Jeannie in NJ Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 our house has been for sale now for 15 months, we have had 2 offers (one pulled and buyers bought house down the street for $180,000 more than our asking price) and the other was a contract that buyers canceled on 14th day of a 15 cancelation clause). Our next door neighbors sold for $60,000 more than our asking price(same age and basic floor plan as our house but we have a 2 story addition plus a garage that they do not have).. All of our neighbors tell us that they do not understand why our house has not sold, that we are underpriced for this area. We understand that having cats do not enhance the house. We clean, spray and remove all litter boxes and food bowls before all showings but we obviously are not going to get rid of the cats lol. We are just getting so discouraged and considering just taking our house off the market. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beaners Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 :grouphug: Is not selling soon an option for you? If you really could pull it off the market for a while, could you do it long enough that it would "reset" your days on market? It's such a draining process. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 I am going to be brutally honest, you say you have 8 cats......that would make me not even consider your house. I have asthma and allergies and I have a son with the same. One cat, maybe.....but more than 1 and I have problems from the moment I enter the house, no matter how clean it is. You may have to make a decision, which it sounds like you already have.....the cats or the house. Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 This is a hard market. Out house took 3 years to sell, and we finally sold in 2010. And, our house was in perfect condition (it was a remote area). You really can't have one thing against you in this market unless you're in a pocket. One cat is one thing- even two cats. But 8? That's a lot of cats. And, even if you got rid of some of them at this point you may have to recarpet or refloor the whole house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4everHis Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 our house has been for sale now for 15 months, we have had 2 offers (one pulled and buyers bought house down the street for $180,000 more than our asking price) and the other was a contract that buyers canceled on 14th day of a 15 cancelation clause). Our next door neighbors sold for $60,000 more than our asking price(same age and basic floor plan as our house but we have a 2 story addition plus a garage that they do not have).. All of our neighbors tell us that they do not understand why our house has not sold, that we are underpriced for this area. We understand that having cats do not enhance the house. We clean, spray and remove all litter boxes and food bowls before all showings but we obviously are not going to get rid of the cats lol. We are just getting so discouraged and considering just taking our house off the market. 8 cats inside? I'm not allergic and we have 2 cats (indoor/outdoor) so no litter boxes. 8 cats inside with litter boxes, even not present, would be noticeable and a deal breaker. Sorry, I know that's not what you want to hear.:sad: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoPlaceLikeHome Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 I am going to be brutally honest, you say you have 8 cats......that would make me not even consider your house. I have asthma and allergies and I have a son with the same. One cat, maybe.....but more than 1 and I have problems from the moment I enter the house, no matter how clean it is. You may have to make a decision, which it sounds like you already have.....the cats or the house. Dawn :iagree::grouphug:I am sorry but it is probably the cats:(. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 Does the realtor know and tell potential clients that you have 8 cats? I think it's OK to say you have cats without saying a specific number. Eight will immediately turn some people off and just by *knowing* there are a large number, their reactions may be a bit more strong. I'm not suggesting that you be dishonest. I'd just not say the number, but also not suggest the home is pet-free. We successfully sold our house a few years ago and we had 6 cats and a dog. The buyers didn't even know we had pets until the closing. We didn't hide it and they didn't ask. The house obviously didn't smell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeannie in NJ Posted July 15, 2012 Author Share Posted July 15, 2012 I only know that our realtor tells other realtors and buyers that we have cats, I don't know if he says how many. We believe when a pet is adopted that it is for life unless the pet turns vicious so we will not be getting rid of any of our cats, some of them are old and for all of them, we are the only family and home that they have ever known. Our home is in a highly desirable area and it is the only one for sale right now. Dh is of the opinion that if it does not sell, oh well, we will just stay here and enjoy sunsets , intercoastal waterway, etc. Sorry if I seem upset but the idea of getting rid of our animals is not an option and I have never understood people that do get rid of their pets just because. