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laura_belleville

Advice Needed: Selling House & No Showings

5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago

Hi,

I listed my house for sale two days ago and it has been viewed 1400 times and saved 30 times, but no viewings. The real estate market here is still hot. Please let me know what I can do (without spending a ton of money) to get some showings. Obviously the kitchen and bathroom are older but I can’t afford a total reno.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/3506-N-Main-St-Royal-Oak-MI-48073/24612983_zpid/?utm_campaign=iosappmessage&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=txtshare


UPDATE: Thanks so much for all the advice. I have been listening and implementing your feedback! We redid the bathroom floor+painted, decluttered ALOT and had professional photos taken. We are now putting in new kitchen floors. Hopefully it will sell soon!

Comments (17)

  • 5 years ago

    Get rid of three quarters of the stuff so the house can be seen and not the stuff. Get someone to do good photographs after you have done so. Try to find some way to color coordinate that babies/bunk bed cover so that it does not clash with the walls. No anything on top of the frig. Remove the grass on the driveway. Smooth out the bedspreads after you remake the beds.

    Make it look like you could pack everything remaining in the house in less than twelve hours even if you have child revolt on your hands. With the bassinet by the bed you need someone willing to help you do these things.

  • 5 years ago

    Limit the pictures shown in the listing. Have the main exterior photo and one of the porch. Don't show the strange garage without a driveway and parking outside the gate. Likewise interior photos should usually be one per room, looking into the space. For the living room photo, move the children's furniture and toys out of the way and turn off the TV. For bedroom photos, highlight the large windows with wide trim, not the room doors

    You need to remove almost everything not behind a cupboard door in the kitchen. Carefully choose your camera angle and height to maximize cabinets and minimize amount of floor and countertop showing. You could keep two, possibly three items on the countertop but nothing more. Toaster and coffee pot and possibly the mixer, nothing else. Remove everything from the top of the fridge and remove all papers and photos from the fridge, possibly leaving one or two fridge magnets. When I see that much stuff on the counter, I immediately think that there isn't enough storage space in the kitchen. Put stuff in the basement, pack in into boxes and stash in the garage or rent a storage unit.

    If you think the photos are too sparse, add in a picture or two of the basement such as laundry area and mechanicals. I would drop the picture of the back hallway as it doesn't show a special feature. Let buyers come see the house if they want to get a better idea of the details.

  • 5 years ago

    Yep, best advise would be to rent a storage shed. I did that and “staged” my house. Sold in a week.

  • 5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    I don't recall seeing any lamps. Could you borrow some lamps to soften the harsh overhead lights.

  • 5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    What an adorable house! There are people who love Sears homes, so you just need to connect with one of them who wants to be in your area!

    I agree with comments above -- we rented one of those "pod" things that was deposited in front of our house, so we could take our time filling it up with our excess stuff, and then it was hauled off to the storage place. It was a little easier for us than a renting a spot at a storage place.

    Other things to do for the photos: open the shower curtain, unless it's hiding something really horrible; remove towel from the front of stove; remove fabric top on child's bed; remove the swing in the baby's room; and last but not least, de-bulkify your sofa. It is MASSIVE and that is a big turnoff for what is otherwise a very lovely room with many special architectural features. You don't want to hide or distract from them. Maybe you can take out a section or two from your sofa so it is smaller, or just store it somewhere and borrow a loveseat to stage the living room (and maybe bring in the chair from the baby's room to complete a seating group).

    Remember: it's all about showing the house to best advantage -- you are likely not going to be entertaining much when your house is on the market!

  • 5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    Aside from above advice, keep in mind your location. I am familiar with the area in which you live, and a HUGE negative for a lot of buyers is the fact you're on the main road. Just north of another very busy main east-west artery. You may not be getting any showings because of that more than the clutter in the house -- especially if the potential pool of buyers includes children. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but unfortunately the reality is there's nothing you can do to fix that issue other than continue to drop the price until someone who won't mind living off a main road comes along and snags it as a bargain.

  • 5 years ago

    Usually if people are looking but not touring, its price. There are only two things that keep a house from selling: 1) you can't go see it (could be if your state is in a COVID shut down and people are nervous) 2) its overpriced. All houses will sell if the price is right. Might not be what you want or need but it will go.


    This is a cutie pie of a house but I agree that the pics aren't the "beauty shots" you need. It looks cluttered. Nice virtual tours are also a plus especially right now. Adding a floor plan will also help.

  • 5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    I strongly suggest having a professional photographer take the listing photos. These are not doing your home justice. You need some wider angle shots. How about one similar to the brochure that shows the house and that adorable wrap around porch? Our realtors have always paid for them because the listings and images are part of the marketing of the home.

