We need to sell ASAP: here's a plan, opinions please!

npsmama

Due to a job change at the other side of the country which starts in 2 months time (we only got it confirmed on Friday!) we have to sell ASAP.

Here's a plan, I would be grateful for your thoughts:

- we're going house-hunting for 2 weeks on Saturday.

1. Phone estate agent. Haggle them down to 1% + 1 week tie-in period. Argue that we have no chain (we'll rent if necessary), house is ready to be moved in to etc...
2. Have house packed and cleaned professionally this week so that it looks like a show house if possible. Boxes can go in the garage and we can live out of suitcases.
3. Tell the estate agent they've got 2 weeks in which to do their utmost to sell the place while we're away.

Other bits to know:
We're on a modern estate and the estate agents always boast these houses selll like hotcakes.
We have a toddler and keeping the house in best condition while we are here is very difficult especially as I'm pregnant!

Grateful for any thoughts.

Doozergirl

Sounds like a pretty good plan. Get three estate agents in to value, not one. Whatever you do, do not answer the question "What do you think it's worth" and if you are looking for a quick sale, tell them that.

Clear out now! Before you move. It has to be done anyway and you will find it easier to keep the house neat and tidy if you have already moved most of your clutter and organised the rest. If you find it difficult to get motivated or organised, join the Flylady thread on the MoneySaving Oldstyle board. It's like a housework support group.

You will learn to live with the viewings; you have no real option but to keep the place immaculate. If you price sensibly, it hopefully won't go on for too long. I've been there and done it with a little one and one cooking too

kodokan

Congratulations on the job, and your exciting moving plans. Some thoughts:

Don't bank on the 'haggle to 1%, 1 week tie-in' - you're hardly going to be negotiating from a position of strength. In fact, you may need to go the other way, and promise them a larger than usual bonus fee if they can sell your house within xx weeks. And if they're busy, successful agents (which you do want them to be, don't you!), then they may not be able to come round until at least next week to do the valuation/ sales pitch, then perhaps another week will go by before you've signed the sales agreement, had the photos taken, got the details agreed (you have to physically sign off a set of these, which is no use if you're the other end of the country). Your timescale of actually getting on the market this week may be a bit ambitious.

The show home presentation is a nice idea - decluttering will be very helpful, but probably no need to go to the professional cleaning lengths, though.

Ignore what the agents say about your estate - what do you see happening around you? Check asking prices compared to actual sales prices - www.houseprices.co.uk - and PRICE YOUR HOUSE VEEEERRY KEENLY. In your position and timescales, you need to price to sell, which means undercutting ALL similar houses around you. What sort of house are we talking about here; whereabouts in a potential chain would you be? A realistic price will also be your strongest negotiating tool with your agent - make it a quick-win guaranteed commission for them.

Your house-hunting trip - bear in mind that even if you find one you like, you may not get an offer accepted because at the moment you're not able to proceed, as you haven't sold yours (being on the market won't count). In a 2 month timescale, you're virtually guaranteed to go into rented, unless whoever's got the job is prepared to weekend commute for a while. And renting gives you more time to get to know the area - find out the word-of-mouth good schools! - and means you'll be chain-free buyers looking to buy in winter rather than summer, which is a much better for offers. Whatever money you have to pay to move twice, you'll get it back on being able to get lower offers accepted out of season.

Hope this helps, and best of luck for your sale.

kodokan

Debt_Free_Chick

npsmama wrote: »

3. Tell the estate agent they've got 2 weeks in which to do their utmost to sell the place while we're away.

Be absolutely clear about what you mean by this.

What do you mean by "sell the place"?

npsmama

Thanks very much for your thoughts.

I take your point about actually not being in a position of strength.

I hate this whole business! I feel like I'm almost guaranteed to get taken advantage of. The new employers are really cheeky to impose such a tight timescale...and they're not even helping that much with the moving costs either!!

BrixMorta

I wouldn’t use an EA, I here they do very little for their fees. How about Tesco’s, only £199 up front, this has to be a bargain.

tonydee

BrixMorta wrote: »

I wouldn’t use an EA, I here they do very little for their fees. How about Tesco’s, only £199 up front, this has to be a bargain.

No Rightmove coverage makes this a poor option IMO.

Good luck with the sale

eek

Don't haggle but give them an incentive based on quality of purchaser and price achieved.

While they may not seem to do much you need them for three things:-

1) the list of pontential customers they have
2) their willingness to show people around while you are looking elsewhere
3) their ability to hassle everyone on to complete. Its no point selling quickly unless the chain is small and people are willing to complete quickly.

As for commission I would personally set a base price and an incentive of 5%of anything achieved over that.

BrixMorta

Oh I see, so what you’re paying for with an EA, isn’t the amount of time in actual hours work spent by them on your case from start too finish, but is a fee enabling you to tap into their database of ready and able buyers. That may explain why people get confused about EA's fees assuming that they must be based on an hourly rate.

Morley

The 1% should be realistic but depends on the area - In my area most of the agents will do it for one percent.

I'd ask around friends and neighbours if they have any experience of the local agents. The time frame could be possible we put our house on the market a few weeks ago. On the Monday I rang three agents and by Wednesday we'd had all the quotes done and decided which agent to go with and then accepted an offer on the Saturday.

MissMotivation

1. Phone estate agent. Haggle them down to 1% + 1 week tie-in period.


Good Luck!! :rotfl: