Your paint in the 3D video looks great; the photos need
to be redone since the paint shows as pink. Replace all the burgundy/red carpet,
edit your furniture and area rugs, have a carpenter figure out how to enclose
the bedroom that is open to the staircase, remove all the valances, add pots
with colorful flowers to the porch when you relist in the spring. Figure out
how to market this property, i.e. sun filled property for a gardener, hobby lavender
farm, with room for fruit trees and vegetable beds. Market your barn – room for
toys and hobby beer/wine/cider equipment; auto enthusiast, parking for RV. It’s
Mount Vernon, much tougher market than your neighbor, 50 miles south. Embrace
the challenge!

With a gorgeous front porch, hanging baskets between the porch posts. The lack of trees translates into lack of privacy. Hanging baskets with hanging green or large fern type foliage may provide "screening" and softness. Perhaps paint the chairs white or black or restain and put colorful pillows on them. Perhaps plant mums across garden bed in front. Just make sure planting coordinate. A small bistro table with ceramic planter can also make the porch feel homey.

I agree with the comments asking where your realtor is in all of this with it being listed so long. It may be time to switch agencies to get another perspective on what price wI'll move it in your market. I agree all the valences should come down. Your listing photos should clearly show the view out of key rooms in the home because the view and land are the factors that some will pay a premium for. I consider myself a more imaginative homebuyer than many and can picture my own paint/furniture in another house, but that carpet really needs to be switched out to pale beige. We are not carpet people at all with 3 kids and a dog, but beige carpet is something we can live with after moving in while selecting new flooring. Burgundy/red carpet is not.

Another major problem-I tried to find it on realtor.com and Zillow. It didn't show up on either. Ask your realtor about this problem.

it's a beautiful home but it would be a tough sell in any market. You have to find someone who is looking for the space and outbuildings and is willing to pay for those views. Marketing the house as a 4 bedroom family house implies that a busy family would find that house suitable. It should be marketed as a 3 bedroom house with separate in-law or guest quarters. I look at that house and see it mainly as an adult house...couple without kids, empty nesters, possibly someone with an adult family member who needs separate living quarters within easy supervision distance.

At that price point, the house should be neutralized and pared down to a staged, move-in ready base. Repaint the interior in a current color, replace the window coverings, tone down the formal and fancy cabinetry and make the house look airy and open. Perhaps if the other furnishings don't show so much red, the burgandy carpet won't be so scary to a potential buyer. As it is now, it glares out from the photos. See what it looks like after repainting and removal of some furniture and artwork and then consider replacing with hardwood.

Lots of good advice here! people are really being thoughtful. I know it's not fun being told that your beloved home isn't appealing to all buyers or isn't worth what you think, but if you really want or need to relocate, the path to success is in the posts above. Figure out what combination of fixes and price-drop you can live with and go from there.

I would remove all of the area rugs & extra decor (paintings etc.) and reduce the amount of furniture. You have great views and nice detail in your home that should be highlighted rather than the furniture/decor. If possible, change the red carpet to something neutral. Buyers want to envision themselves living in the home, but it is hard to do so with all of the furniture and decor.

The floorplan looks great to me, but (kindly) the current arrangement of furnishings and wall décor does not showcase the floorplan at its best. Personal preferences for furniture and small items are often the distraction that turns potential buyers off. If you can bear the unintentional uneasiness of a professional stager (or a designer) to rework your furniture layout and the removal or replacement of stuff on the walls, you can reap the rewards. Be prepared to spend some money for paint, patches and perhaps some window treatments. Comps don't lie as to appropriate pricing.

I agree with the comments above. Just wondering how your realtor would respond to them. The 4 bdrm issue should definitely be addressed. It looks like a lovely home, but needs some of the tweaks mentioned here.

Real estate prices around the country always intrigue me. Depending on location, $775K might buy an 1,800 square foot home on 1/4 acre here in Southern CA.

Me too chloebud. I heard lots of Californians moving to Washington state for retirement and cheaper real estate have driven up the prices there and in Arizona too.

suzyq, my sister lives in Seattle. Things are definitely higher there!

