Really and we need to dust off the crystal balls . Post some pics of the inside and the outside maybe we can help.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2933-W-Wallcraft-Ave-Tampa-FL-33611/45060280_zpid/

I found your listing. It's a lovely home and looks to be in very good shape.

The decor is very "grandma", and that may be putting people off. Remove and put away all the doilies and tablecloths. Maybe get a one hour staging consultation. It looks like it won't take much to get your home sold!

Your house is very nice but the decorating is not on-trend right now. Traditional decor is fine but if you're trying to sell you have to appeal to the average buyer. You should remove all of your smaller decor items - small tables, faux plants and flowers, baskets, figurines, lace tablecloths and doilies, personal pictures and have your pictures retaken. Perhaps your realtor can suggest someone to style your house in a way that looks more neutral for photos.

I understand that people aren't buying your decor but many people have a hard time looking past it.

Your home is beautiful! However, it is hard to see the home beyond the personal decor items. I would simplify, simplify, simplify. Remove every table cloth, doily, and even area rugs. Remove all the tchotchkes and floral arrangments, high and low. All of the stuff is really distracting.

I agree with the others. Go room by room and get rid of 75% of the accessories. Focus on those accessories listed above. Doilies, tchotchkes, faux plants, etc. You have a very beautiful home.

I agree with the posters - it is hard to see the pretty bones of the house with the decor you have. I would hire a stager - that person should not only be able to rearrange what you have in the rooms, but also add decor elements that buyers would appreciate.

ilikefriday that's a great example!

Without knowing the real estate market in your area, in general though, when a house doesn’t sell it is usually because it is overpriced. What does your realtor say?

https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/2933-W-Wallcraft-Ave_Tampa_FL_33611_M67834-75041

You may find it easier to simply hire someone to stage your house.

You probably find it hard to see that there is sooo much personality in your decor items and furniture.

When someone tours your house or even looks at it online, they are trying to imagine their family living happily in it. They're kind of going through it in a dream. Anything that breaks those thoughts is making it harder for them to imagine it. Even beautiful decor items.

That's why stagers use such awfully boring furniture and wall art. When the buyer steps into a child's room or looks at the picture, they're supposed to be imagining their child living in it. The thought "Oh, that's a cute baby picture of SOMEBODY ELSE's CHILD" breaks that train of thought. You want them to be imagining their family sitting around the cozy fireplace eating popcorn, not thinking "That's an interesting statue of a native American!" They're less likely to leave the house or close the website and think "We could be so happy there".

Agree with the consensus above - too much stuff on the floor and on the tables and too much furniture for the buyers to 'see' your home. Your home looks clean but the number of items on each horizontal surface will overwhelm the buyer(s).

Are you priced within the market? I'm not talking about the AVM's like zestimates, but actual comps. Check that first. Then declutter.

Remove all the tablecloths and doilies from your home. That alone will turn off buyers.

Remove the items from the coffee table, side tables and other horizontal surfaces.

Remove excess furniture. Think sparse, not fully furnished.

Remove all the framed photos sitting on tables, sidetables and elsewhere.

A buyer makes their decision within seconds of entering your home. The decision is (usually) emotion based and the first thing most buyers would see is the amount of work to move your things. It's not logical since they don't have to move your things at all, but that's the first thing buyers will see: work. How do I know? I'm an agent and believe me, many buyers buy with emotion and justify with their own logic. Appeal to their emotions - clear the slate so they can see your beautiful home.

Your house is nice and nice staged. May be price is high? :-))

Looks like a lot of inventory in your area. Looking at the last years sales in your immediate vicinity, it looks like you may be overpriced. Have your agent run the comps.

Hi guys, thanks so much for your feedback.......but the only problem is we did had more than 25 showings and not even a low ball offer........that’s what worries me the most!

But what it seems to me is most homes that are flying off market in the Tampa bay are the ones with open concept and with a pool!

I'm so sorry! That is such a stressful and tough situation to be in.

Once you declutter I would reshoot the images posted for your home. Due to the pandemic, a lot of people are placing more value on photos to see if they want to even view the home in person. You may be alienating a potential home buyer via photos.

Personally, the current home we're living in didn't show well from photos and didn't even consider the home for weeks and weeks. Then, when we got desperate we viewed the home in person and were immediately sold.

Crossing fingers it sells soon and with an offer that you can get excited about!

