For those of you waiting for your house to sell...
jdkblue said
06:21 PM Apr 15, 2009
How is everyone else coping while they are waiting for their house to sell?
For those of you who have gone through the process of waiting for your house to sell to become fulltimers how did you do it?
I ask this because we are just crawling out of our skin. While our house is sitting empty back in Northwestern Iowa, we temporarily moved out to Hood River, OR in late November so that I could take a 6 month job to pay the bills.We had to move so quickly that we didn’t have time to prepare our place to rent out so we’re still paying for the electricity and gas. My work contract is ending soon so we’ll be going back at the end of May, hopefully for good reasons.I think that our broker has maybe shown our place a handful of times. Heck once we made the decision to become fulltime RVers we had all our possessions sold within the next week over a few garage sales which was a huge task.Everything else that we’ve decided to keep is sitting in a 6’ x 12’ storage shed and what we have with us is a minimal amount of things.We've researched fifth wheels and walked through quite a few of them so I think we've picked out what we would like. We’ve researched mail forwarding services and picked out what’s going to be our home base. It’s like we’ve hurried up and did all this preparing and now it's just a waiting game.I know we must sound very impatient, we are.If you’ve read all the way through this thanks for putting up with my ranting and raving.
-- Edited by jdkblue on Wednesday 15th of April 2009 06:23:24 PM
Judy said
06:41 PM Apr 15, 2009
I have indeed read all through your post. What you must do is consider very strongly the way things are, as of now, with the economy, which I am sure you are tired of hearing about. I do think you have jumped into things to fast before the final sale of your home. Try to hang in there, and right now I wish I had my home back! We have been 3 yrs on the road full-timing and I have many reasons for a stickn brick again. southwestjudy
-- Edited by Judy on Wednesday 15th of April 2009 06:41:54 PM
NorCal Dan said
08:34 PM Apr 15, 2009
I would agree with Judy, the housing market just isn't moving anything...the lenders are nervous about making loans. Most of the deals I have heard about were cash deals that did not involve a bank. But one realtor I know has seen some improvement in the market in the past month, so hopefully things are headed in the right direction. Hopefully you will get an offer on your house soon so you can get on with your dreams of full-timing.
foxriverguy said
08:49 PM Apr 15, 2009
I can't answer your question right now. Our house goes on the market in two weeks. Houses that sell in our area fall into two categories:
1) Bank owned
2) Homes in tip-top condition that show good care and are priced right.
We believe we are in category 2.
Workinrvers said
10:45 AM Apr 16, 2009
We put our house on the market the last week of December and we got a contract on it in March. We had to budge some on the price but nothing lower than we anticipated when we first met with our realtor. Hang in there and the right buyer will come along. We did bury a statue of St. Joseph, not sure if you're in to that sort of thing or not but we figured we needed all the help we could get. Thhis story explains it: http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/real-estate/20040831a1.asp
Houses around here (central Indiana) are moving, albeit slowly. I have seen several sold signs on houses listed around the same time we listed ours. Good luck with the sale and the transition.
Rob_Fla said
06:08 PM Apr 16, 2009
We are in the same boat as the rest of you guys. Our house has been on the market since September. We have had no activity until recently. We have had more activity in the last month than we have had in the 6 months. Just hand in there, the right buyer will come along it just takes time. Homes around here are starting to move but still pretty slow.
Robert and Debra
rwarner22 said
06:43 PM Apr 16, 2009
Great question! What to do when plans don't turn out as expected.
I think you found a great way to deal with it already--go with Plan B in the meantime. I would find another Plan B. I would look for another short term job to meet the bills and fill the time.
A lot of times motion is progress. While you move in one direction, something else may come along. As you get a part time job maybe something else will help you deal with the waiting.
We have joined Habitat for Humanity in our area and that has been a source of satisfaction. That or another volunteer position somewhere may help you take your mind off the waiting but doesnt do much for paying the bills on the house for sale.
I would consider a couple of different realtors in your area and explain your situation and ask what else they could do. Maybe they have a different approach than your current realtor. I would also find one that makes extensive use of the internet.
Our house was supposed to go on the market today. Looks like it may be tomorrow. We have been moving toward this day for about 18 months. We will be in a better position if the house doesn't sell in a couple of months.
Best of luck and hope your buyer comes by quickly!
Randy and Pam
www.warnerrvnews.blogspot.com
jimdee said
09:31 PM Apr 17, 2009
We are also waiting to sell. It's only been 25 days and the Realtor has told us it will be at least 120 so we're pacing the floor. Everything is ready to go except the sale.
We both work to pass the time. Good luck and keep us informed.
