Uuummmmmm....I dunno. Replace them, maybe? Gorsh, that's a toughie, ma.

Hmm, maybe a roundabout way of saying the house is priced little bit high for their budget? Or being worried about having to put less attractive appliances in that pretty kitchen down the road, because they couldn't afford replacements at the same price point?

Either way, I'd say it's money worries, and I think I can sympathize. The right buyers will come along in time.

Do you think the house is still priced too high? I hate to say this too, but maybe all the colors are intimidating to future buyers?

isn't the realtor handling some of this for you..."the appliances are newer, let's check into warrantys" or "hgher price point appliances will give you good return in ease of use" or "what exactly are you looking for in terms of appliances?" Realtors are supposed to have skills with this. I'd be irritated to hear about odd statements that need clarification at the time they are made. Find a new realtor.

LOL. WHAT! I'm wondering if because they think that the appliances are too nice that there is some concern about the cost of repairs on the "too nice" appliances should they break down.

ellendi, no, they all love the house. So far only one of the 30+ showings has said they couldn't see their stuff here. These buyers were 2nd lookers, so excited to come back that they wanted to get in 24 hours later for the 2nd look. We couldn't accommodate them due to my poor pooch being attacked by another dog and I couldn't get her out of the house the next day.

This is the weirdest market ever. We lose a lot of buyers to the new construction down the road where they are giving away the houses. Understandably, they want to get as much square footage as possible no matter what the finishes are like. And the builder is basically giving away the houses.

We told our agent to explain to them that we will transfer the warranties to the buyers of this house. That includes the 10 year warranty on the dish drawers, the 5 year preventive maintenance and full warranty of the fridge, and even the Capital's 5 year warranty is fully transferrable to them. We also told our agent to let them know that just because it is a 36" opening , they can put any 36" range in there.

Our agent has told us that most people coming through want to know if a designer lives in the house (thank you GW). Now we have our buyout number from the relo comany (gag) but at least we know how low we can go.

I hope your relator says....

"YES A FANTASTIC DESIGNER LIVES HERE"

Just because you do not have the credentials does not
mean you do not have the talent. Hoping your house sells
and for more than you expect.

~boxer
A huge fan of your kitchen.

Ugh, we just sold our house 2 weeks ago after 7 months on the market and 55 showings. Some of the things people say will drive you crazy.

Good luck! Hope that right one comes along soon.

Omg the things people say. We were listed all of Fall 2010 and It drove us nuts. People think some pretty weird things and they let some pretty miniscule stuff keep them from buying an otherwise awesome house. Their loss. Try to be patient. Not that the holidays are over, you may get some more interested buyers.

Buying or selling a house can be so incredibly stressful and upsetting. And certainly this market upped the ante for everyone.

We lost a house we were trying to buy years ago because we didn't belong to a particular ethnic group. No, of course nothing was said overtly...but it was very upsetting all the same.

The silver lining was that we ultimately found a house that was much better for our needs. Here's hoping your own silver lining is on its way!

When potential buyers say the appliances are too nice, maybe they are worried that they'll be expected to produce fabulous meals there.

There's no understanding the "logic" of some people's thinking when they look at a house.

I completely sympathize with you. We sold our last house during the previous recession. It sat on the market for 4 months while our house was being built with little interest shown. Then suddenly one weekend we had 3 showings and 2 offers. Those 2 offerors ended up bidding against each other and raised the price (we had lowered the previoius month) almost back to our original asking.

Wishing you patience and good luck! (And keep a bottle of wine handy for when the patience wears thin.)

Bee- One idea might be to put copies of all the warranties in a three ring notebook, along with other relevant info, on your house. Explain that this will come with the house, when it's sold and maybe put it on the kitchen counter.

One thing I learned, when selling my mom's house...agents show a lot of houses and they don't always remember the things, you tell them to say. Put all the things you want explained, in writing for the buyers...and have it in on a sheet of paper, in a place that's easy to see, maybe by the fridge. Then, if they want more info, they can ask the agent.

