Spooky Houses Don’t Sell Well

I should have taken it as a sign when the listing agent told me that the property I was calling about was “very interesting”. Instead I got excited and told him how much I loved to see interesting homes….he just chuckled. (and in hindsight I think his laugh actually sounded a little diabolic) And now I know why.

The original plan was for me to go preview this home first for a client, but at the last minute he called to say he was available to go with me….which was a VERY good thing. Little did I know this house was hands down the spookiest listing I’d ever seen!

Think of any scary movie…it starts with the closed gate at the road, all overgrown- the house completely hidden from the road. No driveway. Had to park in the road and walk through the gate just to see where we needed to go next. Walking carefully, not knowing what might be hiding in the thick vegitation, we finally found the house and keybox. I must have told my client 5 times on the way to the door how glad I was that he was with me. A little dog came out from across the street and I was convinced he was about to say something to warn us about going inside, but he trotted off.

And the house?  Well, I won’t “out” it here, but interesting doesn’t even begin to describe it. Odd….bizarre… eerie….. or how about flat out spooky?

In fact, my client referred to the movie “The Ring” on more than one occasion. (are you getting the picture?) He was willing to walk through the house while I hovered indecisively; not sure whether to follow to make sure he didn’t disappear (you know how often that happens in the movies right? The one who leaves the room never comes back?) or stay close to the exit in case he let out a sudden scream.

Fortunately he did come back after deciding he’d seen enough. We locked up and ran walked back to the car.

It made for good conversation, but in reality this is a home for sale. It’s on the market for buyers to consider. Maybe the owners should un-spook it a little. Can you imagine that staging conversation? “You may want to open up the creepy little room because it will conjur images of b-a-d things”.

I wish the sellers and the agent well and hope someone can see this house in a different light. It may take a while though because spooky houses just don’t show sell very well!

Is HUD Standing in Way of Home Buyers?

I’m currently working with a great young couple trying to buy their first home. They both work full time, have good credit and are being financially responsible in terms of not over-extending themselves with a mortgage payment, not wanting it to be a hardship for them to make each month.
Like many young couples recently married and graduated from college, they were hoping to take advantage of one of several Down-payment assistance programs which have been available for years to FHA qualified home buyers. The programs enable home buyers to receive their down-payment funds in the form of a gift from a charitable organization such as Nehemiah, Ameridream or HART. The only difference between these purchases and any other FHA home purchase, is the source of the down-payment. The buyers must otherwise qualify in terms of income, credit and employment just as if they were supplying their own down-payment.
HUD has long been trying to eliminate the down-payment assistance programs and this Summer, when the Housing Bill was signed into law by president Bush, the opportunity for this assistance was wiped out, effective October 1. The reasoning is that the foreclosure rate on these loans is approximately 80% higher than other FHA loans and there was concern about inflated appraisals. It seems to me that standards could be put into place to address both of these issues. How about a higher credit score requirement for a down-payment assistance loan?
Back to the young couple. They’ve found a property in their price range, but like the majority of listings on the market right now, it is a short sale. They must wait for the seller’s lender to approve the offer. We’ve been waiting almost a month and still no word. In the mean time, the clock is ticking and October 1 is just around the corner.
I found this video on the Ameridream website and thought I’d share. Things that make you go hmmmmmm

Copyright 2008, All Rights Reserved Colleen Fischesser, no part may be republished without prior permission

Thank You!

I was recently notified that for the 3rd year in a row I have been named as a 5 Star Real Estate Professional by Crescendo Marketing Services. The ratings are based on information gathered by Crescendo from recent home buyers, title & mortgage companies as well as subscribers of metro publications. After being nominated, each professional’s license is verified to be active and free of disciplinary actions. Finally a blue ribbon committee reviews the list of nominees and has veto power if it is felt any are undeserving. ‘

The list will be published in the December issue of Seattle Magazine. I don’t know how many of us in the Maple Valley area were named to the list so I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. But to those of you who were kind enough to nominate me…Thank You!

The Definition of “Quirky”

The loose definition of “quirk” is having a “peculiar trait”….according to Merriam-Webster’s online definition at least. 

 This was the word of the day this past weekend while I was showing homes in the Maple Valley area.

No matter which home we went to, there was, inevitably, an odd quirk to the property.  Be it poor condition, a bizarre floorplan or an unusual property trait, we seemed destined to find something quirky about every single home we viewed. Many had great amenities, ”except for”.