NorCal Dan said
09:57 PM Apr 17, 2009
It's encouraging to hear that you are seeing some movement in the market. Selling our house took 9 months from the accepted offer (it's complicated). We know how waiting feels when all you can think about is getting out on the road with the RV.
Coyatee said
10:16 PM Apr 17, 2009
We are at 2 1/2 years and counting (On the market). Had a contract, but it fell apart. About one showing a week, but most are "tire kickers" who have not yet sold their home in Fl or in the north. We are in east TN in a boating/golf community (Tellico Village). Most sales are above $500,000. or below $200,000 (We are in between). Have to keep positve! Have truck, but will not buy 5th wheel until house sells. In the meantime keep enjoying life where your situation puts you. Good Luck.
Weaverworks said
07:31 AM Apr 18, 2009
Our house (NE Ohio) has been on the market about a year now. We thought we had it sold TWICE but both deals fell through....financing issues. We had put a deposit down on a MH with a private owner but backed out when 2nd house deal fell through. We have to wait until house sells! Very depressing to say the least. We are now trying to sell it "By Owner" in order to lower price a little. I question everyday if I should GIVE UP!
ahoweth said
07:38 AM Apr 18, 2009
For those waiting.
We sold our house at auction. We were able to set a minimum acceptable bid. If the auction price did not meet that price we didn't have to sell. The house sold as is, no haggling over offers and counter offers. The house went in less than 10 minutes at more than our minimum.
This might work for you and it might not. It might be a way. Only you can make that decision but it worked for us!
-- Edited by ahoweth on Saturday 18th of April 2009 07:39:35 AM
Acorn said
11:40 AM Apr 18, 2009
We too have been on the market 2+ years... ours is a log home built small for retirement, so only certain buyers would be interested. We actually have a signed purchase offer, contingent upon the buyer selling their place. Meanwhile we can still advertise, and if a 2nd buyer surfaces, the first buyer has 3 days to come up with the money.
We planted a St. Joseph statue last fall.... to no avail so far! We are even considering offering to carry part of a mortgage -- any thoughts on that?
cc said
06:29 PM Apr 18, 2009
We had our on the market for about 1 1/2 years had, maybe, 6 people look at it (listed with 2 different realtors). It has been off the market since last October.
We hope to get it back on this spring.
One thing that can slow it down is how many repos are in the area. This will reduce the value of your home.
I am getting frustrated too, because I really want to start fulltiming.
cc
jdkblue said
09:11 PM Apr 18, 2009
Wow thanks for all your replies. It looks like I opened a whole can of worms when it comes to the issue about the burdens that are holding all of us back from fulfilling our future plans. Anyway it's nice to know we aren't the only ones in this position and it's great to hear from all of you so please keep the replies coming.
-- Edited by jdkblue on Saturday 18th of April 2009 09:13:36 PM
Dixie said
08:05 AM Apr 19, 2009
We have been working towards getting the house ready to sell, getting rid of things and looking forward to going fulltime for a little over a year now. Now that we are at the point that we want to list the house we are somewhat discouraged about the market here. A house came up for sale 3 houses down listed way below appraisal and that won't help ours sell I am sure. We are going to probably have to bite the bullet and sell our house for much less than we would like or stay here and put off our rv dream in hopes the market will get better. I don't think things will get better as soon as I would like so I say sell and take the money and run (or ride away in our rv).
Would be curious about knowing more about auctioning off a house???? If we are going to take less why not just put it up for auction and set a minimum that we can live with??
Seems we are all in the same boat on being stuck with a sticks and bricks that are worth less than before.
Wishing everyone the best of luck selling and hope to see every one on the road this year.
Mel
Camper_Boy said
05:56 PM Apr 19, 2009
We jump on that ship tomorrow! We have an appointment with our chosen realtor tomorrow evening to sign a contract. We've spent the last month sprucing things up and de-cluttering as much as we can while still living here. Our Realtor is also optimistic about the market picking up (or at least leveling off!), so we are keeping our fingers crossed! We hope we have it priced correctly, and that the right person will come along. Our original target date for hitting the road was June 2010 (so we're giving ourselves over a year to sell), but we could go sooner if things work out.
Good Luck to everyone else out there in this same boat!!
