UPDATE in OP. If you sold your house recently, what did you do...

[fedoragirl]

UPDATE: Listed the house a week ago, got two offers within 4 days. We are under contract now, and praying that everything works out. Yay!
The paint really worked. We didn't have to do the staging.




...that helped it sell?
I am aware of the right pricing, curb appeal, etc.
We are trying to sell our home once again. We tried selling it in 2011 and it sat on the market for 10 months. We had plenty of showings and no offers.
Now, our house is vacant again and we're bleeding money into everyday. Our goal is to cut our losses and just sell it for as much as we can. The realtor has already sent the comps. We always were very realistic about the selling price.
He has also sent a long list of things that can be upgraded. So, I want to know if it really matters if we paint the entire house a neutral color. We don't have wild colors in our home--pastels (blue, pink, green) but realtor thinks we should paint them all a cream or taupe. Will it help get the house sold? I know staging can help.
What else did you do other than the known factors?

[chozen]

We did paint ours neutral colors. i also think staging really helps! since our home went on the market during the winter months we left pictures of what our yard looked like during the summer months, we just set 4-5 pictures out on kitchen counter.

[Binkandabee]

If you've got pastel colors on the walls, I'd definitely paint the whole house "buy me beige". My mom recently sold my grandmother's house and they used Sherwin Williams Kilim Beige for the entire house. She also staged the house.

[squimp]

We reduced the price, it sold in less than two weeks. In our area there have been a bunch of job cuts and houses in our price bracket were simply not selling as well as we hoped. But we did the math and it was better for us to cut the price now and sell it than hang on to it for another 6 months. We sold it after we moved out. It was empty so I don't believe that staging is that important unless there are some other issues you need to hide like a weird layout or something like that.

Wish I had a better answer for you. We did tons of decluttering, the whole house was beigey, new granite countertops and stainless, kept the yard looking nice. Be as flexible as you can about showings. We had open houses and lots of showings but it had to be priced right. I kept telling myself, it only takes one buyer.

[squimp]

One thing we did that was really helpful is when we did the realtor open house (within a day of putting the house on the market) we asked them to leave their cards with comments on the back and we would do a drawing for a Starbucks GC. Realtors are brutal, but we took their comments to heart and I believe it made a difference.

Also the pictures are crucial. I can't tell you how many houses I skipped over because of bad pics.

[icunurse]

We did everything the realtor requested (decluttered a bit, neutral paint and carpeting, no personal decorations, updated small things like vanity tops, faucets, bathroom flooring, light fixtures), had tons of showings and it didn't sell. Feedback generally was that the house was immaculate, yard was nice, kitchen kinda small. We weren't in a rush to sell, so we priced competitively per comparison, but not handing the house away. Our home is in one of the sought after subdivisions in the area and one of the lower priced ones (so smaller price for entry into a good area), good schools, right by a park and bike path, oversized fenced lot with paver patio and deck and more. No idea why it didn't sell. I really do think a lot of it is just luck, having the right house at the right time for the right person. While we were disappointed not to sell, we also saw only one or two homes that we liked. Lots of nice houses out there, but not the right one for us. Around us, unless the house is amazing or an amazing deal, it is slow. We also have a fair amount of new construction starting up, too, so that is taking away opportunities, too.

[crl]

We last sold in 2009 just as the market was crashing. The best thing we did was hire an agent with a great marketing plan. He knew who our most likely buyers were are spent his advertising budget accordingly. And we sold to exactly who he predicted (young couple, one child, wanted to move out of the city for better schools, but needed a short commute--he spent his advertising budget all in the city rather than in suburban publications).

He did not advise paint anything neutral and we left all of our paint colors (dark navy study, navy and mid-blue dining room, blue kitchen, yellow living room, green master bedroom, etc). We did take all of his advice on arranging furniture and such. He had a professional photographer take great pictures and had a great website for the house.

We sold at right at a week on the market to buyers who saw it at the open.

Catherine

[amldaley]

Ours is under contract right now and we are praying it will close in Feb.

Neutral colors, professionally cleaned top to bottom, paid someone to maintain the landscaping while it was on the market and lowered the price when other similar homes sold for less in our neighborhood. We stayed on top of the realtor and we were really aggressive in demanding what we expected in terms of service.

