My parents house - suggestions please

LittleMax

Such a helpful post from lessonlearned - so refreshing to read a post that offers non-judgmental advice

lessonlearned

Edwink - just spotted the comments your post.

In the case of my parents cottage falling into rack and ruin......there are several very good reasons for this. I won't go into detail because I don't want to hijack the thread........

I am sure there are several very valid reasons why Amnesias parents property became dilapidated. However, how the property became dilapidated is not the issue. The question asked, was, given its condition, what was the best way to market it.

GM answered this question and gave some excellent advice. As an ex EA myself I would have given the same advice, but as GM had supplied Amnesia with a detailed plan of attack, I didnt feel it necessary to repeat what he had said.

My advice was coming from another angle, Ie how to get through the next few months whilst the house is marketed and sold because I had surmised from the "we could do with the money" remark that finances were probably strained and that both she and her father were worried.

I can relate to this because of what my dad (and by extension me, because I handle his financial affairs for him) had to go through.

Amnesia came on here asking for advice and has received some rather shocking replies with people accusing her of everything from attempted misappropriation of her father's money to downright theft and now, to add insult to injury, you have added neglecting her parents to her list of alleged crimes.

SusieT

Different circumstances but a friend inherited a house with land and did separate it to sell. I do not have the figures but one thing that she did find was that people thought the garden and land were smaller than they were (even though there were measurements) so she got a local farmer in with a cutter to go round quickly and get the grass down then someone else with a heavy duty strimmer to get the edges cut back to the boundary, and the area close to the house where the tractor could not get to. she then measured carefully and I helped put in a small fence so that viewers could easily picture the split of the land. it made the house look better and did not cost too much and there was more interest in both parts so it may be worth you getting something similar done, as unkempt gardens always look a lot smaller and worse than one that may not have pristine flower beds but at least looks semi maintained

Rosetinted

Hi amnesia, sorry to hear about your situation. You've already had some excellent advice from some posters in this thread, so I won't retread the same ground. I just wanted to let you know that the condition of the property, while it obviously will reduce its value, won't put all buyers off. There are a lot of people out there looking for a project.

When my grandmother died earlier this year, we sold my grandparents' property through an estate agent. It was in an awful state. Some parts were definitely uninhabitable, despite all of our best efforts to help her in her later years. I'd estimate it needed at least 100k spending on it, probably more.

It was in a fairly desirable location and within a week of going on the market we received offers from six buyers and eventually sold it for above the asking price, as three kept upping their offers. I'm not saying this will happen in your case, but I definitely think it's worth trying to sell through an EA first, as long as you are upfront about the condition the property is in when you list it (I agree with someone's suggestion to get a professional surveyor in to assess it).

You could always fall back on an auction as a last resort, but I'd keep it as a back-up plan, as you'll get less cash to put towards your father's care than if you sell through traditional channels.

RAS

amnesia

We were in a similar situation but mum had enough savings to cover the initial fees.

However, had we been without the savings (and fortunately the POA) Social Services would have paid upfront and then reclaimed when the house was sold. So please contact Adult Service for an assessment.

Unless dad is compos mentis, you will need to organise deputyship rather than attorneyship before the house can be sold.

In the mean-time tidy up as much as possible; be mindful that until you are the deputy or attorney you cannot dispose of dad's belongings (we had a house and a half full).

One tip passed on by a good EA was that we should get Outline planning permission if possible and sell the garden plot first. Disposing of part of the home does not attract the same tax liability as you would have to cover if you sell the house first and then the garden plot.

No-one else bother to explain this and we sold the house through him. That made a huge difference to our confidence re fees long-term.

It was all a bit of a juggling job as we could not sell until the POA was registered and we sold the plot with one month's fees still in the bank. I did the planning application myself (over the road had done the same and I got a copy of their and did a mirror image drawing. That bank-rolled the rest of the jobs; basically getting the heating overhauled to secure the house, replacing broken glass and getting the garden tidied. And the skips to remove the junk. The contents raise very little at auction.

Clearing the house increased the value substantially as people could see the potential.

In the mean-time buy some timers (daily and weekly) and set a few lamps with low energy bulbs to come on a different times. Set the heating at frostat levels and keep the insurance valid (visit regularly). Get the front garden cut back to make it easy to see the front door and windows if possible.

Best wishes.

mchale

cattermole wrote: »

I'm sorry but it sounds to me like you are trying to maximise the estate for your ultimate benefit not your father's.

And what's wrong with that, as someone who (and family) has never claimed benefits in all their life, I am sick of hearing of people in similar situations who's parents have gone into care & charge's have been made against their asset's to fund their long time care, yet people who have never worked a day in their life get state aid to pay for their care, call that fair. RANT OVER.