tapping toes I'm so impatient...

AprilH81 · April 2014

So we put our house on the market on Sunday (the listing went live on Monday) and we had our first scheduled showing this morning between 10:45-11:45. While I am hoping for an offer, I also realize it would be pretty unrealistic to think that the first person/couple/family to come through the front door is going to buy it. However, I would like some feedback from the showing, even if it is something we can't fix. I want to hear SOMETHING and so far not a peep. I finally broke down a few minutes ago and emailed our listing agent. I appologized and told her I had done my best to be patient, but to please check for any feedback. The last time I sold a house I was surprised by the number of agents who DON'T provide feedback and I'm also surprised by some of the feedback I got. Someone didn't like my couch at the time. Seriously? I'm selling the HOUSE not the COUCH. lol

MrsMack10612 · April 2014

I'm on the other side of this coin.

We've put in an offer a short sale house. The seller has accepted, now we are just waiting for the slow churning wheels of her bank to approve it all.

KatWAG · April 2014

I was the opposite when selling our house. I LOVE our old place and I didnt want to hear peoples comments criticizing it. If they arent making an offer, then I dont care what they have to say.

AprilH81 · April 2014

MrsMack10612 said:

I'm on the other side of this coin.

We've put in an offer a short sale house. The seller has accepted, now we are just waiting for the slow churning wheels of her bank to approve it all.

We also put in an offer on a house on Sunday (which we got) but it seemed like forever for us to hear back. I don't understand what takes so long...

The last time I sold a house the first offer that came in was very low, but it was a cash offer (and this was in 2010 while the real estate market was still very surpressed from the 2008 crash). I responded within an hour to the offer with a counter. We went back and forth a few times but we had it all wrapped up in a few hours. Unless there are really unusual circumstances I think the delays tend to be more about "playing the game" than anything else.

phira · April 2014

What's funny is that when we put our house on the market back in 2008, a couple looked at it as soon as it went on the market, and then made an offer that night. They didn't end up buying the house (husband lost his job), but it was a little spooky that it happened so quickly.

AprilH81 · April 2014

KatWAG said:

I was the opposite when selling our house. I LOVE our old place and I didnt want to hear peoples comments criticizing it. If they arent making an offer, then I dont care what they have to say.

I want to know if there is a potential issue that I have the ability to fix so I can take care of it. The house is spotless and we filled a 16 foot POD with stuff that we don't need so clutter and lack of staging isn't going to be a complaint.

I guess I just want the feedback to get a feel for what the buyers are looking for in this market segment...

AprilH81 · April 2014

phira said:

What's funny is that when we put our house on the market back in 2008, a couple looked at it as soon as it went on the market, and then made an offer that night. They didn't end up buying the house (husband lost his job), but it was a little spooky that it happened so quickly.

An offer from the first showing would be a God-send since we are already under contract for our new house. We can swing two mortgages if we have to, but it would take up most of our discretionary spending that I would rather put towards new furniture for the new house (moving from 1,600 sq ft to 3,200 sq ft including the finished basement.

JCbride2015 · April 2014

AprilH81 said:

So we put our house on the market on Sunday (the listing went live on Monday) and we had our first scheduled showing this morning between 10:45-11:45. While I am hoping for an offer, I also realize it would be pretty unrealistic to think that the first person/couple/family to come through the front door is going to buy it. However, I would like some feedback from the showing, even if it is something we can't fix. I want to hear SOMETHING and so far not a peep. I finally broke down a few minutes ago and emailed our listing agent. I appologized and told her I had done my best to be patient, but to please check for any feedback. The last time I sold a house I was surprised by the number of agents who DON'T provide feedback and I'm also surprised by some of the feedback I got. Someone didn't like my couch at the time. Seriously? I'm selling the HOUSE not the COUCH. lol

Isn't that crazy? My mom is a home stager and sadly, this is true. What is in the home matters a lot. I can't stand when I see House Hunters and the couple is like, "I really hate those curtains/ that bedspread" or the worst, "This paint color is gross." For the love of God, you aren't keeping the furniture and you can paint the walls!

MrsMack10612 · April 2014

AprilH81 said:

MrsMack10612 said:

I'm on the other side of this coin.

