Comments on: 10 Things You Can’t Do If You Want to SELL Your Michigan Home

By: Scott Nachatilo

Scott Nachatilo — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 07:05:40 +0000

Thanks for sharing those wonderful tips, I'm doing that step 10, I 'm not trying to avoid but that's really favorable for me. Scott@Financially Free Landlord

By: Chris

Chris — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 16:51:25 +0000

My agent scheduled the final walk-through just before the closing. As we were leaving, one of the other condo co-owners approached me and asked me if I was looking for a place. I told her I was ready to close. When I was looking for a condo, there were six units on the market (none foreclosure or short sale) from $42.9K to $92.5K. Guess which one I bought. This lady had the $92.5K one. The listing showed lots of pictures outside, but none inside, even though it said it had be updated in 2006.

She bought the condo for $92K in 2006. She’s had the condo on the market for six months, has not decluttered (has her aunt’s furniture and hers in a 906 sq ft condo), and says she was willing to look at all offers, but also told me she’s not willing to take half what she paid for it. She said she’d wait a few years for the market to come back up. The lady is retired and her health is starting to fail. Is she really going to be alive when “the market is back up”? This is Livonia.

She wouldn’t have wanted my offer. I could only afford to pay half of what she paid. I was a cash buyer. If I could buy a condo with cash, who would I take out a mortgage to pay more for the same layout condo in the same complex? There’s nothing wrong with the condo I bought. It was clean and in good condition. The seller’s stuff was already out.

What’s going to happen: She’s either going to end up in a nursing home or dead, and her kids will have to deal with it. And they will “give away” all the furniture (or throw it out) and will sell it cheap so they can be done with it. Only the market might be $30K by then. If she doesn’t want to sell and she wants to appease her kids “to try,” she’s not fooling anyone, but at least declutter …

Sorry for the rant.

By: Sherry

Sherry — Sat, 23 May 2009 22:23:42 +0000

I agree with Kathi. What happened to common courtesy? I had the same experience in my home when listed for sale and I took it off the market. People who arent even interested find the need to turn all of your lights on, track in debris from every door, and even break things. I had a prescription of Vicadin stolen from my medicine cabinet. Really? What are the agents doing while showing the house? Is there no monitoring of what people are doing.

By: Kathi Plumlee

Kathi Plumlee — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 03:56:40 +0000

I agree with your points. My frustration is with the agents and potential buyers. We have had several things broken during showings, copious amounts of mud tracked not just on my wood floors, but on white carpet, driving on the wet grass and leaving their trash on kitchen counters or on the deck. Believe me, if we hadn’t been relocated for my husband’s job, we would take it off the market. What happened to common courtesy and good manners. We average a showing a day and I dread walking back in each time.

By: Mr Mogul

Mr Mogul — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 19:25:03 +0000

I agree with #7. A property I own was located near a dead end. That area was later developed and the last homes in my neighborhood became the first homes of the new neighborhood.

The newer homes sported panelled subzeros, trough sinks in the kitchen, granite everything, in-wall vacuums, pull out trash compactors (selling kitchens, you can guess), rough stone heated floors, and all of this with small back deck areas, damp basements (!) and small bedrooms.

The neighbors in my development immediately started redoing their kitchens, with granite everything, etc. I guess they wanted to keep up with the value of the newer homes built on the new ancillary street. I think it will work. I didn’t redo my kitchen, I see no need to rip out what I had, just to keep up.

By: Maureen Francis

Maureen Francis — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 23:04:42 +0000

You register your gravatar. They work on lots of sites. http://en.gravatar.com/

By: Maureen Francis

Maureen Francis — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 22:57:52 +0000

Bonnie,

I am actually seeing some upward pressure on real estate commissions. As fewer sales take place, sellers seem willing to pay more. Just an observation.

Yes, testing is no fun for anyone. It ends up hurting the seller more than they realize.

By: Bonnie Erickson

Bonnie Erickson — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 22:52:24 +0000

So, how do I get my picture to show up next to my comment? Bonnie Erickson’s last blog post..Financial Market Confusion Helps Bad Guys

By: Bonnie Erickson

Bonnie Erickson — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 22:50:16 +0000

Maureen - A great list. My personal nightmare is the seller who wants to test the market. Not only do they miss the first couple weeks of activity and give the impression of "something's wrong with that house", but it wears ME out every time I ask the seller to reduce the price! When we were presenting offers over list price, real estate agents were accused of wanting a higher commission. Now, when we are suggesting decreases in list price, I don't hear any similar comments about my commission being lower if the price is lower! It's a one sided world for sure! Bonnie Erickson’s last blog post..Financial Market Confusion Helps Bad Guys

By: I Want A Deal! — miOaklandCounty.com

I Want A Deal! — miOaklandCounty.com — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 19:42:35 +0000

[...] 10 Things You Can’t Do If You Want To Sell Your Michigan House [...]

By: Cyndee Haydon

Cyndee Haydon — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 05:04:45 +0000

Maureen – I love your articles with tips for sellers – it’s that time of year when people are thinking of selling – I wish they could all read this list first!

By: Jill Wente

Jill Wente — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 15:20:06 +0000

Maureen: This is right on. Especially number 1 – Testing the waters. No matter what area you live in now is not the time to be testing the water.