Seattle:  When Your House Won't Sell -

I showed a house that has literally been sitting on the market for almost a year.  It annoyed me initially that it is a vacant house and the listing agent put on there that it was occupied with the phone to show of course being her number, but what is really annoying is that she won't return my call.

Deep breath because Sunday is the day of rest, right?  NO!  Not for me!  I had a rainy Open House  that still managed to get some traffic and appointments to show all afternoon and into the evening.  I have been calling this agent since YESTERDAY.  A few more hours and I have the right to call her seller directly.

So I decide to do a little investigating...  She has one listing and it has been on the market for almost a year PLUS she is out of area AND  there aren't any attached docs on the MLS (We upload our legal description, seller disclosures, etc. here). 

So you tell me: Why has this house not sold in almost a year?  Anyone, anyone?

Sellers, please take note:  There are some better ways to sell your house!  Your house does not have to be on the market for this long!!! 

Are you interested in Seattle real estate?  realestate@cooperjacobs.com

edited to take out a picture which wasn't THE house, but I would hate to target an innocent random house which is what the picture was of:)

I love Staging! 

Staging is one of the major things I think should be done in this day and age when you are selling a house in this market. I want all my listings to be cleaned and Staged!  A buyer needs to be able to come into a house and feel comfortable with the surroundings!  I was in a house the other day that for the most part had some drop dead gorgeous Staging through out, but there were a couple VERY STRANGE things and I had to share!

Dried beans and waxy candle leaves.....

This first picture would have actually been a fine place setting  - even with the dried beans, but there is a CANDLE in the middle of all of the bowls - very strange decision in my opinion, but I haven't been through a professional staging class yet.  I don't think I need to go through a class to know I don't like it - what do you think?

OK...next:

Honestly, I have no idea what these are.  They look like a sstrange combination of garlic and cotton, or some kind of sea creature.  Up close, they are clusters of fake garlic as far as I can tell..but, why????  Fake garlic on a stick... and there were six of them...in the living room!

I am not a snob!  The rest of the house was very well done. I just love sharing some of the weird things I find from day to day...

Are you interested in Seattle real estate?  realestate@cooperjacobs.com

Seattle Real Estate on a Shoestring:  Selling Your House

Seattle real estate:  I have been through a lot of houses in the last few days!  I have been through so many houses around Seattle, that when the listing agents call me for feedback, I literally feel put on the spot to try and remember which house they are possibly talking about! 

Going through twenty houses in the same price range can make it glaringly obvious when one stands out as being a winner in its field.

 Here are some cheap things that make a huge difference if you find that you are trying to sell on a shoestring:

2. New carpet - or at least have it cleaned, but carpet is also really cheap - especially if you shop around.

3.Appliances - Include them!  Even though these are small investments relative to the cost of the house, I can tell you form my experience that not including appliances in the sale is a road block to many new buyers.  They are far too stressed out thinking about the new payments and big investment, and if you sprinkle no appliances on that heap, they glaze over.  I have seen it!

All of these items are inexpensive and the carpet and paint will go a long way in eliminating any pet smells you might have, but also in getting you the best return in a shorter time.  Put yourself in a new buyer's shoes and do the inexpensive broad strokes items.

Are you interested in Seattle real estate?  Seattle suburbs real estate? realestate@cooperjacobs.com

Moving stinks!

Having your house on the market is stressful - I won't sugar coat it.  It is a pain to have to keep it clean to the point that you can leave whenever a real estate agent calls you to make an appointment.  It is hard to be able to live life normally when your house is for sale!  That is a fact.

Been there, done that...

I sympathize with you while you are relocating to a new house because it is one of the most emotional and difficult times even with an extremely smooth transaction.  I remember because I did it again about four years ago.  Even as a real estate agent who understands the process completely, it was a crazy time in my life.  My favorite escrow officer thought I was a crazy woman. 

If you are already going to the trouble....

OK, so - if you are already going to go to the trouble of putting your house on the market, then why not do just a few things to help it sell. I have lots of tips - some you have heard, some not.  Here they are:

Seattle Seller Tips

These are all wonderful and work well, but I have to tell you that the biggest road block I am running into lately as far as selling houses to buyers is some of the sellers themselves.  I am finding that about 40% of the appointments I am trying to make are not only non appreciative of my enthusiasm for their house, but they are just too busy to let a buyer come see their home.  Seriously?