We've put in an offer a short sale house. The seller has accepted, now we are just waiting for the slow churning wheels of her bank to approve it all.

We also put in an offer on a house on Sunday (which we got) but it seemed like forever for us to hear back. I don't understand what takes so long...

The last time I sold a house the first offer that came in was very low, but it was a cash offer (and this was in 2010 while the real estate market was still very surpressed from the 2008 crash). I responded within an hour to the offer with a counter. We went back and forth a few times but we had it all wrapped up in a few hours. Unless there are really unusual circumstances I think the delays tend to be more about "playing the game" than anything else.

We know with the short sale it's going to take longer than a normal sale. The seller accepted on 3/20. Her bank has come back twice since then with we need this and then a week later, we need this too.

There's just a lot more hoops to jump through, but I'm ready to be done with it and getting ready for closing.

phira · April 2014

AprilH81 said:

phira said:

What's funny is that when we put our house on the market back in 2008, a couple looked at it as soon as it went on the market, and then made an offer that night. They didn't end up buying the house (husband lost his job), but it was a little spooky that it happened so quickly.

An offer from the first showing would be a God-send since we are already under contract for our new house. We can swing two mortgages if we have to, but it would take up most of our discretionary spending that I would rather put towards new furniture for the new house (moving from 1,600 sq ft to 3,200 sq ft including the finished basement.

Not that I assume everyone shops at IKEA, but my brain went IKEA when I read ths post. I love IKEA.

AprilH81 · April 2014

JCBride2014 said:

AprilH81 said:

So we put our house on the market on Sunday (the listing went live on Monday) and we had our first scheduled showing this morning between 10:45-11:45. While I am hoping for an offer, I also realize it would be pretty unrealistic to think that the first person/couple/family to come through the front door is going to buy it. However, I would like some feedback from the showing, even if it is something we can't fix. I want to hear SOMETHING and so far not a peep. I finally broke down a few minutes ago and emailed our listing agent. I appologized and told her I had done my best to be patient, but to please check for any feedback. The last time I sold a house I was surprised by the number of agents who DON'T provide feedback and I'm also surprised by some of the feedback I got. Someone didn't like my couch at the time. Seriously? I'm selling the HOUSE not the COUCH. lol
Isn't that crazy? My mom is a home stager and sadly, this is true. What is in the home matters a lot. I can't stand when I see House Hunters and the couple is like, "I really hate those curtains/ that bedspread" or the worst, "This paint color is gross." For the love of God, you aren't keeping the furniture and you can paint the walls!

I can understand making the comment "OMG that is ugly." but that should never actually make it into the showing feedback unless it is something that actually detracts from the house (neon stripes in every room or mirrored disco balls hanging from the ceiling). If isn't to your personal taste just get over it because it will be gone when you move it. lol

AprilH81 · April 2014

phira said:

AprilH81 said:

phira said:

What's funny is that when we put our house on the market back in 2008, a couple looked at it as soon as it went on the market, and then made an offer that night. They didn't end up buying the house (husband lost his job), but it was a little spooky that it happened so quickly.

An offer from the first showing would be a God-send since we are already under contract for our new house. We can swing two mortgages if we have to, but it would take up most of our discretionary spending that I would rather put towards new furniture for the new house (moving from 1,600 sq ft to 3,200 sq ft including the finished basement.
Not that I assume everyone shops at IKEA, but my brain went IKEA when I read ths post. I love IKEA.

The closest IKEA is about 3 hours away and while I'm not totally opposed to the idea, their furniture tends to be too modern for my tastes. Some of their accessories/shelves/accent furniture isn't too bad, but I would want the "big pieces" first.

jenna8984 · April 2014

That must be kind of terrifying not having a contigency on your new purchase that you have to sell yours first. I'm dreading the upgrade because we need to sell ours first in order to have all the money for the down payment on a larger one. And since it's practically impossible to sell then buy within the same month, we're going to have to get an apartment in between. (We have no family in the area). So not looking forward to that!

AprilH81 · April 2014

jenna8984 said:

That must be kind of terrifying not having a contigency on your new purchase that you have to sell yours first. I'm dreading the upgrade because we need to sell ours first in order to have all the money for the down payment on a larger one. And since it's practically impossible to sell then buy within the same month, we're going to have to get an apartment in between. (We have no family in the area). So not looking forward to that!

In some ways yes, but others no... With the contract for a new house we "won" out of all the other bids in a combination of price and we put the closing date down as "negotiable". As long as we both agree on the time line we are good to go. Right now the sellers don't seem to be in any hurry so I'm not too worried yet. We are also fortunate that we have the money for the down payment and closing costs in liquid savings.

The equity tied up in our current home is earmarked for replenishing our savings and some small projects at the new home (the first will probably be a deck in the back yard). The situation is not optimal, but we are prepared for the worst case scenario.

jdluvr06 · April 2014

We're having an open house next weekend. I'm kind of nervous about it. So I understand being impatient about feedback. My realtor showed the house to a couple a couple of weeks ago and I heard the woman say "I love the house but I hate cats". I was thinking, well that is good because the cats are moving with us.

WinstonsGirl · April 2014

When I sold my house, the feedback we got from 1 agent (she showed it to 2-3 different couples) was that it was nice, but they wanted a 3 bedroom. Umm, it was advertised as a 2 bedroom. Why would you even show it to them then?? And she kept bringing people who wanted 3 bedrooms.

I was lucky too, in that it sold in competition the first weekend out (about 3 days after listing). DH hasn't been so lucky with his current place. He's been on the market about a month now and barely any showings.

I really hope it goes soon.

jenna8984 · April 2014

@winstonsgirl I'm super worried about that. Mine is a 2 bedroom and I'm thinking when we list it realtors will bring over a bunch of young first time buyers and try to talk them into it while they don't have a family. I know I was in the market for a 3 bedroom and I got talked into this place so really hoping that happens hahah.

JoanE2012 · April 2014

We saw our current house the day it was listed. We loved it and put in an offer immediately. It could happen! I hope it happens for you so you can have all kinds of fun furnishing it!

PS - We also want a new deck....our current one is crap.....major sticker shock. It was the biggest surprise of the house we've had. We never had a deck before and really underestimated how much it would cost.

jenna8984 · April 2014

@aprilh81 & @joane2012 Make sure you do a free standing deck. It should be held up entirely on it's own and NOT attached to the house. This causes rain to pool up where it's attached and rots the wood both on the deck and the house. There should be a 1 inch gap from your siding to the deck so rain can pass through. My father built his and told me all about this lol.

JoanE2012 · April 2014

jenna8984 said:

@aprilh81 & @joane2012 Make sure you do a free standing deck. It should be held up entirely on it's own and NOT attached to the house. This causes rain to pool up where it's attached and rots the wood both on the deck and the house. There should be a 1 inch gap from your siding to the deck so rain can pass through. My father built his and told me all about this lol.

Thanks for the advice! We're hiring someone when we do it, however we'll definitely check into that!

cupcait927 · April 2014

jenna8984 said:

@winstonsgirl I'm super worried about that. Mine is a 2 bedroom and I'm thinking when we list it realtors will bring over a bunch of young first time buyers and try to talk them into it while they don't have a family. I know I was in the market for a 3 bedroom and I got talked into this place so really hoping that happens hahah.

We were the first time home buyers that were THIS close to getting talked into a 2 bedroom as well. We wanted three but were willing to settle for 2 as we started looking. Funny enough, the house we bought can sort of be described as 2 1/2 bedrooms. The third one is super small and FI is using it as a closet area now and his desk will be in there. So you probably will be able to find someone!

Cookie Pusher · April 2014

jenna8984 said:

@winstonsgirl I'm super worried about that. Mine is a 2 bedroom and I'm thinking when we list it realtors will bring over a bunch of young first time buyers and try to talk them into it while they don't have a family. I know I was in the market for a 3 bedroom and I got talked into this place so really hoping that happens hahah.

My parents bought a 2 bedroom even though they had 4 kids at the time. However, a 2 br was all they could afford. You just never know. Good luck!!

WinstonsGirl · April 2014

ckel24 said:

jenna8984 said:

@winstonsgirl I'm super worried about that. Mine is a 2 bedroom and I'm thinking when we list it realtors will bring over a bunch of young first time buyers and try to talk them into it while they don't have a family. I know I was in the market for a 3 bedroom and I got talked into this place so really hoping that happens hahah.

