Why don't people want to sell me a house?

sonastin

I am chain free. I have a large deposit sitting in my solicitor's client account since I sold my house. I am keen not to stay in my mother's house for too long. I have (at the last count) 2 mortgage offers - not AIP but actual real firm offers. And yet no one seems to want to sell me a house.

House 1 - vendor decided actually she wanted to move back in so withdrew it from the market. Then EA called back a couple of weeks later asking if I still wanted it because vendor had changed her mind again and didn't actually want to live in the area. By then I had started on the purchase of house 2.

House 2 - repossession. has issues with building regulations. I'm not prepared to pay agreed price without work being done but vendor can't make a decision between doing work or reducing price. I think selling this house has fallen into the "too hard to do" pile.

So now I'm back looking for houses again. I've been to view one. I've phoned another EA to try and view another one. Both EAs have asked what position I'm in. I would consider chain free, mortgageable with a large deposit and desperate to move = perfect buyer. Yet neither one has asked what I'm looking for. 2nd EA hasn't called back with an appointment. None of them want to tell me about other houses on their books to try and secure a sale. If buyers are really so few and far between, surely they would want to show me everything they've got?


Is it me? Why doesn't anyone want to sell me a house?!

wodgerdodger

I find it extremely maddening to being in your position and find not one but two agents who aren't taking you seriously. In this market i woud have expected the red carpet treatment from all agents.

Must be be you then.;)

angrypirate

Unfortunately a lot of vendors are still deluded. They believe they still can sell at the highs seen in 2007. You will probably find in 6 months time they will regret not taking a good buyer when they had the chance.

oxenryd

Went along with a friend the other day to see an estate agent - all ready to buy - but as you said, they don't seem interested. Am I missing something or do agents know something we don't?

theartfullodger

sonastin wrote: »

Is it me? Why doesn't anyone want to sell me a house?!

Weird: No offence but if it were me in your shoes I'd conclude there was something about "me"... e.g. my manner (how i talk with [with not to..] EAs etc, do you talk face2face or only email/'phone, what others are saying about me, dunno what else...).

People will think me mad when I suggest this but tried the old "There's a Magnum of Champagne for whoever gets me the house I want!"... EAs will be so surprised a buyer is offering anything of value to an EA & you'll get so much attention simply because they remember you. Maybe also try going (physically) round all EA offices that may have what you want once a week to reinforce (gently, in chatty & friendly way..) why you are such a great buyer & can help them hit their targets... They only care about their targets, caring nothing for what the buyer (or vendor..) wants.

A magnum of shampoo really ain't nuffink in buying an 'ouse...

Cheers!

Artful

sonastin

angrypirate wrote: »

Unfortunately a lot of vendors are still deluded. They believe they still can sell at the highs seen in 2007. You will probably find in 6 months time they will regret not taking a good buyer when they had the chance.

Deluded homeowners like the vendor of house number 1 I can understand and cope with.

Its the "professionals" who should know better that are frustrating me!

If I knew what I was doing wrong I'd change it. Conversations so far follow the format of "I've seen a property of yours on rightmove and I'd like to view it. Its on (some street) in (nice village). Can I make an appointment to view it (on Saturday) / (one evening next week) / (sometime. I am available ...)?" and in response "can I take your name, address. what position are you in? Leave it with me and I'll get back to you. What phone number?"

For the latest one, haven't heard anything more. Last one before that, had viewing, OH took call for feedback and offered something polite and negative (the usual "very nice but just not quite right" type platitudes) and thats it - no more contact from that EA.

In this market I thought they would be tripping over themselves to try and convince me that what they have on their books can be made to suit but I feel like I've got to beg to even get them to tell me what they've got for sale.

Its definitely a case of if it ain't on rightmove, I ain't buying it - because I don't even know its available

PasturesNew

I have the same problem with EAs, I've almost been chucked out of offices before. I've been sneered down at a few times.

I think it's a confidence/body language thing.

Apart from that, your two examples aren't unusual. [1] people do change their minds sometimes, you were unlucky [2] with a repossession they don't do any work, people (usually builders or keen DIYers) buy repossessions "as is" at the price and they do the work, that's how it works.

