Bad Luck With House Sale ?

[tippyclubb]

If it weren't hard enough to sell a house in the Detroit, Mi. area, it may be almost impossible for us. In spite of it all were following through with our original plan and placing the house on the market May 5th. I'd like to share our story with you all.

Back in February we look out the window and water is shooting out the lawn 4 or 5 feet. The water main pipe broke and we have no grass in half of our front lawn. This cannot be repaired until late May or early June. Didn't think much of it, just a small bump in the road, but not prepared for what would happen next.

Not long after that I wake up one morning to see black smoke rolling down the street. I look outdoors and the house to the left of us is on fire. Thank God everyone got out alive, but they did loose two cats in the fire. Every window in the house was busted out and part of the garage door. The house is now boarded up and looks like an abandoned house. Great, now this is not a good look for potential home buyers. It gets worse.

Two weeks ago I get a call from my neighbor on the right asking if she could borrow our shop vac. I take it over there and she has a foot of water in her basement.

A few days ago the construction has begun on both houses. Yep, a flood restoration truck on one side and fire restoration on the other side. Plus, we have a huge area of grass missing in the front yard with a huge pile of dirt. I have to laugh to keep from crying.

We debated much before going ahead with plans to sell. May is prime time for selling homes and 90% of closing happen this time of year. Our agent assures us the house will sell because of low inventory and our home being in great desirable condition. We will see what happens. I may need to bury two or three St. Joseph statues upside down in that big pile of dirt.

[shcisamax]

That is a quite a challenging story. Sorry. BUT it will work out.

[Happinow]

My heart goes out to you. The good thing is that both houses on either side of you are being worked on and that means improvement. Hopefully the restorations move quickly and things won't be unsightly for long. Things are bound to turn around for you. Soon you will be able to look back at this experience and wonder how you got through it. It will make your move all the sweeter! Keep thinking positive thoughts. Wishing you all the best.

[njbchbum]

What with repairs being made to the homes on either side of yours, I'd say that the black cloud that had hovered there for so long is on the move! Hopefully the real estate folks who show your house will be sure to suggest to potential buyers that they should buy now rather than face a price increase after those other homes are fixed up!

[graciegirl]

If it weren't hard enough to sell a house in the Detroit, Mi. area, it may be almost impossible for us. In spite of it all were following through with our original plan and placing the house on the market May 5th. I'd like to share our story with you all.

Back in February we look out the window and water is shooting out the lawn 4 or 5 feet. The water main pipe broke and we have no grass in half of our front lawn. This cannot be repaired until late May or early June. Didn't think much of it, just a small bump in the road, but not prepared for what would happen next.

Not long after that I wake up one morning to see black smoke rolling down the street. I look outdoors and the house to the left of us is on fire. Thank God everyone got out alive, but they did loose two cats in the fire. Every window in the house was busted out and part of the garage door. The house is now boarded up and looks like an abandoned house. Great, now this is not a good look for potential home buyers. It gets worse.

Two weeks ago I get a call from my neighbor on the right asking if she could borrow our shop vac. I take it over there and she has a foot of water in her basement.

A few days ago the construction has begun on both houses. Yep, a flood restoration truck on one side and fire restoration on the other side. Plus, we have a huge area of grass missing in the front yard with a huge pile of dirt. I have to laugh to keep from crying.

We debated much before going ahead with plans to sell. May is prime time for selling homes and 90% of closing happen this time of year. Our agent assures us the house will sell because of low inventory and our home being in great desirable condition. We will see what happens. I may need to bury two or three St. Joseph statues upside down in that big pile of dirt.



Good Grief Girl. I'll say. Now is the time for some good things to happen, and I have lived long enough to guess that they will.


You have a bunch of friends who you haven't met who will be keeping their fingers and toes crossed. We will be waiting at this end to greet you with hugs. You might add a St. Jude statue too, just for....a little extra help. (I really don't believe in buried statues, but it can't HURT.)

[Suzi]

I'm originally from Detroit and have family in the suburbs. Currently live in the UP and the villages. Don't know where you are located, but I wish you the best. I can only imagine how overwhelmed and frustrated you must feel. It will work out. Summer and fall are great times to sell a home in MI. Especially fall season. Its just beautiful. Some of my family have sold even in winter. Good luck and we'll leave the light on.

[CFrance]

Good Grief Girl. I'll say. Now is the time for some good things to happen, and I have lived long enough to guess that they will.


You have a bunch of friends who you haven't met who will be keeping their fingers and toes crossed. We will be waiting at this end to greet you with hugs. You might add a St. Jude statue too, just for....a little extra help. (I really don't believe in buried statues, but it can't HURT.)

Wow, what a story. Bury those statues! I believe, I believe!

AND, tippy, 2BNTV informs me that there is a wonderful wine tasting at ABC liquors on October 15. With food. You must be here by then!:MOJE_whot:

Fingers crossed. Buyers will see that the houses on either side are being cared for and will be in good condition like yours.

[elizabeth52]

OMG.....bury six of those statues! And I was feeling bad because we just found out our sewer line needs to be replaced! Just think, it will make a great story to tell at your first Crispers luncheon in the Villages!

