Looking just at the pictures - you need to declutter. Rooms are small to start and ALL the stuff in them makes them smaller.

Get everything off the refrigerator. Get everything off the counters. You are not selling your stuff so you need to pack it up now. Closets should be half full of clothes, cupboards should be half full of dishes, cookware, etc. We rented a storage space for all our extras so our house looked bigger and the closets looked adequate for the buyers. I packed my extra pots and pans, kids’ games and toys, most of the tools in the garage. Clear off coffee tables and kitchen tables, medicine cabinets, tubs. Be sure your towels are clean and fresh and hung neatly on towel bars. Any extras should go into a box in your car while the house is being shown. I only looked at a few pictures, so maybe not all of this applies to your situation. My daughter packed up the dog bowls and beds and took them and the kids away during showings. I made a list of things to do before each showing, for example, put toilet seat down. One week during a quarantine of the whole world isn’t a reflection of the usual market.

curb appeal - see below. Sometimes just a little bit of color goes a long way. You want to make it a "welcome home" type entry so that people will want to come inside.

Curb Appeal Ideas · More Info

Maison de ville - Paris, 65m2 · More Info

Street view · More Info

I agree on decluttering and removing some furniture to make it seem larger. The house in the link below is a good example of decluttering. It is larger than yours and has a basement and a 2 car garage. Based on that I think your house is a bit overpriced and it looks like they recently lowered their price some too and it looks more up to date than your house as well.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/29-S-Lake-Ave-Fox-Lake-IL-60020/4761355_zpid/?

Here's one area I would remove furniture so it isn't so tight to walk by. The red circle looks tight to walk through. You want your house to seem big and not tight anywhere.

As others mentioned remove anything off the refrigerator top/sides/front and counters. Clear the table except for one item in the middle. Move dog leashes off the wall for pictures and showings, same with dog bed and other pet paraphernalia. Remove all the jackets hanging by the door for pictures and showings. One jacket there would be fine to show you can hang something there. Remove anything hanging off the bed posts and chairs. I would also remove the curtains as they are making the room darker and feel more closed in. I you need them there at least remove the valance and let the drapes hang straight down on the sides of the window to block the least amount of light. Remove the boxes on top of the cabinet in the kitchen. Reduce the appliances on the counters in the kitchen to a minimum. Try to gather all cords hanging down visibly into a single area to look less busy. Remove fans for showings/pictures as they say this house is hot to a buyer. Pack up everything you can live without for a few months, but don't want to get rid of. Get rid of the rest. Open up curtains in the bedrooms for pictures and showings. Hide dumbbells.

Try to have as much floor space as possible and reduce furniture where you can. It would be better to have it stored with some boxes in a garage bay for example than inside the house.

When selling I always had 2 laundry baskets where I threw the stuff that shouldn't stay around for showings and wasn't shown in photos on my listing and stuck them in the back of the car. I learned this from this forum more than 15 years ago and it worked great.

I do think people would be cautious in visiting homes where people live during this time as well.

You've gotten some very good tips on decluttering. Your pictures on your listing are not giving you best advantage. The coats on wall rack screamed 'no closet or storage' to me. Items on counters, refrigerator front and top, dressers and night stands (really, am I seeing TP on a nightstand? What was your realtor thinking!) including the fan that suggests a stuffy room for sleeping.

I'm an animal person ;0) but there are many who won't look at a house where there has been indoor pets. At least remove pet items from the photos, and if possible take them out of the house for showings.

It's enormously inconvenient, I get that. And, especially so during these trying times. My SIL was having trouble selling a high end home a year ago, even professionally staged and half their belongings in a storage unit. When showings were due, she would race for her car with the pet supplies, any unwashed laundry and take it for a drive while the showing took place.

I agree with all your comments except for the overpriced part. I really do think our house is priced fairly. I could probably reduce the price to $149,900 but that's about it. My realtor never staged our house or told us to remove anything. His photographer would not come out because he does not want to take pictures with us living in it (COVID 19 issue). When we insisted on finding someone else he said they were too expensive. I am now hiring someone to come take pictures out of my own pocket and at this point I think I am going to tell him to remove the listing. We are moving out in less than 3 weeks. We could have the pictures taken when the house is empty. Ill add the curb appeal as mentioned above.

I think I need to fire my realtor. I was never happy with the pictures. We took them with our phone! So maybe I wait, we move out, better pictures with empty home, and buy blooming flowers. I have a very nice garden in the front but they are not ready to bloom yet so that's frustrating. I really appreciate all your feedback. Thank you!

I understand your frustration, Amanda. These are difficult times to sell homes. That people have been looking online and saving your property is a good sign. You say your are moving out soon. Sometimes it is easier to sell an empty home. Most people can’t see beyond other people’s possessions. A friend of mine sold her home ONLY after she moved out. She packed all her belongings into tubs and moved them, first, into her garage. And then to her new home. And after several long months on the market, it sold within the first week. Focus on your move. And good luck to you!

The reason I said I think it is overpriced is because there are other houses that appear to have more square footage and an extra bathroom with an attached garage that are lower and not that far away and look more up to date so as a buyer I'd look at those first. There also appears to be a lot of foreclosure and pre-foreclosures in your area that may bring prices down for the smaller homes. However, these are just those for sale and only sold houses are truly comps. You would know your market better than I do since I only look at the data and know nothing about your area.

