Small yard. That a lot of house for that sized yard, which may hurt it. The wedge shape may make it tough to do much with it. I can't tell whether there is room for a swing set.

Some of the finishes are a little too standard builder, but don't think that is the problem. I assume you have seen the video tour:

http://www.wfp.com/propertySearch/prop.asp?id=84054097

The problem with pricing a house too high is it sits and sits and then everybody assumes there must be something wrong with it even after you lower the price. My sister is trying to sell a house in NoVA and the exact same thing is happening to her right now. I would almost rather slightly under price.

You could always speak to an agent to see if they would be open to a lower bid. I didn't look at the history to see when they listed, when they lowered, etc. Good luck, OP (and spouse).

Set up an appointment and take a look to see if there's something about the quality of the renovations/upgrades that might be off. If you are serious about this house as a potential, one thing you might do is check out the records at city hall for any issues (maybe there are outstanding liens that were messy), etc. We did that ourselves (even though the brokers will also do this) but found it very informative.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - We could probably stretch up to $1.1 million (so, OK, the house is $175k above our range, not $100k), but we would prefer to spend closer to $1 million tops. I think there are a lot of families (relatively speaking) who could go to a million, maybe $1.1 million, but stretching beyond that would just break us. It's hard to get anything in Sumner for less than $1.1 million, so while we love the neighborhood we look at listings there mainly to indulge our fantasies. This house started at almost $1.4 million -- way out of our range -- but if it keeps dropping, who knows?

OK

Well then either offer what you CAN afford or find something else.

There's no sense in fretting if that extra $100K will sink you.

OP's spouse here. What is the matter with you? He's not "fretting" about the money. His post wasn't looking for advice about whether WE should buy it. He's just curious about why it's been sitting for so long - out of curiosity/interest in the market.

Anonymous wrote:OP here - We could probably stretch up to $1.1 million (so, OK, the house is $175k above our range, not $100k), but we would prefer to spend closer to $1 million tops. I think there are a lot of families (relatively speaking) who could go to a million, maybe $1.1 million, but stretching beyond that would just break us. It's hard to get anything in Sumner for less than $1.1 million, so while we love the neighborhood we look at listings there mainly to indulge our fantasies. This house started at almost $1.4 million -- way out of our range -- but if it keeps dropping, who knows?

OK

Well then either offer what you CAN afford or find something else.

There's no sense in fretting if that extra $100K will sink you.

OP here - We could probably stretch up to $1.1 million (so, OK, the house is $175k above our range, not $100k), but we would prefer to spend closer to $1 million tops. I think there are a lot of families (relatively speaking) who could go to a million, maybe $1.1 million, but stretching beyond that would just break us. It's hard to get anything in Sumner for less than $1.1 million, so while we love the neighborhood we look at listings there mainly to indulge our fantasies. This house started at almost $1.4 million -- way out of our range -- but if it keeps dropping, who knows?

Anonymous wrote:
This house has been on the market for a while, and the price has come down. It's still about $100k too expensive for us. But similarly prices houses, most of them older, have been selling much faster in this neighborhood (Sumner) in Bethesda. My question is why? It's not the greatest looking house but it is new(ish) and has a lot of bells and whistles. We haven't been inside it, though. What do you think?

http://www.redfin.com/MD/Bethesda/5115-Lawton-Dr-20816/home/10657070

You can afford a home priced at over $1m but can't kick in another $100K?

I don't understand.

Perhaps you can't even afford the million.

This is not Joanne (the realtor). This would be a trade
-up house for us, if we had the cash -- and the inclination. But we do like that neighborhood a lot.

The exterior is not very attractive. It looks like the type of infill you might find in Seat Pleasant or Temple Hills.

Hey Joanne!!

This house has been on the market for a while, and the price has come down. It's still about $100k too expensive for us. But similarly prices houses, most of them older, have been selling much faster in this neighborhood (Sumner) in Bethesda. My question is why? It's not the greatest looking house but it is new(ish) and has a lot of bells and whistles. We haven't been inside it, though. What do you think?

http://www.redfin.com/MD/Bethesda/5115-Lawton-Dr-20816/home/10657070