I'm like you - if I see "reduced price", I think there is something wrong with the home or that it is priced unreasonably high.

I have to think if you had steady showings in the first four weeks, that it was priced right then and not only because it was fresh on the MLS.

Can you post a link to your listing? We may be able to give you some insight of what you can do before reducing the price.

Without knowing your area, it's hard to say whether you should reduce, but perhaps seeing your listing may help.

Has your realtor done an open house? I would insist on one before reducing the price. Chances are the fliers are being taken by nosy neighbours.

sparksals,

We've had 4 open houses (2 one weekend) and another one scheduled this weekend. We're doing those mainly for our agent since she told us that only 1% of the market will buy from an open house.
I've linked to the MLS listing below. Most of the pictures show well (or at least ok) except our breakfast nook. It isn't that color which shows kind of a salmon shade when it's actually a terra cotta and suits the room well.

Here is a link that might be useful: MLS link

Is the RV a positive? In any case it should not be the second picture. Have a couple of gorgeous view shots as 2 and 3 and then some at the end, with the RV in the middle of that second series. Your indoor pictures are taken at too close an angle. So while you can see the tub grout lines, no one needs that much detail, you do not get a sense of how big the rooms are. You are not selling the bed, you are selling the room it comes in. Lose the computer in the master. Your kitchen may need a bowl a fruit or something else to give it color. Your laundry room (the room with the cabinets) looks messy. As for the merry go round room, not everyone will appreceiate that, I might make that into a study or office, it comes off as a waste of space.

Not sure but I wonder if your family room might benefit from rearranging or losing some furniture. Same with the living room. Can you replace the kitchen light fixture? To be honest things like a fence are just not things people factor in when making an offer. Sure if there is not one and it is needed then ok, deduct for that but 35k seems like a lot to have spent

It is a nice house. It may take 100 days, do you have the time? I would not rush to reduce if you do not need to get out

Saphire, thanks for taking the time to answer.

First off, we've decided that if the home doesn't sell for a reasonable price we will rent.
As for the fence, in our area 99% of the homes have fences and one that doesn't is looked upon as a liability. There is a home 3 doors up the street that was listed at the same price without a fence and open to the wildlife area behind us. 5 days after we listed and only 10 days on the market themselves, they reduced their price by $15k and then after 3 more weeks took it off the market.
As to your other observations...
Yes, in our area the RV parking is a major bonus.
I'm not sure how much more furniture I can lose in the family room. We have 1 couch, 1 chair, and the TV plus 3 plants. I think taking more from that room would be a mistake and honestly, I don't know what I would take and still be able to "live" in the room..LOL
In my living room I have 1 couch, 1 chair, a coffee table and the table against the wall under the wolf picture.
Also the computer is not in the master bedroom but in the 4th bedroom which we use as an office.

Again, the question I am asking is do you think that reducing the price (especially after such a short time listed) makes a home look like there's something wrong with it and...would you do it?

kats, I've looked at every realtor.com listing between $600K-$650K in your zipcode. I'm familar with your area as a CA native.

In direct answer to your question...No, I don't think it's a problem. All it means, to me, is that the market is slow. Your goal is to sell the property. That red brick ranch on your same street seems to be a pricing problem. Lower the price, put up a huge "Just Reduced" sign & get on with it.

I do have some observations after looking at the competition but since you haven't asked about that I'll refrain. If you'd like commentary...let me know.

Tricia

If I were a buyer, in this market, and I found that a home's price hadn't been lowered after some time on the market, I would think that the seller is delusional.

If you want to sell your house, lower the price.

To directly answer your question, I think in this economic climate that a reduced price does not mean there is something wrong with the house. I think it just reflects the on going real estate price declines.

Please - have your realtor pull the RV picture or change it to later in the slide show. It isn't very attractive. Everyone knows what parking looks like. We don't need to see a picture of it. You don't want to immediately turn off the many people who wouldn't see it as a plus.

To me "reduced price" means the seller is motivated to sell the home. In our market there are still some people listing at last summer's prices, those homes are languishing. The only ones selling are those priced to sell. I have noticed several listings that sell after "reduced price" signs are put up.

I agree that reducing price quickly doesn't mean it will sell. There are a lot of houses for sale here, there isn't enough hours in ones day to view them all. Houses seem to be selling but not right away. I would imagine that most are in the same boat, they are readying their house to sell and are more concerned with that then looking at houses. For us, there are 6 pages of listings in our price range at realtor.com

suddenly we're now priced about $10k higher than the other homes in our neighborhood

I don't see why $10,000 would make a difference except to put you into a new search range. The thing about price, how low are you willing to go?

Here is a link that might be useful: listing agent site

I did not mean the room used as an office but rather the one that has the large bed in it and also a laptop or monitor next to the bed. For pictures do not have the computer showing

Definitely too many plants in the family room, that was distracting me. Sometimes it is not about what is in the room but how it is arranged. Also lose the umbrella stand in the living room or at least for purposes of the picture.

