generally, this means lowering the asking price. I would also remove any fake flowers, fake plants.

If a house won’t sell, it usually can be solved by lowering the price.

That 1960-style wall paneling in your first picture isn’t doing you any favors. Neither are all the fake flowers and greenery. Another thing I noticed is there is no fabric or textile softness in either picture. Don’t you have rugs on the floors or curtains/drapes on the windows?

Back during the financial crisis I used to read a blog by a Realtor in CA. This phrase of his stuck with me ...

"There is no defect that price can't cure"

Can you DIY?

How long has it been on the market? I can think of several things that would turn me off. However, the setting is very pretty and if it was priced right, I’d make an offer.

The white door is front? Move your furniture. No one wants to walk into a house and stumble on the dining table. Also the cabinet next to the white door is too wide as it overlaps the window.

Generally speaking, light and bright appeals to buyers. Are you able/willing to paint? Lightening the wood (whitewashing?) and painting doors and trim white throughout would make a big difference.

For the dining room, I agree with @Rho Dodendron about moving the table into the center of the room (if possible) and moving the tall cabinet to the table wall. Might you have a lower cabinet/dresser/table elsewhere in the house that could go under the window?

I show simple white curtains here (optional). If you sew, those can be inexpensively made from twin flat sheets. They already have a wide hem for the bottom; just turn down the narrow-hemmed end and sew across to make a rod pocket. (Measure each one carefully; I find they vary a bit in size and are not always square.) Here's the before and after these changes:

I think the dated furniture is putting just one too many visual obstacles to people being able to see themselves there, along with the rustic paneling that few people like or want these days. I would stow the bar stools, and arrange as @simplenatural has shown, with the tv and wall decor gone. The painted paneling looks so much better and shows off the wood furniture in a good way.

I looked at your listing online and I think you could benefit from some help staging. There is a LOT of panelling, so would be a big job to paint it all, but painting any of it will help. The furniture could be rearranged in a way that looks more welcoming or cozy. It's all oddly separate which makes the rooms look unmanageable, somehow. All the brick and paneling are going to be a deterrent to many people because they will want to remove them or at least paint over them to get a fresher, brighter look. I would remove the curtains in the master bedroom and hang some plain and inexpensive ones in their place. Some of the rooms could use a good decluttering, too- I think it's a storage area with the patterned carpet. It looks like a wonderful setting and is quite attractive from the front. The house looks very clean, which is great. Good luck!

Edited to add: I looked at the listing again and a few others in your area...this is probably the main reason it hasn't sold:

Look at some of the competing listings and you'll see your price appears to be way too high.

Lower the price. No amount of staging is going to get rid of popcorn ceilings, florescent light fixtures, a brick peninsula, and whatever surface those cabinets are.

If you want to slash the price and restage, get ride of your wood furniture. (Can you put it in storage, will you be taking it with you where you move?) Get three slender stools, not made of wood. Place a smaller round table and chairs in the dining area. Get rid of the dried flowers.

Unfortunately to the buyers your house appears very outdated and all they see is it needs work. They will in their mind calculate the cost of what needs to be done and over estimate the amount of work it needs to get the updated and nice house they want. The way to overcome this is generally to lower the price so that you get the buyer that really would like the amenities your house offers such as a larger house and a small acreage lot, but couldn't afford to buy it otherwise. They are going to look at it more as we can get this done as needed and as they save up money and the house can be moved into and lived in and they are able to get a more desirable location than the nice houses in their price range.

Some things you can do to to help things out are going to cost you money and not get you all the way, and may still have to lower the price, but as has already been mentioned in no particular order.

- Paint the paneling a light color - most people want light filled rooms vs. dark and cozy

- Paint all the cabinets in kitchen and laundry so they don't have the distressed look.

- update hardware for bathroom cabinets in the bathroom where the toilet blocks part of the cabinet.

- paint the door to the room that is now the garage white or something so you don't see the large splotch of something on the door.

- Remove the storage room carpet if it is not inside the house, but was part of the garage.

- Remove all the bar stools and put the table into the middle of the room and move the cabinet over to the wall where the TV is.

- Paint the trim and doors white. Some already is

- Remove popcorn ceilings - most buyers really dislike these, but it is no small task

- At least remove the popcorn in the rest of the laundry room and don't leave it as it currently is.