Are you decluttering and/or getting the advice of a stager?

You listing reads like it is being marketed to someone interested in architectural history. Lots of word salad. "Functionality and design elements were thoughtfully done, traditionally to the historic elements of the time period." "Extraordinary character is timeless, and this meticulously maintained home has the timeless appeal you would come to expect with a home built during the roaring 1920s."

You might be better with a new agent who knows the buzzwords that a family is looking for. With 3 bedrooms and 4 baths it is likely to be purchased by a family. It's unlikely that "timeless' is anywhere on their list of requirements.

Not get.......waiting to get off contact 12/20......will sell by owner in the future soon!

Beautiful home and looks like a nice location. A good stager would be money well spent- it's hard to edit your own stuff!

Staging is not problem in this home ......I do think millennials want a home that is move in ready with open concept and with a pool!

You had 25 showings....what was the feedback from all the other realtors?

If I was a protective buyer, I'd be glad the fixtures are neutral and classic (once severe decluttering happens). Honestly, the original listing price being 125K more than what you paid for it in 2018 (even with the new roof) would be an instant turn off. Multiple price reductions can send alarm bells to buyers, so the original high price jump is perhaps where things went wrong.

Pack your decor items. You're moving anyway. Your current strategy is not working, what will it hurt to depersonalize?

My sons are millennials and both have recently bought homes. Neither of them wanted or bought open concept. Too noisy, and no ability to contain a mess (kids' toys, kitchen clutter etc.) without having it visible from every room.

If you don't have a pool then your house needs to be reduced in price by the cost of one, relative to the sales of houses with pools. Your listing should say "pool-size lot".

Other than planning to sell it privately when the listing expires, what are you going to do differently to help the house sell?

The decor is lovely, but do for the market, it needs to be "cleaner", less stuff. Less historical, because while many people like historical elements and Architecture, furnishings and decor are more fickle. It should be more neutral. Less lace and layering, for example.

There's a space, with the 2 chairs and a round table in the middle, that it's hard to tell what the purpose is.

Do you include a floorplan with the materials? Many people like to look at it afterwards along with the pictures in the materials.

When a house doesn't sell, it's usually priced too high. Someone above asked what your realtor says. She should be following up with her colleagues after every showing. What are they telling her? Before you clear out personal items, or spend a lot of money on staging, find out why you aren't getting offers. Bottom line . . . if potential buyers don't like the layout, reduce the price. If they don't like the finishes, reduce the price. If they don't like the location or the schools, reduce the price. If your realtor can't help you figure it out, get a new realtor.

Good luck with your sale of your wonderful home.

I’m just south of you in Sarasota and real estate is very hot right now. Your home is very lovely and seems to be well maintained. At your price point though I’m guessing the biggest drawback is the lack of a pool! This is a family size home and most families with children living in Florida want a pool. Have an honest conversation with your realtor and find out what the feedback is! I don’t think a few doilies are the problem!

I have staged dozens of homes and they all have sold quickly even one that I staged AFTER the couple was experiencing similar problems. They built the home and had a ton of very expensive furnishings but it was laid out in ways that didn’t enhance the salable features. I tell all my clients, when they get ready to sell, they don’t own the house anymore. Once you reach that understanding, you will remove almost all the furnishings. Buyers cannot visualize anything. You have to give them the visuals. So, I would say your agent isn’t marketing your home properly, but you might be resisting doing what you need to do. Here is what I suggest. Remove and store if necessary all large pieces of furniture. Buy inexpensive rugs for each room in neutral colors. Pick your best room and rent light neutral furniture possibly a sectional to stage the room with a fireplace. Remove all accessories. Buy a couple really nice palm trees to enhance views of yard if it is pretty. Your floors are pretty but they are not what today’s buyers want. So rug them up! Light neutrals. Simple changes like this. The same room but neutralized. These are just simple changes. But will photograph to attract current buyers. Do this and clean out other main rooms. Leave small table with a framed message to buyers. This is a “flex” space. It can be whatever you need it to be. Then add a couple photos for inspiration. Home office or dining room/library. Things that buyers can relate to. Another framed item with the “story” of future fun times in this home. Or describe great neighborhood or other features buyers will love. Kind of a “letter to new owner” type piece. You are selling “lifestyle” not a house! Hope this inspires you.

