Any ideas on how to sell a house fast?

[Ellain]

We moved into a new house on June 1st. The old house has been on the market since late April. We can afford both mortgage payments if we watch our money, at least for now.

However, I cannot afford to take more than 2 weeks of maternity leave unless the old house sells. Unfortunately, the old house, aka The Pit, is in a rather undesirable location, and is probably the nicest house on the block (which, honestly, isn't saying much). Neither of those features are helping it to sell. We bought it 7 years ago for 79k, and after extensive renovations (insulation and drywall, all new floors, completely remodeled kitchen) we would be ecstatic to get 60k for it.

Our realtor, according to all statistics and reviews, is one of the better ones in the area, yet we have only had 8 people go through it. It makes me want to .

We've even tried calling those "We Buy Homes!" people, with zero response.

Any ideas?

[Ellain]

We've thought about it, but the idea scares me. I'm afraid that the only renters we'd be able to get in that area would turn it into a meth lab. =/

We need to talk to the realtor, though. I've heard some realty places will handle all aspects of renting for you, for a fee of course. That might be safer?

[Seshat]

See if you can get insurance against meth-lab tenants.

I've never tried to sell a house: and nicest house in the street is the hardest sell possible. Unless you price the house down towards the average sale price of the street.

When we sell our place, we'll be basically selling it for the land: our area is gentrifying, and developers are knocking down the houses and building townhouses or apartments on the sites.

[PepperElf]

i'm sure you can refuse to rent to anyone you suspect to be meth-makers.

last i checked "home chemists" weren't a protected class.


but yes, going through the realtor may be easier than striking out on your own as a landlady. they'll be more apt to know all the laws etc.

[Moirae]

Honestly? You can't. This is a horrible economy. House sales are slowly increasing, but there is still a significant portion of the population that is seriously struggling and can't afford a mortgage. Wish I could say better.

[MoonCat]

First, advertise. Yes, that's what you'd expect me to say, but the fact is if people don't know it's up for sale, you'll get no inquiries. If the realtor isn't getting the results you want, consider changing realtors. Some are experts in specific areas of their city.

If you run your own ad, emphasize the desirable aspects of the house. You mentioned " extensive renovations (insulation and drywall, all new floors, completely remodeled kitchen)". These are all good points to put in an ad.

Does NACA have an office in your area? Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America. They help people who don't have $30k for a down payment buy a house. They may have a realtor working with them who can find potential buyers. I wouldn't own a house today if it weren't for them.

Lastly, this is a superstition but some people swear buy it: You get a small St. Joseph statue and bury it in the yard of the house you want to sell. Seriously. You can even get kits online and sometimes in stores. Just throwing that in, it sounds crazy but it's one thing people do.