As for the fence, I assume that you could have paid 10k and gotten a fence that performed the same function? Maybe not as nice but practical

At your price range I do not see the point of lowering it 10k unless it gets you in the next realtor.com search range. Is there a separate one for 625? I love the views

Reduced price means the seller is SERIOUS about selling -- and/or has woken up to a declining market.

The best feature of your home, IMO, is the view! Why leave those photos to the end? Lose the RV photo and just leave "RV parking" in the text. When you show BRs used as something other than BRs it looks like the house is too small.

This is a nice house that lacks "punch" and seems dated. Is staging an option?

You may feel it is priced fairly, but if buyers don't agree, you won't sell the house. That said, I don't think that reducing the price by $10k on a $635k house is going to make any difference.

I agree with saphire that you could remove the computer from the bedroom picture, remove about three-fourths of the plants, remove all of the items from the carousel room, take the bathroom picture (in particular) from a wider angle to show the size of the room, and remove everything from the laundry room to make that room look bigger. Or lose the pic of the laundry room altogether. Coming from a house with a small laundry room that picture would be enough to make me not want to look at the house. Remove the coat rack or whatever it is from the front of the living room picture, as well as whatever is on the kitchen counter (including the paper towel rack).

Can you put the outside pics (which are gorgeous!) at the beginning and move the RV parking pic towards the end, if it's important that it be there? I don't know the area, but to me all that picture really did for me was to point out that the house next door is really close to your house.

I would also take down all of the black and white photos on the wall in one bedroom and re-shoot that picture.

The $35k on the fence and brick pillar sounds like a lot, I agree. You won't recoup that but it should be a good selling point to distinguish your homes from the others. But if they all have fences too, I'm not sure people will factor that in.

The house looks very nice and in a beautiful area. Good luck!

I don't automatically assume something is wrong with the house but I do think the sellers are desperate and willing to go lower when I see "reduced"

Triciae
That red brick ranch on your same street seems to be a pricing problem. Lower the price, put up a huge "Just Reduced" sign & get on with it.
That red brick has been on the market almost a year and a half. Their original selling price was $595k and now they've relisted with another agent for $615k. I know they increased the price because several homes have sold recently at over $655 on our street. In the MLS that house looks good at that price. Though I didn't tour their open house, a good neighbor did and said it's a mess inside with an old kitchen and holes and dirt throughout. I figure if that house draws someone to the neighborhood because of the price and then they see our clean house it might help.

Saphire,
Sorry, I didn't understand what you ment. That is a TV in that bedroom. Looking at the pics I see where we need to lose it. Thanks

Thanks Quirkyquercus! that's my feeling too. I could see reducing if it was on the market for a long time but 5 or 6 weeks when the average home sells in 100 days seems kind of panic mode to me.

Thanks everyone for chiming in...
The view pictures were added almost a month after the online listing went on. When the realitor was here taking the pics it was night. Then for several weeks we had rain/fog and couldn't see the view. I shot those pictures just the other day and emailed them to her. So the view pictures are new. I agree that having them at the front of the others is a must and will have her do that. I'll also have her take the RV pic and move it to the back of the listing. BTW we wanted to move that RV to a storage but she said it needs to stay there because it shows a large RV can fit. As for the laundry pic I'll have her take them out all together. It doesn't show it well b/c that laundry is an "L" shaped room and is quite large with a folding area and a sink but you cannot see it in that picture.

Staging might be an option once we move (next month) and I will talk to the agent about that.

The funny thing about our agent wanting to REDUCE PRICE is that she's not wanting to reduce it by $10k or $20k. She still thinks it's priced right for our area. She's wanting to reduce it to "refreshen" it in the minds of other realitors. She's saying even one or two thousand will do that which I think is crazy. I would be more willing to do a bonus on the listing of say $2k to any realitor that sells it within 30 days. But to REDUCE PRICE by so little and after such a short time listed seems to me like there is something wrong with it.
So that's what I mean when I ask what do you think when you see a home that has a REDUCED PRICE on it???

"Type: Single Family Residence / attached"
Is it a Townhouse with common walls?

I think that what your agent wants to do is reduce your price just a bit so that it shows up "fresh" on MLS. It doesn't sound like she wants to put a huge "reduced" sign out front. It could be a good strategy. As far as your pics are concerned I disagree with others about the RV parking picture. In some areas, like mine, RV parking is a HUGE consideration and your space is very nice. Many homes with RV parking have just a narrow gravel strip. Your picture shows a large paved area. I'd trust your agent on this one.
Most of the interior shots are pretty dull. And I hate to break it to you, but to me the kitchen does look dated and a bit lifeless. Corian was a nice upgrade - in the 80s and 90s. The big overhead light box also screams 80s. I would remove whatever is laying on the end of the counter and add a nice bowl of fruit somewhere.
Get rid of any picture that doesn't show a positive feature of the house. Like the room with the toys - what's up with that? Your best pictures are the exterior shots showing the views and yard. I think that the house is probably very nice, I love the exterior, but the interior is pretty blah.

