Why can't my home get a showing?

8 years ago

Hi everyone, first let me introduce myself to this forum. My name is Angela and I live in Wagoner Oklahoma. I've lived in my current home for about 10 years and recently last year I got a better job but it is a little farther away than I am normally used to driving. I decided that it was time to put my home up for sale and move closer to work. I am tired of the over an hour drive I have everyday. The problem is, my home has been on the market for almost a month with no inquires. No one has inquired about it and there have been no showings. I asked the realtor if maybe we should lower the price and she did not think it was really time to consider that yet. Sold comps are all over the place in Wagoner. There are homes nicer than mine that have sold for less and then there are home not a nice as mine that have sold for more money, so its hard to tell, at least for me. I've posted a link to my home and was wondering if anyone may be able to give their opinion. I know my home is older and not incredibly spectacular, but I'm not asking a lot for it either. Hoping someone can give some insight as to what might be the problem. Thanks so much.

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/506-SE-6th-St_Wagoner_OK_74467_M70721-36965

Featured Answer

cpartist

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

I don't think you need to drop your price. I think you need to read up on how to stage a house. It's way too cluttered. All your curtains are closed. OPEN them all! Put flowers in vases around the house. On the kitchen table, dining table and the coffee table

Look at this thread because this is how to stage a house. Look at her photos towards the bottom and not the ones she took on her phone. house staging Notice how clean and spacious it looks? Yes it is bigger than yours, but it's clean and looks uncluttered and nothing is in the house to turn people off.

Honestly, your front looks uninviting too. Plant some flowers and see if you can clean up the mud in front of the house.

Get the garbage pail out of the backyard, clean those filthy chairs off so it looks like you take pride in your home and put a small table there and sweep the concrete.

In the office put the red chair and the tall lamp in storage so the room looks larger. take the osu sign off the wall. depersonalize. Get rid of the stuff on the floor and paint that door that looks like it's dirty or like the paint is coming off.

In the laundry room get rid of that hanging clothes rod on wheels, the clothes on the floor and the handbag on the door and whatever was left on top of the washing machine.

In the room with the mirror, HANG the mirror! then get rid of whatever is on the floor. Your floors should only have furniture and rugs on them!

In the bathroom is the bottom of the tub dirty or is it just a bad photo? Put a real curtain on the window! Get rid of the small table opposite the sink. It makes the bathroom look too small.

You have a wire hanging from your knick knack cabinet in the main room. Get rid of the wire for photos and when showing the house.

In your kitchen get rid of the magnets on the fridge, and whatever is on top of it. Get rid of the basket on the counter on the left. Get a clean, new window shade or just get rid of it. take everything that is to the right of the stove off the counter!

In the living room, why do you have a red box next to the sofa? Get rid of it. Also the umbrella and anything else by the front door. Again, your drapes should be OPEN. Don't just throw the pillows on the couch. Arrange them so it looks like they are decorative and like you take care of your house. Just tossing them says, "I don't care."

In the dining room what is that red thing on the door? Get rid of it. Put a larger picture on the wall next to the door. I would get rid of one of the easy chairs by the tv. You are one person and with two chairs it looks cluttered. Additionally your drapes don't reach the floor. Find some inexpensive ones that do reach the floor. What are the wires coming from the tv? Find a way to hide them. Also what's on the floor? It needs to go.

Add some flowers or bushes in front of the porch.

Do not use a picture that shows the mud in front of your fence. Yuck! I wouldn't even look at the house if that's the first picture I saw. It says, I don't care. I'm sure you do, so make your house look like you do.

I'm sorry if I sound harsh but if you truly want to sell your home, make it look like the nicest in the neighborhood. No you don't need to replace anything but if the walls are dirty, clean them. Make sure everything is spotless. Faucets, sinks (nothing in the sinks) tub, beds made. If the paint is chipping, fix it. Most everything is decluttering and better photos.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (67)

lascatx
8 years ago
When you aren't getting people in the door, it's not an issue of a few thousand dollars, and a home in your price range doesn't seem like it could be off by more than that. I haven't looked at the comps -- just thinking the range must be pretty narrow. People can adjust their offers a few thousand dollars, so that's a negotiable dierence.