Racerguy said
08:41 PM Apr 19, 2009
We are in the same position. Waiting for our painter to get free to paint inside of house. Been fighting springtime bad weather here but pretty close on sprucing up the landscaping and getting shop and indoor RV spot cleaned out. We own our place free and clear so we can wait a reasonable amount of time on market recovery. We will just travel when we can until it sells then start fulltiming.Market is still some what stable for properties like ours but you never know. Just one step at a time.
blessthisvoyage said
08:46 PM Apr 19, 2009
We are new to corresponding via forums and don't quite understand how to, so we would appreciate any help. ANYWAY, we've been lurkers for quite some time and decided it was time to show ourselves. We are Alan & Marilyn and we too are in the process of preparing our house to sell and are contemplating auctioning it -- it's fast and will be over -- hopefully -- in an hour or so. Alan has already retired once -- from the USAF -- and hopefully will retire from his 2nd career at the end of the year. I retired last June after 23 years as a civilian court reporter for the USAF.
We appreciate this forum and all the info we have gained lurking in the background:)
___________________________________ 2007 Winnebago Voyage -- looking for toad
-- Edited by blessthisvoyage on Sunday 19th of April 2009 09:00:23 PM
-- Edited by blessthisvoyage on Sunday 19th of April 2009 09:02:22 PM
retread said
07:56 PM Apr 22, 2009
I hope you don't have to wait too much longer! Our house sold in 4 months and we had just settled in for a long haul, so we were not as prepared as we would have liked. We had to take 10k less than listed, but it was actually about 1000 more than we anticipated being our 'bottom line'. The buyer was in a big hurry as a previous offer had fallen through for their family. The house was shown only 4-5 times in the 4 months, so try to not get discouraged. It only takes that one person who really wants your house! FWIW, our next door neighbors had had their house on the market for 3 YEARS when we placed ours on the market, so we were very anxious. The neighbor's house is way overpriced for the current market, so it sits - however, they finally began renting it out and it has been steadily occupied for the past 2 years. Perhaps in the current situation, having a rental property when folks are having a hard time qualifying for loans may be an alternative that works? Best wishes as you wait and try to stay busy with something! Distractions seem to help the waiting easier!
monkey islanders said
01:18 PM Apr 25, 2009
Just wanted to put in my 2 cents worth....our home goes on the market in the next two weeks, but we have a bit of an advantage, a good market here in our area and I am a realtor. I just had a couple of suggestions for everyone out there that is trying to sell.
1. If you can afford it use a realtor! It will expose your home to MANY more buyers. Make sure your realtor is very tech savy and will advertise on lots of websites.
2. DECLUTTER!!! Get everything packed away, take down the nicknacks, photos etc. Even hire a stager if it is in your budget.
3. Pay attention to curb appeal, that picture of the front of your house is the first thing a potential buyer will see on the internet or MLS.
4. Price IS everything. Every house will sell if the price is right. Make sure your realtor does a CMA (its free) and take a look at what houses in your area are SELLING for in the past 6 mo. Not what they are listed for but what they have sold for.
5. Consider owner finance etc. It is getting harder for regular folks to qualify for a loan.
Hope this helps to get everyone out on the road soon!!!
FDchief said
08:52 PM Jun 7, 2009
We listed our house May 15th. My last day at work is August 31st. I could change those plans, but the future is guaranteed to no one, and so we say "damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead"!
We don't want to go too much lower for our home, but will definately listen to our realtor when it comes time to entertain it. We are planning on using our equity towards the purchase of our next house down the road when we are done fulltiming. I have a good retirement so I could hang on to the house for a while if I had to, but that would definately cut into the fun money. In addition to that, I would worry about how well it would weather the Winter (Lake Tahoe, CA area). So I am in the same boat, or RV as the rest of you. Maybe I should bury a Saint!
foxriverguy said
09:06 PM Jun 7, 2009
I agree with those of you who talk about putting your best foot forward and finding the right price. A Realtor can help you find the right price and tell you if you need to make any improvements. Listen to them.
We got a contract in 19 days. We close July 16. We are on Cloud Nine.
We have sold almost all of our furniture. Still have the bed and dining room table, but my son is buying those and when he needs them, we can move into the motor home that will soon be parked next to his house.
We start full-timing on September 8. Life is good
Sandra said
07:08 PM Jun 10, 2009
Congrats George & Sandy! Good going!
monkey islanders said
10:29 AM Jun 11, 2009
Congrats!!! We are sooooo excited for you! Our house has been on the market since the 3rd and we have shown it twice....so far. I am pretty happy about that. Sold the boat yesterday so things are moving along. We can't wait to get out there. Have fun and maybe we will see you soon!
Happytrails said
07:25 PM Jun 14, 2009
George and Sandy, wonderful news!! I bet the view is great from cloud nine.
We have been on the market for what seems like forever. We stay busy, focused and hopeful but it is HARD!! We have lowered our price and have had lots of traffic through the house in the last couple of weeks. It is definitely a roller coaster ride.