I've driven through the Mt. Vernon area. It is very beautiful. The mountains and scenery are unbelievable. But looks like it used to be farms that are filling in with some industrial concerns. Some lovely homes on lakes and waterways there, but not sure about jobs. Its a long commute to Seattle. And then the weather.

I wouldn't spend three quarters of a million dollars on that house and if too many buyers have that initial feeling from the listing, your foot traffic will start off low. If there's no pink in the paint color, have the photos redone. Tear out the burgundy carpeting. It's dated and most folks will find it hard to match. Landscape the front a bit so it doesn't just look like a massive lawn.

I'm sorry you're having this trouble. Look at the house dispassionately and that will help.

every single photo is stretched; when you have new photos done make sure they dont get stretched, buyers get pretty annoyed to arrive at a house that is 80% of the size 'shown' in the photos.

Where is the OP? Great advice has been given already.

The market in WA (I live here) has been hot for a while and continues to be so, it seems. Even though Mt. Vernon is a very lovely place, it's far from major employment areas :( For people possibly looking to buy a second/vacation home, is this the right home for them?

I hate that also ninigret. When we were looking for our current house I would look at the photo then the room size. They can make a cardboard box look spacious. I think stretching photos is false representation and should be illegal.

Bring in a professional stager, then a professional appraiser. Price as the appraiser suggests.

I personally thought there is too much furniture. You may need to store some.

I also looked twice for that 4th bedroom. You are hearing it from buyers because they are looking for 4 bedrooms and getting 3 plus a cottage. That appeals to a different type of family.

A guest house is worth a lot to some families. Sell it!

add to the description: 3 bedrooms in the main house including a first floor Master with jetted tub. Additional bedroom in a cozy cottage great for in laws or guests. Garage with workshop and storage.

Not sure how far it is from the barn and guest house to the main house. The little apartment looks like it would be great for the hired hand you'd need to keep 5 acres mowed and to look after things while you're on road trips in your rv.

Yes...I agree the "enhanced" photo thing is annoying...actually, stupid. They all seem to do it. I know the idea is to hook you, but the reality can be such a turn off.

Just thinking about the lot size. I suppose some people don't want the maintenance of 5 acres (me, for one). However, other buyers will be out there looking for the acreage. The 1/3 acre we have is enough maintenance for us. We know someone who put their 7-acre home on the market in Fallbrook, CA. Took over a year to sell it.

First adjust the number of bedrooms you advertised you don’t want to mislead anyone. The home is beautiful just remove the carpet and curtains. Empty out the home and have a stager place the pieces they bring in. That’s it!? The home should sell itself but you should take it off the market and adjust the price. If you truly want to sell your home you may have to consider selling it at a lower price. Most people can’t see past other people’s furniture.

I will say, I see the bedroom issue often in multi family homes. You see an add for a 4 br, 2 ba house and in reading the ad, find that it is two 2 br apartments. So, although it is not unusual in RE listings, it may be unusual in your area so people are not reading enough to see there are only 3 br's in the house.

Lovely house but the outdoor and entrance area seem a bit uninviting and unfinished. I'd add some pots with greenery, a garden umbrella and some warmth to those areas. I doubt that will make a huge difference, but every little bit helps.

All of the advice given is very accurate, helpful and straightforward. You must be the one to look at your house as we have and take action. It may be hard to swallow, but you will have to be very proactive to get this house sold.
Your realtor is either too scared, incompetent or naive to not have told you all of this 200 days ago.

At least the listing appears to be clear about the bathrooms. So often you see "3 bathrooms" in a listing when it's actually 2 1/2.

Yep chloebud - with the drought and water restrictions in CA, these large parcels cannot be maintained or utilized. People couldn't water their avocado and citrus groves. Hard for large horse owners too. Even had to remove landscaping and mulch. A friend was penalized $500 a day, for every day after he exceeded 50% of the prior year's water use in a month. Couldn't sell it.

Some realtors will take a listing at a homowner’s insisted upon high price, with a homeowner’s insisted upon “no changes” decor, and hope that the market tells the homeowner what they need to hear. In other words, they are chicken to say all the things that everyone just said because it would probably mean they wouldn’t get the listing. You can’t always blame a realtor for being “lazy” when it’s the homeowner who is hard headed and too emotionally attached to hear the truth.

