Yours is a good question that applies to many people.. If I were your new agent
right now, I would tell you this. (Some may differ, and if they do, I bet they
will let us know in short order.) I hope you accept it as good news.

There are many good suggestions so far on what may be wrong and what you might
do to do to make your home more attractive to a given buyer. When you boil it
all down, there is only one basic problem. Your Price is too high for the home
you are offering to the potential buyers that are aware of its availability!
What leads to that conclusion?

If someone is specifically LOOKING for a home in your area, and it has been in
the multiple list and on a yard sign for 90 days, they have most likely seen
it. Fact: All who have become aware of it by whatever means have turned it
down at the asking price. The factors that cause rejection are varied and hard
to pin down. You can't change all the internal factors, and none of the
external factors locked in by your location itself, but you can change the price
to compensate for ALL of them.

Without seeing it, a real estate broker knows that at some price there is a
buyer for any home, no matter what the problems are. For example there are
those who only buy environmentally challenged properties. There are others who
buy to tear down and build new. Your home is unique from all others, if only in
location. There is a buyer for it at the right price FOR THAT BUYER!

You can keep offering your home at your current asking price and make that price
more attractive by removing any identified problems over which you have some
control or by adding competitive features. Both will cost you time or money. Or,
you can lower the price and change nothing. Think of it as a reverse auction.
You started higher than anyone will pay and you are going down until sold. As
long as prospects know it is available and what the price is, at some point, a
buyer will jump in.. So it's been on the market "too long" and the price has
been lowered several times, that is not fatal. You are in no hurry and are
simply taking your time in getting to the right price. When you started, you
did not know what the right price was. Now, you have all the evidence you need
to know that it was too high to start, and still is. In the meantime, you have
missed some buyers who have bought elsewhere, but there is still a buyer
waiting for it. It may not sell for the price you would like, but it is salable.

Another key point in your question is that of availability to the interested
prospects. You get a "C" at best for that effort so far. One of those people
you denied a visit may have been viable at or near your price. If you are
serious about selling, make up your mind to go out of your way to make it
available for inspection to everyone who wants to see it, and at a time
convenient to THEM. Your convenience and your agent's convenience is secondary.
Your home has been on the market for 3 months. Saturday morning at 7:30 and I
have to bring my 3 year old? FINE! Get up and get out. Wednesday night in the
middle of your normal dinner hour when you have a guest for dinner is the only
time they have available to come? Come on over! The real estate agent is going
to handle it, you are out of the picture. Go out for dinner, or keep eating but
make sure your dinner is aromatic. Realize that while locals may look at their
leisure for years with the thought of a first home or upgrade when they spot a
bargain in the right place at the right time, many ready, willing and able
buyers are on tight schedules when they go to a new city to find a home. They
look at a handful and buy one. That can happen any time of the year in many
locations.

You are talking about repainting to a different color. If we bought your
townhome, my wife would change the colors no matter how carefully you selected
them. Probably change the carpet also. However, if we knew there had EVER been
a cat in it, we and many others would never look at it at any price because of
allergies among the relative who would visit. Others would not mind.. Every
buyer is different so you cannot please them all no matter what you change.

Last item, the Real Estate Salesperson working with you and the Broker they work
for. When all else fails, it is easy to blame them! There are any number of
things they may be doing wrong or not doing at all. But remember, if your town
is typical, the agent that listed your property is not likely to be the one who
will sell it unless it is a very hot market and it sells before it gets to the
multiple list. That happens. It is not happening for you, but you have the
advantage of the combined resources of every agent in town being aware of your
property so that they may show it to their clients. They want to make a sale.
They eat better when they do. Every one of them would like to sell your home for
you.

You say with the Summer over it is too late to sell? Out of curiosity , where
is your home that it can only be sold in the Summer? Do all the real estate
offices close down in September and the sales people leave town until next
Spring? If so, that sounds like an opportunity for someone to open an office
year round and cater to the skiers and ice fishermen, as well as those
transferring in who did not know Summer was the only time to buy. Is there
really such a place?

Good luck.



H H wrote:

Hi. I've lurked in this group awhile and I am in need of some advice

We've had our home on the market over 90 days. We have had only 1 offer in
that time,
and the deal fell through. We, along with our agent, have no idea what the
issues are.
The house is clean, and in overall good condition. Our house is not a "money
pit",
even though the "pits" here have sold.

I've seen allot of advice that says the reason for us still on the market is
may be price, which we
have lowered 3 times. I am beginning to think that we were never priced
right from the
beginning. Now, given that the summer is almost over, it's too late.

Any thoughts?
Thanks in advance.