My advice is that you are too committed to this house. When you decide to sell do not think about how you lived ther eonly think about how it shows to buyers who might live very differently from you. I usually tell my clients to remove everything from a room and then only add back what is nessessary to show the purpose of the room. That way all your personal loved things are not on display but packed away for your next house. If you find that hard then get a home stager to do it for you. The other thing I see is the lighting so at least change all the bulbs to LEDs 4000K it will brighten up every space and stop casting a yellow glow on everything.. Before deciding to sell yourself be aware that that can sometimes be even harder since all buyers will make comments that might not be what you want to hear. Have you gone to some of the homes that seem to be selling to see what they are like IMO a great way to figure out what you need to do.

As a buyer, the first thing I'd notice is it's priced $30k above redfin's estimate (I know it's just an estimate, but in my neighborhood most are priced at or below the Redfin est.) and it's been on the market for 5 months. It probably doesn't need to be "staged" but you should declutter & depersonalize. People don't want to see your family pics above the bed, they need to imagine their stuff there. When we bought our current home, the sellers had 3 toddlers, a dog & cat... but you'd never know b/c everything was packed away, items that remained were sparse & neutral. That said - i think the issue comes down to price.

PS: I love your bathroom floors!!!!!

Hi Janet. It might be hard to come to terms with the feedback people are giving, and that’s totally normal. I hope you ponder this and know that advice given here is from a place of caring and offering help.

You’ve posted here with a problem, and we’re trying to help you fix the issue to get your home sold fast & for top dollar.

Your home is beautiful and clearly perfect for you to live in. The problem is that when you’re selling, you’re trying to capture the widest net of buyers & show them how the home is perfect for THEM to live in.

So it’s important to think objectively about what buyers want, NOT about what you think of your much-loved home. Your emotional connection skews your opinion of things.

We (myself, these other posters, and quite frankly, buyers) have no connection to the home, so find it easy to be objective about the pros & cons.

I want to point out that you’ve had 25 showings but no offers. Via the listing photos & matterport tour, buyers are aware the house doesn’t have an open floor plan nor a pool BEFORE they set up a showing. And yet they’re still coming to see the house...

So we have to wonder what the true problem is?

If every buyer NEEDS a pool & an open floor plan such that it’s on their “must have list”, you’d be getting 0 showings.

Which is clearly not the case.

This means that buyers are getting in the door, but after seeing it in-person, decide the house isn’t the right fit for them. Something is turning them off while they’re at the house. Even though it’s hard, the sooner you come to terms with this, the quicker your house will sell.

If you decide you’re receptive to feedback, I have specific advice going room by room which I’m happy to help with! But there’s no point in going into that detail if you’re not ready to take actionable steps to selling. Which I can totally understand if that’s the case...selling and parting ways with your home can be hard emotionally!

As general concepts, here are the factors I see as possible issues:

1. You’ve already said that buyers in your area want a more open floor plan. Short of knocking down walls & doing a massive renovation, which I assume you don’t want to do, there’s no way to change the ACTUAL floor plan of the house.

But, there are ways to change the PERCEIVED flow of the house, how it feels when buyers walk through, and how they can picture it working for their family.

This would involve assessing the function of each room for today’s buyer, adjusting some furniture layouts to enhance flow throughout the house etc. To do this, you would need to be ready to put aside how YOU use house currently.

Also, to remind you, buyers knew that the floor plan was separate rooms before they came for a showing. Apparently, that wasn‘t an issue for them, since they did come see the house. Im guessing that the flow when they’re actually in the house is not feeling current.

2. Same as above, I assume you won’t be putting in a pool, so your Statement that buyers in your area want a pool isn’t something you can change.

What you CAN change is how the listing is presented.

Is there room for the buyer to put in a pool? I see that a lot of the property is taken up by the driveway & garage, but it still looks like their may be room for a small pool.

This may open your buyer pool (pun intended) to those who need a pool. More buyers through the door = more chance of offers.

What I see is that your house setup is PERFECT for a family who wants a pool, so that should be described. That back “mudroom” has access directly to the backyard area. That could be used as a pool entrance. After swimming, could come in that door to the tiled area (wet feet, bathing suits etc) and there’s a half bath right there for changing.

Things like that should be pointed out.

However, you can’t be in denial about it either. It doesn’t currently have a pool, and it will cost a pretty penny for buyers to put one in. Also, it looks as though there wouldn’t be room for both a pool & a grassy play area for kids. Those are downsides as far as a buyer is concerned, and it will reflect in price.

