I really need your opnion. As you know, we're building a house now. Anticipated delivery date is Feb 07 & I'm going to try to sell the house on my own. I am contemplating listing either this spring & move into temporary housing or wait until fall. If I list in the spring there will be more competition but a hotter market, I presume, & would appeal to families w/school age dks. Why the fall? One of the main appeal of my house is that we back into a nice wooded area with a large lake right behind it. One of the best lots due to this fact whereas the majority of houses back into each other with virtually no yard. You have full view of this lake 9 months out of the year & virtually none during the summer due to the large trees. Plus in the fall when the leaves change color and start falling - it is absolutely gorgeous. I'm thinking we forego the spring to showcase the yard, which I think could be the selling point. So what do you think? If you were me when would you opt to list?

By Missymelissy on Wednesday, March 8, 2006 - 02:31 pm:

Why not try the spring market -- it is usually busier. I used to work in a few real estate offices and I have seen it busy during different times of the year but usually Spring is the busiest. If you don't sell it then, then try the fall. You can always put a later closing date, closer to when your house will be ready.

If you are selling your home yourself why not do up a feature sheet with informatio and pictures of the house indoor and outdoor, also the property -- do pics of the property different times of the year so people will have an idea of what it looks like.

Good luck.

By Reds9298 on Wednesday, March 8, 2006 - 02:41 pm:

Spring. I like Melissa's idea about the pics at different times of the year since you're listing it yourself. Good luck!

By Debbie on Wednesday, March 8, 2006 - 02:57 pm:

I would do it in Spring. We moved twice in the Spring and both times our houses sold very quickly. One sold the same day it was listed. The last time we moved it was in the fall. We put our house up for sale in November and it didn't sell until March. We are putting our current house on the market the 1st of May.

By Kaye on Wednesday, March 8, 2006 - 03:18 pm:

I can see both sides of this. Temporary housing just SUCKS. I can't imagine living in temp housing from may till ??? FEB? On that alone I would list my house in Nov, right after you decorate for Christmas, shows pretty, will show off the back yard, etc. But it really depends on your market. What is the average time houses sell? Here in the spring/summer average is 30 days, the rest of the year it is 45-60 days.

Also how close to you think your builder will really be, do you think cold weather could affect building (you are building right?). There is a good chance it won't be ready until march, if the weather doesn't cooperate.

Also it does take much longer to sell without a realtor. The reality is people who buy from "FSBO's" tend to be locals, where as people who are relocating use realtors. Which means you don't have as much as an issue with kids relocating.

By Tklinreston on Wednesday, March 8, 2006 - 04:47 pm:

There is more to the story. Our best friends are building the exact same house as ours in the same neighborhood. We were interested for over 2 years & on the wait list for a year. Our friends were not planning on moving but got the bug because of us. They ended up buying the same model w/o ever having seen it in person because the model sold before they became interested. We visited the model over 10 x's and because we have similar tastes they are trusting our judgment. Well we had 1st pick of the lots and due to much MISINFORMATION by the sales rep we decided against the lot & neighborhood. Our friends didn't care & bought the lot we turned down. After that happened, we found out that the sales rep was wrong on many critical points but too late for us. We had to wait nearly another year for another lot we were interested in to open - $125,000.00 MORE expensive. HERE IS THE TWIST! Our friends live in the same house now in the same neighorhood except we have more upgrades such as a yard & walk out basement & great deck. BUT I got a call today from my friend who asked us NOT to list our house at the same time and to wait 30 days after them, which would mean end of May. But wait, I wanted to list in April when my garden looked great but you could still see the lake. I told him this but he basically pleaded with me. They are afraid to lose a buyer over our house. I'm not thrilled with this request. I understand their position but they are asking us to potentially jeopardize our position. Due to issue with friends, & as Kaye mentioned, the apt thing, I was leaning towards fall but the majority of you think "spring". So gosh, I'm really stuck. As for the turnaround here, this past winter it's been about 2-3 months. I've taken lots of pix of the lake but have no pix of the fall foliage. It's just breathtaking though! Anyway, sorry to be so long-winded but as you can see, my decision is not a simple one.

By Kate on Wednesday, March 8, 2006 - 04:56 pm:

I guess I don't see the issue. If your new house won't be ready until a YEAR from now, I wouldn't consider listing until a month or two before that. This Spring would never enter my mind. Why pay for temp housing when you already have a home? Also, I'm a little confused. How can the same house in the same neighborhood (the new one) cost a whopping $125,000 MORE? I don't understand that. I can see lots varying a tad bit, and upgrades/downgrades here and there within the house, but nothing to equal $125,000 (which could easily be the cost of a whole entire house).

By Kate on Wednesday, March 8, 2006 - 05:05 pm:

Oh, but if you do want this Spring, I wouldn't let your friends talk you out of it. They shouldn't have asked you to do that, IMO. Good luck!

By Kaye on Wednesday, March 8, 2006 - 05:05 pm:

I have seen houses cost so much more in neighborhoods. It really depends on the cost of land there!

