May 4, 2009

Maybe This Is Why Properties in Noe Aren’t Selling

Yes, property values in Noe Valley have declined as much as 20 percent in the last year and the housing market in Noe is slower than in 2008. But is it us or do Noe realtors and sellers seem a little complacent after the boom years? We found scenes like this in a 4 block area:

3917 26th St.

Here's an idea: when you represent a seller of a property that has already been featured as an example of a tough market, perhaps you shouldn't block the sidewalk with your flashy Jaguar every week. It sends a bad message about how in touch you are – and means a real buyer has to work that much harder to get in and see the place.

348 Duncan / 1432 Sanchez

Tumbleweeds don’t exactly send the message that this is a hot property – or even one that’s been well-maintained. How about cleaning up the sidewalk so buyers can at least read the sign?

369 Duncan St

Talk about cutting a house’s curb appeal. The trash in front of this house has been there for weeks. We’d expect someone who really wanted to see this property move to at least clean up the old newspapers and spend a couple minutes weeding.

Update: The Front Steps posted some data to show that even our 'down' market justifies cleaning up the property - the median sales price is still over $1.1M.

[NVV: State of the Housing Market: Slow]
[InsideSFRE: Noe Valley Searches for Buyers]
[TFS: Noe Valley Is Not Immune]
[Zillow: Noe home prices]

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's a fixer that went into contract in under a week. I don't see a problem. How many houses have YOU sold??

Unknown said...

You guys crack me up. I appreciate your take on curb appeal. Have spent time weeding and cleaning up dog poop in my day to make a house look better. :)

Sumo Thinker said...

As a Noe homeowner, I have a bias, but I would contend that the crop of properties for sale in the past year haven't been as stellar as in years past. Whether they lack curb appeal or great location (gasp--some parts of Noe are more desirable than others!), the places on the market haven't been as attractive as, say 2 years ago. I imagine that has something to do with the fact that the only people selling houses now are those who NEED to sell, or it may be something else.

So while the market is clearly and unarguably down, I think there's something to a lack of *compelling* apples to compare.

Anonymous said...

Here's one to add: if you have an open house, maybe you should keep the door open? I went by one place this past weekend and the outside little gate was closed AND the front door..i knocked and the agent was just chilling in the kitchen and motioned me to go ahead and come on in.
Nice...way to really show it.

Other pet peeve: if you're showing a place, shouldn't you know a good amount about it? Been by too many open houses that when asked, the agent doesn't know much besides the amount and number of rooms/baths. How hard is it for the agent that owns the listing to create a one-page cheat-sheet on the house so that other agents hosting the place have that info?? Like if the folks in the unit above are renters or owners? etc...