3. Everyone has different decor tastes. It’s impossible to cater to everyone‘s taste walking through the home, hence the suggesting for “neutralizing” the decor. The goal is to make is as inoffensive to as many people as possible. That may be lacking in personality, bland, etc and would be ridiculous for your everyday life.

But when you’re selling, it’s no longer about your everyday life. It’s about the biggest pool of buyers being able to picture themselves in the home.

Paring down your style would allow buyers to be able to picture adding THEIR STYLE to the home, whatever that may be.

I concur with everyone’s general recommendations on this & would be happy to walk you through it if you decide to do so.

Generally, it should look more current from a decor perspective. The bones & fixed elements of the house are super classic, which is great, but buyers have a hard time looking past your very specific style.

Again, everyone has different taste. It’s a very personal thing. There’s nothing wrong with your taste, my taste, or the buyers taste. But it’s extremely specific & most buyers don’t have much imagination to look past the “seller‘s stuff” and see the actual house itself.

4. I looked at a bunch of other homes in your immediate area that are currently on the market. These are your competition. Any buyers looking at your house will also be looking at these.

In their brain, why would they buy your house when they could spend virtually the same amount of money and get a house that’s 500-1,000 sq feet bigger?

You have to show and tell them (in your listing description) what makes this house better than those other options.

So what appealed to you when you bought your home? What do you love about it? What does the realtor say about it? What has the feedback been from buyers?

This is all actionable info that needs to be considered.

And if there’s no discernible reason that your house should be listed at the same price as these other larger house on market (despite offering less sq ft), you may need to come to terms with a price reduction.

5. I agree with some of the other posters who thought the house description could use work. It has to boast factors that today’s buyers care about.

We’re in a pandemic...lots of people really want separate spaces for different purposes of their life since we‘re now stuck at home.

Frankly, your floor plan caters quite well to this. You also have that totally separate suite/casita attached to garage that should be more prominently featured imo. It’s not even on the matterport tour.

I would be happy to help you w editing the listing description if you want.

6. If it’s not working out with your realtor, it’s great that your contract is coming to an end. Find a different realtor who will change things. I personally think doing a for sale by owner is a mistake.

You posted here asking for feedback, but have disputed & nullified everything the previous posters had to say.

Because clearly you love your house!! We’re just strangers on the internet who you haven’t met and who haven’t seen your house in person. And to be frank, you’re offended by the feedback given.

Imagine how you’ll feel about the feedback of buyers! You’re having a tough time coping with the idea of being impartial about the house and making modifications that would appeal to more buyers. Imo, involving yourself more in the process is a mistake. This is a business transaction, and if your heart is tied up in it, you can’t treat it as such. But that’s just my opinion, you’re welcome to take it with a grain of salt and dismiss it.

But I implore you to consider and take some actionable steps towards the factors you CAN change. Repeating that buyers want a pool & open floor plan is pointless because you can’t change those things.

This requires an acceptance that not everyone wants the same things in a house that you now value, being that you’re now emotionally attached to your home. You’re trying to appeal to the most buyers possible. To do so, you need to be a bit objective about this process & realize that no one is trying to insult you, but instead trying to help.

EVERYONE has to make changes to their home when they put it on the market. No one person’s style is inherently better than another’s, but everyone has different taste and you have to account for that when listing. It should literally look as generic as a pottery barn. No one actually lives like this. Selling is different than living.

From a place of wanting to help,

Pam

Beautiful home, the year it was built would be a turn-off for me especially for big-ticket items, furnace, AC, etc. The location is great, and even though I do think you need to neutralize a bit, it shows very tidy and clean, two things that are musts for me.

When I sold my home earlier this year I got feedback from each showing albeit not all showing provided much feedback. I used that to tweak the house setting.

If you need to sell, consider a price reduction and not a meager one either.

I am the owner of a similar vintage, historic house (though not in Tampa)--mine is similar in size and a teeny bit lower price range than yours. IMO you have done a marvelous job maintaining the character of the era of the house because you have done period-appropriate remodeling. The right buyer will appreciate that.

