Quit everything , and start again over 50?

lessonlearned

What kind of floors are under the carpet. Can they be painted and then a couple of cheap and cheerful rugs.

Same with shabby appliances, a lick of paint can work wonders.

Not sure about spending money on a bed, not if money is really tight. If you already have a desk why not dress the spare room as a proper study.

lessonlearned

I'm a biit lost about the sneaky EA bit.

Are you saying he suggested something like - for example.....

£400k at x per cent. Anything over that at Y per cent.

That would be acceptable, provided that the benchmark figure, in your case £400k, was not set artificially low to make it too easy.

The benchmark figure would have to be both realistic and fair and both parties would have to be happy.

It is rare to do this in the UK but common practice in many parts of the world.

Verbatim

Have you made sure everywhere is very clean? Clear your surfaces so you can see there's space to prepare food. Is the bed always made? Make it look like a hotel bed. Perhaps new bedlinen and a few cushions to dress it.
If it's a single woman looking she won't be able to see herself living there if it's too obviously a single man's flat. Grubbiness puts off a lot of people so clean and clean again.
How about tidying away most of your personal stuff so people can imagine their stuff there. You'll need to pack up anyway when you move. Flowers in a vase? Fruit on the table when viewers are due.
It'll be more likely to sell for what you're hoping for if you put in the extra effort.

Good luck!
V

Smodlet

Wow, there is some brilliant advice on here, AC. LL, you seem to be firing on all cylinders again, hope that means you're feeling much better.

BrucieBaby, if you are, as I think, advertising, you are breaking the forum rules. Try reading them. I have and will report posts containing advertising.

LL, you shame me, you really do. I did say you must be the exception; I now think perhaps you are not the only one. I was allowing my bad EA experiences to colour my thinking. Smodlet.

AC, I can only think these guys have a point. 20 viewings? Most vendors' wet dream! I think most people who want a garden, want a garden, if you follow me, not a yard. I imagine this is even more true in London, where outside space of any kind is at a premium and gardens a total luxury. Spoiling the ship for a hap'orth of tar is not working for you. It may be time to ask yourself the hard questions, such as, "Do I want to drop my price by £35k or spend £350 (or less) making my place look as good as it can to acheive my top price?" Watch some property programmes! Tear yourself away from the footie for an hour or two! The ones that sell are almost always the best dressed, unless they are bought by a developer who wants a property in a right state for a very cheap price so they can add value.

I'll say it again, LL, do I wish we had known you back in the day... even more, I wish all EAs were like you. :kisses:... never thought I'd be sending those to one of you.

lessonlearned

To be fair not many high street EAs have the level of autonomy I enjoyed - most of them rarely get the opportunity to be creative or innovative or actually make many decisions. Their function is as "go betweens" and to act upon the vendors wishes. They are not usually given Carte Blanche.

It wasnt until I went to work for builders and Developers and was more or less given free rein to run sales complexes and show homes that I had the opportunity to really hone my skills and develop my own ideas.

Smodlet. You are right on the money. The properties that sell quickly and for the best prices are the ones that are "dressed to impress".

The exceptions are the fixer uppers. A good one will be snapped up, if the price is right. A developer will typically be looking at buying for 10 to 20 per cent less than the asking price or market value otherwise there will be no profit in it for them.

The difficulty AC has is that his property falls between those two stools. It's neither pristine nor is it a true fixer upper so pitching it right is proving difficult.

My own personal view is it's worth spending a bit of time, effort and money to bring it up to standard.

Now I know the London property market is a law Unto itself and prices are high, but I still believe that £400k is a considerable sum of money and that people will have high expectations at that price. Shabby carpets, tired decoration and neglected outdoor spaces won't be easily tolerated at that price level.

The viewers are coming in droves so the asking price isn't ridiculous, however when they get through the door their expectations are not being met. And that's why it's sticking.

All things being equal 20 viewings should have resulted in a couple of offers. (My employers would not have been happy with me if I had not delivered a sale after 20 viewings:rotfl:)

20 viewings would suggest that his local property market is brisk so I can't see any real excuse for it not selling other than the probability that would be purchasers are somehow being disappointed when they do see what's on offer.

Address that disappointment and a sale will follow.

Smodlet

Thank you, Yoda, learned well, I have? :rotfl: All those property progs, it must be. Escape to the Country so I can ridicule rich people's tastes, Homes under the Hammer so I can look at wrecks that make me feel better about having to live here.

lessonlearned

My favourite is the £10Ok house - some really brilliant ideas, just goes to show it's not always about throwing money at a problem......often it's just a bit of lateral thinking.

The architects and designers are awesome.

I just wish I could find a good plot of land so I could get cracking on my own "Mini Grand Design".

One day....

Smodlet

You will. Where would this land be, Derbyshire, still? OH likes Wolds, he'd like a bit of Wold, when you have a spare bit. Ta.

another_casualty

Thanks again everyone . I know what needs doing obviously, but funds are awful. I have a viewing today and tomorrow .
When they have passed, I will look into everything that I can.

One of my friends said that , there are quite a few 2 bedrooms in the same area in the same price bracket,& if there were only a couple my place would be sold.

I may ask the estate agent to get more thorough descriptions of 'too much work'.
Basic things like tidying up ( flowers in vase etc ), will be done .

Feeling better today. Although I'm working a longer day on my own, I started early and it's not humid ..yet!;)

lessonlearned

Smodlet wrote: »

You will. Where would this land be, Derbyshire, still? OH likes Wolds, he'd like a bit of Wold, when you have a spare bit. Ta.

Yes, ideally it would be Derbyshire.

I do have some land but it has a tendency to flood occasionally to about 2 feet. Not insurmountable with an intelligent design but I am afraid our council are not very forward thinking.

My sister has just had an extension built to house our aged father. We were all very pleased with the architect we used. The way he navigated his way through the planning system was very impressive so I might sound him out.

The Wolds are lovely but for the time being, as long as both sons are Derby based I will remain here. Having said that DS2 has just come back from a visit to MIT Boston (US) and is considering applying.......

I quite fancy living 6 months in the US and 6 months in the UK........:rotfl: