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hlmr

hlmr

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Oct 21, 2004
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2,872
We can't seem to sell our house. This is the third year in a row we have tried, although it is always short spurts of time on the market. Our home will only go up in value with time, but we know money is not everything.

We want to move back east where we both are from, but our 12 year old son has only known life in one place. There are pros (financial, DH's family) and cons (DH's family) to moving, and we know it will be like moving to a new place even though we grew up there.

We have no family here but are not willing to give up our home for nothing (our nest egg) as it is priced very reasonably but is located in a relatively unknown area. Every August we take it off the market because I don't want to move my son in the middle of a school year.

This year I am indecisive......leave it on the market or wait another year?

I really hate living in limbo......and I really don't know what to do anymore.

Any thoughts or advice?
 
so weird. I just had a long reply to you and then it got delted with an error message. Let me see if I remember what I typed.
Do you mind if I ask why you want to move back east? Cost of living out here is so high it seems people are moving out not in. Depends on what part of the northeast I guess. Houses here are sitting on the market longer now, sometimes 4-5 months.

Having a son near that age, I can tell you it would be tough on him to move, especially across country. They have so much to deal with at this age with puberty coming up (that''s a story in itself! The growth spurt, the changes, my son must have grown 7 inches in the past year!). Plus they''ve made friends and it would be hard to leave them. However, many kids do just fine. It''s a big decision. Some kids might actually be happy about moving. Each child is different.

I would say if this is something that you''re positive about doing then why put it off a year? Might as well do it now rather than a year from now if it''s a for sure thing. If you weren''t planning on waiting until he''s done school I say why wait.

Hope this helps!
 
What does your realtor say about this? He/she should be running you comp reports to make sure it''s appropriately priced and marketing it aggressively so that you get good traffic through. Also, in some areas the time of year that you put a property up for sale makes all the difference in the world. For instance, in a suburban area where people with children will most likely be buying it makes it a good idea to put it on the market at the beginning of the year so it would sell in early spring. That way the closing/moving would occur during the summer and the kids would not have to move during the school year.

As for moving or not... I guess I can''t really answer that question for you. But it sounds like "living in limbo" is not your cut of tea so in my opinion the sooner you move (or decide not to move) the better for your piece of mind.

Also, I don''t have any children, but I would think moving your son at 12 rather than later, i.e., when he''s in high school, would be easier on him. I guess that probably varies on a child-by-child basis though.

Do you mind if I ask what general area your current home is in?
 
Thanks for your replies diamondsrock and Dee*Jay!!

I live in the Greater Toronto Area - which means not right in the city itself. Back east is Halifax area, Nova Scotia.

I agree re: the age of my son being optimal to move - better now than later, as it gets harder as they age.

My agent has been advertising and doing a relatively good job, but I do live in an area that is relatively unknown and the people who do know about it unfortunately don''t have the $ to buy. Our home is priced VERY reasonably and we are not willing to let it go for less, so it does take time.

Yes, I am not very happy being in limbo...........

I keep getting told that it must not be meant to be!?!
 
Can I ask why you don''t leave your home on the market until it sells rather than put it on and take it off? Is it becuase you don''t want to accumulate market time? Or becuase you don''t want it to sell at an inconvenient time? (If that''s the case maybe you could work out some sort of long close or lease-back arrangement with the buyer so you are more in control of your move date.)
 
Date: 7/2/2006 9:26:11 PM
Author: Dee*Jay
Can I ask why you don't leave your home on the market until it sells rather than put it on and take it off? Is it becuase you don't want to accumulate market time? Or becuase you don't want it to sell at an inconvenient time? (If that's the case maybe you could work out some sort of long close or lease-back arrangement with the buyer so you are more in control of your move date.)
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I didn't want to move my son in the middle of a school year. I know that it is sometimes inevitable, but up until now, this has been my reasoning. Also, the first year it was on the market the house was not completely finished (we built it) which I know, was detrimental to it's sale as well.
 