[fedoragirl]

Ours is under contract right now and we are praying it will close in Feb.

Neutral colors, professionally cleaned top to bottom, paid someone to maintain the landscaping while it was on the market and lowered the price when other similar homes sold for less in our neighborhood. We stayed on top of the realtor and we were really aggressive in demanding what we expected in terms of service.

Thank you. That helps a lot. We were not aggressive with our former realtor because she had been our buyer's agent and our relationship became more friendly than just professional. We are trying to stay on top of this realtor a little more even though it is hard from overseas.
icunurse...you just described our house--sought after neighborhood, pool, paths to parkway, 2 min. from three highways, best schools in the district, lower priced in a high-end subdivision..... and we have no idea what else to do.

[khm]

What colors are your walls currently? I do think it can't hurt, if your realtor is suggesting it, there is probably a reason for that.

If the home is empty, it can make it even harder to overcome "non-neutral" colors. Empty homes with many different colored rooms can seem kind of choppy and hard to "mentally decorate", even dated. A simple, neutral, single color is really a blank canvas. Is it the determining factor? No, probably not, but it cannot hurt if it is something the realtors are commenting on.

Honestly, in my market it is just plain luck sometimes. It sucks, but it's true. They can market the heck out of something, be priced right, be staged, and your perfect buyer might still chose the other house for some random reason.

[Twoboos]

We reduced the price (again and again) and waited... and waited for that right buyer. We also tiled the bathroom floors, they had been laminate and people commented on it. So I would say neutral paint if you can. And maybe even staging it with furniture? Speaking from experience, an empty house can be very hard to sell.

We really needed certain type of buyer. In the end, it was basically "us" that bought it. Young couple, no kids (didn't care we didn't have a yard) looking for a good town to start out in, willing to do some needed renovation.

Is there a "type" of person that might be interested in the house? For ex, when SIL was selling their old house, it was near a Jewish Temple so they hung some fliers there. I believe one of the members bought it. So near the commuter rail, by a certain school, etc. (Oops, just saw you mentioned all that!) What is the competition like?

Ultimately it was timing and pricing. The waiting SUCKED.

[JMS]

Paint the whole house neutral, complimenting colors.
Put away the majority of personal belongings.
Rent storage space and get rid of all unnecessary furnishings.
Clean, clean, clean!

[SnuggleBuggles]

Is it vacant right now? If so, get some furniture in there. Either hire a stager who will take care of picking, renting and setting up or see if you can get someone (realtor, family..) to coordinate it. A vacant house is less likely to sell. We were a few weeks away from me hopping on a plane to go back to our last house to paint the nursery a neutral color (we'd painted every other room prior to moving out) and renting furniture. Luckily, it sold before I had to do that. I actually wish I'd done it sooner though as it could have helped.

Are the pictures of the house staged or vacant?

[amldaley]

Thank you. That helps a lot. We were not aggressive with our former realtor because she had been our buyer's agent and our relationship became more friendly than just professional. We are trying to stay on top of this realtor a little more even though it is hard from overseas.
icunurse...you just described our house--sought after neighborhood, pool, paths to parkway, 2 min. from three highways, best schools in the district, lower priced in a high-end subdivision..... and we have no idea what else to do.

We purposely did not go with any of the several good friends who are Realtors for that reason. It was difficult but worth it in the end.

Is your agent getting feedback after each showing? What are prospective buyers saying?

[twowhat?]

Neutral paint (the SW strip with Kilim beige on it is great - pick a couple of different shades to add depth to the house). Stage it with furniture (empty houses are less inviting). Sounds like you are doing everything else right.

I think the most important thing is that you have to stay on top of the comps...what houses have been selling for...and price yours competitively. If you don't price it based on the market, it won't sell. So put aside any feelings you have about what it should be priced at and look at the cold, hard data. If that means a price reduction then do it. We had to do a price reduction based on what comps sold for and within days our house was under contract. This was last year.

[Momit]

A good agent with a good marketing plan is the key. Ask what buyer type they will target and how they will find those people. Ask for the house to be on the brokers weekly tour or hold a brokers open house to get feedback on price, decor, selling features and potential drawbacks. Making cosmetic upgrades, painting "realtor beige" and staging are good ideas if the feedback from agents who tour your home. Price aggressively - in the markets I keep tabs on homes are generally selling in 30-60 days if prices appropriately. Make sure there's a flyer box or QR code or website on the for sale sign in your yard so people driving by can get info. Get great photos and do a virtual tour on YouTube etc.