Lets all hang in there and encourage each other. We'll all make it through and look back and smile as we enjoy our fulltime life. It will just be that much sweeter.
I can't wait to hear the next "SOLD" announcement.
How is everyone else coping while they are waiting for their house to sell?
For those of you who have gone through the process of waiting for your house to sell to become fulltimers how did you do it?
I ask this because we are just crawling out of our skin. While our house is sitting empty back in Northwestern Iowa, we temporarily moved out to Hood River, OR in late November so that I could take a 6 month job to pay the bills. We had to move so quickly that we didn’t have time to prepare our place to rent out so we’re still paying for the electricity and gas. My work contract is ending soon so we’ll be going back at the end of May, hopefully for good reasons. I think that our broker has maybe shown our place a handful of times. Heck once we made the decision to become fulltime RVers we had all our possessions sold within the next week over a few garage sales which was a huge task. Everything else that we’ve decided to keep is sitting in a 6’ x 12’ storage shed and what we have with us is a minimal amount of things. We've researched fifth wheels and walked through quite a few of them so I think we've picked out what we would like. We’ve researched mail forwarding services and picked out what’s going to be our home base. It’s like we’ve hurried up and did all this preparing and now it's just a waiting game. I know we must sound very impatient, we are. If you’ve read all the way through this thanks for putting up with my ranting and raving.
-- Edited by jdkblue on Wednesday 15th of April 2009 06:23:24 PM
I have indeed read all through your post.
What you must do is consider very strongly the way things are, as of now, with the economy, which I am sure you are tired of hearing about. I do think you have jumped into things to fast before the final sale of your home. Try to hang in there, and right now I wish I had my home back! We have been 3 yrs on the road full-timing and I have many reasons for a stickn brick again.
southwestjudy
-- Edited by Judy on Wednesday 15th of April 2009 06:41:54 PM
Houses that sell in our area fall into two categories:
1) Bank owned
2) Homes in tip-top condition that show good care and are priced right.
We believe we are in category 2.
Houses around here (central Indiana) are moving, albeit slowly. I have seen several sold signs on houses listed around the same time we listed ours. Good luck with the sale and the transition.
Just hand in there, the right buyer will come along it just takes time.
Homes around here are starting to move but still pretty slow.
Robert and Debra
We both work to pass the time. Good luck and keep us informed.
We sold our house at auction. We were able to set a minimum acceptable bid. If the auction price did not meet that price we didn't have to sell. The house sold as is, no haggling over offers and counter offers. The house went in less than 10 minutes at more than our minimum.
This might work for you and it might not. It might be a way. Only you can make that decision but it worked for us!
-- Edited by ahoweth on Saturday 18th of April 2009 07:39:35 AM
Wow thanks for all your replies. It looks like I opened a whole can of worms when it comes to the issue about the burdens that are holding all of us back from fulfilling our future plans. Anyway it's nice to know we aren't the only ones in this position and it's great to hear from all of you so please keep the replies coming.
-- Edited by jdkblue on Saturday 18th of April 2009 09:13:36 PM
Good Luck to everyone else out there in this same boat!!
We appreciate this forum and all the info we have gained lurking in the background:)
___________________________________
2007 Winnebago Voyage -- looking for toad
-- Edited by blessthisvoyage on Sunday 19th of April 2009 09:00:23 PM
-- Edited by blessthisvoyage on Sunday 19th of April 2009 09:02:22 PM
1. If you can afford it use a realtor! It will expose your home to MANY more buyers. Make sure your realtor is very tech savy and will advertise on lots of websites.
2. DECLUTTER!!! Get everything packed away, take down the nicknacks, photos etc. Even hire a stager if it is in your budget.
3. Pay attention to curb appeal, that picture of the front of your house is the first thing a potential buyer will see on the internet or MLS.
4. Price IS everything. Every house will sell if the price is right. Make sure your realtor does a CMA (its free) and take a look at what houses in your area are SELLING for in the past 6 mo. Not what they are listed for but what they have sold for.
5. Consider owner finance etc. It is getting harder for regular folks to qualify for a loan.
Hope this helps to get everyone out on the road soon!!!
We got a contract in 19 days. We close July 16. We are on Cloud Nine.
We have sold almost all of our furniture. Still have the bed and dining room table, but my son is buying those and when he needs them, we can move into the motor home that will soon be parked next to his house.
We start full-timing on September 8. Life is good
Congrats!!! We are sooooo excited for you! Our house has been on the market since the 3rd and we have shown it twice....so far. I am pretty happy about that. Sold the boat yesterday so things are moving along. We can't wait to get out there. Have fun and maybe we will see you soon!