Don't take pictures of an empty house. You want people to feel this is a home, not just a house. Leave some furniture so that each room and area has a definition. https://www.homelight.com/blog/how-to-stage-a-house-with-no-furniture/

Regarding the not yet blooming garden, do you have any pictures from last year that shows the garden in bloom?

I checked these 3 houses in the same area. Two houses are priced at $116 and $120 per sq ft, both houses have 3 bds, 2 ba, 2 car garage, about 1,700 sq ft. And the 3rd house is a new construction, 3 bds, 2 ba, 2 car garage, 1,300 sq ft, it's priced at $150 per sq ft. Yours is 3 bds, 1 ba, 3 car garage, 988 sq ft, priced @ $157 per sq ft. I think yours is priced too high. Just try to help. :-)

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/34874-N-Oakside-Ave-Ingleside-IL-60041/68143784_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/41-Highview-Ave-Fox-Lake-IL-60020/83395567_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/57-Hillcrest-Ave-Fox-Lake-IL-60020/4761174_zpid/

So you don’t use price per square foot. This house has been priced based on comparable homes in the area and they have all sold for $150,000. You also have to take into consideration the area. The area I am in does not sell houses very well over $150,000. So the people with houses at 200k end up having to lower their price. The other thing is that most of the houses by the lake are worth more. My house is 1 mile from the lake. The houses you looked at are farther from the lake. I’ve seen a house remodeled at no garage same 3 bed 1 bath sell at $150,000.

I appreciate your help but when it comes to pricing I’ll take a realtors advice over people who just have an opinion. Based on what your saying my house would be worth $120,000 and that’s a slap in the face! I’m just going to have it appraised so there’s no argument there.

@Louise Smith, I am a proponent of staging and use it in my business (I'm a Realtor).

We need to adjust though for the times we are experiencing right now. I'm in a covid-19 lockdown area at the moment (slowly opening next week) and the homes that have been selling the last 6 weeks are the vacant homes. I think this may have to do somewhat with the fear of the virus remaining on surfaces.

It is true that rooms appear smaller when vacant. Most people don't have the ability to visualize their furnishings in a vacant room. There is a way to virtually stage with photos that works. It may be the solution for homes that need staging. This way the buyers don't have to worry about surfaces retaining any virus. I have no idea how much fear there is, but it needs to be addressed with a plan before going on the market.

I wonder if the potential buyers of your property are currently unemployed because of covid.

As many have already mentioned, the first thing I noticed was a lack of landscaping, things all over the refrigerator, and stuff hanging everywhere. I also see this on the listing: Note: This property is not currently for sale or for rent on Zillow. The description below may be from a previous listing. I don't understand that as your home is currently listed, right?

I used to live in Grayslake, IL and I know in the lakes region up in that area, and being close to the lake is a HUGE selling point. That doesn't seem to be mentioned at all in the listing. If you're within walking distance of the lake or a marina or even just a boat launch, I'd be sure to include that info. Or even within a 5 minute drive.

Like Carol, I'm very familiar with that area. My parents lived fairly close and I frequently drove through the town when visiting them. When I saw the name of the town I wondered why you aren't marketing it to those perhaps looking for a second home. I then looked at the map on Zillow. Probably not a second home location without direct waterfront--at least it wouldn't be for me. How close is the nearest public launch? With a 3 car garage, assuming there is room for a boat, I'd emphasize that.

I think in one of the above posts she said she was going to take it off the market until they moved out.

You mentioned you have no basement. Are basements the norm in your area? The few homes with no basements in my area are a hard sell and go for a lot less money. Most wouldn't even look at them. A detached garage is not comparable to a basement. A basement is extra living space or can be.

What are the rules in your area for Covid showings? In my area, only sellers are allowed to show the homes, realtors are not. Did you discuss this with your realtor? If you are not getting any showings, perhaps the realtor is telling them the only thing they can do is video for their clients? Your realtor can make a notation in the listing that "SELLERS ARE SHOWING THE HOME", this will get people in the door. On another note, if my realtor told me that pictures were expensive, I would be finding another realtor. Commission is expensive too! Thats what he gets paid for!

Oh I see you are now pending! Congratulations!

Pending? That's wonderful news. I hope the sale flows and all works out for you.

There are other threads predicting the end of the financial earth because of the pandemic. Obviously there is a terrible health and mortality toll, and many have ost their jobs - at least for a period of time. But real estate has not become worthless and homes unable to be sold. However, obviously changes have been required - maybe owners not realtors showing properties, but maybe not prices for many properties!

@Amanda Wilson, Congratulations on your closing! I see your home sold and closed a few days ago. I hope everything is working out well in your new home.

So you listed, sold, and closed in less than 30 days! Congrats,

Homes continue to sell well in my area of the country also.

How does one buy a home that is not for sale?

Looks like Melissa Hamilton is spamming that website as you have to register to see the site.

You need a website to find homes which are not on the market? Who came up with that brainstorm? Pray tell, what do you do with that information? And, what do they do with your information once you register? HolyMoly the world is one big mess.

They sell the information to unwitting and hungry agents...