Wheres all the houses gone?

sportbeth

Has anyone else spotted this? We were expecting a slowdown from Autumn last year of people putting properties on the market. But it seems that there's a lot less going on this year than last.

An estate agent told us there's not much to buy out there and there's a higher number of buyers than stuff going on for sale. Is there any truth in this or are they just using agent speak to get buyers to offer quickly?

Is there a seasonal pattern? I thought that normally a lot of properties start going on this time of year? We're in Kent if that helps

Doozergirl

There do seem to be miniature booms going on. Things seem to be moving really in the area we're looking at in London with lots of Sold boards and one agent saying the same as you have been told.

More local to me, things seem to be moving at a more jaunty pace but certainly not as quickly as I've known. It's been a bit of a sport for me over the last year or so, watching some houses sitting for a long time. They've virtually all gone and the property paper is a little less interesting as a result as I'm finding it harder to keep up!

More time on here, ho hum. :rolleyes:

zappahey

Here, in our corner of Wiltshire, anything half-decent is rare and going in a flash. The stuff that's flawed and/or ambitiously priced does sit for an age though.

sportbeth

I guess that's what we'll have to hope for then, stuff that's ambitiously priced! We're waiting on one to sell (contracts exchanged so should be OK) but then we're staying put in my rented place for 6 months to save up some more cash (just because my rent is cheap and we thought we should with a wedding to pay for.

It is ruining my fun too. Reading the local rag property pages isn't half as much fun as it was last year. And we wanted to find something that had been sat on the market for 6 months so that we can wow them as a cash buyer and get a good price!

meanmachine_2

I should think the ridiculous costs associated with moving are beginning to bite.

Not so long ago people seemed to see moving house as a hobby (!). Now I think you'd need to be loaded to pursue such an activity more than once every decade.

Stamp duty, agents fees, moving costs, remortgaging fees, solicitors' fees.

You're looking at 5K minimum I should think.

easilyamused

We've been looking for a house since before Christmas and the number of new properties coming on each week round here (Notts) has noticeably dried up!

Have been living with OH's grandmother, with all my worldly goods in a storage container, so am getting increasingly desperate for a home of our own

Norma_Desmond

In the past week or so there's been a bit of a flurry of houses coming on to the market here..... I remember this time last year the same thing happening. Spring has finally sprung tho' you wouldn't know it to look outside!

sportbeth

meanmachine wrote:

I should think the ridiculous costs associated with moving are beginning to bite.

Not so long ago people seemed to see moving house as a hobby (!). Now I think you'd need to be loaded to pursue such an activity more than once every decade.

Stamp duty, agents fees, moving costs, remortgaging fees, solicitors' fees.

You're looking at 5K minimum I should think.

You could be right - it's going to be £9k stamp duty for us and that's before we've paid for anything else!!

sportbeth

Norma_Desmond wrote:

In the past week or so there's been a bit of a flurry of houses coming on to the market here..... I remember this time last year the same thing happening. Spring has finally sprung tho' you wouldn't know it to look outside!

I'm hoping the weather might help, mind you I also heard someone saying "well we put ours on last year, just to test the water mind and see what it's worth, we wouldn't have moved if we got an offer"

Cheeky sods, and maybe last year a lot of people were doing that whilst it was all rosy in the housing market and now they're not bothering.

I'd be almightily ££sed off if I gave up my Saturday morning to go and look at a house only to find out it wasn't seriously on the market!

Tassotti

It is seasonal. People wait for Spring to put their houses on the market, but not sure if Spring will actually happen, so they maybe waiting for Summer.

Expect price rises, as these are also seasonal. Last few months been flat, but this is always the case in Winter. Expecting 1% per month rises over the next 6 months.

Happy hunting

TomPearce1984

Easter seems to always be a popular time for new places to come on, people have time to sort out setting up EA's and getting them on the market for just after, or people have time to show people around over easter so get it on just before.