I agree with terriks about the kitchen ceiling, you didn't ask but some features scream dated. Some are inexpensive fixes, much cheaper than reducing your price. I'd also recommend some new paint and new bed coverings to bring some emotion into the house. Very inexpensive.
I'd do some fixes before I reduced the price.

I'm not a realtor, but I'm told the listing goes to the "hot sheet" faxes and emails when the price changes even a little. This may be your agent's goal. You don't have to put it on the sign or in the ad text if you dislike the phrase.

I know you didn't really ask for feedback on the photos, so mine if you wish :). I'm glad you are going to have the agent re-arrange the photos. I'd also want her to re-arrange the verbal description. I'd want the parking and generator at the end of the description. While some buyers will want those things, I think the description of house and view should be first.

I know the photo is throwing off the dining nook paint color, but I think a more neutral shade would be better for selling than terra cotta.

Your walking stick and riding horse collections are intriguing, but I think they distract from your goal. Store the sticks. Reduce or eliminate the horses.

I think the kitchen light fixture looks dated. You may not want to replace it, but perhaps the wood could be painted to match the ceiling.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions!

As to the RV, that is important to me because we had a big RV and sometimes it is hard to picture my trailer in a spot. RV'ers are always looking for a area close to the house.
I lost several sales, because of my ""agent"" listing RV site, but we told her, (demanded she remove it) because we knew there was NO way a RV could be put on the property due to the roads.
I would look at the pictures and each room as if I was looking for a house.

Maybe reshoot the interiors on a sunny day. Many shots are too close in anyway and the house may look brighter. I agree about the kitchen light

It's funny, when I asked a similar question a few months ago, everyone here told me to reduce the price.

IMHO, if showings have slowed a lot the last couple weeks, you've lost your "new listing freshness" and now it becomes a matter of being priced right. I'm in a slow market, but houses that are priced right or well, sell within a few weeks. You can lower your price without mentioning "reduced price" and looking desperate -- which you're not. Just lower it that $10K to get into the next lower price bracket, get back into all of the realtors' emails, print up new flyers, but don't draw attention to the new price. You'll know if the price reduction was "enough" if your showings jump back up again. If not, you have to decide how low you're willing to go and how long you're willing to wait. Because if you're not "priced to sell," you only bet is appealing to someone emotionally as their "dream house" that they have to have, despite the price, which is gonna take longer.

"It's funny, when I asked a similar question a few months ago, everyone here told me to reduce the price."

Yes, that is common advice, I usually think it is better to improve the house for less than you might lower the price. I believe emotions sell. Give the house appeal, higher than your competition, you will sell. I've done that that repeatedly, it works, people really want move in ready. They don't want to spend time or money after the purchase, or they cannot see the potential, you must give it to them. It usually isn't that expensive to do some updates, especially if you live in a middle range cookie cutter house. The higher end are more costly, people expect higher end improvements.

Juliebatt, it is funny how the phrasing of the original post can change the advice. If I recall, you indicated that you needed a quick sale and had only two showings. That did seem to lead to advice to reduce the price as well as a lot of questions about your local market conditions, the agent's marketing plan, and agent's ability to provide you data. I wonder if the advice would have changed if you had not been in a rush to sell and if posters were able to critique your agent's photos, etc.

Of course we "want" to sell but we're not in a "rush" to sell. We're not trying to make a killing on it or looking to sell it higher than it should be. If we move this next month and it's not sold we will sell unfurnished (or possible stage it). If it doesn't sell for a fair price we will rent it. We are blessed that this is not a do or die situation and we will not loose our new home because this one is not sold.

Though my question was not about staging my home for sale I do appreciate your feed back. Still, I probably should not have posted my pics since it distracted from my original question of "What does 'reduced price' mean to you???..... Once my pics were posted that question got kind of lost. Anyway, I think there are a lot of variables to selling including what the inside looks like so, thanks again for every critique!

AS for the reduced price question, since your realtor only wants to reduce by a couple thousand to get it fresh in the MLS, I don't think it will be a problem. I thought your original question was based on a significant price reduction.

For such a small reduction, the realtor wouldn't affix a sticker to your for sale sign or probably not even note it in the MLS, although, it would be apparent to realtors why it's being done since it would only be a small reduction.

Large reduction would scream to me that it was overpriced or something wrong with the home. Something small like your realtor is recco'g wouldn't.

Reduced price to me means there's a problem or someone is desperate. I'd reduce it but not state "reduced Price". It may pop up in a new person's search in that price range, or someone else may take a harder look at the new price. I woulnd't broadcast that its "Reduced". :)

I agree they may THINK you are desperate especially once they know you already bought. However, I recently saw a house that was in that situation. The house was priced fairly for what the neighbors sold in 2005! (moderatly slow area where houses sit before eventually getting their price). The house reduced or not was outside my price range. However if they were truly desperate they might have accepted what I could afford. However, one trip through the house, meeting the DH (empty nester), seeing the flat screen TVs everywhere, the expensive cars. Made it clear the only one desperate was the broker who wanted more showings by reducing the price! Buyers will probably get that same sense either by touring or from what the LA says