So, I don't think that I've discussed my tough listing. An absolutely beautiful cul-de-sac house, in a great school district. Overpriced at $1,150,000, but the seller insisted.
This house is really nice. Upgraded throughout, done VERY tastefully. It's a gem. Great school district. But it's one of the few in this town (San Marcos, CA) with no HOA, and the neighbor next door has a front yard that looks like Fred Sanford lives there. We've got a jet ski on a trailer...completely brown from the sun, and both tires have rotted off the trailer. We've got an old elliptical machine. We've got a harbor freight trailer that's parked sideways. We've got a suburb outback (with tags that expired in 2022) parked on the lawn.
I do an open house there, and several cars pull in to the street, see the neighbor house, and speed up to leave. You're thinking that it's a rental, or that the owners are in foreclosure or something? No, they bought it new 33 years ago, paid off the mortgage, and own free-and-clear. The house has gone downhill since the day they got the keys. Never painted, landscaping is dirt and weeds, just a total shitshow.
So, I complained to code enforcement. The city actually came out (with much prodding from me) and now the driveway is clear except for the car that used to be on the lawn. The owners seem to be a bit embarrassed for letting it go so far, because they told my seller that they are getting bids for exterior paint.
I'm doing a price reduction tomorrow, from 1.15 to 1.11. I'd much prefer to get lower, but it is what it is.
My MLS has a "Hot sheet" which shows anything new in a given period, including price reductions. There's a column for comments for hotsheet listings. So, I'm working on how to craft a comment like "shithole next door has been cleaned up".