Blogging my Sale

earner

More points!

It is common to not have boards up here. Too many people on holiday want to look round if you have a board up - it's a holiday activity, looking round people's houses!

I am in Newquay Cornwall - and everybody thinks they want to run a surf lodge, or a B&B or an up market B&B or install their daughter/son in part of the house and rent out the rest to pay for it, or split it into yuppy flats.

I even had one girl come round for some work related stuff a few months back and she said to me "Oh, yours is the best looking house in the road, I'd love this house" - and strangely enough the one going at the higher price has made theirs look like mine. So it's not the first impressions. It's the layout/split potential I figure

I work from home - but I am tied into the PC. I am answering phone calls on a headset from around the world.

This is hard to do when people are walking around the house, banging about getting into the loft (especially if kids are running about), then they come into this room when I am in the middle of going through some things with a customer.

Not to mention when they turn up early or the estate agent turns up late and I have to answer the door and do the viewing without warning - missing support phone calls!

And I've put myself out for a long trail of 40 people so far for 7 months, during a period when I was laid off, self-employed, then working from home. So a lot of change going on there. I am not a people person. I am a hermit now, so I've had more complete strangers traipsing through the house in the last 6 months than have ever been in my house as a guest, or than I have probably "met" in the last 5 years.

When I do the viewings I have to turn on the full happy/smiley/sales person thing - the estate agents compliment me on the way I do my viewings, my confidence and enthusiasm, so I am a good actress - but it's stressful knowing they are coming, then having to turn on that whole persona. I feel like a performing chimp

I am doing as many of the right things as I can, I just started this "blogging my sale" to give me somewhere to whine and whinge

I need to change agents. Maybe one that does weekend viewings, if there is such a thing

pawpurrs

Its better to have a vieiwing in a messy house than no viewing at all, most people would not be put off by a bit of mess, if its the right house for them. Ideally it should be tidy, but hey! In your neck of the woods, a lot of people are looking to relocate and may only be down for a short while, and if you dont let them in there will be some one else that will, and they may buy that instead, if you want to sell, the only way you can do that is to allow as many people in as possible. That will include some children too, you only have to be patient with them for a short while.

lynzpower

I do appreciate that its not easy dring your house for sale especially when skint

I have to say, I was completely unemployed and earning zero income when I put my house on the market and you can see from my sig what Ive spent and that includes so far 2 lots of reports from leaseholders at 100 quid a go each.

What did I do ? I went on freecylce and asked about things. I scavenged a couple of lamps from my parents which Ill give back later. I spent my birthday money on niceties at the bargain ends, eg matalan, tesco sales. I got a blind for the kitchen for a few quid with a damaged box from B&Q and I got mates to lend me things. I repainted the whole flat for 35 quid by using trade paints and borrowing equipment. I got new bedding in the primark sale for a fiver. I cashed in my clubcard points and used every scrap of pennies to make the place look perfect. I oiled all my appliances with cheapo baby oil and the place was gleaming. Every single person who came through here said WOW and in all fairness this is a pretty average place.

I cleaned every single day, for a good hour minimum. YES, its a hassle living like that YES, it gets in the way of real life, but every single day you havent sold you are losing the interest in your bank account.

You simply dont know what sort of buyer you will get, so your best bet is to make it look attractive to the family buyer as the developer should be able to see past what you have in each room.

pawpurrs

If your agent doesnt do weekend viewings then you definately need to change agents, I would anyway to freshen it up, get new pictures etc.

Doozergirl

Get the agent to do all your viewings and just pop out for the time they are there. If you're really not a people person then you can't 'sell' the features.

It may also not feel so intrusive if you don't see them.

The more people you get through the door, the more likely you are to sell. You can't do it all your way, you know. Those holidayers that want a B&B are the ones who are going to see your house as a bargain!

advent1122

earner wrote:

This is hard to do when people are walking around the house, banging about getting into the loft (especially if kids are running about), then they come into this room when I am in the middle of going through some things with a customer.

The cheek of them, imagine a viewer wanting to view every room.


Phone just rang. It was the estate agent, somebody wants to come and view tomorrow. No chance.
I am working until 8pm tonight,
Excuse
then it will be dark outside
Excuse
and as nobody's been round for a month it needs a thorough going over.
Excuse
(1) Because it was Xmas so I had all the pulling out of things for that and
Excuse
(2) because at the end of this month it is my tax return so I've got boxes out everywhere.
Excuse
The couple who wanted to look round haven't even sold their house yet.
Excuse
So I said no as I need 2-3 daylight hours to clean the house,
Excuse

Do you want to sell your house?
If so you need to either
A) Lower the price.
or
Change the attitude.
I would let someone view if I was in the middle of rumpy pumpy - the next person throught he door could be the buyer.

Personally, I think it must be overpriced with 40 viewings and 2 offers.

earner

Well, I am taking the estate agent's advice over the price. I keep asking them - I ask them when I get every offer and they are emphatic "NO, the house IS worth the asking price". It isn't me stating the price

If only estate agents did evening/weekend viewings it wouldn't be so difficult
But the viewings are Mon-Fri 9-5 ish

They make a fuss when they get somebody who can view Saturday and when I suggest the Saturday. "Pfft - we will have to shut the shop up" they say

I will phone another agent and get them round, see what they say. Not now though, they've all gone home

earner

As fast as I am typing people are posting:

"get new pictures etc" - new? I've never had pictures.
"Get the agent to do all your viewings" - that was supposed to be the deal but often they've had somebody who wants to view and they couldn't make it - or they turned up late and I end up doing it.
"just pop out for the time they are there" - not possible if I am on a long call, when the phone rings I don't know how long I will be on the line (customer support) and usually I don't even get time for lunch because by the time I think about it the states are awake and phoning in.

earner

In response to:
"What did I do ?..."
- went on freecylce - I am trying to get stuff OUT of the house, not in. And here it is very rural and not much on freecycle when I've looked.
Scavenged ... parents - my parents don't have anything I'd want to borrow/use.
Birthday money - spent that on Xmas. I am never out shopping in the first place to see bargains and I have totally ZERO diy/doing up skills.
Mates to lend me things - I don't know anybody. I haven't really left the house for 5 years since my change of circumstances meant I had to skimp.

Repainted - I got a proper (ish) bloke in to do it. I genuinely am cack handed and I know it seems easy to put paint on walls, but not only am I !!!!!! at it, but I actually find the whole experience very depressing/isolatory.

Bedding ... I've got a good quilt cover OK. No primark in the whole county, but I hear primark are cheap
I have no clubcard points - no Tesco here
Oiled .. appliances - not sure what that means.

I'm sure you put in a lot of effort, but that just isn't me and I'd just waste hours driving miles to try to find bargains only to find out what I bought was cack, didn't look right, didn't fit - or I couldn't use/fit it how I intended as it looked rubbish when I got it home... and I'd wasted all day and driven 100 miles trying to find these bargains. I always figure I am best off leaving well alone with things like that.

In fact my house is full already of bad buys over the last 5 years from charity shops trying to cheer up a little corner or spotting something that would come in handy

earner

And then just now this system chewed up a posting I did.
I'm jinxed