I think the biggest problem is your photos. They look like ametuer photos and not good ones at that. They are not showing your home to its potential. The house looks like it is in good shape -- just show it of. Tidy up and look at the tips about staging. It's like putting on a little makeup or jewelry for the photos. Definitely open all the window coverings and turn on lights -- and you'll need a flash or professional lighting to white balance (if the photos all have that yellow to orangey tinge, it will not look good.

A quick search shows your community to be fewer than 9,000 residents. Looking at a map, it seems a bit detached from surrounding communities. Do people commute to Tulsa and Broken Arrow? If not, I would expect a slower turnover of any size home, but a 2 BR/1 BA home is typically a starter or retirement home and those folks, if moving, tend to wnt to be nearer activities and services.

My best advice is to do some tidying and staging to get things looking better or a camera and then get new photos taken. Good luck!
graywings123
8 years ago
Your real estate agent has done you no favors with those photos.

If I were staging your house, I would remove what I think is a plug in fireplace and make that room the dining room. Then I would group the living room sofa and chair(s) in the living room in a manner that makes them look like people could sit in them and have a conversation. I'm not sure where the TV could go; I would need to see more photos. Maybe put it in a bedroom for now. If the drapes in the living and dining rooms matched, the rooms would look more cohesive.

I will say this: your house is not terribly cluttered, but photos tend to show the extraneous things that should be removed. By having two living rooms and no dining room, it throws people off when they look at the photos.
Related Discussions
Why can't I get my plant to flowr on old growth?
Q
Comments (2)
Well, my first thought is that asking why you can't get Nikko to bloom on new growth is a lot like asking why you can't get your daughter to pee standing up. I have a couple of Nikkos but they're not reliable bloomers in zone 5. Are you in Michigan? Last year, in particular, we got snow and cold weather after the buds started to swell. Then they froze. End of bloom for the year. I do not winter protect beyond blowing about a foot of leaves on the plants in fall. If they don't all bloom every year, I can live with that. Your burlap/leaves overwintering sounds like it should work, especially if there are lots of leaves at the base of the plant protecting it. BUT in zone 5, I don't uncover until May 1 and I don't prune until June 1. I still may be in trouble because we had a frost warning Sunday night. I also have dead twigs to prune every year, out to the tips. But I think some "old wood" that produces blooms is at the base of the plant so pruning the tips doesn't rule out blooms. Wonder if the neighbor you envy has Annabelle. She greens up to the tips. If it's a big, healthy plant, you can get it to bloom sometimes, and you have room for a slacker it might be worth keeping. Just add some others that can pee standing up, like Endless Summer and All Summer Beauty.
...See More
Fed Up!!! Why can't i get a good haircut?!!!
Q
Comments (19)
It’s November 2018. I haven’t had my haircut since my last bad haircut from about 2 or 3 years ago. I really have never had a good haircut. Ever. I have never walked out of a salon appointment and said, “Wow!”, I look and feel fabulous! Never. Honestly, I’ve had so many bad haircuts as a woman, bad hair color jobs. My last bad haircut escapade was today at a curly hair specific salon in my area. I have frizzy hair at times, with some annoying fly always, and a slight wave. I asked for help with this. They said they could help. But they did nothing to help alleviate those issues. I brought pictures, asked what they thought would look best with my hair texture, density, diameter, face shape, lifestyle and the owner pointed to one said style. So I trusted her. I told them about my bad hair cut experiences and I was worried about getting another bad haircut. I told the trainee and the owner who is supposed to be the most experienced and best at what she does there. I told them what I did not want, what looked terrible on me in the past, where I wanted my bangs to fall (a swoop like choppy bang that was longer and fell below my eyebrows but not poking me in my eyes. You know half way between my brows and eyes. And not make them thin looking. And to give me layers that would give me the look of width at my cheekbones, to shorten the appearance of my long thin face. I got instead faux layers, that didn’t add width at all to my face, short thin wispy bangs that are a bit above my brows. She cut them way too short and said that she would do what I asked and have them fall longer between my brows and eyes. She suggested I get a straight across bang, cuz she thought it would look better(the owner said this, and did my bangs). She did not do what she said. She did the opposite of what I told her that I wanted. It’s called Anti-Listening. Or horrible customer service. Let’s just give our customers the opposite of what the asked for! She gave me the worst short ugly bangs that I told them not to give me. I hate my hair/haircut. I look so ugly now. I’m so upset that this happened to me again. I’ve never been to this salon before and got the trainee who they told me had 13 years as a stylist in a salon. Which was a lie. She just recently graduated from hair school and has only been in the field for a year and a half. I was definitely deceived. I would’ve never gone to her, if I knew this. She did basic stuff and the owner came over quite a bit telling her how to do this and that. I was