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeannie in NJ Posted July 15, 2012 Author Share Posted July 15, 2012 the purpose of this thread was to see if anyone else ever got discouraged and eithe just took house off market or if they hung in there and their house eventually sold. THat is my reason for this thread not to hear about my cats. So if there is anyone that hung in and sold or just took off market, I would like to hear from you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 Why on earth is your realtor telling people about your pets? That's not required, is it? I ask him/her to stop doing that immediately, or I'd pull my house off the market for a few months, then hire another realtor. That's why people aren't buying. We sold a home in Denver and we had four cats and two rabbits. Our realtor never mentioned our pets to anyone, and we removed them from our home when it was being shown. Our house sold in three days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trilliums Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 We also have several cats and I understand your position on them. Have you tried 'staging' your house? Have you considered short term storage to get most if your belongings out of the house? Have you addressed curb appeal? If I didn't have to move, I would probably take the house off the market and reassess what I didnt like about the house and either try to fix it to my satisfaction or fix it to appease potential homeowners. If you are feeling brave, you could post pics here or on the home portion of gardenweb to get feedback for staging your house better. BTW, I do think you can minimize the impact of cats. I recently had a mom visit for several hours and at the end she said, "I thought you said you had cats; I don't see any sign of them and I am usually allergic.". We keep the litter boxes in the basement area but where they always have access. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 We rehomed our pets temporarily last time we were in a home that needed to be sold. Friends kept them and we paid them for the care, and all things needed by the animals. Once we were moved, we brought the animals home. That being said, what I have been seeing in this area is that homes are being taken off the market that have been on the market for a year or so. The houses are usually off market for a month or two, then put back on the market during a peak time. One, it gives the home a new MLS number and puts it on the top of the new list. This attracts new customers. Two, sometimes changing a realtor who gives it a new promotional flair helps. Three, it gives the owner some time to declutter and address some issues that may have been brought up in the last showings (things that need to be updated or cleaned for example). New pictures, new MLS, new agent can sometimes be just what is needed. Friends of ours though did leave their home on the market for 3 years and it just sold. They felt confident in their realtor and their price and just decided to wait it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4everHis Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 the purpose of this thread was to see if anyone else ever got discouraged and eithe just took house off market or if they hung in there and their house eventually sold. THat is my reason for this thread not to hear about my cats. So if there is anyone that hung in and sold or just took off market, I would like to hear from you Sorry. You went on after that question to mention how surprised you were that other houses had sold and I think we were all just trying to help you see what might be a reason, assuming that you don't really won't to take your house off the market. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TranquilMind Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 our house has been for sale now for 15 months, we have had 2 offers (one pulled and buyers bought house down the street for $180,000 more than our asking price) and the other was a contract that buyers canceled on 14th day of a 15 cancelation clause). Our next door neighbors sold for $60,000 more than our asking price(same age and basic floor plan as our house but we have a 2 story addition plus a garage that they do not have).. All of our neighbors tell us that they do not understand why our house has not sold, that we are underpriced for this area. We understand that having cats do not enhance the house. We clean, spray and remove all litter boxes and food bowls before all showings but we obviously are not going to get rid of the cats lol. We are just getting so discouraged and considering just taking our house off the market. This is why you aren't selling. Obviously, you are in a very desirable area if houses are moving, and moving high, as it appears that they are. You have to decide if you really want to sell or not. If you do, you need to get rid of the cats and do some extensive cleaning and repainting. Maybe a relative could take them, who also likes cats? Your house will not sell otherwise, unless you hit upon that cat person who really can't smell the odor. Cat urine odor will survive the apocalypse. But even cat (or dog) people, or smokers seem to want houses that are undamaged from cat odor and smoke...which is very odd to me, but that's the way it is. All landlords know that smokers only want smoke-free houses and that they almost 100% of the time lie about smoking only outside. Then they smoke up the house, if you believe them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trilliums Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 :grouphug: To refocus on your original question: We choose to relocate out of state fro DH's career almost 3 years ago. We did not even put our house up for sale because the market was so depressed at that time. Instead, we rented out our house. Now we are reluctant landlords, but thankfully, all has gone well. We are considering trying to sell now, but haven't seriously looked into it yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TranquilMind Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 Our home is in a highly desirable area and it is the only one for sale right now. Dh is of the opinion that if it does not sell, oh well, we will just stay here and enjoy sunsets , intercoastal waterway, etc. Sorry if I seem upset but the idea of getting rid of our animals is not an option and I have never understood people that do get rid of their pets just because. I didn't read all the posts before I posted, but now that I see this, it is clear that you really don't need to or maybe even want to sell at all, and I think most people assumed that you really did. No one is suggesting to get rid of pets "just because". It isn't "just because" but because we thought you were seriously asking why your house isn't selling in such a desirable area, as yours seems to be. Selling a house - when it is imperative - is an important reason, not "just because". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TranquilMind Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 We rehomed our pets temporarily last time we were in a home that needed to be sold. Friends kept them and we paid them for the care, and all things needed by the animals. Once we were moved, we brought the animals home. That seems like the perfect way to approach a necessary sale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodhaven Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 I haven't read other responses. In my experience, agood realtor with resources, who has lots of connections made a BIG difference. Our first year selling went no where. A new and more experienced realtor made the sale. We did a lot of research before choosing hin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nono Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 the purpose of this thread was to see if anyone else ever got discouraged and eithe just took house off market or if they hung in there and their house eventually sold. THat is my reason for this thread not to hear about my cats. So if there is anyone that hung in and sold or just took off market, I would like to hear from you Me me me! And, we're in the same market. Jeannie, we now rent our other home for the summer season. It's working out well, and covering our costs (barely, but you know NJ coastal insurance and taxes! LOL) Look at it this way. If folks are telling you that the market is still lousy in a normal place, it's 10x worse in a seasonal place. We didn't have any cats, it's priced under, furnished, blah, blah, blah, but yeah, we didn't even get one offer in 2 years. Not even a bad one! (Realize my island has more rateables available than yours, so we're even more dire.) We didn't want to become landlords, but it's working out OK for now. Good luck making your decision! :grouphug: P.S. Your neighbors who sold may have just gotten darn lucky... Name me 5 banks who are writing loans for second homes easily these days. You can't. It's a tough reality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 Underpricing your home may also be having an effect. If it is considerably lower than other homes, people may be assumming that there is something seriously wrong with it that is hidden. Potential buyers may be thinking, "wow, the realtor/owner/appraiser must think this needs $60,000 in upgrades and I don't want to do that. That is a lot of work and time. I will just buy one that is already done." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 If you don't NEED to sell, then I would consider removing it from the market and waiting several months and relisting it. Houses that are "new" on the market tend to get the most traffic. People seem to think that there must be something wrong with a house that has been on the market for a year or more. Unless specifically asked, don't have the realtor mention the cats. Obviously if someone asks, be truthful as it is very hard to get animal dander totally out of a house if there are severe allergies. Maybe ask some other friends for their HONEST opinion on if they can smell any cat ordors in the house. We rejected a home quickly due to cat odors (and we even have 2 indoor cats right now). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildcat Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 (edited) . Edited January 6, 2023 by Wildcat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osmosis Mom Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 I would pull the house and re-list in March. I would get a new realtor and make the price as high up as it needs to go. Underpriced houses seem to send the wrong signal that there is something wrong or a stigma associated with the house and makes people not want it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alicia64 Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 I only know that our realtor tells other realtors and buyers that we have cats, I don't know if he says how many. We believe when a pet is adopted that it is for life unless the pet turns vicious so we will not be getting rid of any of our cats, some of them are old and for all of them, we are the only family and home that they have ever known. Our home is in a highly desirable area and it is the only one for sale right now. Dh is of the opinion that if it does not sell, oh well, we will just stay here and enjoy sunsets , intercoastal waterway, etc. Sorry if I