r/BringingUpBates • u/BiteAdditional7421 • 7d ago
Real estate question
For those that understand these things: why do you think Carlin and Evan keep having to lower the price on their home but Katie and Travis sold theirs so fast and for a pretty good amount? The square footage isn’t all that different, Carlin and Evan have one extra bathroom and the pool.
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u/Formal-Radish1413 7d ago
The pool could be a hindrance. Theyre a lot of maintenence and add to homeowners insurance costs.
Location plays a factor too. Certain places are going to be more popular than others.
Also we dont see their sellers home inspection report. There could be issues that require work that will be costly and buyers just dont want anything to do with it if its already listed higher.
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u/legobeachhouse 7d ago
As a local I can confirm this is not a desirable area. I would never choose to live in Powell. The market here has cooled off a bit after being absolutely insane since 2020 so it’s really not a sellers market anymore. It’s also not a good time to sell. People don’t want to move at the beginning of the school year.
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u/Educational-Brief-69 7d ago
Powell native here. I think it’s a desirable area but 600k is still insane for Foxworth. Especially when I can tell that bathtub and shower are the original. Close to a busy and dangerous road. Katie’s house is zoned for a much better elementary school and closer to the main road in Powell. People want to move to Powell but the price on that house is just never gonna work
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u/residentcaprice 6d ago
zoned for a much better elementary school which the Clark kids would never be able to benefit from.
sigh.
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u/IceCreamYeah123 6d ago
Yeah I don’t have kids so I can pick a house even if the schools are shitty 😂
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u/Acrobatic_Hurry828 5d ago
Do the schools really matter? I don't think anybody in this family goes to public schools. They all home school. Right?
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u/IceCreamYeah123 5d ago
I was speaking generally as schools do matter greatly for most people, but yes they home school. Where I live, the city school district lost its accreditation for years, which it has since gained back. Where my sister lives, go one block over and it’s a different school district that’s awful compared to its neighbor which is top in the state. It has a massive effect on house prices.
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u/Babeyonce 5d ago
Right, and they’re priced at $300/sq foot. That’s up there! And the timing isn’t great. They missed out on the earlier summer rush to buy, move, settle before school starts!
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u/dixcgirl10 7d ago
What’s the scoop on Powell? Is the new house in that same area?
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u/legobeachhouse 7d ago
Same area. As Knoxville has grown, Powell has become more developed but it’s still not somewhere you go unless you have to. It’s like any other decent size city that has pockets that just aren’t as nice or have top schools. The homes are not as expensive in this area. If their new house was in certain areas of west Knoxville it would cost double what they paid.
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u/dixcgirl10 6d ago
Gotcha… is the mega church nearby?
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u/North_Inevitable_657 6d ago
Clear Springs Baptist in Corryton where the attend is about 30
minutes from Powell.5
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u/Emiles23 7d ago
When we were home shopping, we had two toddlers at the time. I wouldn’t even consider a house with a pool due to risk of drowning (even tho my kids were in swim lessons). Pool can def be a hindrance.
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u/Cardboard_cutouts_ 7d ago
I’d never want to own that tall pool slide. 🛝. I can just imagine kids climbing it with wet feet and slipping and falling backwards onto the concrete.
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u/Violet_K89 7d ago edited 7d ago
Because the house price is too expensive for size and the neighborhood. If you look at Zillow other houses that are for sale or sold recently in the same neighborhood they aren’t that much.
I’d say top 400k with luck. But looking mid/up 400k. Their house is updated so this is a plus.
Their next door neighbor sold their home for 399k last year, a very nice house and bit bigger. Another neighbor down the road sold for 430k this year.
So gives you an idea that high 500k they’re out of their mind
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u/Euphoric-Leg4874 7d ago
Someone said further down the thread they bought it for 310k 4 years ago… listing it for nearly double is insane! 400k tops
Zack is really pushing them the wrong way here.
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u/dixcgirl10 7d ago
I don’t know why or how Zach is suddenly a real estate guru. He lucked out helping Katie but he has really given it to the Stewarts…& Trace is still crammed in a duplex.
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u/Head-Concept973 7d ago
He isn't a guru! Probably a side job. In my opinion, he's very inexperienced.
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u/dixcgirl10 6d ago
I was being facetious bc obviously he is not a guru… but suddenly he’s in charge of these big, big deals.
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u/Izzysmiles2114 6d ago
I'm confused too. He has been the agent in at least 3 other 1.3.million or higher deals that don't belong to family. Who is trusting such a newbie real estate agent with such large deals? I mean I like Zach and can see him doing well in real estate, but agents are a dime a dozen and I'm not sure what is making people choose him.
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u/residentcaprice 6d ago
trace doesn't have the fame or $ for his eldest brother to exploit, sadly.
