Selling whilst on holiday

leroyJ

Is going on holiday whilst selling a property a good idea?

Pros: estate agent can take care of all the viewings. Don't have to worry about arranging viewings with estate agent, and keeping the property in a presentable state.

Cons: could eat up into my holiday time having to deal with questions and offers (assuming I get any). Being away could slow down the process and maybe even lose a sale.

I'm away for 3 weeks next year, trying to decide whether to sell before or after my holiday. I've never sold a property before so unsure how much would be required from me. I'd definitely go with an estate agent that seemed reliable, and not an online DIY one for this.

lisyloo

estate agent can take care of all the viewings

But they can't answer any questions viewers might have. This might lead to you losing a buyer if they have an alternative.

could eat up into my holiday time having to deal with questions and offers

I was on holiday when the flat I'm selling went to market.
I did not want to be dealing with phone calls/emails every day so I gave y agent strict instructions i.e. only accept offers and take it off the market for full asking price.

We did get an offer and I did get one email to say so whilst I was on holiday.


How important is it to you not to be distrurbed.
We'd had a tough time this year with illness, bereavement etc. so did not want to be on the ohone every day.


It's hard to say because we don't know how stressed you are :-) and what type of holiday your going on.
Another option is to restrict your admin e.g. deal with email/phone every 3 days. Even when people aren't on holday they don't always respond immediately.


For me personally it was a bit all or nothing. I know that if I was disturbed that it would be on my mind, so gave them strict instructions before we went, which worked fine for us.


What time of year are you going on holiday?
If it's a really slow time of year (or around brexit) then those kind of reason could also contribute to your decision.

leroyJ

Thanks for the reply

It's hard to say because we don't know how stressed you are :-) and what type of holiday your going on.
Another option is to restrict your admin e.g. deal with email/phone every 3 days. Even when people aren't on holday they don't always respond immediately.

I had planned a get-away-from-it-all kind of holiday. At one point I was even going to leave my phone behind (but that would be a step too far I think).

So yes I was thinking I would setup some limits, like you did. The problem is, I know I'll have a hard time switching off if we are expecting offers etc.

What time of year are you going on holiday?
If it's a really slow time of year (or around brexit) then those kind of reason could also contribute to your decision.

In Feb.
I was going to wait until after the holiday. But for several reasons (and Brexit just being a small factor in this) it is more convenient to sell earlier rather than later. We could possibly put it on the market over the Christmas break and start viewings in Jan.

lisyloo

The problem is, I know I'll have a hard time switching off if we are expecting offers etc.

If you want to get away from it all and will have a hard time switching off then that points to delaying it.

In Feb

I asked because spring is thought to be the best time to sell, away from summer holidays, christmas and garden looking a bit nicer, although the new year could be the time some people start looking.

it is more convenient to sell earlier rather than later.

Selling is going to take at least 3 months, probably closer to 4.
Is this something you've factored in?

trailingspouse

Selling a house is one of the biggest financial transactions most people make. Personally, I prefer to show people round myself, and I would never take myself out of the loop at such an important time.

lisyloo

I would never take myself out of the loop at such an important time.

What if you'd already paid for a very expensive holiday some time ago?
If it took a long time to sell your property would you also never go on holiday?



Our estate agent knows our block very well and also knows the house manager so they could answer questions.
We probably wouldn't drop the price for 2 weeks (at least) anyway, so leaving strict instructions worked fine for us.


I personally would not cancel an expensive holiday and 2 people's annual leave.
There was no issue at all for us.


Why do you think the viewings is an important time?
Surely that happens afterwards when doing all the forms?


Our buyer actually was not proceedable initially so being away was no issue whatsoever as in the couple of weeks we were away the chain fell into place and we missed nothing.
It could have been different of course, but it also might be absolutely fine and work out perfectly as it did for us.
There are many variables and 2 weeks in the scheme of things is not going to be a big issue.

lisyloo

It's also possible to leave instructions of the form - Id prefer not to be contacted but if it's likely to lose a sale then please contact me.


Is there anyone other trusted person who could stand in and be trusted to only escalate if necessary?

PasturesNew

Nobody can guess really. There might be 0 viewings, there might be 50. There might be 0 questions, there might be a lot. There might be no offers, there might be a couple.

There's no single answer that's the right one as it's not until you're on the market that you know what'll happen.

I "cut my holiday short", by staying with my sibling for 2 nights when I could've done 4-5, to "rush back" to my house as it went on the market the day before I went away ..... and I rushed back ... and sat... nothing happened that first weekend at all. Agent said my house was one of the most highly viewed houses that week... but 0 viewings booked.

I think, in short, you can't really change your life just because the house is for sale.... else you just sit and home and wait.... wait.... wait for the phone to ring.

trailingspouse

lisyloo wrote: »

What if you'd already paid for a very expensive holiday some time ago?
If it took a long time to sell your property would you also never go on holiday?

The OP is asking if it's a good idea - implying that no holiday has yet been booked.

And when it took us 18 months to sell a property, and we were paying a mortgage and rent - not having a holiday was the least of our worries.

I suppose what I'm saying is - at this important time in your life, and with people frequently posting on here about how houses aren't selling, why make things difficult? Why even contemplate putting yourself in a situation where the EA can't contact you?

leroyJ

Great responses here. Seems to be two separate camps. One being get on with your own life, and the other being the risk is too big.

But I think overall it sounds like it's best to avoid being on holiday whilst selling (the advantage of not having to deal with the viewings seems insignificant to being available to deal with enquiries/offers).

However, for me there are other factors that would mean there's an advantage of selling at the time I'm on holiday (which is already booked btw). I guess I have to weight up all the pros and cons, and like with everything, there's a risk either way.

martindow

How about putting a payg sim in your phone and only give the agent the new number? You would be contactable if necessary but not plagued with calls.