Oh, and I baked apple crisp, every time she had an open house. We took the crisp to my house and ate it...but the fragrance really made a good impression, on the buyers! Hope that helps :)

We had to relocate about five years ago. Our beautifully built home say on the market for 2 years. Definitely complicated by buyers being able to snap up houses dirt cheap - especially those being sold nearby by builders.

One sale we lost the reason given was that the refrigerator didn't have an external water/ice dispenser!!! Seriously.

Hang in there. Sounds like there is a lot of interest and an especially beautiful home. I am one of the (seemingly) few here who haven't seen it!

I can only imagine how tightly wound I'd be if I just finished a fab kitchen then had to move. You've kept a great sense of humor!!

When we were selling our previous house, a couple came who loved it. They had a camcorder and they filmed every bit of it, including flushing the toilets and sticking the camera between the furnace and the wall. We walked around the garden and I named each flower as he recorded it. They were off on vacation the next day. They said we could go to contract when they returned. We actually believed them and of course we never heard from them again.
We sold it 8 weeks later.
It's a terribly stressful process. You feel like you are being judged. Try not to ask the realtor what the each viewer says. It will make you nuts. Good luck and it will happen.

It only takes one buyer bee. The right person who has an appreciation of higher end finishes will come along and see the value of buying your home over a new one with builder finishes.

LavenderLass made me think of something else.

{{!gwi}}

Source: facebook.com via Jen on Pinterest

When we listed the house, we had a letter to prospective owners with all the things we loved about the house (including things that the realtor couldn't say, like how fabulous our neighbors were), a top 10 list of amenities that might not be immediately noticed (or remembered after a long day of house hunting) and a binder with all user's manuals, maintenance records (noting things with lifetime warranties), average utility costs, paint chips, stain and stone samples and colors, etc.

When our buyer came out of the title office, he shook our hand and said, "Thanks so much for taking such good care of my house." The realtor said that the binder gave our house the edge, and because all the records were together, even the inspector said there wasn't anything he could/should ask for other than cleaning the gutters before we left. We're certain it's what got us the higher selling cost compared to our comps, as well.

"What would happen if they break? "

The same as with ANY appliances! you get'em fixed or replaced 'em! in your case, there's a warranty to cover - at least of lot of things.

geeze. maybe some of the stupid things buyers say on those shows are really true...

And isn't onw of the things that makes better appliances better is that they are less likely to have problems and to work better and longer for you? I'd have the realtor yes, the designer specifically picked these appliances for their function and durability as well as the appearance and appeal -- then point out the longer than standard appliance warranties will transfer and they would actually be better off than in a home with brand new lesser appliances. Sell it!

People often say weird things when they don't know what to say. And if they see something they think is weird they'll compliment it, because they don't know what to say. They may be intimidated by nicer appliances and think that they'll do something wrong and break them, for instance.

No matter what odd thing they say, if they really like your house the little details won't matter. Sometimes they're making up excuses so the agent won't try to talk them into a house they really don't want.

Thanks for the encouragement. 2 more showings for today. I thought it slowed down for the holidays.

One of the strangest requests we have had was to take measurements down to the 1/4" from baseboard to baseboard in the dining room and also from certain spots in the basement. They said if they needed new furniture it would impact their counter offer. My agent said in 20 years she has never had that one. Their offer was weak all around, so we let them walk.

One showing yielded an agent and a buyer who said they didn't like the business behind our house.....it's an 85 acre farm. They said that they knew the truth and it's a business.....someone better alert the farmer. And then either the same day or next day a buyer said it was too rural and quiet. Go figure.

One showing yielded an agent and a buyer who said they didn't like the business behind our house.....it's an 85 acre farm. They said that they knew the truth and it's a business.....someone better alert the farmer. And then either the same day or next day a buyer said it was too rural and quiet. Go figure.