I too have decorated with furnishings that fit a hundred year old house, but I don't have the doilies and tablecloths and small decorative pieces that you have. Just the other day I looked around pretending I was a buyer. I can see that things we like and use in everyday life are not necessary if we would be trying to present our house as a blank slate for a buyer to imagine living in. IMO your house is not at all what is typically referred to as a "grandma house" because those haven't been remodeled or re-decorated in decades. And, as to the comment above that your floors aren't the current in-vogue lighter color, well floors like that are desired in new builds but not old houses like yours.

It is sad that many buyers have no vision. It's a fabulous house. I don't think you need to get a stager. I think you need to get rid of the cigar store Indian figure, doilies, tablecloths, small decorative items that are on tables and above kitchen cabinets. Above all, get rid of the early American braided rugs; just leave your lovely floors bare with the exception of the oriental rug in the dining room.

Is there a strange layout problem that we can't see in the photos? I am wondering about the addition portion since it is not in character with the rest of the house. It gives you square footage for help with comps, but perhaps it is awkwardly placed or poorly constructed.

Yours is a historic neighborhood. Do most of the other houses have pools? If there have been 25 showings with no offers, my guess is that you are over-priced. As others have mentioned, each showing should have generated buyer feedback. Focus on that and see if there is a pattern of comments.

A couple more thoughts for you:

1. People who want a historic house in a historic neighborhood know they are not going to get a modern open concept house.

2. Who set this price? Is it what you thought the house is worth or what the realtor suggested?

3. How are the mechanicals, roof and other structural elements? How much is the buyer going to have to sink into those? We all know old houses can be money pits.

4. Two fairly recent stories of sellers we knew who had historic houses in desirable locations who had problems selling. Both of their places were over-priced because the owners thought their house was so special.

a. House had a two story addition to the back giving it a first floor family room area and a second floor master suite with en-suite bath. The addition was poorly done as was some of the decorating, but owners insisted the sq. ft. made the house more valuable. It didn't sell in a hot market where there were frequently bidding wars. List price was originally 530K. Ultimately, many months later, sold for 460K.

b. Lovely house in a good location. Owners put it on the market themselves with a guesstimate of what they thought would be a good price. House had some quirks such as a very distinctively remodeled kitchen that only appealed to their taste. No master bath as was typical in a house of this vintage. They put it on the market themselves for 725K. Lots of showings but no offers except for one that they turned down for 650K. They kept thinking they weren't in any big hurry, and the right buyer would come along with a good offer. They finally got serious and listed it with a realtor who was very familiar with the neighborhood. Sold for 560K.

Wow! What a great location. I have family in Sunset Park. I'm continually amazed at the prices. A pool helps but isn't necessary. Location is everything!

In fact I helped my family stage their home for pictures in Palma Ceia in 2013. They didn't have space to store toys and baby gear so the realtor suggested that we push everything to one side, snap a picture and then move it back. It got people in the door and the home sold immediately. The key is getting people in the door. Remove everything on top of you kitchen cabinets, tablecloths, and accent furniture. Ex.

Move the large rug from the dining room to the living room. Move the monitor from on top of the built in desk to the desktop and add chairs and books to stage as a workspace (after all most people are looking for remote learning/working solutions). Hide the plug in fan behind cabinet doors.

Reread Pam K’s post over and over again, until you agree with her (or are willing to accept her POV, even if begrudgingly). She makes EXCELLENT points, in a very tactful and empathetic way. You’d be crazy not to take her up on her offer to help.

Oh, and one more thing...What is going on with the”laundry room?” Please forgive me if I’ve missed something; It looks like it‘s the room right off the kitchen, correct? Is the closet stackable/(apartment sized?) washer dryer the only one that will work in the current layout? Seems like that might be a problem...

Thank you Mary! I appreciate that.

I’m currently considering selling my house too, so definitely understand firsthand how hard it can be when you have an emotional connection to your home.

I hope Janet returns to this thread so we can help her. It’s truly a fabulous home that just needs a bit of tweaking for the market. So many great selling points that could be amplified with some minimal changes!

It‘s a shame that most buyers don‘t have vision, but alas, that’s the unfortunate reality. We need to spoon-feed them exactly what their lifestyle looks like in the house, otherwise they can’t picture it.

In a way, that’s a good thing since you (the seller) have total control over the portrayed narrative and exactly what image the buyer sees of their future life.

In anticipation of selling, I’m currently doing that same process...going room by room, neutralizing, depersonalizing, and trying to look at the room objectively from the buyer‘s perspective. What lifestyle am I trying to sell?

Anyway, I hope to “see” Janet back here soon!