seem upset but the idea of getting rid of our animals is not an option and I have never understood people that do get rid of their pets just because. I think it's wonderful that you wouldn't dream of giving up your cats! Animals are for life. And -- I'll be honest -- when we were looking to buy I had a extra softness for homes with animals in them. Just a suggestion: at open houses, have all but two cats kenneled. Just for the day. And clean like a crazy woman for smells. I've known cat owners who were so amazingly clean that you wouldn't know they had a cat. In an apartment. I was surprised. Good luck, Alley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom4him Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 I am going to be brutally honest, you say you have 8 cats......that would make me not even consider your house. I have asthma and allergies and I have a son with the same. One cat, maybe.....but more than 1 and I have problems from the moment I enter the house, no matter how clean it is. You may have to make a decision, which it sounds like you already have.....the cats or the house. Dawn :iagree: EXCEPT I would probably not purchase a house that had cats at all if there was an alternative. Can you 'house' your cats somewhere else for a time? I would guess it really is a major issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 Underpricing your home may also be having an effect. If it is considerably lower than other homes, people may be assumming that there is something seriously wrong with it that is hidden. Potential buyers may be thinking, "wow, the realtor/owner/appraiser must think this needs $60,000 in upgrades and I don't want to do that. That is a lot of work and time. I will just buy one that is already done." :iagree:So true. We did not look at homes that were significantly less than their comparables as we assumed there were issues, and we weren't interested in dealing with big issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 Others have suggesting temporarily re-homing your cats. That is NOT getting rid of loved pets. Just sending them on a vacation. We did that with our animals when we sold our last house. We still went & walked the dog when we were still in town, and occasionally visited the cat (they were at different friend's homes). As soon as we were able, we brought them to our new home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russiantwins Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 the purpose of this thread was to see if anyone else ever got discouraged and eithe just took house off market or if they hung in there and their house eventually sold. THat is my reason for this thread not to hear about my cats. So if there is anyone that hung in and sold or just took off market, I would like to hear from you We had a house in KY, and it was on the market for over 6 months with very little interest. The economy had taken a hit in the area and no one was buying. We took it off, let it sit (empty) for a few months, even went in and looked at it fresh, painted some walls, did a few touch ups, and got a NEW REALTOR. That was our ticket. We dropped the price again, and sold at a loss, but it is the best loss we ever had! so, yes, we did take it off, and then put it back on. People do look to see how long a house has been on the market. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 Underpriced houses seem to send the wrong signal that there is something wrong or a stigma associated with the house and makes people not want it. And then makes them feel all puff-chested about "beating you down". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 I had my house on the market for about 7 months. I gave up and just decided to stay. It was so unbelievably stressful for me to keep the house neat, homeschool and have a life. Calls to show the house in the middle of dinner got old after a while. When I do decide to list it again I think I may rent first, leave it empty and cross my fingers it sells fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doodle Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 the purpose of this thread was to see if anyone else ever got discouraged and eithe just took house off market or if they hung in there and their house eventually sold. THat is my reason for this thread not to hear about my cats. So if there is anyone that hung in and sold or just took off market, I would like to hear from you We put our house in Delaware on the market in February of 2008 and tried to sell...for 12 months. We did have showings and even 2 offers that did not pan out. After 12 months, I decided not to renew with our selling realtor. I was tired of the whole thing. When our listing expired we started getting calls, visits, and letters form other realtors wanting to represent us. One gal called, and I happened to answer the phone. She really listened to me and asked if she could come by and talk to us about how she could sell our home. I made an appointment with her. My husband and I met with her and signed with her to represent us. She sold our home...in TWO WEEKS! This gal was great. So, perhaps it is your realtor and maybe they are not doing all they can. Have you looked into someone new? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristyB in TN Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 I haven't read other responses. In my experience, agood realtor with resources, who has lots of connections made a BIG difference. Our first year selling went no where. A new and more experienced realtor made the sale. We did a lot of research before choosing hin. This. New realtor, don't make a deal about the cats, do attempt to send a couple of them on a vacation to a friend's house if possible, spruce up a little even if you already have, and try again. My experience is that the cats may run someone off but you want to get them in there first. Find the busiest realtor in the area and make sure they regularly advertise like crazy on every marketing outlet available. I spend a huge portion of our income on advertising because it works. Don't light candles or spray stuff to cover odors, just clean and buy a bunch of plants. Sprays and candles just make pet odors smell like lavender vanilla pet odors.:tongue_smilie: take a deep breathe, take the house off the market for a month or two...then find an adorable realtor you love. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestavern Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 Why on earth is your realtor telling people about your pets? That's not required, is it? I ask him/her to stop doing that immediately, or I'd pull my house off the market for a few months, then hire another realtor. That's why people aren't buying. We sold a home in Denver and we had four cats and two rabbits. Our realtor never mentioned our pets to anyone, and we removed them from our home when it was being shown. Our house sold in three days. I agree. When I am walking through a house as a potential buyer I would have no idea what pets are in the house unless I happened to see them, or in the case of cats, a litter box. I wouldn't give a hoot what lives in the house if I they are not smelling it up or damaging it in any way. I would ask the realtor why they think it is not selling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 I agree. When I am walking through a house as a potential buyer I would have no idea what pets are in the house unless I happened to see them, or in the case of cats, a litter box. I wouldn't give a hoot what lives in the house if I they are not smelling it up or damaging it in any way. I would ask the realtor why they think it is not selling. Well there was a thread recently where people wanted to know about cats. Some noted severe allergies, even if the pets are not present. to the OP IIRC correctly didn't one contract fall through because of a pier issue? I would probably want to know what is on your listing and what kind of reputation your house has from the Realtors perspective. we lost a contract on one house we were selling because it came back with termite issues. It was an easy fix, but it spooked the buyer. I mean everything in our area had termite damage of some sort. But we were so despondent and we were packed!, but we pulled the house off the market for another year. It was rough, but the following year we sold in 3 weeks. In your case I'd be curious if your house received a metaphorical kiss of death because of the pier issues and the cats. It could just be a fluke, but I'd have an honest sit down with your Realtor and if that doesn't resolve anything take it off the market and figure out how to repackage your home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danybug Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 My parents house in PA finally just sold after almost 18 months. My parents considerably continued to drop the price just to get rid of it ($535,000 to 375,000). They figured being with us and the grandkids was more of a priority than making a considerable amount of money off the sale. Compared to here the market back east seems to still be extremely tough. I sympathize with you and understand how disappointing it all is. The only reason you might want to take your house off the market is to "reset" the clock on how many days it has been on the market (which won't matter much because you can still pull up the history of the home and see it was previously for sale for x amount of days). The real plus would be that it throws the listing back out to the front of the mls listings and everyone gets a fresh look at it again, where otherwise it is lost in the shuffle. I know others have mentioned this and I am sure it is very offensive to hear, but I would guess a big part of the issue is the cats. My parents walked in to potential homes here in CO and my mom immediately eliminated some because of cat smell. I know your family would never get rid of your pets, but maybe rethink how you could handle the situation and then have a major deep clean to remove any odor. :grouphug::grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
butterflymommy Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 (edited) Also being brutally honest here-- the house we live in now, and bought about three years ago, had to lower its asking price by 200,000 to sell and it was probably due to the fact that they had 8 cats and as many dogs. Even then they had only one lukewarm offer until we came along. The house was VERY clean and you couldn't really smell much but so many pets is going to make buyers walk away. The only reason we didn't was because we desperately wanted the house for unique reasons most buyers wouldn't have (huge family and DH needs a home office). The sellers of this house did hang in there and the house sold after about 4 years on the market. Edited July 15, 2012 by butterflymommy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksr5377 Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 I think it's a good idea to get your days on the market reset, I think you do this by pulling and then relisting with a different realtor after a certain amount of time? I know that when