To those selling in these difficult times Part Deux. AKA sellers support network!

ukmaggie45

missylis wrote: »

Just thought I would post my selling report,

Hi missylis, I'm kind of an ex-member of this thread - managed to sell my parent's flat back in Jan. But I'll prob be back in a while!

Just wanted to welcome you, and wish you luck.

We're currently buying before selling as the house we're after needs a lot of work so we'll stay in our current home till it's done. IYSWIM. I do realise how lucky I am to be in this position, and I really feel for all who have to sell before they can move.

Best wishes

Maggie

I,_Geek

Last time I posted on here I was complaining about no viewings, and now we're in the middle of selling :j Although I have to keep any celebrations in check just in case...

How it all panned out:

- Reduced price again. Now on for 15k lower than the "reasonable price" our EA told us it was on for in May this year. It was fair compared to other properties, but they probably weren't getting any viewings either. I know we see the same "for sale" signs month after month so stuff isn't shifting.

- Got a call the day after price reduction with a viewing. Had 3 viewers. Our new price meant we were the best flat in the area by far for your money, and all the viewers said it was better than other flats they had seen.

- A bit of frustration with some FTBs who put an offer in 10k below the new price. It was understandable that they tried, but we had to refuse it and thought they would come back with a better one. They were really positive about the flat, had viewed others, and said they wanted to buy ASAP. They were due a meeting with a mortgage advisor at the EAs in a few days so we waited to see what their revised offer would be after that. Then they cancelled the appointment saying they had rushed into things.

- Our buyer seemed a lot more committed to moving (if not to our house) during the viewing. They were the first to bring up trying to move before Christmas, had chosen a solicitor, and had owned in the past.

- The people we're buying off were reasonable and accepted an offer 10k below the asking price. Which was an "offers over" asking price, too. They've been on the market for years. So in 2007 our houses were on for about the same price, and in 2009 we're buying/selling for similar prices. My OH and I have accepted we're losing out a little, but it became a case of "how much are we prepared to pay/lose to get out of here?"

- We haven't signed contracts yet and are waiting for mortgage valuations to be done - both at our house and the one we're buying. There's only 3 of us in a chain so - fingers crossed - that should keep things simple. Flats in our house have sold in the past two years so that's a good indicator that the solicitors have managed to untangle the management company/ground rent/leasehold web. Not such a good sign was our solicitor saying the buyer's solicitors were picky.

- Bit of a surprise after offers had been accepted and solicitors appointed. My OH went to sort out his mortgage with someone he'd had a long meeting with previously, and was then told he'd need a 20% deposit, instead of the 10% we had expected.

Just hoping the postal strike doesn't mess everything up.

Slightly off-topic, but I think my OH and I discovered one of the worst things you can see when turning up to view a house. We'd driven around after dark to see what the area was like. My OH had viewed the house during the day and said it was nice and quiet. Even before we get out of the car we can see what's going on: a police helicopter is hovering above the street and shining the searchlight across the gardens, along the streets. As we walked around it picked us up to see if we were the people they were looking for. I had other doubts about the house but that sealed it... We drove up to the house we're buying and it was deadly quiet, like every other time we've been there.

Milliewilly

:rotfl:I once viewed a house that was quite remote and I noticed lager cans and what looked like motorbike (those annoying scrambling bike) tracks around the front of the driveway.

I asked the seller about this and she said there was no problem with anything like that. About 10 minutes later we were looking around the front of the property and a police car pulls up, winds the window down and says he's there about the reports of yobs on scrambling bikes and drinking etc. The look on the sellers face was priceless. I later looked up the price and it had sold for £125K less than advertised and that was in 2006!

spirit

When I worked at an EA on weekends when my kids were small, I went to do a viewing on a Sunday morning. Turned up with the viewers, let us all in and then suddenly a very red faced man in a dressing gown appeared on the landing! Someone at the office clearly hadn't told him we were coming :eek:

Well, this afternoon my agent rang to say that Ms On another Planet had phoned in. She was very upset because she thought she was a good buyer and was upset to learn that I had agreed a sale to Mr and Mrs FTB. She visited yesterday for the 3rd time on the understanding that she would have to do better than £245k but rang later that day to say that she wasn't going to better it and was going to continue her search.

She has offered now £249,999 (£4 more than FTBs) plus £1000 up front for fixtures and fittings.

I immediately said that I have agreed the sale already and that a deal is a deal and that morally I'm not game for gazumping people, she had her chance yesterday and blew it.

Oh dear

my first offer on the house I want has been refused - no surprises there. I really want this one and there is little around of that quality where I'm looking so i've offered full asking. Just waiting to hear back now.

tootsmyboots

I still keep remembering that story someone posted on here (joke as it turned out) where the seller welcomed the husband in a pink bikini and was most put out that the wife turned up too! Makes me chuckle whenever I think of it and my other half keeps telling me to dress the same to welcome viewers. (But if you saw my figure after 2 kids you would know that is a BAD idea!!!)

jeggburt

I got a telephone call from a rival estate agent today asking how my selling experience is with my current agent.

I told them about the fact there were no viewings yet and although I'm not sure whether the chap meant it or not, he sounded surprised.

Anyway, he said that he was more than willing to compete against the other EA but I *might* be tempted to give my current EA the two weeks notice when the sole agency is up and start going with this other agent.

Part of me wants to renegotiate because the fees I agreed with the current EA are extremely high (£1150 on a flat on the market for £50k), the other part of me says there are no buyers available for my flat at the moment and moving want make a jot of difference.

goldbyron

Well no viewings for me at the moment. Also had some bad feedback - the first day I had viewings...my neighbour (awful person) played her music loud on purpose to put off viewings. The second viewer unfortuntely listed this as the reason she wasn't interested...grrrr. Although I am aware that other viewers didn't offer for other reason it is frustrating in this market to have a difficult neighbour - who I may add is reasonably quiet when she doesn't spy a viewer! Oh well she will get an awful buyer eventually if she carries on.

jeggburt

goldbyron wrote: »

Oh well she will get an awful buyer eventually if she carries on.

Grr, that's annoying that like, especially when you've done nothing wrong :mad:

Hope the rest of your viewers have better experiences.

not_loaded

jeggburt wrote: »

I got a telephone call from a rival estate agent today asking how my selling experience is with my current agent… …the other part of me says there are no buyers available for my flat at the moment and moving want make a jot of difference.

I was getting these rival calls, but now, for two weeks or so, nothing. I’m of the opinion that the market is now pretty dead until New Year.

When I asked the EAs what they were offering, they all went rather quiet. “So, you’re going to get me viewers and offers?”

“Umm… We couldn’t possibly say that would happen…”. :rotfl:

spirit

goldbyron wrote: »

Well no viewings for me at the moment. Also had some bad feedback - the first day I had viewings...my neighbour (awful person) played her music loud on purpose to put off viewings. The second viewer unfortuntely listed this as the reason she wasn't interested...grrrr. Although I am aware that other viewers didn't offer for other reason it is frustrating in this market to have a difficult neighbour - who I may add is reasonably quiet when she doesn't spy a viewer! Oh well she will get an awful buyer eventually if she carries on.

Hi goldbyron, your neighbour does sound a nightmare. Be careful though, have you had to have 'words' with them about it? If so you must declare it on your sellers information form you'll have to fill out later on.