wondering why a experienced stylist would need help with the most basic of cutting techniques.... and supposedly she was trained thoroughly in the techniques of the curly salon, as the urged me, that I could have utter confidence her abilities, still not knowing that she was inexperienced as a stylist. It was only until after I was getting my haircut by her, the trainee, that she wasn’t experienced really. I was like, Oh Shirt! WTF. Then, you would think the owner would be an awesome stylist and not butcher someone’s hair, let alone bangs. But she butchered my bangs. I look terrible. Then they wanted to take my picture of before and after. The before was fine. But the after pics my stylist took, were the most unflattering pics, that made my nose and eyes look, unflattering. I would not agree to them putting my face up on their site. Just the back of my hair. Ugh. How am I going to go out in public? They said to me, wow you look great! But they never asked me how I liked my hair. I was not happy. I felt depressed and was in shock. Then it came time to pay. $40. Then the tip. I hate the whole tip issue. I hate tipping. It’s stupid. It’s forced guilt. I was confused. They had the labels above the tips like this... Good(15%,), Great(20%), (Wow!(30 or 40%), Custom etc. I wasn’t sure what to do. I was afraid to do no tip, even in spite of my bad haircut experience. So I picked (Good-15%). The desk attendant asked me how I liked my cut, I just said the non committal thing, “I don’t know, I have to let it sink in”. I really wanted to say, I look like s**t. Thanks for making me want to cover my head with a paper bag! And the owner came up to me and asked if I remembered all the instructions about how to style my hair. I said yeah, the best I can remember. But nothing in asking how satisfied I was. She really didn’t care. And my stylist just said a lame goodbye and scoffed me off, like dandruff and moved onto her next client. Whatever. Then their bathroom was dimly lit, I could barely see in there and there wa nothing to dry my hands on, and barely any soap. This is supposed to be an upscale salon. And the bathroom was just bad. My face now looks longer and thinner than it did with my longer hair and not wider in the least. In whom can I trust with my hair? I think the reality is, No One. No matter what they say, no matter what you tell them, what pictures you bring, no matter what you emphatically tell them no to do to you, or do, they will do whatever they dang well please. And I don’t believe you can ever know until the damage has been done, what you will ultimately get in the end. It’s really unbelievable. What’s wrong with this world? I am so not wanting to step into another salon ever again, when you just can’t trust any stylist to give you a good cut/style. I honestly don’t know what to do. The only thing I can think of is just not get my haircut again. Cuz it just doesn’t end well. Sad.
...See More
Why aren't other agents showing my home?
Q
Comments (18)
Our agent told us since he was incurring the cost of advertising the property and doing most of the legwork, that's why his part of the commission is larger. I posted on a local realtor board and was told 2 percent is the average around here, and a lot of agents aren't showing homes that offer 1.5. I asked our agent to change it to 2. I don't even know how to be sure that he has, but then again I just looked at my listing on craigslist which says we have stainless steel appliances. We don't. It's also still advertising an open house for "this Sunday" (no date) when the open house was this past Sunday. I'm so sick of these errors. From misspellings, to inaccurate facts, to having no signs for the open house, showing up 10 minutes before it started (he said he'd be here 30 minutes early), to not posting the virtual tour on realtor.com until a month after going on the market, the commission issue, telling other agents we need 24 hours notice even after we more than clarified we don't, turning away a showing, etc. It's hard to wrap my head around all this when the guy's not even getting paid until he makes the sale. He's young. Maybe he only remembers the good times of real estate when these things didn't matter. Like I said, we can't act until the weekend/next week. Thanks for your words of wisdom and patience with my tale of woe in the meantime. Man, I screwed this one UP.
...See More
my drilling caused a leak in my house but can't find why.
Q
Comments (4)
Found it. A 1/4" hole popped through the metal flashing (gutter drain) between the 2 slopes of roof. Basically I diverted a highway of water to the family room wall corner. Filed it with spray foam. Any suggestions on this repair/ longevity of using foam for this repair are appreciated. The path of this hole is: The metal flashing, a 2x4, finished sheet rock (no attic space in between). When the room was re-done in the past, the ceiling was taken direct to the 2x4 roof framing on that slope.
...See More
angela 10
Original Author
8 years ago
Yes it is a portable gel fuel fireplace. I'm actually offering it as part of the home. (that may or may not be a good idea) I plan on having a real fireplace in my next home. To answer others questions, some people do commute to Tulsa and broken arrow, I do currently and it used to not be a big problem until I started working more in the mid-town Tulsa area which is farther. Wagoner has some retirees, but there are families too. The town has a lot of lakes nearby.
cpartist
8 years ago
Angela thank you for taking my comments in the way they were meant. It's a cute home that needs to be spruced up using what you have already. I definitely wouldn't spend for anything other than some fresh curtains, and maybe some paint and tidying as I said last night.

