Got a link? What's your market?

Its in Schererville IN... Northwest Indiana about 35 minutes from downtown chicago. For some reason I cannot post the URL via tiny URL and the one I have is HUGE. What the standard for posting URLS?

"13 super short showings"

There's some reason that people are not staying long.

Get your Realtor to get feedback from the Realtors who have shown it & to level with you:

What is making potential buyers decide very quickly against your home?

As for newspaper advertising:
it may work in some markets, but it never has here.

grandmum what's the mls number?

The big question is: Are homes currently selling in your area?
Spring & Summer are PRIME times to sell. If nothing is selling , then it doesn't matter if REA advertise or not. Nobody will call. However, if you have traffic with no offers, or if there is traffic with people looking at other homes, but not yours, your price still may be too high for the neighborhood or for what the house has to offer.

When I was selling Oct-Dec 2006, there were no buyers. Our RE almost stopped completely, except for a few job tranfers. Nobody wants to move in the winter, or have their kids change schools... I ran a couple of ads without any response at all. I wasted $500 for nothing. I spoke to a realtor & she said she gets absolutely no calls from her newspaper ads.
To judge whether a realtor is doing a job or not you need to see out how the market is doing around you. If one of the 2 reasons above applies to you, then lower the price.

However, if the market is dead, it's dead. The realtor cannot create a buyer, UNLESS you are willing to give your house away...then someone will crawl out of the woodwork & steal your house. You'll create a buyer that normally would not buy.

I'm not a fan of most realtors, but I'm reading these boards, where the sellers are ready to fire their realtors. Sometimes, picking on the realtors is warranted & sometimes it's not & the realtors become scapegoats for the sellers frustrations. They don't want to loose the listing by suggesting another price reduction....when all along the problem is the price...

I feel the short showings are because the buyers have gone through the other 7 townhomes, with the same floor plan, prior to coming to mine. The differences between the townhomes is upgrades, a side den, enclosed patio. Ours is the most basic, but the price reflects that.

The only feedback we have gotten was positive, that "it showed very nice" and "that it was extremely clean".

LISTING BELOW, maybe.

Here is a link that might be useful: Listing

It looks a tad austere to me. I would try to warm it up a bit without overdoing it. I would like to see some color on the walls- neutral, but color. And maybe an area rug or two. That bedspread is a bit busy compared to the rest of the place.

But as mentioned above, if the market is dead it's no use.

If you have had lookers but no one stays - how does the place smell?

I'm kinda surprised you've had any viewings - I can see your entire place from the 14!!!! pictures.

What is your market like? Are things selling? What are current DOM? I wouldn't worry about the listing agent not showing - they seldom show. Is this a gated community? BTW what exactly is a "maintenance free community"? The HOA pays for (out of dues) lawn cutting, landscaping shovels and plowing?

grandmum---I grew up not far from Schererville so know the area. It's grown like crazy in Schererville in the last several years. You're not only competing against the 7 other townhomes in your neighborhood, but against new places in Crown Point, etc. Everytime I go through the area I am stunned at the growth. Another cousin sold her townhouse in Schereville a few years ago. Even though it was a different market, it took a very long time to sell because there was just too much competition from new construction. One of my cousins is a REALTOR in the area. I just saw her this past weekend. She said things have been slow up there. I know prices have gone up in Lake County in recent years, but 195,000 is still a lot for that area, at least for the people that have lived in the area for years. One question though--does your agent market to the south suburbs? I know the folks from Illinois have finally caught on that IN is MUCH cheaper and in many cases closer to Chicago.

Ok, after looking at your pics, here's what I think you need to do:
-Make your place stand out, and cozy it up!
1-LOWER your price.
2-Stage/Decorate. Maybe paint part of it some neutral, warm color. Make it look like I would would want to live there. Your place does not look inviting, hence a quick glance & off they go.
When looking at a potential place to live, I want a place to say: come, sit & enjoy. Your place is very clean. That's plus. But it reminds me of how my sis used to keep her place. Very clean, & austere. We couldn't relax, because she was a cleanaholic-lol. She was also too thrifty to spend money on decor. As a result we hardly visited her & when we did, it was brief because we were uncomfortable sitting up straight in a cold looking environment.
-get Fabreeze "fresh Linen" spray for a clean & inviting smell.
-Give your home some color.
-Put some fresh flowers on the Dining Table. Dress the kitchen counters with a bowl of fruit. Roll up some fresh towels on the bathroom counter.
Decorate it. Make it alive.

