A tough market really has the ability to pound home harsh lessons to Sellers, even in one of the better markets around, like the Raleigh Cary Area.
One lesson being taught repeatedly is that properties with incurable deficiencies, issues that won't be fixed with a coat of paint or a few shingles, have been difficult to sell at any price. Bargain hunters have their limits, too.
Steep Driveways, proximity to power lines, backing to highways or to commercial nuisances are some of the issues that make a home very difficult to move without massive price reductions, if they move at all.
It is a conversation I have had with Buyers over the years, to recognize that issues they could live with may be issues that would haunt them when they decide they need to sell. And, generally, I think I have been able to make the point.
It is funny to observe, though, when buyers see power lines, or steep driveways, then want to take a peek at the home anyway. And we get in, and they start to fall for a cute kitchen, great wood floors, etc, etc.
And that is when I figure it is time to reintroduce the reality of the Himalayan driveway, the powerlines, or the drainage ditch that would swallow a bus load of toddlers. That is what they are paying me for, to keep them level-headed.
And to help them avoid, in a few years, having a sign rust to pieces in their yard for 400 days, decked out with "Priced to Sell" and "I'm Gorgeous INSIDE!" riders, and no one willing to look, let alone pay the price for that bargain.
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