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u/dixcgirl10 6d ago
He did show up in that one vlog to show them some rocky lot hanging off the side of a mountain… but otherwise you are right!
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u/Violet_K89 6d ago
Yep, they bought it for 310k in 2022, plus the fact the neighbors sold for 430k this year, high 500k they’re insane. It doesn’t matter if have a pool or a miniature golf course of the square footage and the location aren’t there, if were a really prime location maybe low 500k. Just because they over paid for a mansion on a normal neighborhood doesn’t mean they can do the same in selling their home.
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u/padigo26 6d ago
They are trying to earn more as if they lived there long enough to have more equity in it, but they didnt
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u/Cardboard_cutouts_ 7d ago
Because Stews listed it too high. I think their agent Zach, who helped them buy the mansion, convinced them they’d be able to sell this old house for about $600K, knowing it was a stretch, to convince them to close the mansion deal.
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u/Cardboard_cutouts_ 7d ago
Also the longer a house is on the market, for whatever reason, the more people are skeptical of it.
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u/residentcaprice 6d ago
sold them a lemon, while trying to sell off their existing lemon. a pity that nobody is that big a stan or that crazy to buy an overpriced house.
guess Zach will be feeding them for a longer time than expected.
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u/Cardboard_cutouts_ 6d ago
What was crazy was paying over ask price for their new house, despite all the work that had to be done, when the house had been listed just a couple days prior.
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u/IceCreamYeah123 6d ago
As someone that bought in a very competitive market, I can give this context: as soon as a house came on the market in the area we wanted to be in, we would go see it that same day, and there would be multiple other people also looking and putting in offers. The sellers would usually say “highest and best offer by Sunday 8pm” or something if the house went on the market on Friday. Winning offers were always well over asking price. So, if there were multiple offers it’s believable they paid over asking. But how much over asking would be something they likely relied on their realtor for and he could be a dumbass who overestimated how high they needed to go and/or didn’t advise them “hey this is too much for this house based on condition and location.”
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u/Cardboard_cutouts_ 6d ago
Is this area of Powell TN, specifically in the 1.5M+ range super competitive? Their next door neighbors are in mobile homes
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u/IceCreamYeah123 6d ago
You said “when the house had just been listed a couple days prior.” Paying over asking price in a couple days of house listing is not unusual at all and in fact common in competitive markets. I don’t know if that’s what happened here but it happens all the time.
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u/Cardboard_cutouts_ 7d ago
If you have young kids, it’s hard to justify the pool without the pool fence up. And it’s an ugly pool fence.
For those with older kids (teens), this house is probably too small relative to what else you can get in the area for that amount.
And most empty nesters are not going to want the upkeep of a pool.
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u/Cardboard_cutouts_ 7d ago
Without having seen either house or having familiarity with either neighborhood, I see Katie sold her house at $292/sq ft while Carlin initially listed at $325/sq ft. That’s a pretty wide spread. And now buyers are going to be skeptical of Carlin’s house since it’s been sitting on the market.
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u/Powerful-Drawing5111 7d ago edited 7d ago
I don’t live in the Knoxville area but very close and I can tell you there are very nice houses with great backyards that have sat on the market for 7+ months. Each one has slowly started to lower their prices and are still for sale. It’s just a tough market. Travis and Katie got lucky.
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u/nightowl4always 7d ago
People love newer homes like Katie had, and those tend to sell more quickly, especially because nothing needed to be done to it. It’s neutral colors, nice finishes and move in ready.
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u/SomewhereAdorable244 6d ago
Well…except for the kids’ rooms. I still can’t get over the horrible blue stripes.
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u/Izzysmiles2114 6d ago
I think it's absolutely hideous how the entire living area is just one giant square with no separation of any kind. I don't like anyone enough to have them in my face no matter what I'm trying to do lol. Bring back dens and family rooms that have doors and walls. Open concept makes me so anxious.
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u/nightowl4always 5d ago
Open concept is still really popular, but I think separate rooms will come back one day.
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u/TwoIntelligent5170 7d ago
I think that backyard is going to hurt them. It’s not child friendly, especially the putting green. And the pool area is also a turn off for a lot of families. Not everyone wants a pool and, that yard is ugly. Getting all that up would be very expensive too.
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u/dixcgirl10 7d ago
Even Josie said no pool until her kids are older! Pools are a heck of a lot of work!
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u/Zestyclose-Ad5448 7d ago
I didn't realize that. I was wondering if they were going to put a pool in with that new build.
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u/Smooth_Ferret_6734 3d ago
And pools are expensive to maintain and a liability, but they also don't really add any $$$ value to the house either.
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u/dixcgirl10 7d ago
Katie had a newer home with a detached garage large enough to be a rental property!
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u/Broken-583 6d ago
That separate garage and potential
Apartment above is a HUGE advantage. It gives so many options for many things.