I'd be cautious buying next to a farm unless it had a covenant to keep it as a farm or green space. There's just nothing to prevent the land being cut up into a Toll Bros development.

re: appliances. Maybe leave out the reviews of the appliances? But I wouldn't discount the possibility that people are saying small negative things to talk themselves out of the house.

PaintedLady--good point about the farm. But there is something in place so that they won't sell it. I'm not sure what it is, but we do know the people there, the farmer's son, and each daughter all have houses on the land. The son is the farmer. No plans at all to sell this property off. This discussion has come up before.

We sold recently and quickly. The anxiety was awful. It's hard to read between the lines always and IMO real estate is worse than weddings in terms of dredging up the weirdest reactions ever.

The "appliances are too nice" sounds like they felt the kitchen had been overbuilt and they didn't want to pay for that. Some don't get it.

The folks who measured sound like they were posing as buyers but actually building and liked your two rooms and "wanted" them.

In this market everyone wants you to give them your house no matter how much it's worth. Stick to your plan and, as remodelfla says, it only takes one buyer.

Of course, I wish you multiple buyers and an auction so you get as much as possible!

Sometimes it is not the listing agent showing the house so they won't be there to talk up the appliances or the warranties. Around here it's rarely the listing agent that brings the ultimate buyer. I am happy you are getting traffic that's a good sign that at least there is a market where you live! I feel for you it's very stressful selling a house, a real roller coaster ride.

We also made a binder for our previous home when we listed it. I listed all of the paint colors and brand and had all the instruction booklets for appliances in those clear pocket pages. It also had all of the warranties in the pages. After we sold the house the lady told me how helpful it had been and that it had really come in handy to refer to paint colors and how to operate the appliances. It's a handy thing to do just for yourself!

Bee, let me row this boat a while!! We are not having Buyer problems, but seller problems. Our current farm is being sold to our neighbor, and the sellers of the new place still do not believe we are serious about buying their place, so they only gave us 5 weeks on our contract. AND, their agent keeps calling our earnest money the "down payment"!

The place has been on the market a long time, and you would think they would be happy!

Nancy

I wonder if the lookers meant, "Nice appliances cost more to fix, and if they break I wouldn't want the repair bills." Sort of like looking at a Honda and a Jaguar - even if the Jag is priced the same you know that any parts it ever needs will be 4x the price of a similar part from Honda.

That said, if your relo package includes compensation for losing money on the house you should count yourself blessed! I've had to move 3 times for work & although they always paid for movers & closing costs & listing fees ... they never included compensation for the money you lose if you sell in a down market. I may have a touch of PTSD from the last sale (14 months ago, 10 months after we had to move) because just reading about another person's experience selling their home creates anxiety in me again.

I hope it goes smoothly for you & when the right looker turns into a buyer, they are the most fair-minded and honest person you ever meet (unlike the jerks who bought our house after missing their closing date 4 times). Good luck and breathe deeply! Our house backs up to a big farm and I love it, it is as if no one lives behind us :)

Good luck, Bee. I think the binder is a wonderful idea.

Mom's house wasn't selling in 2006 so I made up a folded pamphlet. It explained why we hadn't upgraded the 1950s kitchen, why certain things were as they were. It gave the story of the house and showed Mom herself waving from the kitchen table in one photo. I called the house "Classic Colonial-Federal" and made the style sound like it was a specialty. Our agent was taken aback, but said, what the hell. The house sold. We heard that one of the potential buyers had labeled it "Grandma's House."

Black & white Kinko's photocopies, nothing fancy.

We also paid for the seller warrantee package, due to things I won't go into here. We put "Warranty" signs on all the appliances and systems.

St Joseph buried upside down in the front yard helps too!!!

Love the idea of the beautiful and detailed brochures/binders. Helps the buyers understand how well cared for the home has been and maybe allay fears of an expensive repair lurking.