Date: 7/2/2006 9:09:11 PM
Author: diamondsrock

Having a son near that age, I can tell you it would be tough on him to move, especially across country. They have so much to deal with at this age with puberty coming up (that''s a story in itself! The growth spurt, the changes, my son must have grown 7 inches in the past year!).
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I know what you mean diamondsrock!!! my son just turned 12 two days ago and stands at 5''10"!!!!!!!
 
Is summer a hot buying time typically?

I wonder if you may be doing yourself a disservice by putting it on and taking it off a few months later. I don't know a thing about realty really but just occured to me.

I know we see a lot of sales around here in early spring through summer but right now we haven't seen much on the market at all. Come fall it seems to pick up a bit and then in spring definitely in terms of cylclic where we are. What about trying it during spring ... so that if you have to pull your son out of school it could hopefully be near the end of the school year and something can be worked out? Just a thought. You could also always rent for a month or two til school is out if your house sells quickly in spring.
 
Date: 7/2/2006 10:03:17 PM
Author: Mara
Is summer a hot buying time typically? - Not really.

I wonder if you may be doing yourself a disservice by putting it on and taking it off a few months later. I don't know a thing about realty really but just occured to me.

I know we see a lot of sales around here in early spring through summer but right now we haven't seen much on the market at all. Come fall it seems to pick up a bit and then in spring definitely in terms of cylclic where we are. What about trying it during spring ... so that if you have to pull your son out of school it could hopefully be near the end of the school year and something can be worked out? Just a thought. You could also always rent for a month or two til school is out if your house sells quickly in spring.
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I know that is true Mara......I can't change the past two years, but I can change this year as our listing doesn't expire for another month and a half. I guess we will have to bite the bullet and keep it on the market if we don't want to stay in this vicious cycle. I just don't know if I have the fortitude to uproot my son if our home sells mid year.
 
do it before he gets into high school.

put it on the market in january. by the time it sells, y''all can camp out in an apartment til the end of the school year, or have him stay with a friend until the end of the school year, while you get the family settled elsewhere.
 
You seemed fixed on a given price. We just sold our home after first purchasing another, and although we could have managed both mortgages, we really wanted to sell. We dropped $6K after about 2 weeks, and then...wanting it go that next weekend, dropped it another $10 K 3 days later. It did get 3 contracts then, and although all were under asking price, all were good enough to get the job done. We wanted to be in another part of town for our older son''s school. BTW, I''m a big fan of Halifax.

You might consider experimenting, getting your realtor''s agreement in doing so. Drop the price, and add the text saying in some form (as is not too uncommon in the DC area): seller retains the right to sell or not sell this home. Basically, you stipulate that even with a full price offer, you may turn the offer down. You also want buy in from your realtor, so that you won''t be committed to a full commission to them if a seller is in hand, and you decide to not go forward.
 
Thanks Ladykemma - I agree with that advice. I had especially hoped to move this year as he would start grade 7 (junior high).

Hi SanDiegoLady - The Toronto market is hot, and where we live is hot in the mid to lower end. Nice houses in these catagories tend to sell the day they are listed for the most part. I love to follow the real estate market too. We are using a Toronto realtor this year to sell.

RegularGuy - Thanks for the vote of confidence re: Halifax! I am stuck on our price because is has been lowered by $100k from the past two years' pricing already and is in a niche market. It is definitely not the price which is the problem as we have been told our original price was fair too. It is exposure and finding the right person which is not always easy. We don't get the traffic in this small community except from people who live here. Almost everyone who has moved here has found their home through word of mouth (people already living here).

Thanks to all of you for chiming in. I know that we will just have to leave it on the market until it sells if we want to move. It is just so frustrating when you are trying to make a life change and you hit the same roadblock over and over again.
 
HI Heather:

Is not waiting the hardest part? If moving is right up there on the proverbial stress level, then waiting around for a house to sell has to rank right up there also. I feel for your family in this situation.