We had to stomach exterior painting and some other upgrades when we sold a house a few years ago. It killed us to spend the money but our agent really pushed us on it and he was right.

Our experience has been that the agent we would want to work with as buyers is not always the same agent we would want representing us as sellers. We made that mistake once and never will again.

ETA and a St. Joseph statue buried in the yard can't hurt either :)

[Starfish]

Just last spring, I sold my house in less than a week and even now, I am so thankful and amazed about how well everything turned out!

We had been thinking of moving for over a year and during that time that we were looking at houses, we started to work on our own. Painted the lower level neutral colors but left the upstairs rooms the same since it went w/ decor (light green, yellow, light blue), updated one light fixture, organized and decluttered. I also put away any 'unnecessary' furniture to open up the rooms and make them feel more spacious.

When it was time for our house photos and open houses (one broker, one public), I went into cleaning overdrive. The house was immaculate (literally scrubbed floors by hand). Didn't have enough money for staging but I made do w/ what I had..even going so far as ironing the comforters on the beds! Felt good to hear that everyone thought that we had moved out already and that the whole house had been staged! Felt even better hearing everyone's reaction that we were still living there w/ 3 kids! (Realtor had the 'act' down pat-'my client just likes to take care of this house!") So, I don't think staging is absolutely necessary if house is spotless (and your taste isn't too far from mainstream...not the time to show off your Cabbage Patch Kids!)

Besides the above things, I think we absolutely priced it correctly. We live in a very desirable neighborhood (though market wasn't necessarily 'hot' at the time), best schools in the state, close to NYC train and highway, walk to downtown/shops. Our house was also one of the few 'starter' homes where the prices of the other nearby homes are easily 120-600K more. We had bought our house for 640K and it was a little hard for us to hear that the broker wanted us to price at 599K, esp. since we had put in $ for updates. However, we also knew that in the past few months, homes like ours were selling for $625K. So, rather than start at $640-625K, we decided to bite the bullet and listen to our agent that 599K would more than likely trigger a bidding war.

Even our agents were surprised w/ the results..we had over 50 agents at the broker open house and almost as many at the public open house on Sunday (in Feb, no less!). By Monday, we had 6 offers and by Tuesday's 'best and final offers', we still had 6 offers with half of them coming in over the $625-650K range. Needless to say, we were ecstatic.:yay: Of course, timing is everything and no guarantees that the 'perfect' buyer is looking at the same time but I think we did do everything we needed to do for the best possible outcome.

Good luck!

[wifecat]

We put tons of stuff in storage, got rid of tons of stuff, painted the walls a neutral color, sold our living room furniture on Craigslist and replaced it with staging furniture, gave away dh's office setup (he had a standing workspace) to replace it with "real" office furniture (dh was totally pissed about this real office furniture given that he supported our family on his own by working in the room with the fake office furniture), and put up wall art/flowers/candles where the stager told us to.

Honestly, our realtor was shocked when he walked back into our house after the stager had been there and we'd followed her directions. He was like, "Most people don't take this that seriously." We sold in 30 days in a market that was averaging 110, and we priced it competitively.

[boilermakermom]

Paint the whole house neutral, complimenting colors.
Put away the majority of personal belongings.
Rent storage space and get rid of all unnecessary furnishings.
Clean, clean, clean!

I can't agree enough with the above post. Clear off counter tops, thin out closets and pantries. Do not pile the moved items in the garage or basement, get it out of the house.

Also, make a word document/flyer detailing upgrades and amenities of the home, with pictures. Pictures do it justice. Be sure to include info on local school, restaurants, attractions. The document/flyer is something people will take with them and help them to differentiate your house from the other 12 they saw today.

Lastly, put out a plate of cookies and a nice note, 'have a cookie while you look around. Enjoy!' when you have showings. It's odd, but it works. I am not sure why. Maybe makes potential buyers walk through slower, spending more time at the house. Maybe they feel more comfortable? I don't know.