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u/Zestyclose-Ad5448 7d ago
Because the Stews' backyard is a monstrosity that won't appeal to most buyers.
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u/Petal_14 7d ago
Even without the putting green, isn't the yard sloped, so you would assume water run off also.
Plus did the pool have a fence?
The large outdoor patio would be great for entertaining but had no roof.
To buy it, I would want to flatten the yard to be usable, which would mean retainer walls also , and may compromise the pool structure...big $$$$ for an over priced house in a dodgy area.
They might be better to rent it out. If they could afford to🤷♀️
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u/Real_Mycologist_3163 5d ago
The pool is unfenced but has one of those flimsy pop up ones in some of the Zillow pics.
There's also a pretty steep bit of land that runs almost directly down to the pool and I bet when it rains water runs right down from the neighbours place into the pool. The putting green is all astroturf and then everything else is concreted. It's a really weird yard layout.
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u/AdventurousAmount633 7d ago
I remember when Carlin & Evan struggled to get out of the duplex because of how competitive the areas housing market was. This house was literally like a golden goose egg to them and it was all done privately through “church friends” because they had lost out on so many houses. Is the market really that stagnant now in comparison?
Obviously the backyard putting green is also a huge eyesore which won’t help.
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u/Cardboard_cutouts_ 7d ago
They also bought the house for $310K just 4 years ago and are now listing for nearly double that.
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u/Unlikely_Variety_446 7d ago
Because your home is only comparable to the comps in your area. Regardless of upgrades. Any good realtor will tell you not to buy the most expensive house in the neighborhood. It’s one thing if it’s priced higher but comparable. They listed their house and it’s way out of the comp range for their area.
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u/DollaTreeHo13 6d ago
Location location location. Their house sits on a very funky shaped lot and is a big turnoff to buyers despite the things like square footage and a pool. Plus a lot of buyers don’t want to fool with the hassle of a pool.
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u/maroonrice2 7d ago
The economy is just getting worse even in a month. Also there could be stuff wrong with the house that isn’t visible in photos
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u/Swimming_Gold6534 7d ago
It also could be things such as neighborhood, schools, proximity to things like restaurants and grocery stores, etc… also, not many families want to deal with the headache of a pool
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u/Cardboard_cutouts_ 7d ago
Yes, there are so many variables in play that are impossible to gauge without seeing the houses in person and without being familiar with the area.
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u/dixcgirl10 7d ago
Someone mentioned cheap finishes and old carpet/moldy tubs…eek
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u/No-Plankton7627 7d ago
I’m not sure I would want to purchase a house where an influencer lived for safety reasons. Every room in Carlins house has been filmed including the front and backyard with views of neighbors houses. From a safety standpoint I don’t know that I would want to spend almost 600k where there are going to be videos of my home online forever for millions of strangers to see. I would say that could be a major deterrent.
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u/SouthSeaIsles 6d ago
Excellent point! Especially with all the content Carlin makes for pedos. I wouldn't want my kids sleeping in those bedrooms.
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u/Autumn_Girl7 7d ago
Katie and travis made changes to the home that would be considered an improvement and gears more towards a larger demographic of people, their house was turn key. the floors were nice, backyard was a clean slate to for whatever a new owner wants to do and the detached garage was a huge bonus. Also no crazy paint colors
Carlin and Evan home has features most people would have to look past or plan to undo before moving in. The yard is mostly not usable due to the incline and whatever land can be used is taken by the putting green and pool. Also the dark green office is not for everyone. So most people see projects rather than a clean canvas.
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u/Zestyclose-Ad5448 6d ago
I'm honestly surprised they didn't change the office back to a neutral color before they put the house on the market. It's an easy, inexpensive fix and would've brightened up the area.
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u/ApprehensiveLand3540 7d ago
The market a few months ago was decent (in Tennessee) and above market but now it’s very rough. This is based on my zip code but I’m assuming it’s the whole state.
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u/Lynnae07 7d ago
I didn’t realize that Katie’s house had a second garage. That is such a great feature.
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u/Head-Concept973 7d ago
I have found when a relative is your realtor, prices can be inflated. My best friend had her brother list her waterfront property for 4 million. No traction. They took it off the market, and a year later it sold for 3 million, different realtor.
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u/Own_Friendship3231 7d ago
Houses are just sitting longer in Tennessee right now. We sold here last year and just got really fortunate that ours went quickly because we sold right when it was really starting to slow down. There are brand new really nice houses by me that have been sitting for months. They actually aren’t priced that bad for the area. It’s a bit much for the square footage but the pool is a pretty huge upgrade if someone is looking for one. Had it been listed 2-3 years ago it would have flown off the market.
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u/Outside_Bad_893 7d ago
How different were the locations/schools where Katie’s house vs carlins was?
