The following is the first post from my beautiful and brilliant fiance Lauren about our ongoing battle to sell her house so that we can get into our new house that we are building:

Selling a house in a bad market

So Jesse and I are doing something I don’t recommend to most of you right now (but if not us, then who would you get advice from what not to do on?). Buying high and selling low. We each owned houses before we got engaged and decided his was in a great location to be a college rental, but mine was newer and not in a college area and therefore decided to sell mine to finance a down payment for our new house that we are building. Very risky idea especially in the current market conditions.

My house has been on the market for 90 days. I have had about 15 showings and 1 open house. All the feedback we have received is “such a beautiful well maintained house”, “immaculate house”, “beautiful decorations”, only to lead to let downs of, “we don’t like the area”. Unfortunately, 1 year ago when I bought my house, I was looking for a new house and settled on one that was 15 minutes out of the way. For me, that was okay, but I didn’t consider I would be selling it in a year and that other buyers might not be that flexible.

So why can’t my house sell if it is immaculate!?
In our case, it is because of the area. My realtor at the time oversold me on many features in the neighborhood that have since either not been funded or were just pure lies to get me in to the house. So, what am I doing to compensate for “location, location, location” (the biggest factor for most buyers )? DECORATE DECORATE DECORATE! I have to admit, it has become somewhat of my hobby keeping my house in order and buying nice decorations and accents, but never did I imagine it would all pay off someday (well hopefully). Of the potential buyers we have had, my house is always at the top of the list because it looks like a model home and buyers can imagine themselves living in it. I am convinced after doing some “market research” that my house beats the competition in my area within the same price point hands down. Here are a few tips for getting your house model home ready if you are as crazy as Jesse and I are right now:

1) Clean Your House and Remove all Clutter!
I mean, spotless, you don’t want a water spot anywhere. I know it sounds excessive, but buyers will notice . It might take a weekend to do, but it’s worth it. If your realtor is listing your house online, make sure there is no clutter for the pictures. When I say clutter I mean TV remote controls, magazines, dog/kid toys.

2) Maximize the Amount of Livable Area
Maximize the amount of room/space each room has to offer especially kitchen counter tops and bedrooms. You want buyers to imagine their personal belongings in these areas, not how they can work around your mess.

3) First Impressions Matter!
If your front yard doesn’t match the inside, buyers won’t even consider stopping in. Make sure your lawn has been perfectly manicured and if you have plants make sure they aren’t looking dead. Just a quick cleanup can add to your curb appeal. On that note, make sure that your neighbors have curb appeal too. Most communities are protected by HOAs and therefore you have the right to make your neighbors get their act together as well.

4) Design on a Dime (it’s a good show on HGTV)
I get a lot of my decorating ideas from HGTV and my mom. You would be surprised at how inexpensive a lot of decorating ideas are. You don’t have to empty your wallets to get your house model home ready.

5) Treat every showing as your one shot to sell
It has become quite tedious keeping the house in order constantly (you can’t help rushing out of the house without making your bed sometimes), but realtors will sometimes only give you 20 minutes notice that they would like to show your house! Typically they will give you about 2 hours, but when the conditions are as bad as they are, you cannot say no! My advice is making sure that your house is in order the night before or before you leave for the day. I am lucky that I have a flexible job that allows me to leave on a moment’s notice, but if you do not have that luxury, you will want to make sure the house is spotless.

These are just a few tips that have helped me get an edge on the competition. I am not a professional realtor but I am a professional marketer, so I know how important it is to beat the competition. We just found out today that we might (fingers crossed) have a potential buyer. I will keep you all informed on that!

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