Do you have any friends who know anything about photography? When I sold my home, I took my own photos because I knew what I was doing and knew how to clean them up in lightroom so there was no yellow glow.
angela 10
Original Author
8 years ago
I'm going to check around with some friends of mine and see if anyone can recommend anybody. I'm no good at photography myself. I'm in a business networking group as well in Tulsa, one of them might know a good stager. I really appreciate everyone's help.
Suzi AKA DesertDance So CA Zone 9b
8 years ago
I would send a link to this thread to your real estate agent so she can see how bad she really is. We understand she took premature photos, but for the commission she is making, she should hire a professional photographer to take photos. Aside from that, you got work to do! Wishing you luck!
User
8 years ago
angela- your realtor should be doing those things!
chicagoans
8 years ago
In addition to getting new photos, take a look at the description. It doesn't say anything about being near a historic district (which you mention in this thread.) And this line is just lazy: "Updated vinyl windows and other items." What other items? If they're important and updated, mention them. I'd also say "fenced yard with mature trees" instead of "chain link fenced yard." Also if the house is in a walkable location to good schools, parks or other amenities, I'd mention that.

Someone asked above about your target market. That could help you refine your description; e.g. "Perfect starter home near great schools" or "Lake access and a big yard" etc.
nosoccermom
8 years ago
I agree that the realtor should be doing this (after all, every now and then we get into this discussion why the RA commissions are justified); however, I also know that in the end, nobody, even if they are diligent and professional, will care as much as you do --- that applies to whether one's selling/buying a house, planning a vacation, applying to college, seeing a doctor, or advocating for one's kids. So, there's nothing wrong with taking the initiative with your home sale.