[kellij]

Can you link pictures and maybe we could give you some ideas. We sold our house in 10 days in May 2011. Once we decided we were selling we freshened up any paint that needed to be freshened up. And from the time we moved in we were always working on updating. We had a great house on an amazing lot and it was so updated, I think that helped a lot. I planted ridiculous number of flowers and we made sure our lawn looked better than it ever had. We also only had neutral paint, other than one bathroom that had a light aqua.

[KLD313]

My mom recently sold my grandmothers house which hadn't been updated in like 40 years. They did end up repainting everything beige. They also ripped out the rugs and cleaned the hardwood really well but didn't refinish it or anything. They used a realtor the knew the market and priced it higher than another realtor was going to that worked in the same town but a different area. They ended uo getting a lot more money because of this.

The ironic part is that the woman who bought the house repainted the entire house basically the same color that my mom painted it.

[Starfish]

He has also sent a long list of things that can be upgraded.

What exactly is on this long list of upgrades? I would imagine if there is 'that much' to do, you would have priced your house accordingly. Or at least, your agent should have helped you to price it, taking into account some of the things that need to be fixed if you do not have the money to do it yourself. Remember...there will always be a never-ending list of things 'to-do' w/ any house so there's no way that you can get it all done for selling! And as a buyer, I have yet to find the seller who has!

Also, you should look at this list of upgrades to decide what might bring you the most bang for your buck. For example, I absolutely hated the kitchen in my old house and I really wanted to replace the ugly vinyl flooring that was just yellowing/peeling. I am so glad that my realtor talked me out of that expense since really, anyone buying my house was probably going to rip up the whole kitchen if the floor was going to bother them as well. So instead, I took down the equally ugly wallpaper, painted the walls and updated the light fixture which was a whole lot cheaper than getting a new floor. And you know what? The kitchen looked a thousand times better and the floor didn't look so bad after that! So that was money much better spent....

[Tinochka]

We invited 3 realtors separately, although we knew whom we are going to hire most likely. We listened and wrote what they have to say about needed updates, then came to the list what needed to be done. All of them said, that the color of the house is too bright (!?) (painted 2 years ago), that I need to take down the wallpaper from the bedroom (expensive silk graphic, but apparently ppl afraid to deal with a wallpaper, because they don’t know, what’s underneath), changed old carpets (the floors were sanded already), changed light fixtures, updated kitchen applainces (ours were very old). We had neutral (light green, yellow) paint inside, one of them was trying to insist on repainting inside too, which we didn’t do, because we just painted everything not long time ago and nothing was unusual. Our realtor suggested to stage, because our furniture was old, not matching, which I knew, I just didn’t have a budget for buying new. After puting the house on the market we heard comments about garage being small, kitchen needs updates (oak, but customized, which I loved), whishing for another bathroom (then I would not sell that house either;). Some of the comments I didn’t take close to my heart, because the houses were built with that kind of garages at time and our garage was not anything smaller than other ppl’s living close by. We were thinking about living in our house for a long time ago in that area, so, anything changed, was done the way it had to be done. I had 27 showiings in 57 days (open houses included), received comments on how the house was looking clean, immaculate (with 2 kids under 3 and 3 cats). I was open to showing at any time, even it means that we missed a nap... We bought our new house before we sold, but I refused to move, because I was thinking then we have to put the price down again, gave up on that idea, moved to a new house on Saturday, by Sunday night we received an offer... We were lucky that we didn’t end up with double morgage even once. I did it once, I don’t want to do it again for a long time:);).
I think that the paint is the cheap way to “fix” things. Don’t overdo things, because some of them will not help in changing minds, but you’ll be out of your $$. I am not totally sold to updating kitchen appliances, because different ppl have different tastes (I don’t like ours in new house, never mind that they are SS, but we are not changing unless it’ll break). I also didn’t like cheap updates (saw many of them, when we were looking for a house), it was visible that done just to sell the house. We boght the house which needs some updates, but we liked location, location, location. I liked the curb appeal and we liked the layout, other things are doable. I actually like the idea of upgrating the bathrooms on our own, because I AM GOING TO CHOOSE what I WANT.

