Properties on market for long time..What should I look out for?

[Account Closed]

I came across a property on Realtor.com that looks like it could be a deal. But that gets me thinking, why hasn’t a local investor bought this? What don’t I know? It’s been on the market for almost 5 months.

Listed at $35,000 ARV around $80,000 - $90,000. I looked at recent sales in last 3 months on comparable homes in same neighborhood, not the "zestimate." Lots of pics and looks like a cosmetic rehab. What are common reasons a deal that looks good on the surface would sit on the market for so long?

[Cassi Justiz]

One thing I've seen a lot with properties like this in my market is that they are going through a short sale, probate or court dealings or something else along those lines that delays the process of purchase. Sometimes they will have a contract in place but leave the listings "active" for months while they sort out whatever issues there are. Most of the time you won't be able to see this info on the buyer side, but if you have an agent that you are working with they can look in the agent remarks section and possibly see what is going on.