- Fix the trim around the attic access in the laundry room

- If painting paneling keep the ceiling paneling as is.

- Remove some furniture out of the bedrooms - it is making them look cramped.

Note the rooms that you should aim for the rest of the house to be more like are as follows

- The bedroom with the blue and flower bedspread (just reduce furniture a bit)

- The bathroom with light gray walls - Note don't paint paneling in the rest of the house gray as it won't go with your floors and the brick, but this bathroom has an updated and lighter feel.

Olychick, how did you find the listing? Would you post it here, please?

Tracey_Phelps - Where are you located? What are you willing to do? How long has it been on the market? What feedback are you/your realtor getting from those who have seen it? Please come back and help us help you.

Located outside of Kentwood, Louisiana. It’s in a great school district. Listed on Zillow. My realtor has only showed the house twice.

I agree that many small-to-medium things could be done to bring this house up-to-date, but the EASIEST way to sell it would be to lower the price. Let the new owner decide exactly what he or she wants to do -- all your DIY efforts will probably not recoup the cost of paint. Lower the price.

I'd talk to your realtor and look at comparables. If your real estate agent can't do this, then do it yourself. With the help of sites like Zillow, you can see what similar houses in the area sell for --- and see pictures of them. Find a lot of houses that have a similar sq footage, number of beds and baths, yard size, neighborhood. Make a spreadsheet of amenities and prices.

What I see in your pictures is a kitchen that seems to be of a good size and layout with ugly cabinets that clash with the floor. Not a deal-breaker and painting the cab is probably expensive.

In the first pic, I see underused space. There's a TV, but no comfy chairs within easy viewing distance. There's a picnic table in an awkward spot. If this is a dining room, I'd replace the picnic table with a round table with some chairs in the middle of the space with a rug underneath. An attractive bowl or something on the table. Then, I'd a landing spot for stuff like keys right inside the door. The china hutch is partly blocking the window, I'd move it to where the picnic table is.

The trick to DIY staging is cheap furniture from a second-hand store with an attractive tablecloth and matching, trendy colors.

Don't be embarrassed if your taste isn't what people want. Whatever's trendy and popular today will be so dated tomorrow.

When you're buying stuff to sell the house, you need to pay a lot of attention to payback. While markets differ, my opinion is that investing in improvements that speed the sale of the house are often worth it. You don't want a slow erosion of your price as the house sits unsold for months.

What is your realtor input here? Did they suggest this price? Have you asked them about the lack of interest in your home? If you haven't done so, you should discuss with them your property vs other properties in the area. Have you been open to having open houses, have they been willing to throw them?

There's something to be said about the listing itself. If that is what has been up this whole time.. it is underwhelming. Overly verbose description, and not much bones in the various description boxes. Try adding in more practical detail, like age of the house, what the heating/cooling is and their age, what the roof is and its age. Or maybe not the roof age, the pics look like it is kind of weather worn. If your cladding is solid brick and not brick veneer, mention it as a positive point. Do you have a basement? What kind of water/septic are you on there? Gas, LP, or electric appliance hookups? I saw a LP tank in one of the pics, but is that for the heating, other appliance, what? What is the garbage service, is it municipal or private? Does your home qualify for any special buying, like VA loans? For the parking description area, instead of just "driveway"; you have a 2-3 car cement parking pad there and also a gravel turn around drive.

There's been a lot of great suggestions of touchups or changes you could make to make the home look more updated/inviting. Also, since it seems that your listing is overpriced, do consider bringing the price down.

You are a dreamer, your house in your location is overpriced by about $160,000. It's in the middle of a dessert of rural small towns losing population over 70 years with some of the lowest medium household incomes I've seen nation wide. Drop the price $100K and you might get lucky selling it.

There were less than 500 views on zillow over 6 months with only 11 saves and this alone tells you the lack of interest there is for properties in your area at the asking price. Don't spend a dollar on the house trying to get people buy it, it's wasted money. I'm sorry but demographics and employment opportunity have a lot to do with home valves and you're location scores low and all points.

tracey phelps, you've gotta give us more to go on. Please. Based upon the very little that you've said and the very few questions that you've answered, my input is similar to others:

1) Lower the price

2) Get some area rugs

3) Paint the horrible walls

4) Move things around for better flow.

5) Or just lower the price.

6 Is that a gun safe in the living room?????

7) Fire the realtor who you're working with and who gave you the advice for the asking price.