[fedoragirl]

Thank you all. I made notes of everything we haven't done. To answer a few questions:
1. The house is vacant. There is nothing in there. We have thought of staging but our realtor says we can assess in a few weeks after the house has been on the market for a couple of weeks. It has not been listed yet as we're rushing to make the upgrades.
2. The house was rented for a year and those are the cosmetic repairs we need to make. Other than that, realtor recommended minor upgrades like lights and fans. We did a lot of sprucing up before we left. In hindsight, we regret renting it out because we're essentially having to do the same things again. And the renting situation was a nightmare but that's for another post.
3. Our current paint colors are baby blue, willow green, baby pink in some rooms. The kitchen is a cream and we're thinking of matching the entire lower level to this color so we can save on repainting one room and thus, lower our costs. The upstairs master is a taupe and we're thinking of repainting everything else taupe to save on repainting the entire floor. It would save us $300-500.
4. We are getting the yard cleaned up and mulched but what flowers can I put out there in Jan.? When we first listed the house two years ago, I used a lot of flowers but that was spring.

I didn't think about using any pictures. Do I put the pictures in one place...say the kitchen counter or leave a pictures of each room in those rooms?

[Starfish]

4. We are getting the yard cleaned up and mulched but what flowers can I put out there in Jan.? When we first listed the house two years ago, I used a lot of flowers but that was spring. ?

That suggestion just made me laugh...the realtors all say that but it's winter! No flowers to be had unless you don't mind them dying after a day. Or you can buy some evergreens. When I went to the garden store asking same, the guy looked at me like I was nuts! :) I just swept up yard and left it at that! If it's freezing, most people don't even look outside long!

[amldaley]

Thank you all. I made notes of everything we haven't done. To answer a few questions:
1. The house is vacant. There is nothing in there. We have thought of staging but our realtor says we can assess in a few weeks after the house has been on the market for a couple of weeks. It has not been listed yet as we're rushing to make the upgrades.
2. The house was rented for a year and those are the cosmetic repairs we need to make. Other than that, realtor recommended minor upgrades like lights and fans. We did a lot of sprucing up before we left. In hindsight, we regret renting it out because we're essentially having to do the same things again. And the renting situation was a nightmare but that's for another post.
3. Our current paint colors are baby blue, willow green, baby pink in some rooms. The kitchen is a cream and we're thinking of matching the entire lower level to this color so we can save on repainting one room and thus, lower our costs. The upstairs master is a taupe and we're thinking of repainting everything else taupe to save on repainting the entire floor. It would save us $300-500.
4. We are getting the yard cleaned up and mulched but what flowers can I put out there in Jan.? When we first listed the house two years ago, I used a lot of flowers but that was spring.

I didn't think about using any pictures. Do I put the pictures in one place...say the kitchen counter or leave a pictures of each room in those rooms?

Those sound like great plans. Don't worry about flowers right now. Putting anything new in would require paying someone to come water regularly. If you want some "life", try a potted sky pencil holly near your door or similar (though...again...has to be watered.) Just make sure the beds are weed and debris free, well edged, and heaped with bark and they'll be fine.

I love the painting idea but if you need to save even more, you could just paint the rooms that scream boy or girl and leave the rest. Though, I think your painting plan sounds great.

[icunurse]

Just make sure the yard is tidy, not with a lot of leaves all over, mulch neat, etc. Winter is winter. We had one feedback this summer say that our yard looked a little wilted. Um, yeah, because there is a drought and strict watering restrictions. In this market, buyers can be very unreasonable. Most do not want to do any work, they expect homes to be move in ready, down to their personal color choices.

[squimp]

Yep I think buyers have high expectations both for low prices and condition. Everyone keeps telling us the economy is in trouble, so buyers expect a good deal even if it seems like the price is right. We just sold this fall, I know it can be tough.

[mom3boys]

Fedora girl,

I think your list sounds great. Since house is vacant at least you don't have the clutter problem! I agree, I think you should stage with some furniture. Rooms look smaller without the furniture, and they look smaller with "darker" paint.

We sold our house before we ever officially put it on the market--we had 3-4 private showings and 3 offers (people heard word of mouth that we were planning to sell, and I had a "Make me move" on Zillow). We accepted a lower offer than we wanted to but all the maximum price the buyers were willing to pay were around the same and it was clear we were not going to get higher unless maybe we waited around for awhile which we did not want to do. The appraisal for the buyer's loan came in at the exact sales price.

