House not sold, in rented what to do?

gwynlas

Again you could take it off the market for now and remarket after Christmas. Yes things move slowly but no one wants to think of packing until new year

I would consider spending a little on neutral carpets and part furnishing from on line sites and charity shops as so many people have no idea of gauging furniture placement.

Refresh pictures with kerb appeal flower pots.

Make it look as though families could just move straight in.

No need to lower price if fair as people can make offers.

ReadySteadyPop

Smilepea said:

We've had to relocate for work, and our house has been on the market since May. We've reduced it twice, had a new EPC (A because of solar panels and batteries we've put in), but no luck. We've had probably 20 viewings, including one second viewing but no offers. 

We keep being told the market is slow, and that our house is performing competitively well (based on Rightmove clicks). 

I'm happy with our estate agent, but wondering what to do. 

I've considered the quick sale companies but am concerned because of their terrible reviews and the lack of guarantee. 

It's just fairly stressful, and that's why I'm considering the quick sell, we are fortunate that we can afford the rent and mortgage (we have stopped our overpayments on the mortgage though).

If we were to reduce to the next price band on Rightmove it would be listed at less than we paid, and I'm concerned about how that would look. 

The house could do with some new carpets in a couple of rooms, but sorting that out is a bit of a challenge with not being local any more. I'm also concerned of choosing something that might put someone off...

We have a really decent chunk of equity, and could take the financial hit of selling for less than it's really worth. 

We've considered renting it out (we've seen a house we like that's not at the top of our budget so we could own both) but I think that's not something we'd like to do for a few reasons. 

My feeling is I'd just like it sold, so we can know where we're buying (don't want to commit and offer until we're precedible) and don't have to be in rented any longer (we've not properly unpacked because we can't anchor bookcases and the like to the walls, and after owning our own home for 10 years the fact that we need inspections feels really unpleasant). Also it's a stress I don't want given that we've moved to a new town, in a new county, and I've started a new job. 

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

What it is really worth is always just what someone is willing to pay, what feedback have you had from viewings?

Herzlos

What does the house look like now, is it empty and looking neglected?

I'm going to go against the grain a bit on the carpets; a lot of buyers have no imagination whatsoever so if they see an empty house with grubby carpets they'll struggle to see themselves in it. 

You may do better by 'staging' the house somewhat; get new (cheap, neutral) carpets in the rooms that need it, and some furniture showing the rooms to their best potential - beds and side tables in bedrooms, dining table in the dining room, desk in an office, etc. It can all be cheap Ikea or charity shop stuff.

It's also worth making sure the garden is neat and tidy before viewings, if you can arrange a local gardener to give it a quick tidy up. 

None of that will likely add to the value, but may make it much easier to sell for a minimal outlay, and you can always offer to sell or throw in the furniture if the buyers want it. 

mta999

One problem is that a lot of people are not proceedable ie they have not sold their own houses so they may well be interested in yours and the price does not come into the equation but they simply cannot sell theirs

GDB2222

sheramber said:

Being empty can make it less attractive. 

Many people cannot imagine what a room will look like with furniture in it. 

I agree empty houses often look less attractive, but they are far more attractive financially.  For example, the sellers are clearly motivated to sell, and there's no prospect of the sale falling through because of problems with an upward chain. 

  

strawb_shortcake

mta999 said:

One problem is that a lot of people are not proceedable ie they have not sold their own houses so they may well be interested in yours and the price does not come into the equation but they simply cannot sell theirs

This is the position we found ourselves in, our agents booked people in without their house even on the market. In all the ones we viewed there was only one house that we couldn't view on a Saturday as they reserved Saturdays for proceedable buyers. 
We had no feedback on the price and plenty of viewers so no reason for us to consider lowering the price or accepting low offers - should they have occurred!

kinger101

GDB2222 said:

sheramber said:

Being empty can make it less attractive. 

Many people cannot imagine what a room will look like with furniture in it. 

I agree empty houses often look less attractive, but they are far more attractive financially.  For example, the sellers are clearly motivated to sell, and there's no prospect of the sale falling through because of problems with an upward chain. 

  

Agree with this 100 percent.  Offered on too many with vague reasons for wanting to move that fell through.  I no longer live there and it's costing me a fortune makes for a pretty motivated seller.

nakie999

If you’re already in rented, I’d just focus on getting it sold even if it means accepting a lower price. The market really is slow right now, and buyers are being picky. A small drop to the next Rightmove band might attract new eyes. I’ve seen houses sit for months and then move the moment they fall under a price threshold.

vic_sf49

Can you approach your local authority, to see if they want to buy it. 

I completed on a new place, before selling my old one, but if I had no takers, I knew I had the fallback option of selling to the council at market rate. 

I'd already asked them, prior to marketing it, (and my memory might be a bit faulty here), but it had to be on market for so long, and I'm not sure if it needed to be unoccupied.

Although I may have got the unoccupied bit mixed up ref council tax exemption. 

ivy66

Have you sold your place?