Maintaining a listing from a seller’s perspective in today’s real estate market is demanding and at times beyond a normal patience level. 

As we approach the period of time when there is more homes on the market than any other time of year and realize that in today’s market it means record inventory numbers it is a difficult time for sellers.  Our objectives in the two properties we are following in the MyForSaleSign series was for a minimum of one showing per week and at least one offer for each ten to twelve showings.  We have had more than that number of showings for Randi and Tony’s townhouse in Yuba City and have just now received our first offer.  The number of showings on our Lamplighter home in Anchorage is standing at approximately 8 and we have not had any indications of an offer.   

During the marketing period with sometimes more than a week between showings it is for sure a demanding job to maintain the property in show condition if you are living in the home like Randi and Tony.  Each day, they must a lot some time before heading to work to make sure their home is spotless and ready for a potential buyer.  You never know when the call will come that a showing is going to take place and, for sure, you can’t count on having time to get home to clean and prepare.  Randi and Tony are doing a great job of this but after a few months are tiring. 

The Lamplighter property that Michael and I are attempting to sell in Anchorage is not our primary residence, it vacant but still has its own set of challenges.  Being as far away as we are we have to depend on our agent and others to make sure the house is in show condition.  In our case this is primarily the yard.  Because the house is vacant the lawn and driveway have become a play area for neighborhood kids who leave their toys there or chalk up the drive way.  When we get enough notice of a showing we send our agent or niece over to make sure it is ready to go. 

In our world of instant or near-instant gratification selling big ticket items such as real estate does not fit very well.   Every week that goes by during the marketing period for real estate, the level of patience declines and is replaced by increasing anxiety.  Randi and Tony have made a decision they want to buy and live in a single family home and start a family there.  I am sure when they started this process they thought they would be enjoying barbeques and entertaining friends at their new house by now.   For us, we put a fair amount of cash into fixing and preparing the Lamplighter home for the market.  Every month that goes by without a sale is another month we have to make a payment and do not have use of our investment funds.  Like Randi and Tony we are more than anxious for a sale so we can move on. 

Just this past week I removed from the market a listing I had hoped would sell quickly.  This was a nice home in the Natomas area of Sacramento and it was being offered for sale by a family who, because of a job, relocated to Southern California.  When they bought this home they thought they would be there for many years and poured a good deal of love and care into the home.  Being emotionally attached to their home, and having strong feelings about what it should sale for made it impossible for them to deal with having the home on the market for a long period of time as well as having to lower their asking price to attract potential buyers.  Although it may not be the ideal, this family can, fortunately, afford to take the house off the market and keep it until they feel the market is better for sellers.

 For every home you hear about that sold after just few days on the market, there are hundreds that stay on the market for months.  Selling a home in our real estate market, here in Sacramento or even in other parts of the country, is a demanding and trying time for sellers.

Julie Jalone’s MyForSaleSign reality real estate series is designed to be entertaining as well as informative as she tracks current real estate transactions.  Check out her weekly articles at MyForSaleSign and her daily blog updates what is happening as Randi and Tony attempt to sell their townhouse in The Grove located in Yuba City and her own investment property in Anchorage, Alaska.