 The longer we looked, the more we began to expect ( even look forward to identifying )the quirk in the next house.

We weren’t disappointed. Every home we viewed had “something odd” about it.

Quirky.

Odd can be good and odd can be bad. But if there is something quirky about a home, the price needs to reflect that oddity or “quirk”. Otherwise, it will just become topic for conversation and the buyers will say “next”.

There is a buyer for every home.

But not at any price.

Unless you’re willing to wait a really long time.

 

Copyright 2008, All Rights Reserved Colleen Fischesser

 

 

Rural Maple Valley Life-I Can’t Complain!

For years prior to our moving to here, one of my favorite escapes was to drive through rural Maple Valley on a sunny afternoon. I’d go past the Olson Mansion, with the Cascade foothills as a backdrop…through Hobart and the flat horse properties with new and turn of the century homes, cruise through Landsburg, past the Cedar River. I LOVED it!

I’m fortunate to have been able to move to rural Maple Valley back in 1994 when my husband and I purchased a home on a few acres. It was a fixer, but we liked the neighborhood and felt as if we had the best of both worlds; room to spread out but a neighborhood setting.

I personally believe acreage is a great investment. They aren’t making any more land, and as I say to my husband, “you can change a house, but you can’t add more property to it-usually!” If you’re thinking about buying a home on acreage there are a few things to consider:

• Are you interested in buying a “non-tract” property? (Meaning, no protective Covenants, no Home Owners Associations?) or would you prefer to have more of a neighborhood feel? There are several acreage neighborhoods in Maple Valley which do have CCR’s and HOA’s.
• What is the zoning? Most of the rural acreage in our area is now zoned 1 home per 5 acres. However just because you’re looking at a 10 acre piece, our friends at King County may still say it’s not able to be divided, yet. In other words, don’t count your money unti it’s a done deal.
• Is the property on a public water system, single well or community well? Is there a generator to provide power to the pump when there are power outages?
• Where is the septic system? What type of septic system is the house serviced by?
• What’s the heat source? A few of us are lucky enough to have natural gas to our homes even though we are on acreage. Other properties are served by propane tanks, oil heat or electricity.
• Don’t assume because there is a big flat grassy area, you’ll be able to erect that barn or shop you’ve longed for. Where is the septic system? Are there any wetlands in the area? What are the setbacks from the well?

While buying a home on acreage may be a bit more involved than say a newer home on a city lot, it shouldn’t be overwhelming. However you definitely should educate yourself so you know what you’re investing in. If you’re used to “city living”, you may need to make a few adjustment and changes but believe me, they are well worth it!

We’ve since moved from our first Maple Valley home, to another acreage property where I’m lucky enough to have Elk visit regularly, am able to see the hang gliders from Tiger Mountain and still be awed by the views over the Olson Mansion on my way home each night.

Copyright 2008, All Rights Reserved Colleen Fischesser

The Real Estate Market Will Survive-”Life Happens”

 I know there is a level of uncertainty, even fear with consumers and industry insiders in the market right now. This is a post I previously published on another blog several months ago. I thought it might be timely and perhaps offer some small measure of comfort for those who need reassurance that the real estate industry will survive……

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I’m always saddened to get that phone call from past clients telling me they need to sell the house because they are divorcing. Sometimes they sound almost apologetic or embarrassed. I always reassure them I can help and tell them “Life Happens”.

Life Happens all the time in Real Estate.

Once after a seller had accepted an offer, I had to call with the news his buyer had just fallen off a building and could no longer move forward with the transaction. Another time, I was representing buyers on a home which had taken them seven months to find. One week before closing, the sellers want out. Mr. Seller was in another state, having taken a new job while Mrs. Seller stayed home w/ Junior to get the house sold. Mr. Seller had called (one week before closing) to tell his wife not to bother to come, he’d met someone else. After seeking legal counsel Mrs. Seller signed and the buyers moved in a week later.  

There will always be a market for real estate because Life Happens!  Babies are born and lives are lost. Students graduate and promotions are given. Jobs are eliminated and Marriages end. Life happens and whether it’s good or bad, there will always be people buying and selling real estate. But during the process, the value of having an experienced, caring ,dedicated  professional working for you is priceless!

Copyright 2008, All Rights Reserved Colleen Fischesser

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