[tippyclubb]

Thanks everyone for your encouraging words. Our agent did say she would inform buyers the house with the fire would look brand new when finished.

We are fortunate in that its not imperative the house sells quickly so we have the time to wait out the construction phase. Of course we would like to sell quick but then we will be homeless and moving in with our son for 4-6 months. Yikes, that's another thread one day.

Gracie I'll take you up on those hugs! I'm a hugger.

[Parker]

The construction on both sides of your home would NOT keep me from buying your home if I liked it. I would be looking at area and at how well other homes in the area are kept up. Keep your home very clean, uncluttered, and priced right. You'll do fine.

[jnieman]

If it helps any we had our home on the market and we lived near the Air Force Base. They changed the pattern that the planes take to take off. The C-17's were taking off in a pattern right over our house. They were so low I could read the lettering on the bottom of the plane. Loud noise and many times a day. Every time we had a showing the planes would begin their training missions and start taking off. It took us 1 and a half months but we sold it. Wishing you the same luck that I had.

[justjim]

There is usually only one reason why a house doesn't sell---PRICE. Even if a house is not in a good location or needs updates, it will sell if the price is right.

We have bought and sold over 25 homes. Make sure your Realtor has done a "good" market analysis and price your home accordingly. It doesnt hurt to do your own research too. It's not what dollars you want out of the house, it's what someone is currently willing to pay.

Finally, the longer on the market the harder it usually becomes to sell.

Good luck. You will be coming to the finest retirement community in the country.

[CFrance]

There is usually only one reason why a house doesn't sell---PRICE. Even if a house is not in a good location or needs updates, it will sell if the price is right.

We have bought and sold over 25 homes. Make sure your Realtor has done a "good" market analysis and price your home accordingly. It doesnt hurt to do your own research too. It's not what dollars you want out of the house, it's what someone is currently willing to pay.

Finally, the longer on the market the harder it usually becomes to sell.

Good luck. You will be coming to the finest retirement community in the country.

This is true, BUT... look at the market too. You mentioned that you are fortunate in that you don't have to sell in order to move to TV. We were in the same situation in 2011 when we bought in TV. But the market was not good then.

Then we put our MI condo up for sale in June of 2012, and had no interest after a month of showings. Our realtor (who had not marketed the place at all, but nonetheless...) told us if we could hold onto it for a year, things would be different. So we took it off the market and enjoyed the summer there.

In April of 2013, I came home for a week to go to a friend's wedding, and on impulse threw it back on the market (different realtor). The first person through bought it, for more than we had it priced the year before. Had to hurry home and pack it up. You might have this same luck since the market has picked up even further.

(And then, of course, there's that upside-down St. Joseph in the yard!:D)

[NotGolfer]

As you said, your agent will prepare her clients re: what's going on. That said though, many prospective folks do a virtual tour of homes these days before coming for an on-sight look. So, if your home shows good in the photos or video, that should be in your favor. This could work out well for you, so don't lose faith!!!

[OBXNana]

We've bought and sold more than our share of houses. If we were looking at a house and houses on either side were getting major renovations, we'd say GREAT. Those house will improve the neighborhood and appreciate the value of the house I'm considering buying. That would be incentive for us to put in an offer.

[tippyclubb]

The bad luck continues. The agent has listed the house, although there will not be any showings until Monday. The pictures she took were awful and Mickey Mouse could have done better. In her property details she left out our new roof, finished basement, and she had our outside hot tub as being in the basement. She had it listed as a 1 bath home and its 2. I called and informed her of the mistakes.

I looked on Zillow and the sq. footage was wrong by 1,000 feet and there were no pictures of the house. I called her again and she said she had no control of what Zillow's did. All she did was submit information and could not change it. I took pictures and got on Zillow's and corrected the wrong information and added pictures. Basically, I did her job.

Now were stuck with this incompetent idiot for 90 days. I will be talking with the head person in charge in the morning. She sure had a great sales pitch and we felt good about choosing her. Wrong. Before hiring her I researched her and read her reviews on line. No complaints. She was also rated as one of the top realtors in the area.

Thanks for reading my little rant.

[jblum315]

Location, Location, Location! Seems to be the magic word in real estate.And you say you're in a good location. I wouldn't worry about the other stuff. S**t happens. I bet you sell your house in May.

[senior citizen]

TO "TIPPYCLUBB" and everyone else in the process of listing their homes for sale up north....

We always listed our homes for sale in the month of May.
When we were younger, our first home sold in ONE DAY.
Subsequent homes sold in a few weeks. Obviously, the prices were lower back then. Later homes always sold in the autumn, or prior to the autumn, when children needed to be "settled" in school.

This year, due to a long long winter, we decided to wait until after Memorial Day weekend when everything up here is in bloom......
Plus the fact that we are "slowing down". Our snow cover hung around so long, that our landscapers just got around to doing a spring cleanup on the grounds......and mowed us for the first time yesterday.

Like everyone else, we watch those HGTV shows. How times have changed. The young couples buying now want to negotiate everything, where in our day, we just paid the asking price.
They also want closing costs paid. Everyone is telling us to list "higher" than what we hope to get at the end.

