HELP! Should we try going with an agent???

Cheddar_2

nelly wrote: »

:rotfl:

http://www.propertysnake.co.uk/site/postcode/ol4

That's a great site m8 - thanks

We're toying with idea of renting this place out and transferring our mortgage to a new property. Do you guys (and girls) think that would be a feasible option?

[Deleted User]

I don`t think the service charge is bad and it would not put me off. We pay £2000 a year

The view would put me off a lot and the potential noise etc

The last apartments where I live now and having bought two years ago, were sold at a large discount. The house next door was sold at a £20k discount with a full furnishing pack added. It is to do with the developer wanting to get money out of the development. Morality doesn`t come into it when it comes to developers and builders. . We love it here and in time it will be a sought-after development but I wouldn`t say that is the case with the OPs apartment

My advice would be to part-ex for a new build house and get shut of the problem asap

ps re the service charge here: we do have 53 acres and security etc so I appreciate it is in a different ball park

bunking_off

My advice before dropping the price would be to use a proper agent.

"Sell yourself" sites like housenetwork are worth a punt when first marketing your property...you might get lucky & nothing ventured/nothing gained. However, you need to take a long hard look at the number of properties on there and consider what the implication is for number of viewings. From what I can see, a search on Lancashire brings up 97 properties. Vebra, which is used by estate agents to give more details off the back of Rightmove searches has over 5000. Do you think the typical buyer in Oldham is more lively to look at Rightmove or housenetwork?

It could be that your property is over-valued...but it could equally be that you're just not getting the website visits. Plan A of dropping price will cost you £tensK, wherease Plan B of getting an estate agent might only cost you £1k if you find one with a special offer...

Doozergirl

bunking_off wrote: »

Do you think the typical buyer in Oldham is more lively to look at Rightmove or housenetwork?

House Network IS on Rightmove along with many other property portals! It isn't a DIY website, it is an internet estate agent. There are that many of us that have had had success with House Network that it really can't be written off as second rate.

Cheddar, renting the flat out is a terrible idea. Without a shadow of a doubt you are going to be paying out on top of the rent to pay your mortgage; the quality of the flat will deteriorate and you WILL have to sell one day at which point you are likely to have the flat sitting empty for quite a while. What if prices fell all round? You'd be even worse off! Don't throw good money after bad.

Part-exing might be a way out of the deal but developers alway find their way to make money so you probably won't do that well out of it even if you shift the flat. It would certainly be interesting to see what you would be offered part-ex.

bunking_off

ok, so I didn't realise it covered rightmove. But the point still remains. They have 2 properties in Oldham. With that background, do they cover the local property press etc? I'd say it's worth going with an agent that does for a few weeks before getting into price dropping. If the price is too high, it'll become clear when a few agents value it (obviously ignoring the usual jokers who pitch high to get the business).

I'm not writing housenetwork off as second rate. I am saying that if anyone came on this board and said a conventional agent had got them no viewings, everyone would be screaming that the poster should change agents.

Another small point...property in Oldham...on Rightmove it shows up as marketed by "housenetwork Romford". Nothing wrong with that, of course, especially to those who know who housenetwork is. I bet it would put some people off though...pity they can't find a way of masking that they're 200 miles away.

Final one - this may just be me, but "Vacant Possession" and "No Chain" always smacks of desperation (indeed that combined with an agent listed as being at the other end of the country would read "Repo").

Cheddar_2

Thanks again for your input...

...Our apartment has had over 500 viewings online since we started advertising, so I really can't agree that we're not getting enough advertising. If you check out Housenetwork, you'll see just how many online property portals they use!!

My wife is the one that wants to get an agent onboard, but my argument is that all we'll get for the money (over and above what we already have) is an advert in the paper every week or two and a place on their window advertising boards. Is it really worth it????

Re. renting, well it was just an option... perhaps we should look into part-ex'ing then. Will have a look online for some decent companies

Keep your comments coming!

bunking_off

Cheddar wrote: »

My wife is the one that wants to get an agent onboard, but my argument is that all we'll get for the money (over and above what we already have) is an advert in the paper every week or two and a place on their window advertising boards.

...and access to their list of people registered as looking for property in your area/price-range. In the past, I've sold a property within a couple of hours of deciding to go with an agent, as he had a buyer after exactly what I was selling (and no it wasn't underpriced...got various valuations first!).

The problem with guaging interest via hits on internet sites is you've got no idea whether they're serious buyers. If I'm honest, I quite often look on Rightmove because I'm interested in which way the market's going. I'm sure there's more than 499 other weirdos like me around...

Doozergirl

Come on bunking_off! How can you knock something if you haven't tried it? Estate agents are as susceptible to timewasters as anyone. Seems to me that you're just finding any reason to knock House Network but yet you didn't even know about it when you started posting about it

lynzpower

I agree totally with Doozergirl, plenty us me included had success with HN- and its the rightmove and other portals that it advertises on that clinches it.

Im also interested in the part ex-ing ideas. Its not something im overly familiar with, so Id be very interested to hear how you go on

smudger1946

If you sell property youself, agent cannot claim any fee's.
I would sell it at the going rate of surrounding properties, as it seem's the most important thing is you need is more space, so sell for what you can get and move on and get on with the rest of your life.
Next time er indoors wants to buy a property, take her purse away and get a proper valuation, Women huh!