Anonymous
07/15/2025 15:30
Subject: Looking to sell house as Tear Down in Bethesda
Anonymous wrote:MoCo builders are sitting on a glut of inventory with not enough demand and the threat of tariffs. That market has really, really, really slowed. They're not anxious to buy property and potentially pay carrying costs for a while.
There's tons of demand in Bethesda. The Bethesda houses that aren't selling have major flaws, but anything decent and reasonably priced sells quickly. Builders have gotten very greedy and are overpricing like crazy, in ways that are not justified by their costs. The market is really favorable for sellers right now in Bethesda, especially closer in (20814, 20816, and some parts of 20817). I know this may be different in other parts of MoCo but Bethesda remains a hot market.
Anonymous
07/15/2025 14:46
Subject: Looking to sell house as Tear Down in Bethesda
Clean the house and list as-is at a realistic price.
Anonymous
07/15/2025 13:23
Subject: Looking to sell house as Tear Down in Bethesda
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:First, you're looking to sell "As is". This does not mean that your house is so damaged that it's a tear-down.
Second, we bought an "as-is" fixer-upper in Bethesda, gutted and renovated and have lived in it for 15 years. Usually these types of listings do not mention the words "tear-down" or "fixer-upper" - that would open the door to low-balling. They say something euphemistic like "renovate to your liking, or rebuild on this expansive lot!".
In boom times, developers flocked like crazy to these listings, but now with mass layoffs in the federal government, it might be a different situation.
OP Here. I get what you're saying about maybe someone would like the house in it's current condition and size.
We want to sell quickly and don't have time to get it ready for listing and photos. We were planning to build an addition onto this house when we bought it, but at this point, we don't want the hassle of going through that process while living here. We'd prefer to move into an existing house and make cosmetic improvements like painting and kitchen/bath renovations.
It's not deteriorated or damaged, just not much difference between Zillow/redfin estimate and what houses are being sold for that are torn down. Maybe a 100K difference in most circumstances.
Sounds like maybe there will be some benefit to listing "as is." We did renovate bathrooms, kitchens, and repaint when we bought 10 years ago. There may actually be some money left on the table if we don't try to list it.
I would just list as-is. Sounds like your house is in good condition. You may have improved it enough that you are in-between a tear-down and new build. It may be worth to much to be a tear-down. But listing it will get you the best price. Just get a realtor who understands you want to move quickly and are not going to be doing any updating. Price it accordingly.
Anonymous
07/15/2025 13:18
Subject: Looking to sell house as Tear Down in Bethesda
MoCo builders are sitting on a glut of inventory with not enough demand and the threat of tariffs. That market has really, really, really slowed. They're not anxious to buy property and potentially pay carrying costs for a while.
Anonymous
07/15/2025 10:06
Subject: Looking to sell house as Tear Down in Bethesda
Contact local builders. They can move quickly with no hassle and pay cash. Douglas Construction Group, Mid-Atlantic Builders, Paramount, Castlewood, and any others who have done tear-downs and new builds in your neighborhood.
Anonymous
07/15/2025 09:59
Subject: Looking to sell house as Tear Down in Bethesda
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:First, you're looking to sell "As is". This does not mean that your house is so damaged that it's a tear-down.
Second, we bought an "as-is" fixer-upper in Bethesda, gutted and renovated and have lived in it for 15 years. Usually these types of listings do not mention the words "tear-down" or "fixer-upper" - that would open the door to low-balling. They say something euphemistic like "renovate to your liking, or rebuild on this expansive lot!".
In boom times, developers flocked like crazy to these listings, but now with mass layoffs in the federal government, it might be a different situation.
OP Here. I get what you're saying about maybe someone would like the house in it's current condition and size.
We want to sell quickly and don't have time to get it ready for listing and photos. We were planning to build an addition onto this house when we bought it, but at this point, we don't want the hassle of going through that process while living here. We'd prefer to move into an existing house and make cosmetic improvements like painting and kitchen/bath renovations.
It's not deteriorated or damaged, just not much difference between Zillow/redfin estimate and what houses are being sold for that are torn down. Maybe a 100K difference in most circumstances.
Sounds like maybe there will be some benefit to listing "as is." We did renovate bathrooms, kitchens, and repaint when we bought 10 years ago. There may actually be some money left on the table if we don't try to list it.