we were looking for our house if it showed it had been on the market for an extended time period we walked in looking for what was wrong with it. Something HAD to be wrong in order for it to take so long to sell. Not saying there was, just that it was our mindset after seeing how long it had been listed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In the Rain Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 We sold a home in Denver and we had four cats and two rabbits. Our realtor never mentioned our pets to anyone, and we removed them from our home when it was being shown. Our house sold in three days. This is off topic- so sorry, OP Diane, if a seller's realtor had asked your realtor about pets beforehand, would they have been told the truth? I'm asking out of curiosity because this will be a very serious (and new) issue for us next time we house hunt. It had never occurred to me that people would hide the presence of a pet. To the OP, I would ask your realtor for his/her opinion about why the house isn't selling. They should have some feedback from other realtors. I agree with some others that maybe time off the market and then starting fresh with a new realtor and new photos might help. On the other hand, if it is now the only home for sale on the island, maybe you should just hang in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doodle Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 This is off topic- so sorry, OP Diane, if a seller's realtor had asked your realtor about pets beforehand, would they have been told the truth? I'm asking out of curiosity because this will be a very serious (and new) issue for us next time we house hunt. It had never occurred to me that people would hide the presence of a pet. To the OP, I would ask your realtor for his/her opinion about why the house isn't selling. They should have some feedback from other realtors. I agree with some others that maybe time off the market and then starting fresh with a new realtor and new photos might help. On the other hand, if it is now the only home for sale on the island, maybe you should just hang in there. If my memory is correct, the seller's disclosure should include whether or not there are/were pets in the house. We purchase our current home empty, but the seller's disclosure told us that the seller's had lived here with cats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariannNOVA Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 the purpose of this thread was to see if anyone else ever got discouraged and eithe just took house off market or if they hung in there and their house eventually sold. THat is my reason for this thread not to hear about my cats. So if there is anyone that hung in and sold or just took off market, I would like to hear from you Yup - we did last year. We were on the market from April and took it off in October. We timed when we took it off b/c we wanted our 'days on market' to go back to zero and one has to have been off the market for 90 days to have that happen. So,knowing we wanted to be back on by the middle of january or thereabouts, that's how we decided when to give it up. Our listing agent first time around had wonderful numbers and awards, but he was totally unable to generate any excitement about our house -- he didn't like our house, didn't understand why anyone would live on the road where we lived, and that totally came through in every communication he had regarding our home. We listed the second time with the agent who had it listed when we bought it. She loves the house, lived across the road from it for 12 years and her enthusiasm was genuine. She sold it in 7 or 8 weeks i think. Good luck whatever you decide.:grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MistyMountain Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 We were on the market for 10 or 11 months with our condo. It sucked. I am thankful for my Realtor who told us that are market time was turning people off and she suggested we relist with another agent. People assume when a house is on the market a while there is a reason. It also might look like something is wrong since you are priced low for the area. That combined with the market time might be why people pass it over. For us it was on the market a while because the condo was no longer FHA approved and that limited buyers and because when we went on the market there was a lot of competition in our condo development. There was 9 on the market when we first trying to sell. I hated being on the market. It was very stressful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AvasMom Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 We gave up and rented ours out but staying in it wasn't an option due to dh's military move. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 This is off topic- so sorry, OP Diane, if a seller's realtor had asked your realtor about pets beforehand, would they have been told the truth? I'm asking out of curiosity because this will be a very serious (and new) issue for us next time we house hunt. It had never occurred to me that people would hide the presence of a pet. To the OP, I would ask your realtor for his/her opinion about why the house isn't selling. They should have some feedback from other realtors. I agree with some others that maybe time off the market and then starting fresh with a new realtor and new photos might help. On the other hand, if it is now the only home for sale on the island, maybe you should just hang in there. Well, we removed them simply so that they didn't escape or freak out when a stranger entered the home...not to hide them. It never even occurred to me that someone wouldn't be interested in my home because we had animals. I honestly don't think our realtor even knew we had pets. The bunnies were "free-ranging", and spent most of their time in the backyard. The cats also came and went as they pleased, and I don't know if the realtor ever saw them. She never asked if we had pets. I don't think it was considered an issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 This is off topic- so sorry, OP Diane, if a seller's realtor had asked your realtor about pets beforehand, would they have been told the truth? I'm asking out of curiosity because this will be a very serious (and new) issue for us next time we house hunt. It had never occurred to me that people would hide the presence of a pet. To the OP, I would ask your realtor for his/her opinion about why the house isn't selling. They should have some feedback from other realtors. I agree with some others that maybe time off the market and then starting fresh with a new realtor and new photos might help. On the other hand, if it is now the only home for sale on the island, maybe you should just hang in there. If my memory is correct, the seller's disclosure should include whether or not there are/were pets in the house. We purchase our current home empty, but the seller's disclosure told us that the seller's had lived here with cats. When we were looking, our realtor only knew about pets if there were special instructions (Don't let Fluffy out of back room or Bruno outside.). We were surprised a couple of times to be greeted at the door by a pet and I admit it was frustrating if it delayed our looking while the realtor took time to call and find out what needed to be done with the animals. Once someone's bird escaped from the cage and it took our realtor 30 minutes to reach someone to find out if he needed to catch it or let it fly around the house. And, even though we are pet lovers, pets were distracting, especially if we had our kids with us. Is it friendly, or not, don't let the toddler touch, etc. If we spent more time looking at, talking to, or petting animals that came our way, we weren't noticing important house details. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misidawnrn Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 We had our house on the market for 6 months and not one.single.person looked at it. It wasn't really in a desirable neighborhood/school district, needed work that we didn't want to put into (but the house was priced to sell) and the set up of the house is weird. It had a 3 bedroom in the front with a 2 bedroom house in the backyard and a single car garage with a very-I mean very! small yard. DH has rented the back house to the same people for 13 years so we just took it off the market and use them both as rentals. We have had the front rented to a young woman who pays her rent on time and is very nice. Maybe renting it out is an option....? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In the Rain Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 Well, we removed them simply so that they didn't escape or freak out when a stranger entered the home...not to hide them. It never even occurred to me that someone wouldn't be interested in my home because we had animals. I honestly don't think our realtor even knew we had pets. The bunnies were "free-ranging", and spent most of their time in the backyard. The cats also came and went as they pleased, and I don't know if the realtor ever saw them. She never asked if we had pets. I don't think it was considered an issue. Thanks for answering. I would freak out if a cat "escaped" when I was looking at a house. :001_huh: I would wonder if it was okay that it was outside. I'd especially wonder about a bunny romping around with cats. :tongue_smilie: Talk about being too distracted to focus on the house. LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RanchGirl Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 We had a house on the market for about 6 months AFTER we had purchased our new home. It didn't sell until we finally got a new realtor, he sold it within 3 weeks. It was so frustrating. If you really want to sell it, I would suggest taking it off the market for a month and then listing with a new realtor. Call the realtor that sold the other two in your neighborhood. Ask for honest feedback, specifically about pet odors. Consider fresh paint, moving half your belongings into storage, temporarily re-homing the cats, and carpet cleaning. And having the home professionally staged (ask the stager for advice on paint colors, but in general make it really neutral and light). If you don't really want/need to sell it, take it off the market and enjoy those sunsets with your cats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 definitely take it off the market and relist it to reset the days on the market. And if cat odor MIGHT be a problem have the carpets cleaned and the walls painted. Paint really helps seal in any odors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tex-mex Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 The worst experience I ever had was a blind older incontinent cat who ruined my unit that I rented as a landlord. I had to replace the drywall, carpet and pad due to its not using the litterbox. And the smell never went away until I got an ionizer. I also have allergies. I'm sorry, but the 8 cats would be a serious no for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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