One thing I did do that I have not seen anyone else do. When I filled the box up with papers that people could pull to see information about the home. I took one of them and had it laminated to put on the outside of the box hanging by a chain. This was because I cant tell you how many times I go to look other homes for sale and the information box is empty. only They did not fill the box. My Idea was to have one flyer that they could look at if the box was empty. Everyone has cell phones now and they could take a pic of the info if they really wanted it. I put a lot of info on the paper front and back. I took all the calls about the house. I had a TON and I mean a TON of realtors call me to try and get me to let them list it and I said NO I can do it myself. It was not hard but you do have to put up with a lot of phone calls and showing your house yourself but to me it was not really that bad.
Tried to explain to realtor that person who buys doesn't have to have 15-20 cars. You can put firewood in one carport stall, lawn equipment in another, lumber in another, you don't have to put 2 cars in a 2 car stall one with lots of space around it is good, same with 4 car stall, 2 works great. Same deal with garage. One car in middle of a 2 car bay is the way to go for working on them. She didn't seem to get it at all. Seems to think the garages pull the value way down.......this is getting depressing.
Sounds to me like you have/had a bad realtor or what I call an unmatched realtor. Not all realtors know how to market all different types of real estate. Some realtors should not even be in the business. The "smart" ones realize that and branch off into specialized areas such as commercial real estate or sell just high end homes or certain style or rural acreages or farms or whatever. I would suggest hunting around and finding a new better realtor, maybe one that specializes in rural acreages possibly. Have that person look your property over and tell you what things he or she sees that could use fixing or changing or remodeled or whatever to help you get your place sold. Keith
The first realtor was a specialist. This one is a local one that moves places well but somewhat clueless on the uniqueness. Oh well.....just want it sold....
it took me over 2 years to sell my place with a 30x40 barn and another 32x56. the extra buildings turned off 95% of the market. i eventually gave the place away and lost my shirt in the process. i think you have a long road ahead of you unfortunately.
Might be a good match for a contractor who can use the extra storage space.... if the zoning allows it. Put some flyers up at supply houses and lumber yards. Might appeal to an antiques collector, so ask at area shops.
Have you ever thought it maybe the "home owners association" HOA restrictions that are keeping you from selling? The MLS listing tells buyers that a home has an HOA and if there are any fees you are also required to disclose that information. You told me the HOA gave you a hard time about building your garage and made you use vinyl siding instead of metal and that the HOA also came by with a decibel meter when your son's band was playing grunge noise in the garage because of complaints from some of your snooty neighbors. I would never think about buying a home that had an "Association". Too many jacka$$es like to hold positions on HOA boards. Since your house was there long before the other houses (about 100 years) you should have made them grant you an exemption from the stupid HOA rules when you purchased the home. You should revisit that option again now. When I sold my place with 5 garage spaces I cleaned, painted or polished everything I could before it went on the market. I sold it to the second couple that looked at the property for full price. I did read someone on here recommended you get a professional appraisal. That sounds like a good idea because you can adjust your price up or down accordingly and mention that in the ad. This will give a buyer confidence that they are not overpaying or they may get stuck paying for the estimate only to find out they don't qualify for the loan unless they come up with cash. You should also get the rest of the stuff\junk off the property just incase you do get a serious buyer. You never get a second chance to make a first impression.
Not sure how helpful your comments are Mike.... There are also benefits to a HOA. Keeps the neighborhood from getting out of control and going down hill. You haven't seen the place in 6 months....I've gotten almost everything out of the barns, garages, outside,.....most all done by myself.....not to mention many improvements inside including pulling carpet in 5 rooms and refinishing the heart pine floors, door and 6 windows replaced on porch, etc, etc.
I think you're doing all the right things, and as I said when you started this thread, you have my dream property. I wouldn't change a thing other than what state it's in. Girlfriend is going through the same thing, been trying to sell her house for over 3 years, different realtors, different interior set-ups, colors, staging, yadayada.....She's had over 100 showings on an extremely nice house that is priced accordingly to what else has sold in her area. The main complaint people have on hers? It has stairs inside. Blew my mind when she told me that, but apparently that's a big issue with potential buyers. They all want a single level home nowadays, apparently.
"There are also benefits to an HOA. Keeps the neighborhood from getting out of control and going down hill." No benefits to an HOA that I can see. The city, county or state still has rules and codes just not as ridiculous as most HOAs. In your case it is probably why people with a business won't buy your property. The community that they built surrounding your house does not have contractors, landscapers or other businesses setup in their homes or properties and the associated junk that goes with such businesses. Which as you state would mean "getting out of control and going down hill." "I've gotten almost everything out" Almost is not everything. Clean the place up and get it sold even if you have to hire someone. Better to spend some money doing the clean-up than dumping another 20k - 50k+ in a kitchen that the new homeowner will most likely remodel unless you have the exact same tastes in colors, counters, floors, appliances, and cabinets.
IIRC the house is on somewhere around 6 acres? If that is the case maybe sell off the land to a developer to build more DB HOA houses to be able to sell the house for less? Selling the land with an out building or 2 would help down size the homestead. Then maybe a HOA DB home buyer would take interest in the place? Best of luck to you.
Got an offer....had home inspection....what a joke Inspector says roof at end of life. Installed in 2004 with 30yr Heritage architectural shingles...says wasn't properly maintained....ha? Yeah, I'm guilty....didn't maintain my roof....ONE shingle lifted and possible leak. Garage photo eye fail...I tried it 3 times right after he did and it worked. He missed the beam! He said if it fails once it fails... Stairs on 115 yr old house too steep...not to code.....recommend rebuilding and adding 5 stairs. No permit for 5 car garage.....had it all laid out there for him....didn't even ask me for it. Failed AC system ONLY due to age and using R22....works better than my house I moved to. And on and on.....
Sounds like someone wanted a to do list to get a cheaper price or the inspector was having an "off" day or maybe just didn't want to be their. When I checked a couple of years ago their was no license needed to become a home inspector in Minnesota here and some so called inspectors don't know nothing. Maybe you should ask for another inspection using a DIFFERENT inspector. If the stairs are original to the house they should be grandfathered in. They are that way around here. And the AC system should be fine as long as its in good working order with no leaks or visible damage. Keith
As a Realtor for over 35 years I sympathize with you as home inspectors (who are oftentimes nit pickers anyway) seem to be extra picky on older homes. I think it may be a perceived liability thing with them. I can only suggest that you prepare for the next offer and subsequent inspection by resolving the issues you can now. Repair the roof and get a paid receipt from a licenced roofer that you will have ready for the next inspector. Have the roofer state, if he will, that the roof is in good condition showing no abnormal wear. Have an HVAC contractor inspect your system and issue a receipt/report that it is in proper and serviceable condition. Tweak the garage photo beams so they work 100% of the time and are aimed perfectly. Were your garages built without permits? Or, were they permitted and just not recorded in the public records? If not permitted, you may need to have the county inspect them which can open up a can of worms. Possible increase in taxable value and also possible requirements to modify to meet building codes. Don't know how this may be handled in your state, though. As for the stairs, they are what they are. Shouldn't be a deal breaker with most buyers. The inspector should have noted that your stairs were built before building codes were enacted. I hope you get another offer and the inspection is more forgiving.
Wait and see what the buyer wants - maybe negotiate to a lower price, put funds in escrow for "repairs", etc. Good Luck!
Offer a Home Warranty, if available. That way anything that is covered will be taken care of for as long as the warranty is in effect. Covers your butt.