But after a month of no activity, the realtor should be willing to do the tough love sit down meeting. With accurate comps showing SOLD prices. Again. That shouldn’t be the first time that the owner sees comps. But again, you can’t make someone reduce their price by 250K if they are somehow convinced that their home is worth what they want to believe.

This is probably a case of both being at fault here though, with it being on the market that long and no mention from the OP of the realtor trying to tell them to get rid of the red and pink. The OP left this pretty civilized conversation too. It’s hard to hear that your home isn’t appealing, or worth what you thought.

No water problem in WA.

I wouldn't say he left the discussion. He only posted less than 24 hours ago. It is possible he is busy and away from a computer. I hope he does come back. I think the property is beautiful and can be a great find for the right person.

suzyq,,,that's horrible. 500 a day? isn't there an exclusion for pets or livelihood from the groves? I have 3 koi ponds. during the summer I have to do frequent water changes. I was worried w/the restrictions so I had a guy from the water company come to my house so I could show him (and he tested my water. It was high on ammonia). anyway, he said I was fine w/the water change outs. but he did go on to tell me how much water THEY, the water company, had to waste almost daily. during the summer when it's hot, the water breeds bacteria in the reservoirs. he said "if the citizens only knew how much water we have to throw away they'd be sick. here we are telling them to back off, and they do such a good job, that our water builds up and breeds bacteria which means we have to dump it every few days!" Nice, huh? and here they are penalizing your friend.

sorry,,,little off track here... I think OP has disappeared anyway.

Price it right & it will sell ... I'd consider taking it off the market for a time. EVERY house will sell if priced realistically. The house across the street from mine sold the first day even though it was in terrible condition but it was priced $200 k under comparable homes in our neighborhood ( expensive area).

Water towers too Beth. I saw a neighborhood where the residents were under drought restrictions while the water company was draining the tower along the curb. Its in a fairly low income area and most people had just let their grass die, but people were catching the water in buckets and dumping it on their trees and shrubs.

Just went on zillow, the house is off the market.

The other homes in the area at that price range are very nice and seem a lot more

Hi Imath46,

Needed some time to think this one over...

My first thought was how discombobulated the pictures and purpose of each room is. There seems to be multiple living rooms with HUGE couches, a very small dining room, no real entry way, no real "media" room, scattered rugs everywhere, etc.

I tried to picture kids getting off a school bus, coming through the front door with books/bags/winter boots/coats, looking for their after school snack and so on, but it's just not there.

The house itself is lovely, I'm sure the "high ceilings" comment relates to energy bills. I would kill to have that fun cottage and huge parking garage.

Is there only one real bathtub? And 3 bedrooms in the main house? Is there a way to close off that small dining room and make it a bedroom/home office, even just for listing purposes?

I'm concerned that the agent hasn't talked you into defining the space better, 200 days is a very long time.

The listing is a bit lackluster too. Whenever I hear "Washington", I think of high tech, (think Nest thermostat, Voice control, Smart locks, etc.) young families love to see that in listings.

Can't wait to hear what you decide to do!

My daughter lived in a Seattle area, Lynwood. They redid the whole house and finished the basement. Then they hired a stager and moved out of the house. It sold in a month and they did drop the price 30,000. So call in a stager, and have it staged.

I also agree with all the same things people are saying, because of hgtv people want a 'new' looking house so bite the bullet rip out the carpet, replace the floors, paint everything a neutral, and remove everything from the house and get in a stager, look at comps and list from there. A house is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it, and no one is willing to pay for what you have, so you have to make it what people have.

Another possibility is looking at open houses to see how you compare style wise to what is selling for colors, flooring, exteriors.

OP - you've had a lot of advice here, and I'm sure some it has not been what you wanted to hear. Price is king, and I think you need to rethink what you're asking in your market. I think as well you need to take some of the suggestions about depersonalizing your home. But the first thing I would do would be to haul in that real estate agent and ask him why you're getting all this advice 200 days on from a bunch of strangers, when he/she should have been telling you this within the first 30 days.

I'd be taking the house off the market, myself, doing a few of the easier "fixes" being suggested, and getting a new agent with a different approach.

. First, your views are amazing, and your acreage is impressive. Is your current RE marketing outside your immediate area, to people who would love to move to WA and have that kind of space? I agree with the experts who say to take it off the market, repaint, recarpet, hire a stager and perhaps a new RE agent, and try again in the spring, perhaps lowering the price and definitely being more upfront about the bedroom issue. As Susan D just said, a house is worth only what someone is willing to pay for it. As a recent homebuyer, I can see how many viewers could not “see their family” living in your house. All those living areas, all those sofas! And the burgundy carpets so blind people that they might not even get to the point of saying, “Oh, we can just change the carpet.” I’m curious also, why there are few, and small, trees in the front yard? There’s actually no front or back yard, just land. Can a landscaper bring in more mature trees? It takes just one buyer, but looks as if you’ll have to do a bit of work to attract that buyer. You’re a stronger person than I for listening to all of us “correct” your home. I really do wish you luck.

Susan Davis, with all due respect (and I mean it), one cannot compare Lynnwood to Mt. Vernon. Apples to pomegranates. Lynnwood is in a desirable area, next to two major freeways, interstates 5 and 405. Lynnwood is (relatively) close to major employers: Boeing, Amazon, Microsoft, etc. Different school district as well. That whole area (Lynnwood, Bothell and such), has been experiencing rapid growth, with new shopping, dining, etc., popping up. Now, 405 is not without its issues with the traffic... Still, Mt. Vernon is a lovely place and will appeal to a different type of a buyer, I would think, because it's further away from the major employers. As in, roughly twice the commute time...Just something to think about.

i don't think OP is coming back. lol

I think Beth is right. Furthermore I looked at other houses available and a buyer could get just as nice a house, with shop for less money and not have to maintain 5 acres. Also, the population of Mt Vernon was just under 32,000 in 2010. There are just fewer buyers there.

Land is worth money.

Sometimes land is worth money.

some comps.....https://www.redfin.com/city/12155/WA/Mount-Vernon/filter/property-type=house+multifamily+land,min-price=550k,min-beds=4?utm_campaign=1003045&utm_content=146413226835&utm_medium=ppc&utm_source=google&utm_term=kwd-12929877248

And here are some pending/contingents ....https://www.redfin.com/city/12155/WA/Mount-Vernon/filter/property-type=house+multifamily+land,min-price=550k,min-beds=4,status=contingent+pending?utm_campaign=1003045&utm_content=146413226835&utm_medium=ppc&utm_source=google&utm_term=kwd-12929877248

Jeez - look at the time on the market for some of these places.

Suzyq53, right? And they all have those huge cathedral ceilings...

Wow looking at the comps...OP is definitely way overpriced, AND they already lowered the price! No wonder it's been on the market so long. I think OP is not coming back to this post but if I were them I would get myself a new realtor.

It is even worse for the OP. The houses you are using as comp are not even in the same zip. The houses around her/him sell for much less. Location, location, location.

He's not coming back. Truth is a bitter pill to swallow. It is ONE thing. It's the PRICE.

Imath46,

I hope you come back to this thread!

Do you have any questions or comments? We're your friends and here to help. We know how frustrated you must feel.

You were brave to be upfront, show us your property, ask for advice, etc. Clearly you want to sell and have a strong buyer come in.

My hubs parents who are in their 80's have their "ranch" for sale in California, it's about 300G overpriced, no fooling. In their minds, it's "their home that they put blood, sweat and tears into", huge parcels of land, etc. It's been on the open market since March..

Let us help you so you can climb in that super fun looking RV and drive off!

When you interview new RE people, maybe one or some have stagers on their staff to help you. Go to a named RE office ho has been in business for a while. Also list it on ML to get out of towners. Many people want land, a separate house for visitors or MIL places. Are there private schools close by - make a list of positive things so you can tell your RE person. We sold our house and with the listing were many perks to our location to help sell. We also had a stager which neutralized our belongs.