With grade seven on the horizon, your concerns about moving during the school year is warrented. Altho you have no control over when your house might sell, of course, moving b/t the breaks in the school year (or Christmas holidays after mid term exams) would be "optimal".

Hang in there!!
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cheers--Sharon
 
hlmr, I don''t have any great advice that the others didn''t already give you - probably best to keep it on the market through the school year, or at least, as Mara suggested, put it on in the spring. But I did want to say I feel for you; my DH and I have been in a similar boat the past few years, trying to do a voluntary move, but for us, the sticking point was buying, not selling. We spent the last two summers looking for a place near my family, but for various reasons were not able to find what we wanted and couldn''t do it. It was very frustrating. So now we''re trying to re-think our strategy too. Good luck in your move!!!
 
random thoughts: you seem to know the ''who'' as regards a buyer. perhaps special advertising or postings aimed at that buyer? also, if the listing comes off in august, it would seem reasonable that it should be listed in february. this gives 6 months listing time which often is necessary. perhaps you have to live in your nest egg a bit longer and wait for the area to become more sought out by more buyers. if price is reasonable, what reason does a potential buyer give for not making an offer? is leasing your home out an option?

movie zombie
 
Hlmr: Hello fellow Canadian! Well my boyfriend recently bought a house, so I can only tell you what it was from a recent buyers persepective. First off, even if your house is sold in the middle of the year, it really doesn''t mean you''ll move right away. We waited 3 months from the purchase until the former owner moved out!

I''m sure that your real estate agent gave you an idea of what the house was worth. For us anyways, we didn''t buy in terms of is this house a good value for money. We bought primarily for location (very nice neighborhood) and close proximity to Montreal. So that all factors in. There were a lot of houses in areas a little furthur from Montreal (maybe 17 minutes from downtown) which were about 1/2 the price, but we weren''t willing to buy because it was too far for us. Our experience was that houses in areas that are popular would go within the first week so it was a mad feeding frenzy for us to buy. We''d call the DAY the listing appeared on the internet and by then it was sold.

Also when I would search the listings, if I saw a house that was listed for say about 1 month (I was checking regularly) I would totally have no intrest after that. Even if the price went down, and it was something that might be intresting, I would kind of figure there was something wrong with them, or it wasn''t really a good deal/ worth visiting. In total frustration with losing all the houses we were intrested in, we had made an offer on a house that had been on the market for a while (after the price had dropped considerably) went through the insepection and discovered a MAJOR foundation problem. Safe to say that rightly, or wrongly, I wouldn''t do that again.

Good Luck!
 
My parents moved us from PA to NE one month into my 8th grade year. Yes, I hated it (and them) initially, but we knew it was happening for a while and I was able to adjust to the idea. I don't know if your son typically sees all of his school friends regularly during the school year, but I sure did not. I was able to say goodbye to a lot of people I only saw during the school year that way (like male friends/crushes I was too chicken to hang out with during the summer). I quickly lost touch with all of my middle school friends, but at least I got some closure with them that way. My girlfriends held a surprise slumber party for me the week before we moved too, which was great! Catching up in classes wasn't difficult either. Plus, I met my husband in high school.
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So don't worry too much about moving during the school year. If he knows the house has been up for sale the past several years, the long-term stress is probably affecting him more than the short-term stress of moving in the middle of a school year will. Think of it this way - he knows there's the possibility of moving away during the summer, so why should he try to do well in school now, make friends now, if it's all going to change? HTH!
 
Thanks Sharon and old-fashioned girl for your kind words and well wishes. It has become a stressful and frustrating situation for our family and I am hoping it will be resolved as soon as possible.

Movie zombie, I do know "the who", is someone who wants to have their cottage and home all in one. Unfortunately, finding that person does not seem to be so easy. It is not that people aren't making offers...it is that no one is even coming to look. I think where we live is considered too far from downtown Toronto and the traffic can be downright horrendous. I haven't looked into leasing or renting out our home but that may be a consideration.