What it sounds like to me is very simply, you don't want to get "stuck" with your house, you feel like the spring may be the nicest time to show the house, but reality is, you don't have anywhere to live. And then you have some neighbors that are just kind of raining on your parade. I don't think you intend to sound jealous, but certainly there is a bit of that. They are getting their house sooner and cheaper and that sucks, and how dare they screw you on the selling end too? But you have to step away from the personal side of things and think business.

Really the best time to sell a house is in the spring/summer, but it is marginal really. The average home sells in 12 shows (if you price it right) are you in a place that will get several shows? If you have a busy market time of year doesn't matter. What mostly matters is you price the house right and are flexible on closing dates. I have listed and sold 3 houses, the first one in August, it sold in 3 days. The second in Oct, it didn't make a day on the market and then one went on the market in March and didn't sell till may. It is all about your house! You can't force the market and you can't let personal decisions guide you.

I think it is very simple. List your house 90 days prior to close and you will be fine, you might end up in temp housing, but not for long. 9 months in temp housing would be brutal, like being on vacation for 9 months, without your bed, your stuff, etc, or moving your stuff twice..YIKES!

Also you will have a great comp when your neighbors house sells. You can see how long it was on the market and what price they get for it!

By Tklinreston on Wednesday, March 8, 2006 - 05:24 pm:

Kaye that's exactly why I thought about listing in spring. Also my dk will be in 1st grade in the fall and I wanted him to start in Sept but I just don't see us living in an apt for 9 or 10 months (there are 6 of us, including my parents). As for the cost hike, it's the lot premium (ours is double) & our friends signed the contract nearly a year before us. When the market was hot, they raised the base price of the house an average of $10,000 to $15,000.00 every month. I am definitely unhappy about paying so much more when our houses will be delivered only few months apart. It's not their fault, though. I blame the sales rep. totally. Thanks for all of the wonderful advice. I can't tell you how much you guys have an influence on me....thanks again.

By Tklinreston on Wednesday, March 8, 2006 - 05:27 pm:

By the way I live in the suburbs of DC/Northern Virginia. Just the lot premium (land only) for this community ranges from $50,000 - $225,000.00. It's outragesous!!! The builder is Toll Brothers, too, whom I dislike but it's the community I'm after - it's perfect for my dks.

By Kaye on Wednesday, March 8, 2006 - 05:50 pm:

How far are you from the new school? Some districts will let you start him as long as you have a contract in hand. Just a thought!

By Mrsheidi on Wednesday, March 8, 2006 - 06:07 pm:

I would sell it in the spring. You can always relist it for fall and you will probably make more money in the spring. No offense, but I wouldn't wait until the fall leaves come...the house itself should be the selling point. And, honestly, I think it was rude of them to ask you guys to wait to sell your house. I would NEVER do that.
GOOD LUCK!!

By Conni on Wednesday, March 8, 2006 - 06:52 pm:

Some *friend*! That's pretty sad really.

I'd list my home when dh and I decided to list it. If that is in the spring, then so be it. You dont owe this guy anything?

If you want to know what I would personally do, I would list mine in the Fall. But thats because I am too lazy to move 2x LOL !! When we built this house we had closing date of Feb. We listed our old house in the Fall (we did FSBO). We sold the house in Jan, set our closing date for when we could move from that old house into this new house when it was completed.. I did alot of praying during those months. Just when I started thinking we might end up with 2 house pymts for a bit, the old house sold.

You do what you have to do for you and your family. Not what your buddy wants you to do. Thats my honest opinion.

By Missbookworm on Wednesday, March 8, 2006 - 09:11 pm:

I agree with Conni about listing it when you and your dh decide to list it. I think your friend was out of line asking you to wait so they have a better chance to sell theirs.

I don't know when the best time to list it is. I don't know the US market at all. With me I like moving in the fall cause that means I can take all my plants that are growing outta my garden and move them with me! LOL

By Tklinreston on Wednesday, March 8, 2006 - 09:49 pm:

Kaye the new house is about 30 miles away and the school starts at 7:45 am. As for as the wooded yard & lake view I guess you would have to see this neighborhood to see why that's such a selling point. I live in what they call a "patio community" where average lot size is 5500 square feet & houses are VERY close to each other. Majority of them back up to each other. In other words, for ex, my friend's back yard is the size of a small kitchen and it faces the back of another house, which is just as small so you see right into each other's house. No privacy whatsoever. I'm planning on listing higher than those homes because I paid a higher land premium when I bought the house but I have to justify the higher asking price. The view really is unexpected and just gorgeous - like you're on vacation in the mountains. The houses are all basically the same.
Conni: What month in fall did you list and how was the whole FSBO experience? Did you get the price you were hoping for? By the way I'm so glad you sold it in time. You must have been a nervous wreck!

As for my friends, the market is slow & competition is fierce, so I understand their concern but as I told my dh tonight, I would have never asked this of them. I'm already sooo stressed about this whole process & it's just another concern to throw in the mix.

By Debbie on Thursday, March 9, 2006 - 12:09 am:

Ditto everyone else about selling it when YOU want to.

