By Carrie Smith, Licensed Real Estate Salesperson
Krutz Properties LLC
If you asked me why a house around here hasn’t sold, my first answer would probably be price.
Then you might say, “But Carrie, what about the location? What about the layout? What if it needs a kitchen?”
Yes. All of those things matter.
But to me, they usually come back to the same question: does the price make sense for what the buyer is getting?
A house can be beautiful and still be priced higher than buyers are willing to pay. Another house can need work and sell because someone looks at it and says, “For that price, I can make this work.”
That’s the conversation I think sellers deserve to have.
I’m not just coming in and picking a number
When I recommend a price, I come with comparables.
We look at homes that have sold, and we look at what’s available right now. What would a buyer be comparing your house with?
If someone can get another house like yours, in similar condition, for less money, why would they choose yours?
I’m not asking that to be unkind. I’m asking because that’s what buyers are doing.
And we have to look beyond public records. Those records can help us get started, but they don’t tell us everything about the inside of your house. Once I walk through, we can have a much better conversation about condition, improvements, and the way the house actually lives.
I can explain my recommendation and show you how I got there. Then we discuss the asking price together.
But neither an asking price nor my market analysis is a promise of what someone will pay. We still have to see how buyers respond.
A buyer can love your house and still not buy it
Maybe they love the porch, the woodwork, and the kitchen.
Then they realize there’s one bathroom, and it’s on the other side of the house from where they need it. Or there’s an upstairs, the bathroom arrangement is inconvenient, and they can’t see an easy way to add another one.
Maybe there’s no yard. Maybe the property needs work, and they don’t have the money left to do it.
They’re also asking themselves, “If I put all this money into this house, will it make sense? What happens if I need to sell it later?”
Those are real considerations.
The house may still work for somebody. But the price has to account for what that person is taking on.
And then there are the taxes
Taxes deserve their own conversation because I’ve seen them stop buyers who otherwise liked a property.
I’ve seen a beautiful local home get interest, then buyers hesitate when they learned the tax bill was around $10,000 a year. The asking price might get them through the door, but the ongoing expense changes how they feel about buying it.
That’s why I don’t think we can look at the sale price by itself.
Buyers are looking at the payment, the taxes, the work, and everything else they would be responsible for. They may want the house and still decide the whole picture doesn’t work for them.
My job is to show the house for what it is
I believe my job is to get your home in front of the people who could actually want it.
And part of that is answering questions and addressing concerns early.
If it has one bathroom, let’s be clear about that. If it has an unusual layout, let’s show it accurately. Let’s not portray the house as something it isn’t.
Someone might look at those same details and say, “That doesn’t bother me. This works for us.”
That’s who we’re trying to reach.
I don’t need 17 buyers. I need one buyer who wants this house and can follow through.
But even if we do a good job reaching that person, the price still has to make sense. Buyers want to feel they’re getting value for their money.
A fancy video can’t do the whole job
People need to know your house is available. Of course they do.
But I don’t think a seller should assume that a more elaborate video will solve a pricing problem.
In my experience, people who are actively looking are already watching the listings. They’re comparing houses and deciding which ones they want to see.
A video can introduce the property to someone else. Someone might share it with a friend who’s buying. It can help people notice the house.
But noticing it and being ready to purchase it are two different things.
My focus is on whether we’re showing the home clearly, reaching potential buyers, and giving them a reason to choose it at the asking price.
What if people are looking but nobody is offering?
We use ShowingTime to request feedback after showings, and I follow up with the agents.
Sometimes we get helpful answers. Sometimes we don’t get a response. I can make the calls and leave the messages, but I can’t make somebody answer.
So we also have to look at the activity itself.
Are people coming through? What else could they buy? What’s happening with competing homes? Are we getting interest without offers?
In a rural area, ten showings can be a lot. I don’t think every property should be measured against the same number or the same timeline.
But if buyers are looking and consistently choosing something else, price is one of the first things I want us to discuss.
We may not know every buyer’s exact reason. We still need to pay attention to the response we’re getting.
Before you put in a new kitchen, let’s talk
Personally, I would usually rather discuss a price adjustment before seeing a seller spend a lot of money on a major renovation.
Because first, do we know the kitchen is the problem?
Maybe you think it is, but buyers are passing because of the location or the layout. A new kitchen won’t change those things.
And what you think is a beautiful renovation might not be what the next person wants.
I’ve walked through homes with buyers who looked at renovations and said they wished the owners hadn’t done them. They wanted to make their own choices.
That’s a lot of money, time, and work for something that may or may not help.
If there’s a lot of competition and buyers have plenty of updated homes to choose from, we need to consider that. The advice depends on the circumstances.
But before you hire somebody and take on a project, let’s compare that with adjusting the price and letting the next owner do the work their way.
My first preparation recommendation? Clean it.
A clean house helps people feel more comfortable.
In my experience, buyers can look at an older furnace in a clean, cared-for home and feel more confident about it than they would looking at newer equipment in a house that feels neglected.
That feeling doesn’t tell us whether the furnace works. An inspection still matters.
But it shows how much the overall impression can affect a buyer.
You don’t necessarily need to make everything new. Start by getting the house clean and letting people see what’s there.
“I’m not in a hurry. Can we start higher?”
We can talk about that.
If you understand the tradeoffs and have time to wait, your situation is different from someone who needs to sell soon.
I’ll explain what the comparable homes show and what starting higher could mean. Then we can discuss the approach you’re comfortable with.
But if you need to move, I would generally recommend starting around the market value we’ve identified.
A price that buyers see as reasonable can bring more interest and may create competition. It doesn’t guarantee multiple offers, though. That depends on the house and who’s looking.
And when the offers come, let’s look at the whole offer
Price matters, but so do contingencies, financing, requested concessions, and timing.
A cash offer with fewer conditions may offer a clearer path to closing. That doesn’t automatically make it the right offer for every seller.
A financed offer might leave you with more money and fit the house well. The property’s condition and the financing requirements belong in that conversation, too.
And timing is personal. One seller wants to move quickly. Another needs more time.
I want to help you compare what you could walk away with and what needs to happen to get there. I also don’t want to promise a closing date I can’t guarantee.
Please don’t take every low offer personally
Some people are just shooting their shot.
You don’t have to accept the offer. We can consider it, try to negotiate, or say no and move on.
An offer doesn’t have to become a personal judgment about your house or everything you’ve put into it.
Buying and selling are stressful enough. Let’s expect that some offers won’t be what we hoped for, brush our shoulders off, and decide what makes sense.
What if you can’t go any lower?
Some people have a bottom line they can’t go below. I understand that.
If the market response isn’t getting us there, we need to talk honestly about your options.
Depending on your situation, that might mean taking the house off the market and revisiting it later. That doesn’t guarantee the next market will be better. It means selling right now may not work for you.
What I can promise is how I’ll work with you: explain what I’m seeing, communicate, follow up, negotiate, and tell you the truth, including when the news isn’t what we wanted.
I can’t control the buyers or promise what they’ll pay.
But we can look at what your home offers, what buyers are choosing, and whether the price connects those two things.
That’s where I would start.
Carrie Smith
Licensed Real Estate Salesperson
Krutz Properties LLC
59 West Main Street, Canajoharie, NY 13317
518-900-7204
ruralhomesupstate.com