Hi Allycat. I know what you mean about being on the market too long = is there something wrong with that house! Our agent did say that it could take a long time to find the right buyer for our home but all agents we have consulted feel we are priced very aggressively and shouldn't lower the price (unless we become desperate).

Thanks for your input JCJD! You are right about the stress already existing for our son. We keep telling him we will be moving and it never happens. I do want to make it as painless as possible for him and I feel badly this has been so drawn out. I moved so much as a pre-teen/teen and although it does have it's positives, it is hard to always be starting again.

Thanks again everyone - I appreciate all of your experiences and suggestions.
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I wonder why it''s taking so long? Have you gone to any open houses in your area? I find it good for checking prices and for getting ideas on how to fix up a house. Is your house dressed to sell? If you''re serious about selling you need to work at it some.
When I put my last house on the market I pre-packed so all the clutter was gone, spiffed up the yard and stuffed the empty areas with potted flowers, bleached the grout, re-arranged the furniture still there, and bought accessories to spruce things up when someone would come over. I sold my place in just a couple of weeks!

good luck!
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Date: 7/3/2006 5:17:16 PM
Author: hlmr

Thanks Sharon and old-fashioned girl for your kind words and well wishes. It has become a stressful and frustrating situation for our family and I am hoping it will be resolved as soon as possible.

Movie zombie, I do know ''the who'', is someone who wants to have their cottage and home all in one. Unfortunately, finding that person does not seem to be so easy. It is not that people aren''t making offers...it is that no one is even coming to look. I think where we live is considered too far from downtown Toronto and the traffic can be downright horrendous. I haven''t looked into leasing or renting out our home but that may be a consideration.

Hi Allycat. I know what you mean about being on the market too long = is there something wrong with that house! Our agent did say that it could take a long time to find the right buyer for our home but all agents we have consulted feel we are priced very aggressively and shouldn''t lower the price (unless we become desperate).

Thanks for your input JCJD! You are right about the stress already existing for our son. We keep telling him we will be moving and it never happens. I do want to make it as painless as possible for him and I feel badly this has been so drawn out. I moved so much as a pre-teen/teen and although it does have it''s positives, it is hard to always be starting again.

Thanks again everyone - I appreciate all of your experiences and suggestions.
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does the advertising include newspapers with a picture of the place? words to the effect: yes, its a commute but you''re really home when you get there; get away from the big city but have the benefits of being close to a big city, or words along those lines. anyone can live the big city life but not everyone can have a touch of country. i know it sounds corny but i''ve overlooked properties because i only looked at the area. if i see a picture and something with the words click for me, i go see it. i bought a property that way in chico. at the time it boarded on a not so great part of town but now its being sought after....i get notes from realtors all the time asking if we''re interested in selling. good luck!

movie zombie
 
Actually, San Diego Lady, market prices in San Diego are not declining overall, and certainly not at the rate you are talking about. I deal with buyers every day who want to "wait until prices go down" or quote me fantastical figures of anticipated 50% declines in value. Today I just showed a condo to a very nice guy who''s looking in a certain complex. We were looking at the asking price, and I told him what he should offer, and he said, "no, prices are going down, I''ve been watching Zillow." (which BTW, is garbage data). I went home and sent him the whole sales history for the complex for the last year, which clearly show a trend of increasing prices over the last six months.

San Diego is a highly variable market, and the trend depends on what part you live in and whether you''re talking about single family detatched, condo, or new home construction. In 2005, for example, for single family detatched, central SD went up 7.75%, East County 8.89%, North County Inland 11%, North County Coast 7.52%, and South County 13.13%. For all home sales combined, prices went up in all areas. There were small declines in some pockets. Data for 2006 is available monthly, but does not show declines over 2005. Market activity is up. Market inventory is up. The pace of appreciation is down. But with few exceptions, the median prices are still going up.