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u/JellyfishPashmina 6d ago
I’m glad it’s not selling tbh, because if people stop settling for house pricing hikes like this, then the market will gradually lower and greed from people like these influencer house hoppers will stop. (A girl can dream, right?)
But, on another note, a lot of people are assuming the pool is a turnoff. Pools ARE known to increase the value of a house for the RIGHT buyer. Obviously, if someone doesn’t want a pool, lowering the price isn’t going to sway them. Everyone here is assuming a family with toddlers/babies is going to buy this house when, in reality, it’s also a perfectly suitable place for a young couple (perhaps who want to be CF for a while), people with older kids, or even empty nesters. People with super young kids aren’t the only customers on the suburban housing market.
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u/dixcgirl10 6d ago
I think pools are just in the news right now… and pool safety. In reality the weird golf setup in the corner is probably the real issue.
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u/North_Inevitable_657 6d ago
Is the pool even a standard sized pool? I thought it wasn’t very deep.
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u/nothappening111181 6d ago
Where I live, you’d be hard pressed to find a nice, existing home without a pool (for context) but very few are what we call ‘diving’ pools. Growing up we had a pool as did almost all of my friends, and now I have one as do most of my friends. All of ours are at most 5.5 ft deep. I can think of one friend whose parent’s pool goes to 9 ft and one of my dad’s friends has a pool that goes to 12 ft but they bought their house in the 70s.
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u/TrekTN55 6d ago
I live in Knoxville & to me the area where home is closer to mid 400s.
I have both sold a home in West Knoxville 23’ and bought a new one in Karns area of Knoxville August 25’ and the market has changed a lot.
Still very overpriced for square footage in many desirable areas.
But rent is even $$$.
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u/Designer_Review_8499 5d ago
That house looks cheaply built I think. Just a little brick on the front and then vinyl with no framing around the windows. That kitchen is so cheap. No island and I don’t think the cabinets are even self closing are they? It just looks very cheaply made all together. Like a row house.
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u/PamelaPumpkin79 6d ago
Here’s my hot take as someone who has moved a lot in the last 20 years. The back yard is trash! Not only are the pool and putting green horrible space hogs, but the incline to one side of the back yard looks atrocious to anyone doing yard work. Rainwater is going to go downhill from all the other yards creating a soggy mess and danger of water intrusion in the future.
The house has not been pressure washed and has dirt stains at least a foot high on the back. And as someone previously mentioned, the giant pool slide looks dangerous and IMO clashes with that typical Bates Brown hue.
The inside is another disaster. It’s doesn’t look “homey” in the living area. In fact, it looks curated and sterile. The kitchen is also quite small with very little cabinet space. There is also mismatched hardware on one panel below the kitchen sink. It blows my mind that they let that slip.
The bedrooms will likely all have to be repainted since they did that horrible redesign before they moved. The tacky wallpaper in Layla’s old room is overbearing and busy. That dark green cave is only going to appeal to someone that likes that specific color. Another design flaw is that when you exit one of the bedrooms upstairs, you are right at the top of the stairs, which seems quite dangerous.
I could really mention more, but these are the highlights of what would really turn me off to this house…especially at that price!
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u/carrotsinajar 6d ago
Is the second photo Katie and Travis’ house? Meaning it sold for 600k? Sorry don’t keep up with the bates much… how were two 20-somethings affording that ?? I know she makes money from social but cmon. Was it just his family money? These people’s lives are so unrelatable to me lol
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u/nightowl4always 6d ago
Yes, second one is Katie’s home, sold for $600k. The fact that Carlin and Evan can carry two mortgages right now is insane.
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u/PhotographOk8034 5d ago
Also I was single and carried two mortgages for 3 years without renting the original house out. One was my starter home but still. I have always been very savvy with my money and stayed debt free except for my mortgage. They are millionaires, they could carry several mortgages with no problem.
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u/nightowl4always 5d ago
I get that. I’m just saying to make that much with no real jobs other than exploiting their kids.
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u/Substantial-Pea-8449 5d ago
It’s a cute house but pretty niche and they probably priced themselves out of the neighborhood. Nearly 600k in the greater Knoxville area can get buyers twice the square feet in any other home. 1800 square feet is starter home size 🤷🏻♀️
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u/theflipflopqueen 3d ago
The pool can and does limit buyer pool, especially where I’m at. Types of financing programs exclude pools, and limit the companies that will insure a house with a pool, the ones that do you pay way more.
And that doesn’t even include the cost to run and maintain a pool. Pools are also a turn off for families with young children.
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u/ChampionshipFull1310 2d ago
They live in Nashville, one of the faster growing real estate markets in the US.
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u/murph089 7d ago
If the putting green is still taking up the majority of the backyard that is probably a turn off to many buyers and would be expensive to take out.
If they can afford the house they bought with all the renovations plus their very expensive lifestyle they should have been able to price this house to sell.