    Also, open all blinds and turn on all lamps for the pictures and showings. People want lots of natural light. Currently, some rooms appear dark.

    Remove the cereal on the frig. It tells me there's either no pantry or not enough storage in the kitchen.

    *the word vinyl is spelled incorrectly on the listing (vynil).

  • 5 years ago

    Definitely agree on the cereal boxes. And too many cooking toys on the counter in the kitchen. It draws attention to the fact that the kitchen is inadequate. Put it all away somewhere. Even off-property if you have to.

    Agree also that if you have that many on-line looks and no in-person looks, it's too high. It doesn't matter 'what price you need to have' or 'what you paid for it' or 'what you have invested in it.' None of those numbers matter.

  • 5 years ago

    Love the exterior and that the house is on a large lot. Most buyers will be fine with repainting the two dark bedrooms if the price is right. The negatives are that it appears you don't have central air, the house only has 1 full bath, it is in a location with traffic, and (as you mentioned) the kitchen and bath need re-done. Again, make sure you're priced correctly for that.

  • 5 years ago

    I have a thing about typos in listings. If you're paying someone to professionally market your home, can't they ensure the listing doesn't contain glaring errors?

  • 5 years ago

    Also suggest storing the area rugs to show off your pretty wood floors and to make the rooms look larger.

  • 5 years ago

    Not sure about the market in your area but you are listing nearly 50% more than it sold for 5 years ago. I can tell you where I live in the mid west, my house hasn't appreciated like that. Are you listed at a realistic price? Anybody that looks at Zillow can see these numbers and wonder the same thing.

    I agree with decluttering and better pics.

  • 5 years ago

    We had a Sears house that we sold 2 years ago. You may need to wait for the “right” buyer. They are small (cozy!!!). Your house has a ton of curb appeal - get rid of the clutter to make the inside just as cute. I would consider repainting some of the more bold colors. Good luck!!! I don’t know your area, but look at all the listings within $10-20,000 of your price to see how you stack up.

  • 5 years ago

    Your house is absolutely adorable, great curb appeal!

    I suspect you’re using a realtor who is a friend, or who proposed the highest listing price. Whatever the case, you’ve been given no favors. One of the many skills of a great realtor is to gently counsel the homeowner about small tweaks that can result in a quicker sale or a better price. Decluttering is something nearly all sellers need to do. (Proof reading the listing description is another important Realtor skill). In the metro Detroit market, professional photos are the standard. A confident realtor will pay for them.

  • 5 years ago

    I love, love, love a craftsman style home. However yours is not staged right. It screams there's not enough room to live. The advice about the pod is excellent.

    Below are my observations based on some of the pictures:

    #8, 9: Get rid of the kids toys in the room, Get rid of that rug that just looks dreary. The floors are beautiful. Highlight them. I agree about getting rid of a good deal of the sectional and make it smaller so it fits the room

    #10: If those are family pictures on the divider between the living room and dining room, get rid of them. People want to imagine themselves living in the house, not your kids.

    #11: Agree nothing on top of the fridge. Nothing on the window sill. No dish rack. That implies the dishwasher doesn't work. No mixer on the counter. Only one thing! Make it the knives.

    #12: Way too much on the counters so anyone coming into the house feels they won't have room for their kitchen supplies. Get rid of them or put them away in the pantry. It looks like you have a keurig and 2 coffee machines, a Kitchenaid, a toaster, a tray with stuff, a towel holder (which should be next to the sink!) and something that looks like a sponge on top of the microwave. Where will the new owners put the stuff they need to cook? See how they'll think?

    #13, 14: Make sure your bed looks like its a bed in a magazine, not sloppy like that. People wonder if you can't even make the bed, what else are you not keeping up. Also just the first shot. The second shot showcases the bed and makes the room look too small. And yes, open the shades!

    #15: Get rid of 1/2 the toys in the playroom! Make it so half is a playroom and half looks like a game room or tv room.

    #16, 17: for the photo, take the rocker and the baby sit in out of the room. Just the crib and the dresser/changing table.

    Get rid of photo 18.

    #19: for the photo just the bed without the pop top and the dresser. Get rid fo the rug that looks like a bathroom rug.

    Get rid of picture 21 with the holes in the wall.

    #22: take a pic where the recycle bin and the garbage bin aren't in view.

    The idea when selling a house is you're selling a "fantasy" of what life could be like. Not reality. Make it look like an Ozzie and Harriet house. A fantasy where anyone would want to put their bed.