I agree with Dee*Jay, you''ve got to listen to your agent. Does s/he say it''s priced right? If your agent can''t back your asking price with recent SOLD comps, you''re asking too much. If the asking price is right in line with sold comps, then you need to wait it out or take an honest look at what negatives might be preventing offers. Good luck!
 
Not sure if you''ve sold your home or not but have you considered renting it out for a year or perhaps a lease to own?

Not sure how that works for you but it might be an alternative as the housing market is so slow right now and there is always hope that next year it might rebound a bit.
 
Hmm... Something does not seem right.

I am stuck on our price because is has been lowered by $100k from the past two years'' pricing already and is in a niche market. It is definitely not the price which is the problem as we have been told our original price was fair too. It is exposure and finding the right person which is not always easy. We don''t get the traffic in this small community except from people who live here. Almost everyone who has moved here has found their home through word of mouth (people already living here).


What kind or size of house do you drop the price by $100,000 and still get no offers - but call the pricing to be "fair". In the end a house (or any other item) is worth what other people are willing to pay.

I will admit that there are indeed unusual houses that may have higher than normal values than houses in the area - because of their unusual features(some of which will only be devulged to serious buyers - perhaps hlmr has a hidden tunnely bomb/survival center that can house a small community in the event of nuclear war and is designed to be defensible and be the center to maintian the area in the face of the collapse of national and state goverment, or something else). Some of those unusual features do in fact appeal only to a nitch market. If that is the case - then you need to leave your house on the market year arround to be albe to find someone in that nitch. In addition, you (and your agent) need to be advertising the house in publications (paper and electronic) that target those nitches (in fact, that may be the only place to advertize the house - because other people are not going to be willing to pay for that special nitch feature).

Perry
 
Thanks for the great advice and insight Perry.
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I am sure that after adding your suggested advertising and selling strategy to our listing, we will be moving in no time. So good of you to give me such helpful hints.
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I agree with the advice on the other posts that you probably should keep your house on the market through the school year. As a kid, I moved 13 times. Sometimes I went to a new school 2 or 3 times in ONE year. Most of the time my parents tried to move us in the summer so I started the school year. But honestly, it was easier to make friends when we moved in the middle of the school year. At the beginning of the school year, everyone is adjusting to the new schedule/routines etc. It''s easy for the "new kid" to get lost in the shuffle. In the middle of the year, the kids already have their routines down and meeting the "new kid" is a novelty. It was always easier for me to make friends in the middle of the year because people really noticed me. Just a thought.

Also, if you really don''t want to move in the middle of the school year, you could always rent an apartment for a few months if your house sells.
 
Date: 7/31/2006 9:14:40 AM
Author: IslandDreams
I agree with the advice on the other posts that you probably should keep your house on the market through the school year. As a kid, I moved 13 times. Sometimes I went to a new school 2 or 3 times in ONE year. Most of the time my parents tried to move us in the summer so I started the school year. But honestly, it was easier to make friends when we moved in the middle of the school year. At the beginning of the school year, everyone is adjusting to the new schedule/routines etc. It''s easy for the ''new kid'' to get lost in the shuffle. In the middle of the year, the kids already have their routines down and meeting the ''new kid'' is a novelty. It was always easier for me to make friends in the middle of the year because people really noticed me. Just a thought.

Also, if you really don''t want to move in the middle of the school year, you could always rent an apartment for a few months if your house sells.
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Thanks ID! That is a good point. I also moved so much when I was in my formative years, that I don''t want to do that to my son. What you said rings true to me about the new kid being a novelty in the middle of the year...thanks for sharing your experience.
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I wanted to chime in that I agree with Island Dreams. We moved from Denver, Colorado to Cincinnati, Ohio when I was a sophomore in high school. My parents made sure that we moved during the school year. It was their theory that a summer with no friends in a new area could be quite difficult and long...but that if they moved during the school year, I''d make new friends and have some fun during my first summer in the area.

They were absolutely right.

Just something to think about...

Melissa
 
Thanks Melissa and SugarBritches for your input and suggestions!
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