The benefit to listing as is is that buyers know you don’t want to make repairs. But in the market of the past few years, no sellers needed to make repairs anyway, so as is hasn’t had a big stigma attached to it. Not sure if we’re still in that market though. PP is right that you’ll always get the best price by listing it on the open market and getting the builders to compete with regular buyers who want to do that addition, or don’t want a big house anyway.
Anonymous
07/15/2025 09:38
Subject: Looking to sell house as Tear Down in Bethesda
Anonymous wrote:First, you're looking to sell "As is". This does not mean that your house is so damaged that it's a tear-down.
Second, we bought an "as-is" fixer-upper in Bethesda, gutted and renovated and have lived in it for 15 years. Usually these types of listings do not mention the words "tear-down" or "fixer-upper" - that would open the door to low-balling. They say something euphemistic like "renovate to your liking, or rebuild on this expansive lot!".
In boom times, developers flocked like crazy to these listings, but now with mass layoffs in the federal government, it might be a different situation.
OP Here. I get what you're saying about maybe someone would like the house in it's current condition and size.
We want to sell quickly and don't have time to get it ready for listing and photos. We were planning to build an addition onto this house when we bought it, but at this point, we don't want the hassle of going through that process while living here. We'd prefer to move into an existing house and make cosmetic improvements like painting and kitchen/bath renovations.
It's not deteriorated or damaged, just not much difference between Zillow/redfin estimate and what houses are being sold for that are torn down. Maybe a 100K difference in most circumstances.
Sounds like maybe there will be some benefit to listing "as is." We did renovate bathrooms, kitchens, and repaint when we bought 10 years ago. There may actually be some money left on the table if we don't try to list it.
Anonymous
07/14/2025 20:19
Subject: Looking to sell house as Tear Down in Bethesda
Just call a bunch of builders if you know what it's worth. Save yourself 6%. But consider the fact that you don't know what it is worth.
Anonymous
07/14/2025 20:08
Subject: Looking to sell house as Tear Down in Bethesda
Agree with selling “as-is” - that’s the term you are looking for
Anonymous
07/14/2025 20:01
Subject: Looking to sell house as Tear Down in Bethesda
Talk to the builders directly. We used Mid-Atlantic builders in MoCo.
Anonymous
07/14/2025 17:53
Subject: Looking to sell house as Tear Down in Bethesda
Depending upon the price, your tear-down may be my palace--or, at least, my opportunity to live beyond my means.
Anonymous
07/14/2025 17:50
Subject: Looking to sell house as Tear Down in Bethesda
First, you're looking to sell "As is". This does not mean that your house is so damaged that it's a tear-down.
Second, we bought an "as-is" fixer-upper in Bethesda, gutted and renovated and have lived in it for 15 years. Usually these types of listings do not mention the words "tear-down" or "fixer-upper" - that would open the door to low-balling. They say something euphemistic like "renovate to your liking, or rebuild on this expansive lot!".
In boom times, developers flocked like crazy to these listings, but now with mass layoffs in the federal government, it might be a different situation.
Second, we bought an "as-is" fixer-upper in Bethesda, gutted and renovated and have lived in it for 15 years. Usually these types of listings do not mention the words "tear-down" or "fixer-upper" - that would open the door to low-balling. They say something euphemistic like "renovate to your liking, or rebuild on this expansive lot!".
In boom times, developers flocked like crazy to these listings, but now with mass layoffs in the federal government, it might be a different situation.
Anonymous
07/14/2025 17:41
Subject: Looking to sell house as Tear Down in Bethesda
You find a buyer by listing it on the MLS. If you want to maximize your proceeds, find a flat-fee or discount agent (google will give you names if you use those terms). If you just locate a buyer without using the MLS, you're likely to leave money on the table. You want the competition that comes with listing on the MLS.
Anonymous
07/14/2025 17:11
Subject: Looking to sell house as Tear Down in Bethesda
Someone just made another thread on this exact question for Vienna, good answers there
Anonymous
07/14/2025 17:00
Subject: Looking to sell house as Tear Down in Bethesda
We are looking to sell our house as a tear down in Bethesda. We are planning to buy another house nearby and its unlikely it makes sense to put money into our existing house for listing on the market. Has anyone else done this?
If so, we'd be interested in hearing how you found a buyer.
Thanks in advance!
If so, we'd be interested in hearing how you found a buyer.
Thanks in advance!