Here is a link that might be useful: St. Joe

About the farm angle...our last house was a small restored farmhouse on a beautiful stretch of riverfront, with a deep and fast-flowing river, lined by huge cypress trees. One couple liked the house, and we proceeded to the riverfront (the main selling point of our property.) Standing on the rock patio, looking at the expanse of manicured grass sloping down to the water, under a canopy of ancient trees, the wife spied some sheep grazing peacefully across the river on our neighbor's property. He ran a bed-and-breakfast and kept a small petting zoo of livestock.

"Do those sheep just poop on the ground?" she asked, horrified.
We assured her they did.
"And when it rains, doesn't that go into the river?" she asked.
We made a valiant attempt to explain about the river ecosystem, and how rain was healthy for the river, but clearly we had lost a sale to Sheep Poop Fear. (I'm not sure where she thought the fish in the river went to the bathroom, either.)

We sold about a month later for more than our asking (thank goodness for bidding wars.) Hang in there Bee, I know it can be a real emotional roller coaster. You will look back on some of these goofy comments and laugh!

Sheep Poop Fear...LOL! If she'd been a gardener, she would have wanted to know if there was any aged poop, better known as fertilizer, available to neighbors :)

Where I live the listing agent purchases a 1-month home warranty that covers all major appliances during the time the house is on the market (houses usually sell very quickly in this area). The buyer's agent then typically picks it up and extends it for a year. This only costs the agents $60 or so for the 1-month warranty and $350 or so for the annual one. For a relatively small cost, the worry about repairs goes away at least for the first year.

We were glad to have the warranty as the inspection found a leaking pipe inside an exterior wall. The wall had to be cut out, the pipe repaired, and then the wall re-stuccoed and painted. Our cost was the deductible.

We left a thick folder for our buyers with all instruction manuals and warranties, which they seemed to appreciate.

Bee, I work in a large real estate office & general opinion is that no matter what you give today's Buyers, they want something else; nothing is perfect enough for them although I've never heard of any complaining because the appliances were too nice! If they're worried about the cost of possibly repairing a relatively new appliance, maybe they can't afford your house - or any house. And sometimes they make up excuses because they know they can't. I wouldn't give the comment any consideration. Kinda like the Buyer who won't buy a house because one room is painted the 'wrong' color.

In our area, the listing Realtor often isn't the one to show your house. The buyer's agent comes with them and their only info is what is in the RMLS.

I completely agree about the binder. I know I'd look at it!

Things I want to know about the house I am buying:
1. Proximity of local schools
2. Quality of local schools
---If you don't have test scores or rankings then what about...
number of AP classes at the high school?
IB diploma at the high school?
Any magnet type programs in the district?
3. Fruit trees on your property, or a great garden plot for tomatoes or herbs, etc(point it out, not everyone looks at the yard critically)
4. Any recent "systemic upgrades" we don't always notice...recent roof, furnace etc.
5. Signs of a healthy community. Some of my friends live in a neighborhood where there's a community parade and picnic for all residents. I'm so jealous:)

And, Bee, we have relatives who go real estate shopping for recreation! It's fun. They made some great scores in the past, and , well.

So, there's a lot of lookers who are just looking. Sunday entertainment. They even turn vacations into real estate shopping trips, with unrealistic expectations. Or is it real estate shopping into vacations.

Thank you all for the support. We do have a binder of sorts, it was prepared by the listing agent.

Just this week we have so far 6 showings, #7 is on Saturday, unless we have an request to show it Friday or Saturday morning. I think we are at somewhere around 36 or so since listing in October.

One of the viewers yesterday loved it, had a lot of "wows" in their feedback but they just started looking.

I loved the sheep poop story. That is exactly how pretty much every showing seems to be going. I'm hoping the cows behind the house are keeping it down when people are here. I mean, who wants to hear moo-ing out in the country?