I also find that the home decorating forum people are very helpful when it comes to making suggestions for room arrangement or inexpensive fixes.
gramarows
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
I was wondering when someone would address the realtor's write-up, and chicagoans did. It is one of the worst I've ever seen, and I read hundreds when house hunting. She does you no favors with grown up dollhouse - how unappealing is that? Also, along with what everyone above said, I was struck by the closed blinds, lack of light, and stark cold effect in the photos of the rooms without color. In your staging, warm up some of those all-white spaces! And the overgrown bushes/weeds in the backyard photos - trim or remove them. Good luck - you and your home deserve better.
Linda Doherty
8 years ago
Insist that your agent get professional photos done after you clean, declutter and stage it. Those pics won't get anyone in the door. One of the MAIN parts of a realtor's job is showing the house in the best light possible and getting people in the door. Professional photos for a home that size are cheap...like 50-60.00 if no virtual tour is done. That should get you about 30 pictures to choose from. An agent that won't invest a little money in a client's home is cheap and lazy.
cpartist
8 years ago
Additionally, I would ask her to pull the photos and the listing for now because the longer the listing is up with nothing happening, the more buyers will think something is wrong with the house. A home gets the most interest in the first few weeks it's on the market.
mary_md7
8 years ago
In addition to the useful comments above, something that I would do is borrow or rent a power washer and clean the slab and patio area (where you have the photos of the chairs) and retake those photos
nosoccermom
8 years ago
And get lots of annuals in containers.
1212dusti
8 years ago
Your house looks ok, but I think you may have a lazy realtor who is not giving you good feedback. Some of the comments on here are spot on. I'm in the process of selling a deceased relatives house, as well as our house next year. You should read some articles on selling a house, and follow the advise of pros. For starters, clean up the clutter, open the drapes, fresh flowers or plants around the house is a nice touch. On the patio, clear out those trash cans and add a little table and some potted flowers, and how about a pot of geraniums by the front door? You want the buyer to be interested in coming to see more of your home. If the realtor took those pictures, why couldn't she take five minutes to remove some of the clutter and open the drapes first? It's your money you're losing, she will get a commission no matter what. Here is a very good website, read the budget friendly idea section. I'm hoping all my hard work results in a speedy sale next month, wishing the same for you. http://www.home-decorating-and-staging.com/
Samantha Weekes
8 years ago
I have to agree with everyone else. Even if you don't pay for professional staging, there are little thing that your real estate agent could have done to draw interest just from the pictures. It is a cute home that seems to have a lot going for it but the pictures will not garner too much interest. Keep the price and declutter and take new pictures. Pay attention to small things, like the dishcloth on the stove (move it), the dirty plastic lawn chairs in the yard (take them out the picture) or the window in the shower (draw the cute shower curtains close). Sometimes you don't need a million pictures, just a few nice one to bring people to the home.
angela 10
Original Author
8 years ago
Ok everyone, I took some time to de-clutter and I took some new pics myself. I emailed these to my realtor today and told her that this is what I really have in mind for how I would like to have my home shown online. I tried to be nice (that is my downfall sometimes, I am too nice) but just explained to her that while I appreciated the pics she took, I think some de-cluttering was in order and now that I have done that, we should post new pics. I emailed her this weekend, so awaiting her response. Some of these may be ok to use, but I think a professional camera could probably do a better job. One good thing about this is I got rid off (gave to charity) a lot of books and things I wasn't even using anymore. I went to craigslist and did my own post just to test things out a bit and did get an inquiry from one buyer already whom I referred to my agent, so I think it was the pictures :) Thanks again everyone for your help. I've included a link the craigslist posting so you can all see the pics I took.

http://tulsa.craigslist.org/reb/5126811538.html
pamdonn14
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Oh, your pictures are so much better! You did a fabulous job decluttering and letting the light in! I especially like the front of the house picture and the dining area. Do you have a bedroom picture available? If so, I would add a bedroom picture and delete the backyard patio picture.
melle_sacto
8 years ago
Those pictures are much nicer, good job! Hopefully you receive an offer soon.
crackermoo
8 years ago
Wow, Angela 10, that's a huge improvement! What a cute home!
lascatx
8 years ago
Looks so much brighter and welcoming. Good job and good luck!
Suzi AKA DesertDance So CA Zone 9b
8 years ago
I just checked the original link on realtor.com and your realtor has not put the new photos in. It does take 24-48 hours for them to show (which I learned from the recent listing of DH's fishing cabin), but she should have responded to YOU immediately stating she would make the changes. You did a good job on the new photos and I hope she takes you seriously now. Good luck!
Samantha Weekes
8 years ago
Great job with the new pictures and description. Hopefully the helps to perk some interest in your home. Keep us posted.
cpartist
8 years ago
Wow. hard to believe it's the same house. if you still haven't heard from your agent by tomorrow then I suggest you call the office and speak to her boss
User
8 years ago
Great job. The difference is night and day. Your house looks very welcoming now.
cpartist
8 years ago
Angela, have you heard back from your realtor because the old pictures are still up.
1212dusti
8 years ago
Now you're looking like a serious home seller! Great job, love the pictures!
lascatx
8 years ago
The new pictures are up. Someone's going to see these and not believe it is the same house. Hope you're busy showing it now!
cpartist
8 years ago
I'm still seeing the old pictures?
c9pilot
8 years ago
cpartist - sounds like everyone else can see the new pictures - try clearing your cache and the new site should come up
User
8 years ago
Wow! You may have a future in staging! I love your laundry room with the baskets and the patio seating. You did a great job.
angela 10
Original Author
8 years ago
As far as I know, the new pictures are still not up on realtor.com, unless I just can't see them either. I did hear back from my realtor and she does agree that some of the pictures she took had too much clutter in them and she does plan on replacing them with mine, but I don't think she has done that yet, but plans to this week;. She did show my home today to a buyer, she said he really liked my home a lot and is working with his bank to get preapproved, hopefully he will end up making an offer. Sheilaaus122, thanks for the complement. I'm an accountant currently studying for my CPA, so I doubt I'll be going toward staging :) It was everyone's comments on here that I followed that really helped create those pictures. I think people may be clicking on the Craig's list link that I posted and that is how they are seeing the new pictures.
gwlake
8 years ago
I am very impressed. You really did a great job!!! The house looks a zillion times better!!! Like you care!!! Great great great job!!
deegw
8 years ago
You did an awesome job. Your realtor should be ashamed of herself.
cpartist
8 years ago
cpartist - sounds like everyone else can see the new pictures - try clearing your cache and the new site should come up