You're not really giving us much here. I did find the listing. Although you have a gorgeous lot, the house is unkempt. And you're way over-priced, IMO.

If the school district is the major draw, the market is going to be March to June, July at the latest, allowing time to close. Can you take it off the market and relist then? In addition to the demographic factors kevin mentioned, I’d have to include some recent political and environmental factors that make Louisiana a no go for many of us. Unless its the cuisine of course!!

It's a very rural house with a lot of land and outbuildings in Louisiana. I'm not sure that many Houzzers know the market or are very similar to the kinds of buyers in your area.

I didn’t feel comfortable linking someone else’s property.

If you look at comparables there are a few that are over $100-$150k less, in condition not requiring such extensive updates. I am sure it is disappointing to learn you can’t get the price you want without doing updating and even then, no guarantees there is a buyer. But price is your biggest obstacle.

I'm sorry some of the comments were kind of insulting.

It seems to me that if the house was only shown 2 times, that speaks to either a very weak market and or very poor pricing - possibly both.

It does sound like you do want the house sold, that you're not pleased with waiting and waiting for a maybe buyer to come along.

How long is your listing agreement with the realtor? It doesn't sound like realtor is giving you useful feedback.

With that some of the smaller fixes suggested here,might be worth it, but mostly you probably need to lower the price.

The market in my area (Westchester County) is one of the hottest in the country yet practically moribund for the last couple of months. Isn’t seasonality relevant there?

What do you consider a fortune? for updates

The red flags for me are the roof and the poor condition of the outbuilding. I see a poorly maintained property and if the price is high I would not bother to go look at it.

Get a new agent. The one you have isn't working hard enough. When you decided on the price, did agent show you a list of comps? Is agent advertising? If so, are listing photos good?

How many open houses have you had?

Your photos show a very workable house. As long as the home is in good condition, in a good area, there is no reason why it hasn't sold.

For the short sighted, if you are up for painting the wood walls, use the same white that I see in the other rooms. Otherwise, don't spend another cent.

Oh, yes, paint the applied brick on the peninsular white, too.

simply natural has done a nice job of showing you what a few changes would like like + how they update the space.

A diy paint spray gun is not very expensive - there is a group over on FB where pros help DIYers re: painting rooms/trim/cabinets. You should be able to find it if you do a search (something like "Facebook painting group" - I will see if I can find it later). My sister used some advice over there when she decided to rent out her house (she moved in with her SO). They gave her advice about different spray guns - and helped her decide which one to purchase. They also explained prep work + the correct type of paint to purchase (she wanted to use something that professional painters used - a 2k paint - because she wanted the paint job to be as professional as possible without spending $$ on hiring someone). Her house is nice - and the renters will be professionals who will take care of the house - but still won't treat it the same as if they owned it. Therefore, she wanted to use the right paint for all the trim/walls + primary bathroom vanity (it was painted white originally - but she was the second owner and it had some touch up that needed to be done).

I think that if you did the changes suggested by simply natural in the kitchen + painted the wood paneling, it would make a huge difference on how your house "shows" to potential buyers.

Also, it seems like your real estate agent isn't really doing much to earn his/her commission. I would look into switching to another agent who will be able to answer questions re: correctly pricing your home. If your agent provided you with the listing . price for the home, I assume there is a reason that it's priced higher than what people have found after looking at houses in your area. After all, he/she doesn't get paid unless the house sells. Why would she/he intentionally price it $140,000+ more than it's worth?

Maybe I missed something in the comments that explains the reasoning behind the listing price (did you decide what the listing price should be?) I read this post originally after it had only been posted for a short time - there were only 8 or 9 comments at the time. I haven't gone through all of the newer comments. Maybe there is an explanation that I've missed.

In any event - listen to the advice you've been given re: doing a few inexpensive changes to your house + pay attention to the comment posted by @elcieg above (I just re-read that comment - the way it's written, it appears that you set the listing price). Comps aren't always helpful in setting a listing price IF a property is unique in some way that would justify a much higher price. However, if your property is similar to the comps in the area, why did you decide to list for so much more than what appears to be the value of the home in your market?

Here is updated kitchen like yours

I would paint all with white and get new nobs.