As a Realtor, I would say that the conventional real estate wisdom would be that - if you've had that many showings and it hasn't sold, then it's that you're priced too high. Yes, some people shop outside of their price range, some people aren't serious buyers, some people aren't in a hurry, some people are super picky. But 36? That's a lot of showings. Your kitchen is beautiful. I haven't seen the rest of your home, obviously, but I'm sure it shows well. Have you gone to look at your competition in person? Has your agent been able to find out what houses any of those 36 have chosen over yours? (Surely out of that many some are in contract on other homes by now). I'm a seller myself right now. We're under contract, but had to come way off our list price. As an agent I can tell sellers all day that the market is bad, but it was really hard to accept that the market is SO terrible.

I had my last home listed in the fall 5 years ago...before the downturn. It wasn't until the sale in Feb/March that I realized the number of showings were from people "just visiting family or on vacation" and looking around at different areas. Or bored, whatever it was it wasn't to buy anything. This was in a mountain area, so may have added to the numbers. I was exhausted from rushing through the house for appts. and getting out of there.

One couple that came to see the house mentioned there was no eating area. My dining and living were open. I had moved another table into the dining area, but it was against the window with one chair in front...more of a working desk. My reasoning was to open up the room. This one comment hit home and I brought the full dining room set back in. Whether this made a difference or not, home sold within a week.

dash, they are buying the new construction, IF they buy anything at all. Our agent just keeps telling us that they are so scared of losing their jobs that nobody wants to buy.

Unfortunately as I mentioned in another post, as you know the market isn't what it was even in the beginning of October, let alone the last few years. Our home was priced right in October based on the comps (we had to have several appraisals due to the relo). We have lowered the price significantly. We are installing a brand new septic field. But they are still running off to the new construction with all the flash and dash. Now we know what our buyout offer is (ugly) but at least we know how low we can go. The comps right now for our size house are plummeting due to the nervous sellers who are giving away their homes to just get out. They are ticking me off.

I'm so sorry. At least you have a buyout - consider yourself lucky. I just represented the buyer in a transaction last month where the relo company was out $15,000 from what they paid the seller on his buyout compared to what my buyer paid, plus costs, etc. AND that included me cutting my commission to make the deal work. I'm keeping my foot in real estate - it's GOT to turn around at some point, right? - but that's why I took this part-time job in kitchen design, as well. Got to pay the bills...
Good luck.

If your comps are new construction, and that is what people are actually buying, then that is where your pricing needs to be. It's a rough market, but as someone who has staged hundreds of homes for my BIL the real estate agent, if you are having lots of showings and zero offers, then you are seriously over priced--20%. If you are having lots of showings and what you consider "low ball" offers, then you are moderately over priced--15%. If you are having lots of showings and some "low" offers, then you may only be overpriced by 10%. In this market, I have not seen a single home be "priced right" from the beginning.

Yes, it's depressing, but as another poster mentioned, count your lucky stars that you have a relocation package! There are so many people in your shoes who have no choice but to take the 100K hit and/or declare bankruptcy because of a job relocation/loss and a bad RE market.

Now that you have your bottom line number, you might want to have your agent do another open house for brokers with a "Recently Reduced" flag on the listing.

And I hate to say it, but it will probably be the same type of market where you are moving. And this is why you've gotten some strong cautions about building custom right now. Your dollar can buy so much more in a down market by buying existing! Just look at what some lucky person is going to get when they buy your house!

Do you have to sell- can you turn it into a rental instead? I agree with other posters - having a relo package is good but if it still forces you to go super low perhaps retaining the property for a long term rental might be an option?

I'm not sure why everyone is completely confounded by the comment. It actually might be something I'd ask, maybe phrased differently.

I think Engineerchic hit the nail on the head with
"I wonder if the lookers meant, "Nice appliances cost more to fix, and if they break I wouldn't want the repair bills." Sort of like looking at a Honda and a Jaguar - even if the Jag is priced the same you know that any parts it ever needs will be 4x the price of a similar part from Honda."

Not sure what kind of appliances you have, but I'm more attuned to Kenmore, GE, LG, and Maytag applainces mid to low grade, I looked at a house with subzero, wolf and dishdrawers and I was concerned with 10K worth of applainces what the repair bills will look like