Selling in a "not-so-great" neighborhood/block.

So my mom has been thinking about selling her house forever. She's looking at places but due to financial reasons I keep telling her that she has to sell the house first (which she owns outright) before looking for another one.
However, the house isn't the "most desirable neighborhood" but what makes it worse is that it's on a main road. The house itself is in pretty good condition (new kitchen, updated electric, curb appeal etc).

Obv., whenever she puts it on the market those positive aspects will be highlighted. Does anyone have any other suggestions as to how to go about selling and "getting the most" for a house with these factors?

TIA

Message edited 8/7/2013 12:28:15 PM.

Re: Selling in a "not-so-great" neighborhood/block.

first, price it right. we looked at considered a house in a not-ideal location. the reason we even looked was that it had features we liked (room size, brick, etc.). the reason we considered it even for a bit was the price. it was priced decently. not "priced to move", but priced well for the location. i think it was on the market for a few months before it went in contract.

second, is it near public transportation? stores? sometimes the "convenience" aspect of locations offsets the neighborhood. my folks live on a VERY busy street. but it is such a convenient location that they get calls from REA at least a few times a year wanting to sell their house. and other houses also on the very crowded street sell very fast whenever they go to market.

Re: Selling in a "not-so-great" neighborhood/block.

I don't know *exactly* where your mom lives, but I know the town. I don't know how much of this could go on a real estate posting, but maybe it could help to market in other ways:

-The schools (I know they are not "the best" on LI, but they are nowhere near as bad as everyone makes them out to be)
-The library (Probably one of the best on Long Island)
-Proximity to the downtown area and shops
-Like I said, I'm not exactly sure what part of the town your mom is in, but maybe she could use the location to her advantage. For example, "East (insert name of the town)" is considered more desirable than the other areas.
-She should def note that it's "close to all" because it really is
-Access to the parkways
-In areas that are just "okay," I often see things like "Quiet neighborhood" or "Safe neighborhood" to indicate they are in the better part of town
-If it's on the border of the town right to the east or right to the north, you could emphasize that since those are both highly desirable towns. "On the border of blahblahblah and blahblahblah"
-She could also emphasize that it's on a well-maintained street. I have driven through even the "worst" parts of this town many times, and the houses are generally in good shape and have well-maintained lawns.
-I am fairly certain that your mom's house is not zoned for the "more desirable" of the two high schools in this town, but if it is, she should definitely include that information!

Message edited 8/6/2013 5:41:33 PM.

Re: Selling in a "not-so-great" neighborhood/block.

Re: Selling in a "not-so-great" neighborhood/block.

I wouldn't play up the fact that there are issues with the neighbors, whatever that means . Note: I am talking moreso for this site, if you decide to post the listing on here..........y'know how it can be around these parts.......


Also maybe the RE ladies on this site have some good tips for you.

Maybe something like good starter home?

I also would not be so quick to judge the SD.

We get shat from many people about ours and I think it's been excellent so far in terms of things like CPSE and just the peeps I've met in general. Everyone in my neighborhood is Irish-Italian too like in the so-called "good hoods".

But stuff like this......I don't know how you get that across unless you can have a RE agent sell it during the showing.

Message edited 8/7/2013 5:01:08 AM.

Re: Selling in a "not-so-great" neighborhood/block.

It really just comes down to pricing it right for the local market (which means seeing what comparable homes in that "not-so-great" neighborhood are selling for and pricing it in line with them.

Honestly, houses all over Long Island sell, including those in the most blighted, high crime, low-ranking schools areas. I know your mom's home isn't in one of these areas, but there are plenty of houses that sell in them. Of course, they may be selling for $150,000 when they'd be much more in another area. But real estate in ALL LI towns sell, not just those towns with the best reputations on LIF or those considered to be the best school districts, of course!

I actually remember from prior posts where you are from and where I assume your mom's home is there. (I won't say it, but a western Nassau/Queens border area, correct?). An agent in our office at a recent office meeting was commenting on how "hot" that area (specifically mentioning your mom's town, if I am right) is right now. We recently had a listing there and got so many calls on it. He said he's been busy working with a lot of buyers looking to move out from Queens who are looking in that town and surrounding towns.

Same with the main road location. It has to be priced right, but it will sell. In N. Bellmore, where I am based, we sell plenty of homes on Newbridge Rd, Jerusalem Ave., Bellmore Ave, etc. But those homes may sell for $350,000 instead of maybe low $400Ks if that same house were on a cul-de-sac or quiet side street. A seller can't change the main road location, but it has to be accounted for in price. Again, I've had buyers who have lived in more urban areas say that they found the quiet of a side street "creepy" and say they prefer the "energy" of a main road. So you never know!

It's all about where a buyer is coming from and what THEY consider acceptable. There's a buyer for every house, everywhere. I learned a long time ago in RE not to put my own judgments and preferences into the mix.

Finally, you may be able to do some targeted marketing if it's a hard to sell house. If the house is on a main road, could it be zoned for professional (not commercial) use and be used by a doctor/lawyer/accountant, etc. with a home-based office? A lot of hi ranch style homes are good for this, and in that scenario, a main road is desirable. We also have a program for our listings that tracks the location of buyers who are viewing and clicking on the listing on the major real estate sites. So I can see if the interest in a house is coming mostly from people who already live in that town, people who live in the outer boroughs, etc. That can be helpful in targeting your most interested buyer population. Depending on what it's near, it may be a good house for someone to buy as an investment (to hold on to and rent out). A lot of investors buyers buy in Hempstead and Uniondale with the idea of renting out to college students going to Hofstra, for example.

Anyway, bottom line is the house will sell if it's priced right! It may take a little longer, but a real estate agent can come in and give you not just an opinion on value, but also an idea of "days on market" averages (how many days elapsed from the time recently sold properties hit the market until when they went into contract),w hich will help give you an idea of what to expect.

Let me know if I can help further or answer other questions!

Selling in a

Every house has a price/buyer. Especially for investors.

Selling in a

North valley stream? I remember you from other threads. If its priced right it will sell as Christine said above. Obviously things like it being on a main road and being in valley stream "not so great area" should reflect in the price.