The Tri-Cities real estate market is healthy with houses selling at a steady pace. The National Association of REALTORS® predicts that prices should rise about 6% next year nationally with interest rates rising to 5.8%. Those stats may have potential homebuyers who had planned on moving next year scratching their heads and wondering if the time is right to make a move now. But what if they can’t find exactly what they are looking for?
There are buyers in the market right now who are still looking for a “deal” despite the health of the market. And other buyers who are out looking but just aren’t finding that house that feels “just right.” Should they be looking at homes that have been on the market for six months, nine months, a year or more with the hopes of getting a deal and doing an extensive renovation? Or if scores of other buyers have bypassed these homes, should you stay away too?
Home improvement shows have made the idea of purchasing something unappealing and retrofitting to the buyer’s unique tastes seems appealing – even easy! As you determine if a home that has languished on the market is really a diamond in the rough awaiting polishing, consider why the home may still be on the market. Unless these problems are solved that caused the home to be on the market so long are fixed, you could run into the same problem when it is time to sell unless you make the required changes.
Homes that are on the market for a long time usually have a common list of challenges:
Overpriced property. This is the easiest obstacle to overcome in terms of fixing the problem – if the seller is willing. Even the ugliest property will sell if it is priced right. The key is to widen the buyer pool as much as possible by lowering the price to what the pool of buyers – or at least one of them – will pay. Sellers may steadfastly hold to their price, but the bottom line is if the home has been on the market for months, generally the price needs to be reduced to meet the market.
As a potential buyer, before purchasing a property, it is important for the buyer’s agent to do a comparative market analysis (CMA) so the buyer will have an estimate of market value before purchasing to make sure they are making a sound investment.
Floorplan/Flow is awkward. Is the master bedroom two floors away from the other bedrooms? Is there only one bathroom for the whole house? Is the kitchen small in proportion to the rest of the house? Are the rooms small with little closet space? Floorplan/flow challenges such as these may be easy to overcome with a remodel. It is important to do your due diligence first and determine a remodel is possible – and within your budget. Also, features such as multiple flights of stairs will keep certain buyer pools from considering the property (such as seniors or perhaps parents of young children) and may not be easily remedied by a remodel. Furthermore, there may be zoning restrictions if altering the outside of the home is required and should be investigated before finalizing the purchase.
Location location location. Are there power lines nearby? Is the home located beneath the flight path to the airport? Is the home located on or nearby a very busy street? These types of challenges are not ones that can be altered. Therefore, if the home is located near something that others might find disturbing or a nuisance, this should be reflected in the price of the property to attract the largest buyer pool – both now and down the road when it comes time to sell.
Dated, but easily updated. If the home is in a good location and everything else looks favorable, but the rust-colored linoleum and pink sink and tub in the bathroom is giving you pause, then this may indeed be the diamond in the rough you have been looking for! If the rest of the “bones” of the house are desirable such as general house layout, roof, supports, etc and the updates are mostly cosmetic or involve moving just a few non-supporting walls, then you may have found your home.
If you are not afraid to expend a little elbow grease and have a renovation budget to get the home of your dreams, you may be richly rewarded! If you have been eyeing a listing that has been on the market awhile or would like to learn about potential diamonds in the rough in our area, give us a call! Jennifer Cowgill can be reached at (509) 947-5670 or Jessica Johnson at (509) 947-2230.