Our realtor had a interior designer come in--based on her suggestion we painted the hallway and living rooms and light, neutral color (they don't get much light so it lightened up the space) but she actually recommended a pretty bright color for the bathroom which we followed. We re-tiled the bathroom and got a new medicine cabinet, replaced a couple of light fixtures, and put a couple of white, flowy curtains on windows in need of a window treatment (bought the curtains at Ikea), and made a few obvious needed repairs. We did leave some rooms a less neutral color because we had recently painted them and did not want to repaint. But they were "neutral" in the sense one did not scream "boys room" "girls room" etc. In your case with the house vacant I agree you could go with multiple rooms the same neutral color and it will be an easier, cheaper paint job. Good luck!!

[ray7694]

We reduced ours multiple times. The key is to price aggresively from the beginning. Look at comps that have sold and go under if possible. We had neutral paint/decor and kept it immaculate for showings.

If it is an amazing house for an amazing price it will sell.

[ray7694]

You could put a picture of the house from when it was spring in the online picture ad so people can see the plantings.

[Tinochka]

I didn't think about using any pictures. Do I put the pictures in one place...say the kitchen counter or leave a pictures of each room in those rooms?

Our yard was quite big and flat. I also had a vegetable garden and strawberries. I put pics on the dinner table.

[khm]

I didn't think about using any pictures. Do I put the pictures in one place...say the kitchen counter or leave a pictures of each room in those rooms?

I'd do kitchen counter, especially since your house is vacant.

That always seems to be the "stopping place" for the end of visit chatter anyways. It is where we have realtors leave their cards, and where any paperwork/brochures/flyers are set out.

[katydid1971]

We had two houses in our neighborhood that went on sale at the same time, they were basically the same size and cost. One was staged including having some lite landscaping (fresh mulch, some new bed plants, etc) and painting the door (made a HUGE improvement) and interior staged professionally. I didn't see what happened but a lot of furniture etc was moved from the house and I'm betting some paint went up. It took about 4 days inside and out. The staged house sold in two weeks and the other house was foreclosed. To me the staging seems like money well spent.

[mackmama]

I think the most important things are price and staging. Empty houses are MUCH harder to sell than homes with furniture - and staged is definitely best. Declutter, remove anything personal, keep things super neutral. I don't think repainting is necessary if your colors are subtle. Renovating or upgrading is not necessary as long as your price reflects it.

[mackmama]

I just read your latest post. Your to-do list sounds good. I think you should prioritize staging though and do it before you list. You can do minimal staging, but the first impression is the one that counts. You don't want the first potential buyers to see an empty house as that could lose them. They might not come back after it has been staged.

[westwoodmom04]

Also, if you live in a colder climate, is there really a rush to market? In our local market, buyers tend to wait to buy until mid-spring when a ton of houses hit the market, and sellers who list earlier tend to just age their listing. May be different where you are, but if it isn't, gives you time to stage, have the yard look enticing, etc. . .

[fedoragirl]

Also, if you live in a colder climate, is there really a rush to market? In our local market, buyers tend to wait to buy until mid-spring when a ton of houses hit the market, and sellers who list earlier tend to just age their listing. May be different where you are, but if it isn't, gives you time to stage, have the yard look enticing, etc. . .

The rush is that we are paying a hefty mortgage for not even living in the house including all utilities. We are also currently paying rent and utilities for where live now. We are in the southeast so the temperatures are not extreme. If someone is looking, we're open. :)

I took note of the staging idea and will run that by our realtor.

[fedoragirl]

Update in OP. Thanks for all your help.

[hellokitty]

Wow, what is an awesome update? So, which colors did you end up painting with?

[baymom]

Congratulations fedorgirl!!!

[fedoragirl]

Wow, what is an awesome update? So, which colors did you end up painting with?

Thanks! We got Restoration Hardware's Latte all over the house.

[Mommy2Abby]

Congrats, OP! This is a great thread... We are planning to put our house on the market soon, so I found this really helpful, too.

[westwoodmom04]

Congratulations, glad you didn't take my advice (to wait to list):)

[ourbabygirl]

Congrats on your offer! So exciting, moving is always such a nerve-wracking time, and I'm so glad you were able to make the changes and get an offer so soon! :cheerleader1: