It's been a long day...a long week actually. We first met with our realtor last Thursday and it has been an intense couple of days. It started with the news that we had to sell our home for A LOT less than what we thought. Then that we needed to get the house on the market last weekend. Those two pieces of information were enough to send me over the edge. I have barely hung on this week, literally clinging to every bit of truth and wisdom I could get. And honestly, cause we just need to be real here, most of it came from others.
Today we finalized all the paper work and it will officially be on the market in 24 hours-ish. So all that said, I've learned a lot about real estate this week. So I thought I'd give you...Katie's List of Things to Know About Real Estate.
(And let me just preface this with I'm tired and there will be a whole lotta MacPherson cynicism and sarcasm.)
1. If only we let our houses look as good as they do when they are on the market.
2. Now is NOT the time to SELL. The bottom line is our house has depreciated and thankfully not under what we still owe. But we are not going make barely anything on this sale and we have put so much into it. It's really frustrating knowing your so-called investment was not really a worthy investment after all. Everything right now is about the buyer. You're just so at their mercy and its a horrible feeling.
3. The market is NOT getting better. Yes things are selling, but the prices are horrible. see #1 - It's a BUYERS market.
4. When staging a house, make it look as if no kids exist.
5. When staging a house, in addition to #3 make it look as if no one exists.
6. When people ask to help, let them help. You can't do it alone.
7. The only thing that would make it easier is if those kids mentioned in #3 didn't really exist. Let me clarify...I want them to exist, just not in the current home that is currently on the market. Following the terrors around picking up every single thing they displace is, well, tiring.
8. I hate comps. They killed us. That one blasted house that sold two months ago is going to hurt us. Gotta love the comps.
9. And speaking of comps...did you know the only thing that matters is your square footage, beds, and baths. That's it! Don't bother with the remodeling, redecorating, redesigning. Thanks HGTV! Everything you taught me, DOES. NOT. APPLY.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
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4 comments:
right there with you... we even got an offer near our asking price but after we factored in paying their closing costs, BOTH realtor fees, and giving them an allowance for a w&d, we were barely breaking even. and THEN the guy's lender backed out and no longer honored his pre-approval. so, ours is still sitting on the market. empty. making a mortgage payment and electric/gas payments monthly. on an empty house. heartbreaking. praying for you all int he process!!!!
"there will be a whole lotta MacPherson cynicism and sarcasm." I whispered "yesss!" at my desk. Seriously, I hope this process is as painless as possible for you. Can't wait to talk with you IN PERSON about this and all things life. Love you!
It's depressing for sure. We contemplated putting our house up so we would be in a position to take advantage of the cheap buying prices, but just didn't feel like the time was right! I'd totally buy your house if I thought we could afford it!! We're praying for you guys and know that God will provide!
OH Katie. Amen and Amen. I'm right there with you in the cynicism and sarcasm relating to the housing market. It. Sucks. And I hate that word. So now that we know how awful and impossible the whole thing seems, it will be a treat to watch the Lord go ahead and do what He's going to do to get you out from under it! Believing Him for a miracle and wishing I could cry in a corner with you :) Ha ha! Hang in there!
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