I have only in the last week or so run into this phenomenon, so I have to think it is the 80 plus degree weather we are having in Seattle.  Warm weather is like having a day off around here for many, but if you already have it on the market, you might as well let buyers come see it, right?

The bottom line?

They can't buy it if they can't see it.  I know, it isn't rocket science...

Do you need help moving?  realestate@cooperjacobs.com

Seattle real estate:  I sell Seattle houses!  I sell Seattle suburb houses!  I am a Seattle Realtor!  I work hard for my clients and make sure that they get my highest attention to detail!  I blog and advertise on at least 20 to 30 sites.  I send out post cards and make flyers.  I show my listings often! I have a list of potential buyers that I send my listings to.  I even hold Seattle Open Houses!

I work very hard for my clients!  Why am I telling you this?  Because today when I looked in the NWMLS at a Seattle suburb house for one of my buyers, there were just a few really bad shots of the interior of the house and one of them had a really dumb description.  It was a crooked shot of half of a full bathroom and not very well lit.  That was not the bad part.  The kicker?  The description read, "Typical Bath". SERIOUSLY????  Why bother writing anything in the description?

The MLS does not give us very many characters to write about how wonderful your house is in the main marketing remarks, but we are given many more characters for the captions of each of the pictures we add.  I always like to look at this as another opportunity to gush about the various features if I didn't have room in the main marketing area. Seattle buyers really notice this so take the time and the wonderful space allowed and really market those listings to the fullest!

Or.....

Don't say anything at all if the only thing you can think of is Typical Bath. This does not do the client any favors.  The particular bathroom in question actually seemed better to me than a typical bath, but I have seen some pretty bad baths lately so who knows.  Do you have a typical bath?

(BTW, this is not the bath pictures next to that caption:)  This is another photo I took to show sellers that they should close their toilets for staging:))

Interested in Seattle real estate?  Seattle suburbs real estate? Seattle short sales? Seattle foreclosures? realestate@cooperjacobs.com

Courtney Cooper ....For all your Seattle Washington Real Estate Needs! Seattle Area Real Estate Agent: Broker and Realtor serving North King & South Snohomish County.  Seattle Real Estate and Seattle Suburbs!  Cooper Jacobs Real Estate Services:   Experienced REALTOR with a background in accounting - I love my clients and work hard for them! Please call me if you are looking for a home or investment property (including short sales, preforeclosures, foreclosures, and REO properties) in Seattle (Ballard real estate, Crown Hill, Phinney, Ravenna, Maple Leaf real estate, Green Lake real estate (Greenlake), Greenwood, Northgate, Lake City,University, Sand Point, Laurelhurst, Windermere, Fremont, Wallingford, Queen Anne, Westlake, Eastlake, Lake Union, Downtown, Madison Park), Shoreline real estate, Edmonds, Brier real estate, Lynnwood real estate, Mountlake Terrace real estate, Lake Forest Park real estate, Bothell real estate,Redmond, Kirkland, Mill Creek real estate, Everett, or other Seattle Suburbs real estate!

I thought it might be time to revisit some Seattle seller tips! Obviously, I think you should hire a FULL SERVICE REALTOR, but you can skip that tip for now....

1. Housekeeping- Hire a housekeeper - You want your home to shine! The extra money will most likely be worth the investment.
2. Lawn Maintenance - Your curb appeal will go to zero no matter what the interior looks like if the outside is bad...you want to get buyers inside to see how great your house is!!!!
3. Process, process, process!!!! - This is something I have to go through weekly - okay, daily - in my own house. I call it processing. It is simply going through clutter and sorting it into piles - charitable contributions, trash, give away to friends, recycling, keep. It is helpful to do this regularly, but taking the time to do a big process job on your garage and closets can really pay off! Buyers will see all of the space you have in your home instead of all of the stuff.
4. Dress Cabinets & Closets - You should really consider this even if it seems silly. Take the merchandising approach and color code your closets - hang clothing by shades of color and really make your closet look like a rack at The Gap! The same thing can be done with your kitchen cabinets - turning all the labels on the cans outward and making sure the pantry is organized and not cramped is vital. Time to go drop off that very much needed donation at the food bank, I think. 
5. Storage - Make the investment to store extra furniture or clothes that fill up closets and garages. Clear your kitchen counters of appliances and clutter. Your home needs to scream spaciousness and plenty of storage.
6. Vacate the premises during showings - PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Leave your house well before showings! You want the buyers to be able to picture themselves in your home. They can't do this with you in it. It is also uncomfortable for buyers to be in your home with you there.
7. Buyer Incentives...Offer to pay closing costs or some other form of bonus to help out or "sweeten the pot" for a buyer when they are making a purchasing decision. They have lots to choose from right now and helping them make it easier to choose your home above the others is key!
   
