anybody else here trying to sell a house?

[rowerwet]

my house for sale is in Maine, has been on the market since two thanksgivings ago, one crazy person who wanted to live in it before the closing, and a low ball offer, then nothing. Finally tonight it looks like we might have a nibble...
and that is only because we slashed the price to nothing, with all the repairs and improvements put into it we are taking a loss, but it is paid for and not underwater

[cs_whypt2]

Hello Rowerwet -

I am sorry to hear that you will be taking a loss, but it seams as if it will still come as a relief to you.
I am not attempting to sell my house now. I bought it less then a year ago. Property taxes came around the other day and it shows that my property depreciated almost a fourth. (ouch) But I love it and it works for now - probably for the next couple of years. Thing is, mine is nothing big, not expensive at all, I already paid off the loan and I expect to lose some money on it. But I do find myself making paint and flooring choices based on the next buyer and not based on what I want. (Weird that way, huh?) I will be selling a couple of years from now and am not looking forward to it.
But, like I said,
An early (hopeful) congrats on the sale.

Dianne

[Fenlason]

I am sorry for your difficulties in selling. We sold my mother in-laws place.. a year and a half ago. [here in Maine also] The closing got delayed because of it being and FHA loan.. and congressional games with funding.. but even with that it was maybe 6 months. I guess it depends where you are.. and the property. A neighbor as well as a co-worker of my wife.. each sold theirs very quickly.. so quickly they were each caught off guard.

[rowerwet]

mine should have been easy I thought, on the state line with Rochester, NH, property taxes are only $1,300/yr, I added an out door pellet boiler (half the cost of oil per year to heat the whole house) put on a new roof, put in a new boiler, lined the chimney, tank-less water heater, whirlpool tub ($300 clearance at the depot, replaced a claw foot tub) , all new windows, new exterior doors and storm doors. It has hardwood floors in all but the bathroom and kitchen ( I refinished all of them) new floor, cabinets, counter tops, stove in the kitchen, new floor in bathroom. fenced in the backyard.Bought it as a two bedroom, made it into a three bedroom. Has a small attached barn, and a basement. It is a nice quiet neighborhood with good neighbors who look out for each other and plenty of kids. Also has city water from Rochester, NH. The only good part about it is did all the work except the windows, exterior doors, and steepest part of the roof (new englander) my self, so no extra money for labor.
back in the boom years it would have brought 189K (.25 acres).
It was a nice home for us for 11 yrs, but getting a little tight with 6 of us.
I slashed the price after the election, as I know things will only get worse, and the house insurance went from $600/yr to 2K/yr.
The only good side is I will be able to write all of the improvements off so no capital gains tax, should end up as a plus on my taxes.
Really feel sorry for all those underwater

[Visionsbydarrah]

I've also been trying to sale my home here in Kansas... It's been on the market for almost 4yrs now.
This past January (last month) I lowered the price again and switched real estate agents as well.
The only thing I don't understand is that its priced right where its should be according to my agent.
So here's to hoping....

[S. Heisley]

My neighbor, a policeman, listed his house on Craigslist and sold it in a week's time. While that sounds alarming, I'm told that the key is to be certain that the person that is interested is pre-approved by a reputable bank for the amount of money that you are asking for (verify that). Don't let just anybody walk through your home. Also, close the sale through either an escrow, or even better, a lawyer.

Something else that is important to know is that if a Realtor has previously shown the house to the buyer, there could be financial repercussions.
You'll need to check up on how that works in your state. If you are currently under contract with a Realtor, there could also be financial repercussions.

[suckerpunched]

Well said S. Heisley,,,,,pre-approved,,,,not qualified. A good title company is a must in buying or selling... A reputable realtor can really help as will an honest mortage company... I did real estate sales (licienced) for three years and lost many sales because I was too honest. Went back to turning wrenches for a living....TC

[rowerwet]

the house is now under contract AND the buyer is even interested in buying the pellet boiler I installed four years ago and just can't let go with the house at that price. At first she didn't seem interested, but her dad is helping her and he says she needs it (thanks dad!). The outdoor pellet boiler heats the whole house using the forced hot water heat, and costs just less than half of what oil costs per year.
I've got to go up and fire the pellet boiler up tomorrow to show the buyer, and make sure she thinks she can handle operating it. really hoping I don't have to get my dealer to move it, I can't do it my self, it weighs 1,500 lbs and needs a special truck or trailer to pick it up (much like a grave stone moving truck)

[Visionsbydarrah]

Wow! Thats great....

[suckerpunched]

Good luck....hope all goes well......

[GerryS]

No, but I wish I was. We're looking for 10 AC of land with a livable (FHA eligible) house that needs work to turn it into a nice place...preferably with a good bit of trees, but enough open space for a couple of horses and a 1/4 AC a
Garden....other than that we aren't too picky. I can find these places, but none that will allow me to keep my current job . 10 years ago, I would have just found work near where we landed.....but now, are you kidding? I know people who have legitimately been looking for work for over a year....

[Fenlason]

the house is now under contract AND the buyer is even interested in buying the pellet boiler I installed four years ago and just can't let go with the house at that price. At first she didn't seem interested, but her dad is helping her and he says she needs it (thanks dad!). The outdoor pellet boiler heats the whole house using the forced hot water heat, and costs just less than half of what oil costs per year.
I've got to go up and fire the pellet boiler up tomorrow to show the buyer, and make sure she thinks she can handle operating it. really hoping I don't have to get my dealer to move it, I can't do it my self, it weighs 1,500 lbs and needs a special truck or trailer to pick it up (much like a grave stone moving truck)

congrats... and good luck.

[eamarquardt]

Here in parts of So. Cal. it is now a seller's market. Very few houses listed for sale. Investors are snapping them up. Multiple offers within days of going on the market and some offers are for more than the listing price.

I looked at a very modest 1500 square foot house on about a 6000 square foot lot. Everything was dated and needed replacing both inside and outside (all hardscape and softscape was junk). It was listed for $399K and the listing said that they'd be opening the offers on a specific date and would accept the highest offer. They were expecting to be inundated with offers. We looked at it the second day it was on the market and while we were there, 4 prospects drove by to check it out.

I guess it depends upon where you live. The market is recovering to some extent in some places.

Good luck.

Gus

[S. Heisley]

Here in parts of So. Cal. it is now a seller's market. Very few houses listed for sale. Investors are snapping them up. Multiple offers within days of going on the market and some offers are for more than the listing price.

I looked at a very modest 1500 square foot house on about a 6000 square foot lot. Everything was dated and needed replacing both inside and outside (all hardscape and softscape was junk). It was listed for $399K and the listing said that they'd be opening the offers on a specific date and would accept the highest offer. They were expecting to be inundated with offers. We looked at it the second day it was on the market and while we were there, 4 prospects drove by to check it out.

I guess it depends upon where you live. The market is recovering to some extent in some places.

Good luck.

Gus

It seems that the markets always recover from a recession first in So. Cal. When things get going down there, it can be a good sign for the rest of the nation. Lets hope that everything continues to recover.

[Fenlason]

While things are not all Milk and Honey here. We are doing ok. While I am sure there are plenty out of work, I can't say, I personally know anyone that is unemployed. We do have new construction going on. We passed a few houses being build yesterday on our bike ride. We have a new hospital being build nearby. We even had a local recreation area put in snow making equipment for their cross country skis trails. I know those in the snowmobile business are hurting [some places closing] but that is mostly due to our lack of snow for the past few years.