I am listing a beautiful Victorian home built in 1902 that has been completely restored. I have held numerous open houses and get tons of walk-throughs because the house is on the main street of my quaint little town that gets a decent amount of tourists. Of course, no one wants to actually buy the house, they just want a free tour, but everyone says that it's amazing. Our market is in a slump and nothing has sold in this houses price range (which is only $750k) in 6 months and I haven't even got an offer yet. I have it on all the free websites (Google Base, Yahoo Real Estate, Zillow, Trulia, etc) but wondered if anyone has had any experience: good, bad, or indifferent with some of the historic homes for sale websites: oldhouses.com? historicproperties.com? preservationdirectory.com?
I just joined the group and am happy I found it, if anyone else has any other advise please share. I know what most of you out there are thinking: lower the price. But the price is right on with the value of the home. The buyer, who knows real estate, and my broker both agree with the price. I don't feel that price is the problem. I think it's exposure, we just haven't found the right buyer yet (I guess that's the case with all unsold homes though, but you know what I mean). Anyway, any suggestions (except price change) would be much appreciated, thanks
While I haven't sold one directly from my listing on historicproperties.com, I find that putting a historic home on a niche website like the ones you mention, helps with exposure. I idid have interested buyers call who were looking for an old home, so it is a great source to specifically find that type of buyer. Niche marketing makes all the difference.
You might also think about finding all the past owners that lived there and inviting them for a tour of the home, along with any friends and family. You will be amazed at the stories they can tell you and they might give you ideas on how to create spin on the home for your marketing.