Two showings is more than we had in our first 25 days on the market back when selling our first home. The realtor and DH did not agree on the asking price so our realtor 'proved' his point by not putting effort into selling our home. DH got it on the realtors weekly round up and it sold to the first couple who toured at DH's price. My guess is the realtor has made suggestions. Doing much now is a crap shoot of guessing what the buyer wants. Price is the best camouflage. Priced right people are more willing to see what it could be. Let them spend the money and put in the time to make it what they will want.

Looks like @tracey_phelps replied last 5 days ago. I'm hoping Tracey comes back to give some feedback or updates. I guess ithis is a LOT of information and suggestions to absorb.

The cabinets are what bother me the most. Whatever that faux finish is, it looks dirty and not appealing at all. I know they are probably clean, because your house is very clean. I would repaint the cabinets in either white or your choice of color, instead of having that awful streaking.

Way way overpriced is the biggest issue. Nothing you can do will fix that. Because you are still left with the major obstacles to someone owning the home: age, condition, and amenities.

I took another look at comparisons and the house is worth $160 with another $50K for the 5 acre lot for a total value of $210K. After my own analysis I reviewed the medium home values for all of Tangipahoa parish and it showed $235K.<<

The town of Kentwood was even lower so I have no clue why your realtor would suggest $329K in a market where comparable were selling for $175k to $230k. The only new home built after 2020 sold near you for $300K in Mar 2024 with a 24'x 58' new workshop and very nice. Your house is from the 60's or 70's and a money pit for someone wanting better, and better is already available at your price.

There is a house on Potts Rd. listed for $219K kinda like yours with a lot more lip stick so it shows good in pictures but only has 304 views and 12 saves with 174 days on the market indicating the market determines what a house is worth and not a bunch of lip stick. A total gut and rebuild might not get you even $300K in your market so beware of suggestions related to upgrades. .

A few more before and after photos:

Painted wall paneling, slightly whitewashed brick, removed mantel. Added a light rug (bound carpet remnant?), moved existing area rug to exterior entry end of room. Switched chairs (would actually set rocker at more of an angle than this to face the sofa L). Moved desk/bench here from bedroom and hung weathered pallet from yard over it as "art", with a small pot of ivy tucked in. Set lanterns from storeroom on desk. Grouped existing art over one sofa, framed another weathered item (roofing panel from sagging shed roof?) over the other. Added a substantial lamp on the end table and Boston ferns under the window.

Moved TV to wall over church pew, moved gun safe out of photo range. Added rug. Moved right-wall loveseat to face the other one, added coffee tables. Added a counter-height table and placed existing kitchen barstools around it. Added floor lamp, pillows on pew, and a couple of small plants.

Made only minor changes to these rooms:

Removed window valances, grouped art over bed, moved trunk under far-wall art, moved TV back closer to wall (for photos only if it functions better forward).

Grouped art left of window, moved desk/bench to rear living room (see above), moved far-wall dresser left, hung wreath from dining room above that dresser, art from storeroom above the other. Added full-length mirror. Placed shell and glassware from storeroom on one dresser, added a plant on the other.

Added a plant on the window end of the computer desk, to disguise and give purpose to the overlap. Substituted a taller nightstand and lamp with white shade.

Removed knob from unusable vanity drawer, removed door below it to create open storage space there, so the toilet feels less cramped. (It looks closer than the standard code requirement of 15" from centerline to any side obstruction.) Closed the bottom storage area on the left.

Tub area looked bare to me, so added shower curtains (even though there's no shower there). Painted door white. Changed art and towels.

Tried in all of this to use existing items, keep additions to a minimum to minimize cost. Goal is good photos to attract buyers.

Wow. Please do my house next!

Simply....of course that looks fabulous. The question becomes what's the upside of all that money and work? If you spend 100K so the home is worth the 300 they are asking you've gained what??? It's too late for updates. Be sure it's clean, FIX any neglected maintenance and price the home correctly get out from under and move on! The new buyer will make their decisions spend the money, invest the time--it's really not for the current owner to make those calls any longer.

It looks so much better! You did a great job making the house tour worthy. Quick worker! good luck on a sale.

Olychick. Those are mock ups from simplynatural. OP hasn't done that work.

Thanks, @arcy_gw, for thinking I spent $100,000 on those updates, but assuming the owner does the painting, I think their cost would be around $1100 (plus tax and any shipping). I mostly rearranged/eliminated. Besides paint, these are the added items:

Kitchen: Shiplap paneling and baseboard $45, 4 barstools $152 (total $197).

