an agent in the past and so don't trust them as a whole or 2) resent that they have to pay anyone to help them sell their house at all! Either way, he is the "bad guy." He usually wins people over though in the end, because he's such a sweetheart, and a professional.

Like you, he works hard for his money. There are weeks where I barely see him. I confess that I am a bit techy about it. Too many people have made rude comments in the past. Ah well, whatever works for people :)

Sparrow

www.scifichics.com
 
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