Sunday, August 12, 2018

Photos can be so deceiving...........

As you may or may not know we are "trying" to sell our home.  No luck as yet and we have said all along if we sell, we sell, if we don't no problem we will put it back on the market next year.

One thing we don't want to do is buy another home before we sell this one; makes sense right?

We have viewed some homes however that were having open houses; so no appointment needed and no need to go in with a real estate agent.

On Saturday one house that looked "really good" on paper and in photos was having an open house, so we thought we would take a look.  As soon as we walked in our first reaction was the photos make this house look so, so much better.  On looking around, the place needed a good clean.  The kitchen cabinets had been painted; quite poorly.  The window tracks had NOT been cleaned in years.  The floors were "bouncy," so not installed properly.  The a/c wasn't on, she said the owners didn't like a/c?  And on and on it went.  $50,000 and you could fix the majority of the issues, but it was already at the top of our budget.

Another house we looked at, in the main bathroom they had put the FULL bathroom garbage bin behind the shower curtain in the bath tub?  I am quite sure I am not the only one who pulls back the shower curtain to see if there is mold on the tiles or the grout needs redoing?  That was just laziness on the owners part.  

I am not sure if we are just picky, or what but I am beginning to despair that it is going to be an uphill battle to find another house if we do end up selling ours.

Have you viewed a house for sale and seen strange things?

7 comments:

Boyett-Brinkley said...

Oh yes, we have looked at many houses over the years and seen many things that made us scratch our heads. Last fall we moved to a house closer to our kids with more room -- downsizing didn't work for us so well. We had a home inspection and everything but things keep cropping up. We had no clue the sprinker system was half non-functional. We didn't know that there are several light switches that need to be replaced, we were aware that somebody had a red wine problem and found stains from carpet to light fixtures -- it was bizarre -- and they wouldn't come down on the price for anything! So, be careful when you make a decision -- and be sure to have that home inspection -- maybe even a second opinion! Your house is so pretty though, not sure why you want to leave it.

Hawaii Planner said...

Oh my! In our neighborhood, houses fall into two categories. 1) incredibly well staged and 2) tear down. There is nothing in between given the cost of housing in the bay area.

50 and counting said...

Both our sons have bought homes in the last ten months, so we have been in numerous homes with them.

What has made the biggest impression on us is the lack of flexibility some sellers have had in their prices. Too many people are seeing their homes as retirement nest eggs.

One son's home was originally listed for $349K, reduced several times and on the market for six months, he bought it for $290K. Original price new? $89K. Second son, bought his home for $270K, original listing price $288K on the market for three months. Original price $66K.

They both wanted to stay in our area, so bought what was the "starter homes" in our subdivision. Some had been renovated incredibly well but had then been priced out of the area's value. Others hadn't been touched since 1983!

People talk about young families not being able to afford homes, well from what I've seen in many cases it's because people who are about to retire are just plain unreasonable in housing prices. One home in our neighbourhood has been for sale for 15 months, three different realtors and is still at original listing price!

Winifred said...

Oh dear not a nice thing to do putting the rubbish bin in the bath. YUK!

Don't envy you moving. Your house seems lovely. Ours needs some work but have to admit I can't face the thought of moving having accumulated thirty years worth of "stuff".

Best of luck whatever you decide.

~Kim at Golden Pines~ said...

It has been awhile since I really looked at homes. But I just know that the house you sell and the one you live in are two different ones. Some people don't realize that, and that's where the problems begin.

William Kendall said...

That sounds seriously lazy.

Loks said...

I have huge mold issues too. I see a dirt bath, sinks, ring in toilet or cat smell, I look no further. I still like older homes but I guess people taking pride in their homes as an investment. I lived at this home 22 years and might just die here!

{{{SIGH}}}

Tuesday was a mixed bag type of day. Had the appliance repair guy come again to install another circuit board in the fridge.  When hubby got...