Dining room: White curtains made from 2 twin flat sheets and curtain rod $32 (total $32).

Back living room: Bound carpet remnant $150, 3 Boston ferns $57, potted ivy $5 (total $212).

Former garage living room: Rug $150, counter-height table (DIY) $120, pew pillows (thrift stores) $25, 2 round glass/metal coffee tables $140, 2 pothos plants $20 (total $455).

MBR: no cost (total $0).

BR2: Full-length mirror $20, 1 plant $10 (total $30).

BR3: Trailing plant $20 (total $20).

Bath1: Scrap paneling $10 or find free (total $10).

Bath2: 2 shower curtains and hanging corner rod $75, vertical art $69 new from greatbigcanvas (with the 50% discount they always offer), but I would check thrift stores (total $144).

Total cost $1100. Reasonable investment for a house in this price range?

There is no way for them to spend 6 months in a falling market doing a bad paint homeowner grade job on everything. In a down turning market. A poor paint job is just a bigger turnoff than what it is covering. That work would also be more than 100K to make all those changes with paid labor.

Oh, forgot table lamp in back LR, floor lamp in garage LR, bedside table and lamp in BR3. Have to go--back later to revise figures!

Back LR table lamp $58 from Target; simple floor lamp $20 from Amazon; small bedside table $31 from Home Depot; bedside lamp $17 from At Home. Total of these is $126, so $1226 altogether instead of $1100.

Note also, first, that all prices are for inexpensive items that will simply show well in photos. Any added items can go with you when you move, so could be upgraded (at additional cost) if you want higher quality for more than temporary use. Second, some of the changes are more important than others. I would put painting the paneling and trim first, then rugs in the two living areas and no-cost rearranging, then the new barstools and the table for the existing ones. After that, do what seems most needed/effective and stop when your budget limit is reached.

The only "issue" I have with the painting is as has been raised, that it would cost $$ for a professional job.. but if homeowner is able to diy decently then it's well worth it.

While the thought might be to not put any more money into this not lively market, putting in under $2,000 to bring an offer and to be done with having this hang over your head would be money well spent.

When we were selling, in a very different time and market, it was at the height of when people were changing everything to get a sale. We didn't go overboard, but we did a lot. I still wonder if it was necessary, but the house did sell within days of going on the market.

To me, not having to keep it in pristine conditon each and every day when we left the house, was well worth it.

HAHAHAHAHA simplynatural I was talking to the gal trying to sell the house and spending money to hope it's becoming what buyers want!! I frankly didn't really look at your suggestions all that carefully as they are irrelevant. The answer to the issue is REDUCE THE PRICE!

SimplyNatural, I like that software to are using, Can you share the name?

Thanks.

@floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK Oh, my I really missed that. I read the "Before and After" and took it literally! I thought it was amazingly fast. Thanks!

I have to agree with Arcy -- it's the price. Anything will sell at the right price point. Slapping paint on the walls and buying cheap furniture isn't going to fix the bigger problems going on here but a price reduction will overcome them.

Tracey - Over the last 40-something years I've owned seven houses and sold six of them. I also sold my parent's home. Some houses were in buyers markets and some in sellers markets. They've been in cities, suburbs, small towns and rural areas. I've sold at a premium and at a steep discount. And, of course, I've watched dozens of friends and family members sell homes too.

Here's what I know to be true -- a house is only worth what someone is willing to pay you on the day you want/need to sell it. It doesn't matter what it was worth last year, or what that newer/nicer/bigger house down the street sold for, or how much money you spent on the huge hot tub out back. The market is the market and largely out of your control. You can wait and wait and wait for that magical buyer to show up and pay your desired price but in the meantime you're paying the mortgage, utilities, taxes and maintenance (ka-ching!).

Unless you have the luxury to wait for the market to change, which could take years, the only recourse is to lower the price, maybe drastically. If you need to get out from under ASAP, price it so a contractor or a developer will buy it. Insist your realtor be honest with you about the local market and the listing price.

It's a bitter pill to swallow, I know, because this is your home. But to the rest of the world it's a business transaction. Try to let go of the emotional attachment and focus on the future once the house is sold and you're able to move on to the next phase of your life. Good luck.

Violetta, I'm just using Microsoft's Paint. Nothing fancy.