Dealing with anxiety around selling

Combenew

We're desperate to move from the home we've lived in for 3 years. We moved to the countryside but I feel so isolated here and it's affecting my mental health.

We've had 2 viewings in the first 10 days; although they loved the house, both parties say it was a bit too small. The second viewers told the agent on Friday that they would probably offer today but they didn't. This of course raised my hopes which I guess is a lesson learned.

I know I need to be patient but my anxiety is growing. The house and garden are immaculate - it's had 1390 viewings on Rightmove so far.

Can anyone offer words of wisdom/encouragement/reality check please? 

lincroft1710

Just be patient, some properties can sell in days, others take months. A unique property is likely to take longer to sell. Price can be a big factor, look on Right Move, Zoopla etc, what competition is out there, how does yours compare price wise. Being "isolated" does it mean schools are miles away, making it less attractive for families with school age children

Combenew

lincroft1710 said:

Just be patient, some properties can sell in days, others take months. A unique property is likely to take longer to sell. Price can be a big factor, look on Right Move, Zoopla etc, what competition is out there, how does yours compare price wise. Being "isolated" does it mean schools are miles away, making it less attractive for families with school age children

It's near local schools and shops but too far away from the big town I'm used to

youth_leader

The viewers can see the size before they view on your floor plan,  so their comments are odd - have you decluttered as much as possible?  There used to be a show many moons ago, The House Doctor, and they filmed viewers walking into properties - some of them took note of the furniture and made other ridiculous comments.  Have a good look at your home and see how you can make it appear bigger than it is.

ReadySteadyPop

youth_leader said:

The viewers can see the size before they view on your floor plan,  so their comments are odd - have you decluttered as much as possible?  There used to be a show many moons ago, The House Doctor, and they filmed viewers walking into properties - some of them took note of the furniture and made other ridiculous comments.  Have a good look at your home and see how you can make it appear bigger than it is.

People will twig to this and may walk away if they feel cheated, presentation isn`t really all it is made out to be, price for the size and location is what people are interested in ultimately.

youth_leader

Absolutely agree that location and price are main considerations.  When downsizing I always carried the thought that I wanted the best location and would have to reduce size to afford where I wanted.

I  should have said make sure you show all of your spaces in the best light. 

I had a small bedroom we used as an office and a few people apparently commented  it was too small for a single bed - I eventually borrowed one from a friend.  People can lack spatial awareness and imagination.

Beeblebr0x

In my limited experience, the buyers who seem the most enthusiastic when viewing aren't always the ones who make an offer.

Before we moved into our current house, we told local estate agents that we weren't interested in houses not on our shortlist, but we were still emailed details regardless.

Some things take time so just go with the flow. I'm sure things will work out fine for you given time.

ReadySteadyPop

youth_leader said:

Absolutely agree that location and price are main considerations.  When downsizing I always carried the thought that I wanted the best location and would have to reduce size to afford where I wanted.

I  should have said make sure you show all of your spaces in the best light. 

I had a small bedroom we used as an office and a few people apparently commented  it was too small for a single bed - I eventually borrowed one from a friend.  People can lack spatial awareness and imagination.

I would agree that is a better way to think about it and uncluttered would be my suggestion.

ReadySteadyPop

Beeblebr0x said:

In my limited experience, the buyers who seem the most enthusiastic when viewing aren't always the ones who make an offer.

Before we moved into our current house, we told local estate agents that we weren't interested in houses not on our shortlist, but we were still emailed details regardless.

Some things take time so just go with the flow. I'm sure things will work out fine for you given time.

This won`t work for the OP, they want to leave the house/area as soon as they can? They will have to actively sell the house in a quiet market, the best tool for that is price.

Beeblebr0x

ReadySteadyPop said:

Beeblebr0x said:

In my limited experience, the buyers who seem the most enthusiastic when viewing aren't always the ones who make an offer.

Before we moved into our current house, we told local estate agents that we weren't interested in houses not on our shortlist, but we were still emailed details regardless.

Some things take time so just go with the flow. I'm sure things will work out fine for you given time.

This won`t work for the OP, they want to leave the house/area as soon as they can? They will have to actively sell the house in a quiet market, the best tool for that is price.

That rather depends on the OP's finances. What I'm saying is some things in life can't be dictated, so adding to the anxiety.

Herzlos

youth_leader said:

I had a small bedroom we used as an office and a few people apparently commented  it was too small for a single bed - I eventually borrowed one from a friend.  People can lack spatial awareness and imagination.

This is an important point. Buyers are terrible at imagination, so you need to present the house to them as well as possible for them to see themselves in it. Any clutter you have will make the space feel smaller, and having a room feel bigger is more important than the dimensions on a floor plan.

I'd have a serious gut out of what's in the house and sort it into 4 piles:

Sell - put it on gumtree, marketplace etc. If it doesn't sell, then drop the price or donate it to charity shop.

Out - get rid of it. Either a charity shop if it's good enough, or take it to the dump.

Keep for new house - pack it up and store it somewhere. Self-storage places are pretty cheap.

Need for now - make sure it has a decent place at home, or get it into a box / cupboard.

You want the rooms to look like advertised, so a bed in a bedroom, a dining table in a dining room etc. Make sure the walls are all fresh and painted in white (bright) or magnolia (warm), and make sure there's no odd smells for viewings (dogs, smoke, whatever). 

Make it as easy for your buyers as possible. 

As for the time scales, you're still pretty early in the process, I'd give it a few weeks before dropping the price.