I would take into consideration that the market is slow and competitive in your area. What would happen if you didn't sell your current house in time? Could you afford 2 payments? Is that going to totally stress you out? I know it would be a pain to move into temporary housing. However, it would guarentee selling your house in time. Moving is very stressful and it sounds like you have a little "extra" thrown in there to be stressed about. Hang in there.

By Dawnk777 on Thursday, March 9, 2006 - 12:20 am:

We moved into our house in Marshfield, in December, right before Christmas! (around Dec. 10th, no kids yet, no tree that year!)

We put our house on the market, 4 years later, in February and moved out in the beginning of April. Can you think of an uglier time to sell a house? We didn't have a choice, though. DH had gotten a new job and we wanted to get the house sold, so I could move down their with him. We had a commuter marriage for 2 months, as it was!

I would list your house, when it's good for you. Don't worry about the other people.

We bought our current house around March, closed at the end of April, but since they were building a house and hadn't even broken ground yet, they "rented" the house from us, for three more months. They ended up moving into an apt, for just a few months, but were in by Christmas of that year. It was hard to wait 3 months to move in, though. They listed the house on a Thursday, we saw it the following Monday, fell in love with the lot size and it already having AC. They accepted our price that was $2000 less than asking price, with the above-mentioned deal on moving in 3 months after closing.

I wonder if they didn't expect the house to sell that fast!

By Karen~moderator on Thursday, March 9, 2006 - 06:23 am:

Ditto everyone else also, sell when YOU want to, list when YOU want to. And I was also going to suggest photos of the house/lot/yard in different seasons. AND, I would think more people with school age kids would look to purchase in the spring/summer, simply to make sure their kids are settled in schools for fall.

I think it's unreasonable for your friend to ask that of you. You have to do what is right for you.

By Conni on Thursday, March 9, 2006 - 10:35 am:

Joyce, we put it on the market in Sept. and sold it in Jan... We had a pretty steady flow of *lookers* from Oct on. It was nice to show it during the Christmas season too. The tree up, lights up, house smelled yummy. We sold to a newlywed very young couple. The FSBO was not a big deal. I did get tired of having to keep the old house SPOTLESS, drive all over picking things out for new house everyday, taking care of the 2 small kids we had, I was pregnant with #3, Christmas had to be shopped for, etc... It was a very busy time! We sold old house, packed up and moved into new house, and a mont later had newborn baby and then dh began traveling for weeks at a time. I nearly had nervous breakdown, but thats another post! LOL

Good luck! Just know that whatever you choose to do it will all work out how its suppose too, Joyce! No worries. The right people will come along at the right time and buy your home. Worst case you have to move temp or park an RV on your new lot until your house is built. It will all be over before you know it and you;ll be living it up your beautiful new home.

By Tklinreston on Thursday, March 9, 2006 - 10:48 am:

Conni -- your timeline is perfect for me. If I list in the fall, it would be mid-sept and my new house is targeted for Feb. My dh travels all the time, too and I have 2 little ones & elderly parents to take care of & work full-time & so I'm just wrought with worries in having to handle all this myself. But you and the other ladies are right - NO WORRIES - just take it one day at a time. I'll do my best to stay positive & focus. I think what I'm going to do is get the house ready in April (lots of things to do) and list May 1. If I sell it at the price I want, we'll just move into an apt. If I don't sell after a month or so, I'll take it off the market and re-list in the fall and just be ready to get alittle less for the house. Sounds like a good compromise - right? THANK YOU THANK YOU ALL for your insight. Momsview truly has the most insightful & intelligent ladies around. You should see how much I brag about all of you guys to my dh & friends!!

By Debbie on Thursday, March 9, 2006 - 11:04 am:

Sounds like a great plan. We are putting our house on the market May 1st also! My honey do list is growing and growning. LOL. Dh is taking the week of Spring break off, so we can get everything done. I will send good selling vibes your way! I am hoping to sell ours by June, so I won't have to worry about keeping it clean and showing it once school is out.

By Tklinreston on Thursday, March 9, 2006 - 03:04 pm:

Good luck to you, too, Debbie!! I know what you mean about the list. I just got a quote last night to replace our formica kitchen countertops to granite. This is the 1st thing I'm doing... By the way, I'm going to Algonquin, IL and Wisconsin Dells for our family vacation this month. Are you near there? My brother's family is out there. After we get back, I'm going to roll up my sleeves and get to work.

By Debbie on Thursday, March 9, 2006 - 05:31 pm:

Yes, I live right by Algonquin! I love the Wisconsin Dells. Have you been before? You will love it!

By Tklinreston on Thursday, March 9, 2006 - 09:58 pm:

What a coincidence! My brother has lived in Algonquin for many years and we visit often. He is a professor at Moody Bible College and pastors at a church there. We went last year to the Dells for the 1st time and stayed at the Kalahari Resort. We had such a blast we are making it an annual trip. I don't know any child or adult for that matter who wouldn't love it there!

By Dawnk777 on Thursday, March 9, 2006 - 10:09 pm:

I live about 3 hours from WI Dells!

By Feona on Friday, March 10, 2006 - 05:41 am:

House sit on the market for a year here. (They are too expensive.) I don't know the market where. That is asking alot what your friends want.... Of course good friends are gems but I don't what to say...