I’m sure we’re all glad it didn’t get even close to freezing last night, and it looks like the next days ahead are going to be pleasant ones. I’m hoping tomorrow’s public open house at 413 – 19th St. SE goes well, and it looks like one of my competing offices has pulled out all the stops on open houses this weekend. I think each and every one of their agents will be hosting one. With that many being open, there should be more showing up at mine.
Beginning just before 10:00 am, I began a long outing with a buyer who wanted to see as many homes in her price range as possible. Believe it or not, I had eight of them set to look at which subsequently took us in a great wide circle of our community.
Since her price range is lower than what most are looking at, I found about half of them being those I’d never shown before. I was so vividly reminded of how some of the cheaper homes in our town being so unremarkable to where there were two of them we didn’t spend more than 5 – 7 minutes in because of their smells and filth.
One of them reeked of urine mixed with mildew to the point I was starting to cough. After we walked out I almost said to her, “You do know this is Realtor abuse.”, but then I thought not because she would possibly take a little offense by it.
I can’t blame anyone but the sellers for those homes looking they way they did, and especially when several of them were estates that still contained all the decedents’ personal items. The average buyer would’ve thought that “stuff” was keeping them from selling instead of helping.
We did manage to find two out of the eight being worthy of a second look, so this coming week, we’re going back for another viewing. I have a feeling already which one she’ll choose because it’s about as good as it gets in that particular price range.
I may possibly have another home on the market come tomorrow afternoon, and if it’s priced right, it should sell relatively quickly due to its location. There are far too few homes in that particular price range for sale right now, which is putting pressure on first-time buyers who’re wanting to move, and based on the “junk” I was in today, the price threshold of entry level homes is dramatically rising.
One of the homes I showed today had plastic buckets in the attic to catch the rainwater that was leaking thru the worn-out roof shingles, and at a glance, I could see that roof is going to need a complete tear-off before it can be shingled. It’s terribly unfortunate when seeing homes in such condition because of all the extra monies it’s going to take to bring them back to life, which is why I always insist on preventative maintenance being paramount when it comes to preserving a given home’s value.
Late this afternoon I listed an exceptionally handsome home in Forest City that’s located at 109 Oakridge Drive which is a newer subdivision out on the west-side, which makes it conveniently close to 3M, Winnebago, and the schools, and as chance would have it, one of my favorite North Iowa “boot hill” graveyards is only about a block away.
It’s a 3+ bedroom ranch that’s had many thousands of dollars in updates, and you can be sure they’re visible. What I especially like about it, is the attached single garage, and the detached super-sized heated double garage out back that would make a perfect year-round workshop.
The kitchen and bath have both been updated, the cedar siding has just been sealed, the roof is newer, all the plumbing has been updated along with the wiring, the basement rec room is larger than normal, along with the possible 4th bedroom down there that could be used as an office or private den.
I have it priced at $149,500 which is well within the range of comparable homes offering similar amenities. I won’t be surprised if it’ll be a retired couple who purchases it because of there being absolutely nothing to do other than move in. I’ve worked with its seller in the past, and you can bet all the work that’s been done, was performed with the mindset of quality and perfection. The above photo is one of its exterior shots.
Tonight’s one-liner is: The more things that are forbidden, the more popular they become.
