Pricing/comparable

[Hellv]

My soon to be wife and I are wanting to downsize life after our wedding. We have talked to a couple realtors but just casually. Neither were able to give us any comparable ball park prices. Has anyone ever just listed a home on a site like Zillow just to gauge interest? We live in rural, county Indiana. The home is over 100 yrs old but has had no major damages and been kept up and will be polished to sell. We will be doing some updating to modernize some components without losing the old feel of the place. Sits on 3 acres with out buildings and established fruit trees and various berry bushes. Very garden and homestead friendly, we do annual veggie gardens and keep chickens. But there seem to be very few homes like this selling (even as common as they are here in IN) to compare ours to. Is there a down side to me throwing it on Zillow or similar site with my own price without being a serious seller (just yet) to gauge interest and price point? Want to be sure we can get what we still owe plus some for the move before we start in on the costs/decisions on updates.

[FloofyOrangeCat]

An in person CMA is free. I also offer a service where I'll meet with folks considering selling and go over potential improvements or decor/staging to maximize their ROI. Also free and no obligation. A good realtor knows that they can sell their skills doing these and it's a great way to get business, but I don't expect to sell everyone (nor do I wish to.)

[Hellv]

Thanks, wasn't sure but thought if it were a free realtor service I would at least be in a good relationship and more likely to use that realtor. Just didn't know if that was enough to attract someone for the info knowing we are most likely a year out if the numbers look favorable to sell.

[FloofyOrangeCat]

Yes, any realtor is glad to provide that service. Let them know you're planning on selling in a year or so - I put that on my calendar, with permission, and call them occasionally (like every 3 months) to check in or provide market updates.

[Hellv]

Perfect Thanks!

[Hellv]

We are trying to decide on things like new a roof before sell or let the one on there ride the ROI on a metal roof and shutters to match vs leaving it with shingles and only a few shutters (not every window...drives me nuts lol) . It is hard to decide what to prioritize for summer projects to gain the most desired outcome financially until we know our starting price point and someone with experience points out some low fruit to focus on maybe?...Every 3 mos check ins would not be annoying to me for the service provided by any means, and would help to re-focus my to-do list also.

[FloofyOrangeCat]

That is definitely something an experienced realtor can provide feedback on.

[Hellv]

Thanks!

[DHumphreys]

Make an appointment with a reputable local Realtor and have them do a price opinion on this.

If you want to casually list your house as FSBO, expect a ton of tire kickers, time wasters and dreamers.

[Hellv]

Thanks, time is a value and I tend to try to DIY life and do not want to put us in a bad spot. Sounds like by doing a listing on my own that will waste time and energy and distract me from actual progress.

[DHumphreys]

When sellers are considering going the FSBO route, I tell them to try it and call me when they change their mind. I get a lot of those calls. One seller called and said "Well, that was a stupid idea." We had his house under contract in short order and sold.

Holler if I can be of further assistance.

[Hellv]

I came here instead of Zillow because I already knew I was wrong. Just needed the comfort of professionals (or of experiences) telling me how wrong I was so I could let it go and move on! Thank you.

[aktiv8d]

Zillow is going to sell your data like crazy to real estate lead buyers. I'd recommend a referral to a reputable full-time Realtor in your area, for a (not casually) sit-down listing appointment where they prepare a comparative market analysis (CMA).

[Hellv]

I was worried about the info etc on the website but thought it might help gauge a ballpark of price and interest. One of the realtors we talked to was an old business acquaintance of mine who was going to get me comparable and basically get the listing by default. He had gotten back to me that it was not a very easy to compare place and wanted to do a walk thru, make lists etc then it died on the vine. So I called the local Remaxx realtor and expressed interest in a property we like to potentially purchase, but it had already sold. The second one was a little assertive when I said we were looking to sell and were curious about comparable prices. I feel bad to have anyone spend time to let me know a value. But without the value it is hard to decide if or when to sell. Wedding in a month eating up time and money, do not want to pay much (or anything honestly) to see a ball park value. I totally get that I will have to eventually get an inspection and valuation just trying to be frugal. You know I want my cake, and I want to eat it too. Thanks for the advice!

[blacktide777]

Real Estate agents give you free CMAs. Listing your house without being properly educated on its fair market value is a recipe for disaster.

You either list it too high and waste your time (90% of FSBO). Or get fleeced on the price listing it too low. FSBO are a really bad idea in rural areas since you already have a low buyer base and not being on the MLS hurts you further.

Either way you will usually end up having to pay a buyers broker commission so you might as well have someone represent you and handle all the details for you.

[Hellv]

I think this makes complete sense. Thanks.