I know people should see the bare walls, but it's all in the packaging. Your place is very unwelcoming. Get a Stager or a decorating consultant. You definitely need help. You have lookers. Make it appealing to the buyers! get it sold in the Summer.

The below link is a list view of all the similar properties for sale in the subdivision. You will see the difference in price is significant between mine and the others. Would you be willing to check these out and give me opinion after viewing the "market".

Here is a link that might be useful: LIST VIEW

IM sorry, that link does not work. If you were to see the other 8 for sale you will see there is little difference. The ones that are exactly the same layout wise as my places are 7 grand more than mine. Everything else the same with the exception perhaps of a paint job. The lower price in my opinion allocates for "warming up" to the buyers preference.

So in regards to the agent though. I am now assuming if they are not willing to list in newspaper or having them or their colleagues in the agency do bringing perspective buyers to the home is not something all agents do.

Generally what expectations should I have from an agent?

One thing I noticed--is it 2 bedrooms?? Maybe add a little color, like inexpensive pillows to a couch, flower (artifical) on the table, and even in the kitchen. Yes, people like a house clean, but also I like to see a slight lived in looks. You don't need to spend money on a stager, but artifical fruit in a bowl, bright towels in the bathroom, a inexpensive picture on the walls or several small one.
If the other homes have extra features, have your realtor point out how the new owners can add on.
Personally I would not buy any duplex if I did not know the people next to me. I live in one now, but my daughter and family are next door and part owners.
But that is just me.
Good luck and get feed back from your realtor, or ask the other realtors.

I am guessing that the problem with the short viewings is that homebuyers know immediately upon opening the door that they have "been there, seen that". I don't have any specific suggestions for that. Are you permitted to do anything with the landscaping? I know a well-placed shade tree would make a big difference to me if I were looking at a lot of look-alike houses. Maybe somebody has a suggestion for creating a WOW factor at the entry.

I forgot to answer part of your question regarding your agent showing the property. As an agent I don't always have buyers in the same price ranges as my listings or the properties aren't what my buyers want. If I don't have a buyer in the 195-200,000 price range that wants a duplex, then I can't show your house if it was my listing. I would show it if someone called of course. The same can be said of my colleagues and my listings. It's been debated here before regarding newspaper advertising, but in my experience newspaper ads for specific houses rarely make the phones ring and are a waste of marketing money.

The house looks fine. It looks like a pleasant comfortable home.

Your listing on realtor.com is bare bones. On both realtor.com and the agent's site I don't think it's clear enough that the home is a duplex. That should appear in the first sentence, not "ranch cottage."

I saw a competing property on realtor.com and from what I can tell you are right - the homes are very similar. So perhaps it't just your market. What does your agent tell you? Is she optimistic that the home will sell? Have any similar home sold since yours was listed?

For a ReMax, your agent is one of the 1st I've seen without an enhanced listing on realtor.com. These were the only enhanced listings I've seen:

McColly Real Estate

Realty Executives Professional

Caldwell Banker

Caldwell Banker #2

You might think to list with one of these next time.

Exposer is online MLS listings, real estate magazine that is circulated and the sign in front with flyers. Agent does not believe in newspaper exposer.

I'm not big on newspapers but you have to run some ads. The biggest are 1st listed, then open houses. I know tons of older people that don't use the internet. Since you have a smaller condo/townhouse, this is the market you want.

Townhome on market for 120 days. With about 13 super short showings. No interest. There are 7 other similar townhomes in same subdivision also for sale.

Depressing isn't it? Be glad you are getting traffic. I've only had 2 showings in almost 3 months :(

I also wondered the same thing about short showings, it could go either way. Our 1st one was pretty quick, I thought they hated it. Was I wrong. They loved it but it wouldn't work for them. They needed a mother / daughter. The 2nd didn't like the layout.

I don't know your city, but I had a newish condo to sell with the builder still finishing the development and other units for sale. I have to agree with the poster who suggested warming it up. My decorating scheme was what sold my unit, and it was a miracle, as the market has been flatter than flat in our city. Others gave up and took down their signs, but over the past two years, everyone in that development that wanted to sell did. We all had to take less money than we wanted, but it evens out if you have a mortgage and have to hang on to it for a long time...the payments and taxes on two houses will even out a price drop pretty quickly. Hang in there...the market will pick up again eventually.

I feel your pain. I saw a sign at a local church "why worry when you can pray".

We changed realtors but I blame the market more than him. However, I think the realtor still needs to sell his services (the ad thing), give feedback on any showings (ours was not on top of things) and give you encouragement.

Realtors need to have a little bit of therapist in them and I am sure the good ones know that!!

Good luck & think positively.