As for keeping your money in your solicitor's client account - that seems a waste. Chuck £50k of it into the Post Office online esaver account. You sign up simply online and immediately it's opened... no faffing about with proving who you are. If you have more then check out other accounts.... although the Post Office will probably be "safe" for £85k from 31st December.

Edit: I notice you used the term "OH" - does that mean you're a woman? Don't phone the EAs, that's a man's job. EAs are supremely sexist and you'll get a much better response if your OH does the talking.

sonastin

PasturesNew wrote: »

I have the same problem with EAs, I've almost been chucked out of offices before. I've been sneered down at a few times.

I think it's a confidence/body language thing.

Apart from that, your two examples aren't unusual. [1] people do change their minds sometimes, you were unlucky [2] with a repossession they don't do any work, people (usually builders or keen DIYers) buy repossessions "as is" at the price and they do the work, that's how it works.

As for keeping your money in your solicitor's client account - that seems a waste. Chuck £50k of it into the Post Office online esaver account. You sign up simply online and immediately it's opened... no faffing about with proving who you are. If you have more then check out other accounts.... although the Post Office will probably be "safe" for £85k from 31st December.

Edit: I notice you used the term "OH" - does that mean you're a woman? Don't phone the EAs, that's a man's job. EAs are supremely sexist and you'll get a much better response if your OH does the talking.

If the repo company had said "take it or leave it" we could have actually done something sooner. My sol asked for the building regs certificates, vendors applied to the council for them, the council said the works hadn't been signed off and so the vendors applied for regularisation. I went to meet with the building inspector expecting to have to take on the work myself and the vendors sent their own contractor to the meeting to price the work. I expected that to be a "getting a quote so we know what is a fair price" negotiating tool but no - they went off and got another 2 quotes and instructed someone to do the work. Then they found out that the builder didn't know what he was doing and offered me an allowance on completion to get the work done myself ("name your price" was what the EA said). My lender won't accept an allowance so I've gone back with a lower offer but they haven't accepted or rejected it yet. Given up waiting for them to make up their minds hence looking to buy again!

Trouble with using my fella as a go between is that a) I am buying this house on my own - he has his own place which is going to be our "holiday home" by the sea and b) he lives 250 miles away and c) doesn't know the area so he'd end up agreeing to view places miles from where we want to live. When he is round here though he can go and see EAs in the middle of the day/middle of the week when I'm working but they tend to be quieter and paying more attention...

Nuttyneddy

You know what, I think you are right about EAs these days. We have thankfully found somewhere we want to buy (waiting for exchange ATM) but when we were looking both myself and my husband emailed countless EAs in the area we were interested in asking to be put on their mailing lists.

When I've been house-hunting in the past this would have prompted the arrival of dozens of house details through the post, but this time? Nothing!

One estate agent emailed us a couple of likely looking houses, one emails us everything that comes onto their books despite the fact that a) they do not remotely match our stated requirements and b) I have emailed them to reiterate said requirements.

The rest just expect us to look on Rightmove! Or keep checking back on their websites ourselves.

I was feeling quite neglected

Sonastin, sadly I think the only thing to do is to trawl the web on a daily basis and make specific enquiries about properties you are interested in. There doesn't seem to be any element of pro-active selling going on these days.

DVardysShadow

PasturesNew wrote: »

Edit: I notice you used the term "OH" - does that mean you're a woman? Don't phone the EAs, that's a man's job. EAs are supremely sexist and you'll get a much better response if your OH does the talking.

Surprisingly enough, I have found some Agents wanting to speak to Mrs Shadow on the phone and wanting to influence her.

PasturesNew

DVardysShadow wrote: »

Surprisingly enough, I have found some Agents wanting to speak to Mrs Shadow on the phone and wanting to influence her.

Maybe it's a "couples, with a man doing the business" -v- single women then. One actually sneered at me "And how do you expect to pay for this?" like I'd just been scraped off his shoe - then when I said "savings/mortgage" he said to my face "you do know that lenders don't like lending to single females don't you".

And since STRing, I went into one office to ask to go onto their list and they just told me to look online, without taking my name at all.