We were the first time home buyers that were THIS close to getting talked into a 2 bedroom as well. We wanted three but were willing to settle for 2 as we started looking. Funny enough, the house we bought can sort of be described as 2 1/2 bedrooms. The third one is super small and FI is using it as a closet area now and his desk will be in there. So you probably will be able to find someone!

The funny this is that they wanted a 3 bedroom, and she wasn't trying to talk them into it. She seemed to think the listing said 3 BR when it very clearly said 2, and then was surprised and annoyed where there wasn't a 3rd BR. Not even a teeny tiny one. I don't think she was a very good Realtor.

lightningsnow · April 2014

As someone who has worked in a real estate office, I can say that depending on the bank or the seller, it can be very difficult for the agent to get in touch with them. Also, when it concerns showings, you also have to take into consideration the potential buyers work load and such. When BF and I were looking for a place, we could only schedule showings after we were both out of work, which was usually 6 pm or on the weekends.

We ended up finding a two bedroom townhouse for a steal and had our offer accepted almost immediately. The seller got the house as part of his divorce settlement and he lived in CA while we lived in NH. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't. However, most of the places we are were vacant and empty so we couldn't provide feedback on furniture and such.

AprilH81 · April 2014

Finally got feed back...

"Loved the property and thought it was staged very nicely. Negative no basement, no tub in master. Still on her list though"

The negatives are things that I have no control over but I'm pleased that the house is still on her list. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

ScoutF · April 2014

We were able to get feedback within a few hours of our showings. I think the worst feedback we got was about the guest rooms being too small, but the house sold fairly quickly. Fingers crossed for you!

AprilH81 · April 2014

We had THREE showings yesterday... I am very excited about the level of interest. We have received feedback from two of the three so far...

1) Lovely property, showed well, appropriate price and is still under considration and is "third favorite" (so I assume no offer is coming from that one).

2) Shows well, a little small for their taste and an "average listing". To the average listing I want to go scream WTF at them all. I get that the house may not be for everyone, the bedrooms may be too small, there is no basement and no real yard, but our house is SPOTLESS, staged and has a lot of updates a buyer is looking for. I'm trying not to take it personally, but sheesh...

buddysmom80 · April 2014

When my parents put their house on the market, the feedback they got was CRAZY!

One person hated the wallpaper in the kitchen (it was a little fugly) so we spent the weekend taking down the wallpaper, fixing the walls and painting the walls white as in "imagine this as your home and any color you want!"

Next showing the feedback was "the white walls made me feel like I was in an insane asylum, but it's my third favorite house". This was the person that ended up in escrow on the house. Her dad (a financial backer) was a huge PITA during escrow but my parents were desperate to sell.

Anyway, we have mutual friends on FB. My friend was tagged in one of her house parties and the girl painted the fireplace from a natural brick to white. I showed my mom and she goes "talk about insane asylum, that puts the icing on the cake!"

Long story short, @aprilh81 the person who said the house was their third favorite could be the person who ends up buying it!

SBmini · April 2014

This is why I can't watch house hunters. People are so ridiculous.

"I don't like this paint color"

"Oh, I don't like their furniture"

Goddamn it people! Have some vision and some foresight! If you don't buy a house because of the current owner's taste, you are beyond dumb.

I think one reason why we were able to snag our place was because it was so dirty and had so many questionable design decisions (like the bubblegum pink bedroom and rooster wallpaper in the kitchen) that a lot of people were scared away, allowing us to get an awesome house.

jdluvr06 · April 2014

@aprilh81 we have gotten some insane feedback too. I was reading and one person said they didn't like the wall color in the second bedroom. The walls are white. Easy to paint over.

AprilH81 · April 2014

I think this is also where some discretion from the buyer's agent would come in helpful. Unless it really is some insanely distracting paint color/design choice that is really off-putting to most buyers the agent should NOT include those comments in the feedback form.

No need to tell the seller that the potential buyer doesn't like white walls or a green couch. It serves no purpose whatsoever except to annoy/frustrate the seller.

Is the house in need of a good cleaning? Let the seller know... Is it too cluttered and could use a good staging? Let the seller know... Did the buyer notice a faucet leaking? Let the seller know... Otherwise ignore it.

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