8. Selling Office Commission: Don't discount it - Pay the buyer's agent well!!! That agent is the hero who is bringing you a qualified buyer!!! I would even consider offering an agent bonus! It might encourage them to bring even more buyers back!
9. Price your home right! Doing all of the above won't matter if you don't price your home correctly. (Again, your full service Realtor is qualified to do this! )Also please keep in mind that starting a bit lower could not only get you multiple offers even in this market. More importantly, starting lower would save you thousands and thousands in carrying costs that your home would be incurring while it sits on the market at a higher price!
   
10. OKAY #10...HIRE THE FULL SERVICE REALTOR who has a STRONG WEB Presence..You don't need discounts in this market!!!  Hire someone who is proficient with the internet and can get your house on the web in multiple locations.  The majority of home buyers are starting their searches now online - you want your house to be in front of them!

 Looking for Seattle listings?  Interested in Brier real estate?  Lynnwood WA real estate?  Mountlake Terrace real estate?  realestate@cooperjacobs.com

Courtney Cooper ....For all your Seattle Washington Real Estate Needs! Seattle Area Real Estate Agent: Broker and Realtor serving North King & South Snohomish County.  Seattle Real Estate and Seattle Suburbs!  Cooper Jacobs Real Estate Services:   Experienced REALTOR with a background in accounting - I love my clients and work hard for them! Please call me if you are looking for a home or investment property (including short sales, preforeclosures, foreclosures, and REO properties) in Seattle (Ballard, Crown Hill, Phinney, Ravenna, Maple Leaf, Green Lake (Greenlake), Greenwood, Northgate, Lake City,University, Sand Point, Laurelhurst, Windermere, Fremont, Wallingford, Queen Anne, Westlake, Eastlake, Lake Union, Downtown, Madison Park), Seattle Suburbs Homes in Shoreline, Edmonds, Redmond, Kirkland, Brier, Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, Lake Forest Park, Bothell, Mill Creek, Everett, or other Seattle Suburbs!

Seller Financing?  

There are still sellers out there that have the ability to move their houses faster than they think if they were to only offer some help on the financing.  If it is at all possible to help a buyer get into that house, it might be a good option for moving the house in Seattle's current rela estate market.  Just make sure to get as copy of their credit report and have easy options in case of default.

My story..................

I recently sold a house which was an extreme case of seller financing, but it worked out for all parties involved.  The house was priced right, but still just not moving.  My clients were looking for a long term lease, but then this property jumped out at us.  My clients had just purchased one other property so they would be pushing it with a conventional lender as to whether or not they qualified even though they had a lot of cash.  The property was set up perfectly for their commercial needs, but being marketed as residential and not really a very conventional residential.  It was absolutely designed for my buyers and I could not see a lot of other uses for it so it was perfect!

The seller financed 90% of the purchase price for a low interest rate over thirty years.  The transaction closed in a week and a half and was one of my easiest ever paperwork wise.  I paid extra attention to every step to make sure it was absolutely perfect and have come to the conclusion that seller financing can be a good thing for both buyer and seller. 

The seller had purchased the property way back when the price was extremely low, so he was getting a nice chunk of change every month to support his living in retirement.  The buyer got a better rate than they could have found on the open market. It worked out well.

The Reality of the Situation.....

Carrying 90% of the loan is a bit much for most Seattle area sellers, but if you do find someone who owns a property outright and doesn't have an immediate need for the lump sum of cash, it could be a nice way to be extremely competitive in today's market.

The contract is key in these cases - make absolute sure to have a credit report for review and also an easy method of taking action if payments become irregular. 

Courtney Cooper ....For all your Seattle Washington Real Estate Needs! Seattle Area Real Estate Agent: Associate Broker and Realtor serving North King & South Snohomish County - Experienced and with a background in accounting - I love my clients and work hard for them!