Every seller on the market at this time of year faces a question: Quit for a while and limit Days on Market for when you plan to sell in Spring? Or stay on market and try to "get noticed" among a more limited field of listings?
There's no right answer. They're equally plausible approaches.
We've pulled two of Dave's listings off market recently, instantly selling one (does cancellation cause the phone to ring?) and, as to the other... we'll see.
No question, though, inventory always drops this time of year.
But if you're going to stay on market, or come back to market, this is a funny time, right now, to choose to reboot with a new listing or agent or MLS#.
Still, 8 of the "newest" 21 listings in Manhattan Beach – all under 30 DOM now – are reboots of listings that were on the market not so very long ago. Sure, there are bogus re-lists, but what's striking is that some are listings that quit weeks or months ago, then chose, apparently, to restart now.
As long as you're off market for a spell, why not wait till February? Curious. Here are those 8 reboots choosing November/December to start a new DOM clock:
1657 Ruhland (6br/6ba, 4500 sqft.) is a 2006 Craftsman-inspired corner-lot home that feels plenty warm & looks clean, but perhaps is ready for a round of updates.
Launched in May at $2.825M, the listing made gradual cuts under $2.8M and finally just under $2.7M before quitting in late October.
But soon it was back! On Nov. 10, 1657 Ruhland returned about $100K lighter at $2.599M, and with a new agent joining the original listing agent in a team setup of sorts.
Maybe in early November, the idea was to capture that last burst of attention before Thanskgiving. But it's not sold yet.
Combined Days on Market at the time of this writing: 193.
1740 2nd (6br/5ba, 4000 sqft.) presents a roughly similar story.
It's a green East MB house, built around the same time (2005 in this case), and it's now on the second listing of the year.
A long run from June-early November at $2.595M didn't work, so they quit and re-listed $100K lighter at $2.495M. (We said this was a similar story.)
Combined Days on Market now: 159.
917 Highview (5br/5ba, 6350 sqft.) is the quintessential Hill Section estate.
Actually, there are very few overall that combine this Beverly Hills ambition, with enough space to spread out a wide and sprawling home plus pool, sports court and party cabana. (12,000+ sqft. lot!) There are even views.
It's a fun place, if imperfect around the edges. Majorly updated from the 1980s original in 2006.
Price obviously held it back: $8.350M, then $7.950M. How many buyers are there up in that tier of the stratosphere?
After almost 9 months, they quit the market and cut the price again.
It's back as of Nov. 30 (yes, post-Turkey Day) at $7.550M.
Worth noting: They look to be having their first public open house at 917 Highview this coming weekend.
Combined Days on Market: 279.
1426 Marine (2br/1ba, 840 sqft.) is a truly small cottage on a truly busy street that has had a busy year on the market.
First, in major fixer condition, it sold in February for $1.010M. (Take a look.)
A flipper saw a big profit opportunity in restyling the home and getting it right back out to market. No addition of square footage. No extra bathroom. Just a makeover.
After a try at $1.299M pre-remodel (profit without lifting a hammer!), the price was changed to $1.399M in May as the home's new look was completed.
Slowly the price has made its way down to $1.289M. Need we say again? That's a tiny house on a busy street.
Combined Days on Market: 186.
1813 Oak (3br/1ba, 1000 sqft.) is a little cottage on the "right" side of Oak that was purchased in February this year for $1.400M. (Does this sound similar to 1426 Marine? It ends here.)
Now, it's involved in the second attempt late in the year to resell for $1.499M.
No changes (except in agents), nothing better about the timing now.
They rebooted on Nov. 16, giving the sellers a full week to capture buyers' attention before Turkey Day. And now here we are.
Combined Days on Market: 81.
1000 The Strand is a 5000 sqft. corner lot right near the Manhattan Beach pier.
It was first listed in June 2015 for $28.900M, a price so ambitious, you could just about imagine someone climbing the the peak of Everest, then insisting that a whole gang of fellow climbers form a human pyramid so that maybe, just maybe, one of them could grab hold of the moon.
No, it was not to be.
$29M gave way to $28M and then to $26.500M, then the listing quit in May this year.
It is only in context that you can call the newest start price of $24.400M moderate by comparison.
They keep making surprising choices. Starting a new DOM clock on December 1 is another.
Now, while they did log 336 DOM on the June '15-May '16 listing, they've been off the MLS a long time. That means the new listing began with a totally legit 0 DOM.
Only people with memories (and/or websites) remember that deeper history.
1209 Bayview (2br/2ba, 1350 sqft.) is a quirky custom build on a little 32' x 33' square lot (1000 sqft.) right in the thick of downtown. (The public parking lot right in back gives you the chance to meet your neighbors, and lots of people who aren't.)
One agent gave it the old college try for most of the Summer, asking $2.490M down to $2.435M with no takers.
The listing vanished in late September after 99 DOM had elapsed.
It's back now – what's that, a Dec. 2 start? – asking a bit less: $2.375M.
You could count DOM as 100+, but even the MLS calculator doesn't see it that way. Maybe that break of 2 months was enough to reset the CDOM clock, too. Both show 4 DOM now.
664 Rosecrans (2br/2ba, 640 sqft.) is truly tiny (there we go again), spiffily remodeled and on the market a 4th time already this year.
This is a new agent bringing it out now on Dec. 6 (!), for reasons that appear to be internal to the seller.
And you don't want to blame this listing agent for the 3 serial re-lists pulled by the prior agent, who just seems to have a nasty habit of doing that over and over.
After tries at $1.199M and $1.179M, they're now asking $1.149M.
Combined Days on Market at launch: 104.