We've discussed that "this is not a race" and "there is no rush".
I also just read something interesting yesterday, prior to last night's solar eclipse........I'll share it with you....

“””Your best timing for home-or-property related aspects will come after Jupiter, giver of gifts and luck, enters Leo on July 16, 2014, and will remain in Leo until August 11, 2015. This applies to you whether you plan to buy or sell a house, do a renovation, or acquire or sell furniture. If you wait until after July 15, you are more likely to get the high price you seek for your property sale or be able to strike an attractive bargain on a mortgage or refinancing plan. This is worth repeating: starting in mid-July, you will have an entire year, until August 11, 2015, to finish all your home-related actions. “”””


Actually, it kind of makes sense.......twenty years ago, which is the last time we sold a home, even though we listed in May as the inground pool was uncovered, everything was green and in bloom, the realtors actually DID NOT begin to bring around anyone , in earnest, until July through September......lots of folks have college graduations and weddings in May, high school graduations and weddings in June, and so on.........July is when they seriously begin searching..........or so it seems.

My advice is to be patient. Best wishes for a good outcome.

P.S.
I'm not looking forward, myself, to "cleaning" the three bathrooms and kitchen every single day to "show" the house. Last time, I was 49 years old........big difference in "cleaning stamina" to present age of 69.

We had a large ranch last time around; I would run that vacuum from one end to the other and then into the great room.........no problem. Now, with all the staircases in this house and huge rooms........truthfully, I'm not looking forward to people traipsing through. Our daughter in law said we should just rent it out and move down now...........but hubby thinks the renters will make a mess. It's NOT EASY and I feel for you........all of you who are listing their homes now.

[jnieman]

The bad luck continues. The agent has listed the house, although there will not be any showings until Monday. The pictures she took were awful and Mickey Mouse could have done better. In her property details she left out our new roof, finished basement, and she had our outside hot tub as being in the basement. She had it listed as a 1 bath home and its 2. I called and informed her of the mistakes.

I looked on Zillow and the sq. footage was wrong by 1,000 feet and there were no pictures of the house. I called her again and she said she had no control of what Zillow's did. All she did was submit information and could not change it. I took pictures and got on Zillow's and corrected the wrong information and added pictures. Basically, I did her job.

Now were stuck with this incompetent idiot for 90 days. I will be talking with the head person in charge in the morning. She sure had a great sales pitch and we felt good about choosing her. Wrong. Before hiring her I researched her and read her reviews on line. No complaints. She was also rated as one of the top realtors in the area.

Thanks for reading my little rant.

I would be disappointed in her as well. We have bought and sold 10 homes of our own. We would take down all wallpaper, paint the house neutral, clean the house thoroughly including carpets and declutter removing all traces of family photos, nick nacks etc. I made up a flyer listing all of the extras the home had. I found photos that were taken various times of the year, when the spring flowers were out and the grass was lush green. For every showing I had a stack of those flyers on the countertop and the pictures laid out for all to see.

[CFrance]

I would be disappointed in her as well. We have bought and sold 10 homes of our own. We would take down all wallpaper, paint the house neutral, clean the house thoroughly including carpets and declutter removing all traces of family photos, nick nacks etc. I made up a flyer listing all of the extras the home had. I found photos that were taken various times of the year, when the spring flowers were out and the grass was lush green. For every showing I had a stack of those flyers on the countertop and the pictures laid out for all to see.

Our neighbor was a good realtor, and she did the picture thing as well, and listed all the amenities on it. Easy to take home with you and jog your memory. Your realtor sounds like our first one. They think the internet will sell the house, and they don't do their jobs. No advertising. They wouldn't even hold an open house. We ditched them asap. Our second realtor used a professional photographer to take pictures, advertised and held open houses.

Maybe you can ditch the first one early? With ours, we were allowed to back out at any time and relist with another. Check your contract.

As for Zillow... they had our house listed across the street, non-waterfront, and half the square footage it actually was! Needless to say, their price guestimate was way low. NOBODY should trust Zillow.

[Jhooman]

Don't give up on your dream.

[tippyclubb]

I called and spoke with the owner of the realtor company this morning and raised cane. He will be taking over the listing and went into the sites and made changes and replaced the photos with the ones I took. He called a few minutes ago and said we have a showing on Monday.

[the square]

I'm thinking this a reality show in the making..:yuck:

[tippyclubb]

I'm thinking this a reality show in the making..:yuck:

Oh that's funny--I needed that laugh. We can call it Nightmare on Kennedy Street.

Things are looking better just got another call to see if I'm ready to show it on Friday too. I am.

Thanks everyone for your input. I appreciate it. Most of all thanks for listening as I know you understand.

[Patty55]

The next time you're feeling unlucky step out front look at the house on either side of you. As they say in my country, "There is nothing so bad that it couldn't be worse."

[tippyclubb]

The next time you're feeling unlucky step out front look at the house on either side of you. As they say in my country, "There is nothing so bad that it couldn't be worse."

I love this Patty.

For me its not always easy to think this way and I'll keep this attitude in mind during the home selling process.