Actually no the new pics were not put up and I know that because after someone made the comment that they had been put up, I went to zillow and some of the other sites to see if they had generated the new pics. Nope. And here it is 3 days after she took them and the realtor still hasn't gotten them up.
emma1420
8 years ago
Your new photos are still not posted. I would be having a word with your agent and get a specific time frame of when they will be posted.
User
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Your photos are wonderful!

May I suggest to remove photo of the yard, or retake it after removing everything there and giving a good cleaning?

Unbelievable! I would give the agent one day to change photos, otherwise you will change agent.
cpartist
8 years ago
Actually the fact that after a week they are not up speaks to how your agent is not doing her job. I would speak to her boss. There is no excuse for that. In fact, I would double check your contract to see if there's a way to get out of it and find a decent agent.
happilady
8 years ago
Wow. Your agent seems very lazy! Your pictures are much better, your agent should be ashamed of those horrible pictures she posted. I really think you need to be firmer with her. Don't be mean but there's really no excuse for not putting those better pictures up.
cpartist
8 years ago
No you never should be mean but like happilady said you need to be firm and let her know she is not holding up her end of the bargain. I'm sure there's some wording in your contract.
angela 10
Original Author
8 years ago
Well, just wanted to put in this one last post on this. I did end up getting an offer on my home from the client that did see it, it was a great offer for full asking price, so I have accepted it. So, all in all, the realtor did end up getting me a good deal and I am happy to have a contract on my home now. Buyer is preapproved with 20% down, so it seems like a sound contract, I close August 28th. I still agree with you guys that the photos were bad, but its not much of an issue now :)
gwlake
8 years ago
I am happy for you!!!
lucy132
8 years ago
Congratulations and I hope the closing goes smoothly!
gyr_falcon
8 years ago
It is always nice to come into Buying and Selling and read good news. :) Hope everything proceeds smoothly. Do you have a new place picked out yet? Enjoy your shorter commute.
Suzi AKA DesertDance So CA Zone 9b
8 years ago
Woo Hoo! Hope it all goes smoothly and you enjoy being closer to your work! Thanks for the update! Love happy endings!
Annegriet
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Wow--the new photos look terrific--I am a little late to this post but outdoor space is really important to me--I'd love to see a potted plant and maybe two chairs on the front patio. Other than that, it is way super awesome. Great job!
cpartist
8 years ago
Oh I'm thrilled for you Angela. What great news.
melle_sacto
8 years ago
A full price offer, that's awesome! Hope everything goes smoothly for you :-)
c9pilot
8 years ago
Woo hoo!
kelker
8 years ago
Congratulations, Angela!

I think this thread really illustrates how important pictures are to the first impression and what huge difference the home owner can make with a few simple changes. It is kind of a shame that these pics will probably not be visible after a while.

Why can't my home get a showing?

Comments (67)

Related Discussions

angela 10Original Author

angela 10Original Author

angela 10Original Author

angela 10Original Author

angela 10Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

angela 10
Original Author

angela 10
Original Author

angela 10
Original Author

angela 10
Original Author

angela 10
Original Author