How soon to market house....

Hoof_Hearted

We will be moving in March/April 2012 and will have no upward chain. How early should we market our present house? Would somebody buy now knowing we cannot move out for 9 months? We though to start about September.

We are tempted by the online agents on cost grounds. We don't really expect much of them and are happy to do our own viewings, but we would like our house on Right Move etc. I am slightly put off by the fact they don't seem to have many for sale in our area. Any recommendations?

brit1234

I reckon August, so it is ready for the September active season (ie after summer hols). I wouldn't bother any earlier, I would ignore a house I would have to wait 10 months to move in.

Personally I will start looking in October as prices should be lower by then and the September bounce fizzles out.

tyllwyd

How flexible can you be - could you move out earlier if you really needed to, or would you be able to cope with the mortgage etc if you moved out and left the house empty?

poppy_f1

last april i viewed a house good price in a good area, put a offer in and was accepted except the seller wasnt going to move until sept - wasnt acceptable to me - she wasnt prepared to move into a rental so withdrew the offer
being nosey i kept an eye on the house she sold the house for 10k less than i offered

Hoof_Hearted

tyllwyd wrote: »

How flexible can you be - could you move out earlier if you really needed to, or would you be able to cope with the mortgage etc if you moved out and left the house empty?

Can't move earlier as we are moving to a house that is having a huge renovation project (6 month's work Sept - Mar). We may be able to shave a month off, but not much more.

shirlgirl2004

Can you afford to pay 2 mortgages (assuming both properties have mortgages)? If not then you need to market now and be prepared to move into rented. Realistically unless you sell your house at a knock down price you won't be able to sell your house on your timescale.

If you market now and find a potential buyer now then unless the house is a bargain they won't wnat to wait and may see something else in the interim. I you leave it until nearer when you want to move then to get a buyer in time you may have to drop the price for a quick sale.

Added to both scenarios is the act that no-one knows how long conveyancing will take. For us it always seems to take best part of 6 months (not due to delays on our part I might add) even my son buying his first home with no chain it took almost 4 months. How can you possibly factor all of that in? Although in some ways renting may appear to be more hassle in reality it means you can market your house well in advance and not be stressed during the selling process about whther the sale of the house will coincide with the end of the renovation.

Le_Chuck

Hoof_Hearted wrote: »

Can't move earlier as we are moving to a house that is having a huge renovation project (6 month's work Sept - Mar). We may be able to shave a month off, but not much more.

could you not move out & rent somewhere for a few months?

Mazzawa

I would second what the above posts have been saying. I think it would be best to start marketing in Sept due to the summer holidays, but I think you should be prepared to bend over backwards for any buyer you get. With the market being so rubbish at the moment I would say accept any sensible offer you get and move into a cheap rented place just until your place is ready.

tyllwyd

Hoof_Hearted wrote: »

Can't move earlier as we are moving to a house that is having a huge renovation project (6 month's work Sept - Mar). We may be able to shave a month off, but not much more.

A six-month renovation project? Our 3 month extension overran by a month so there must be loads of scope for things not going to schedule.

I agree with other people who have said that it is probably too early to market if you absolutely can't move out until next year - I'd vote for putting it on the market now and looking to move into six-month rented, so by the time the renovation is finished, fingers crossed you will be on a one-month rolling contract and have more flexibility about your moving date.

Or otherwise, put the house on the market in January making it clear to the EA your earliest date for moving out, and accept that you might have an overlap.

Hoof_Hearted

There is no point in moving into rental when, if we can get the timing right, we can move smoothly from one house to another. Our current house is mortgage free. I agree with the good advice that now is too early. If we start in September, that gives us six months. A month or two to find a buyer and four months to complete the formalities. We currently live in a very desirable area (Amersham) five minutes from the station for a commute to London and close to some of the best schools in the country. We do not think we will have trouble selling our four-bedroom family house to a family with children as there is not much to compete in the price bracket.