House selling situation - opinions needed

pineapple

I was preparing to put my house on the market this spring but have been beaten to it by a neighbour a few doors up. We live in a tiny rural hamlet where properties rarely come on the market and I am concerned that viewers might think something is up for two close properties to come up for sale at the same time.
I still hadn't decided though whether to go through an estate agent, just internet or whatever and was considering getting my own sign.
If I put up my own sign I am concerned that she will think I am just trying to piggyback on viewers for her property. And if an estate agents' sign goes up (they also put them at the top of the lane by the main road) people might think something is wrong!
If you were in my position would you let either factor sway you?
Cheers

cattie

If I were in your position I'd certainly not be thinking of doing my own thing. That's all very well in a busy area where property is constantly being sought, but not much use in a quiet hamlet.

To me ea's have always been worth every penny as they have always sold any property of mine pretty quickly. One went within just a few hours of signing up with ea & the longest a property of mine took to sell was just over 4 weeks & this was when the market was rather sluggish about 18 months or so ago.

It does often happen that someone will sell their house & then a neighbour or two will decided to sell theirs when they realise how much prices might have risen since they bought.

To be honest, I wouldn't let a neighbour having their house up for sale put me off, particularly if the houses are both individual. If they are the box like new estate structures, then yes, having more than one for sale does you no favours.

Often houses near each other being up for sale is a blessing as viewers will usually want to look at both, so it increases the chances of finding a buyer.

If say 3 houses in a row were all up for sale I'd wonder why, but if just 2 independent properties were, I'd not think anything of it.

TBagpuss

Assuming the houses are similar in size then people are inevitably going to compare them -whether that helps or hinders you is going to depend on the houses and how they are presented.

I wouldn't decide not to market my house just because a neighbour was selling theirs, and I wouldn't be put off viewing two close together, although I would, as a buyer, definitely be asking questions about why they were selling and being extra vigilant about talking to neighbours, checking planning etc. in case there was a reason for it.

You say houses rarely come up - is it a popular area? If so, I might wait for hers to go under offer and then put mine on - you'd probably catch the people still looking in that area and wouldn't prejudice your relationship with the neighbour.

I think if you are in an isolated area then you would probably do better to use an agent - there isn't going to be much in the way of passing trade.

DaftyDuck

Two houses up nearby is actually seldom a bad thing, even in a rural area. Double the advertising, double the viewings... you each only need one buyer, after all.

I have even chosen to market a house in a village of 30 houses precisely because one of the largest old houses was put on the market at a ridiculous price with Strutt & Parker. Mine was more modest, but still caught many of the London weekender viewers, and sold for well over 20% more than the average EA estimate.

You do need to look at their details, and make sure you are priced sensibly if there's any great similarity between the two. I would go with a different agent if they are very similar, the same agent if they are markedly different.

DIY job? Not for me, I'm afraid. I still believe good properties are worthy of good marketing to achieve the best price... and that applies all the more to rural properties.

aelitaman

I would wait a little while and see what the interest is in her house.

If there is a lot of interest and it goes under offer quickly that tells you that yours should as well. You could then appoint the same agent because they know the people that were interested and negotiate a lower fee to sell because they already have interested people.

DRP

Overall, unless you're in a town/estate , i actually think it is a positive to have a couple of houses for sale at the same time.

might be worth speaking to your neighbours and/or price-matching. Or if you're feeling evil, undercut them...

Without any prior discussion, our neighbours (directly opposite) marketed their house a few weeks after us ... for 5 grand less. Our houses were exactly the same externally but we were 2bed/upstairs bathroom, whilst they were 3bed/downstairs bathroom, so arguably (different) folks were always going to target the houses according to their priorities...

DaftyDuck

aelitaman wrote: »

I would wait a little while and see what the interest is in her house.

If there is a lot of interest and it goes under offer quickly that tells you that yours should as well. You could then appoint the same agent because they know the people that were interested and negotiate a lower fee to sell because they already have interested people.

The disadvantage to this strategy in a small hamlet is that if there were two people desperate for the best house in the village, and you've got what they want most, they'll pay for it. If one has already bought the other house, there's only one person in the bidding war.

Hamlets with houses rarely coming up often have a (short) string of people wanting to move into that location.

ConfusedofYorkshire

There is a small village near where we're buying where 3 houses went on sale at once. I did ask the agent whether something fishy was going on. They said it often happens like that (though I do take what agents say with a bucket of salt).

All 3 sold very quickly.

RAS

I live in small and distinct area in a city "village". Not in the south east. Three similiar houses on one street went on the market last summer as did one larger property. All three sold within 3-6 weeks of going on the market and the larger one has also changed hands now.

It matter very little if there are two or more house going at the same time.

Worry_Wart

I live in a small village where there is always a list of people renting and waiting for the right property to come up. They sell almost immediately, with or without an agent. There was no agent for my house purchase, and I had to enter a bidding war with four other groups of viewers to secure it.

Mallotum_X

Id try going with one of the internet based ones, flat fee and still on rightmove. Make sure theres a sign.

Why worry what your soon to be ex-neighbour thinks.