Can't sell our house..

googler

lkmartin wrote: »

I'm sorry I still disagree - many people have not sold houses before - who do you ask about selling houses - um how about an ESTATE AGENT????? What is this Estate Agent Aid or something - they may well have to deal with 'muppets' but it's not like they are not handsomely rewarded!

Did you see the pictures when the link to the listing was still in the thread?

Scully38

lkmartin wrote: »

Im sorry I still disagree - many people have not sold houses before - who do you ask about selling houses - um how about an ESTATE AGENT????? What is this Estate Agent Aid or something - they may well have to deal with 'muppets' but it's not like they are not handsomely rewarded!

You're seriously saying that EA's should move things out of the way?? Seriously?

How many houses have you sold and when have you ever seen or heard of EA's moving people's things to take pictures especially wet flannels.. what if someone has scabies, ringorm? You expect the EA's to move personal belongings to get a better picture??

Everyone knows its personal taste when looking at decor and things, some can see past it others can't. The OP is stating they can't sell their house. We've told them why, but they're still asking the EA's who won't tell them. So the OP has two options, change EA's and get the same response or listen to what we're saying.

EA's are given a percentage of what the house sale is, if it sells well below the asking price, the EA's still get their money. The EA's are there to take appropriate photo's of the rooms, put it on the market, actively market it, and negotiate with buyers. They're not house doctors, and they're not there to help the vendors make their house look good, it's not in their remit. Is that so hard to understand? Don't want to pay their extortionate fees, market it yourself!

googler

lkmartin said "Yes if it gets a better blooming picture" when I asked if a previous poster thought the EA should be moving their stuff.

I don't think it's unreasonable for an EA or photographer to be re-arranging things to get a better shot, or maybe move one or two items to declutter, but setting the OP's house in order would have been above and beyond the call of duty. Again, did you see the photos?

When the OP is talking in terms of taking a weekend to sort the place out, how long should the EA spend there?

Alternatively, put yourself in the EA's shoes. How much is your time worth?

lkmartin

Scully38 wrote: »

You're seriously saying that EA's should move things out of the way?? Seriously? Yes I know - crazy idea hay!

How many houses have you sold and when have you ever seen or heard of EA's moving people's things to take pictures especially wet flannels.. what if someone has scabies, ringorm? You expect the EA's to move personal belongings to get a better picture?? -

recently sold my house - de cluttered - when estate agent came round - moved a few things around and took a few pictures to see which looked best - crazy again I know!

Everyone knows its personal taste when looking at decor and things, some can see past it others can't. The OP is stating they can't sell their house. We've told them why, but they're still asking the EA's who won't tell them. So the OP has two options, change EA's and get the same response or listen to what we're saying. -

to be honest I can't be bothered to listen to you - I cant blame them if they don't want to!

EA's are given a percentage of what the house sale is, if it sells well below the asking price, the EA's still get their money. The EA's are there to take appropriate photo's of the rooms, put it on the market, actively market it, and negotiate with buyers. They're not house doctors, and they're not there to help the vendors make their house look good, it's not in their remit. Is that so hard to understand? Don't want to pay their extortionate fees, market it yourself!
You don't seem to get my original point - If an estate agent cant tell you house to sell you house - who can?

I take it you are an estate agent yourself?

paulsad

Neither can we!
We are same as you on since November probably had 12 or so viewings only 1 in the last 2.5 months! Just that the market round my area is absolutely dead. Yes you can sell if you give the place away - I look in the EA's windows every morning as I walk to work and there is very little movement on all but the very cheaper end of the market. Ours is competitively priced - all we can do is wait for the right person. Too easy for people to generalise - its all down to your local market - if everything else around you is selling and yours isn't; yes you have something wrong.
My last house was a peach but even then 3.5 yrs ago, in a depressed market it took 12 months to sell.

Scully38

lkmartin wrote: »

Scully38 wrote: »

You're seriously saying that EA's should move things out of the way?? Seriously? Yes I know - crazy idea hay!

Why didn't the seller move the stuff? Crazy hay?!

How many houses have you sold and when have you ever seen or heard of EA's moving people's things to take pictures especially wet flannels.. what if someone has scabies, ringorm? You expect the EA's to move personal belongings to get a better picture?? -

recently sold my house - de cluttered - when estate agent came round - moved a few things around and took a few pictures to see which looked best - crazy again I know!

Yes it is, because it's not there job, and I certainly wouldn't want to be moving people's things, where would you suggest they move them to?

Everyone knows its personal taste when looking at decor and things, some can see past it others can't. The OP is stating they can't sell their house. We've told them why, but they're still asking the EA's who won't tell them. So the OP has two options, change EA's and get the same response or listen to what we're saying. -

to be honest I can't be bothered to listen to you - I cant blame them if they don't want to!

Then don't, not my problem mate, i've sold my house, and several others.

EA's are given a percentage of what the house sale is, if it sells well below the asking price, the EA's still get their money. The EA's are there to take appropriate photo's of the rooms, put it on the market, actively market it, and negotiate with buyers. They're not house doctors, and they're not there to help the vendors make their house look good, it's not in their remit. Is that so hard to understand? Don't want to pay their extortionate fees, market it yourself!
You don't seem to get my original point - If an estate agent cant tell you house to sell you house - who can?

I take it you are an estate agent yourself?

Nope, not an estate agent, just someone who took time out to help the OP. My house sold within it being on the market for 2 days, and while I lost my buyers because their house sale fell through, I was able to put it back on the market within 24 hours and got 2 immediate buyers bidding, and sold my house again. What's your experience?

googler

lkmartin;

third time of asking - did you see the original photos when the Rightmove link was still in this thread?

If you think it's the EA's job to help the owner set the house in order, tidy it up and generally house-doctor it for the photos, then how long do you think is reasonable for them to spend at each house?

Again, how much is your time worth?

hcb42

lkmartin wrote: »

I disagree totally - what you are supposedly paying the estate agent for is there 'expertise'. You cannot remove all clutter from a house, the best you can do is photo around it, ie move everything to the side of the room that is not in the photo - the estate agent could also say (and they do!) I think the room will look better if you .........

Of course you can, put it away!

i would be mortified if they were my photos with clutter under bed etc, I know that is an unreal situation (plenty of clutter under my bed, but now all gone as we are trying to position our house on the market at the mo), but if the estate agent has your key and can show someone around any time, then you need to live in an unreal world for a short time

hcb42

hadnt read all the thread on my last post, have now.

It isnt an agents job to tell a homeowner how to live their lives. Selling a house means you have to live with what can be a false sense of tidiness for a few days or weeks.

If you take some of the quality of some houses, which have been on the market for years, it is not reasonable for an agent to give advice on those. For example, I sold my Dad's house after he died. My parents had tried to sell it a few years earlier. It was totally cluttered, in need of total renovation etc and was never going to sell in a million years. I told my parents they needed to declutter. They didnt listen. If I couldnt get through to them then what chance has an EA!

I did sell it, about three weeks after we decided WE had to clear it, paint it etc and a year after we left it on the market as it had been left as it were. (de cluttering your parents place isnt easy btw)

point is, you cannot just leave it, your EA wont offend you by saying you need to tidy your shoes up under your bed. Sellers need to decide how to best present THEIR home to maximise sales. It is the online sales brochure after all that drives most viewers, not the EA, they just answer the phone, for the most part (and negotiate the best price for their client if they are any good!!)