No viewers! ARGHHHHH!!!!

PasturesNew

d900 wrote: »

the markets slow in my area
my eastate agent said after 1 week i should drop the price 10k
i said wow your an expert and then said any monkey can lower a price to sell things now work for ur money !

He is an expert. Probably written you off as a non-budging idiot.
He's probably pushing properties for flexible sellers now.

When a property goes on the market it is 'marketed at' a price. That isn't it's value.

The value is found when you've got a buyer you're happy to sell to.

If nobody's looking at yours and others are selling, then yours is being marketed at the wrong price and a new price needs to be tried.

The agents put houses on at a price and see what happens.

Time to reduce it .... and if you want to sell it, drop it £15k and really get the agent keen to sell yours before anybody else's

janie161

Thanks for all your swift replies.

Yes the Bairstow Eve burb does sound as boring in all their other rightmove entries ....

Regarding price, I know there are similar properties close by that are £20,000 cheaper but they are much smaller in size, and do not have the extension or double garage (if they are lucky enough to have a garage its "in a block close by")

I am relying on the size of my property to fetch near the asking price, along with the fact that it is close to the rail station and on a bus route and ideally placed for both primary and secondary schools.

It appears to me that similar properties are selling with other agents for around the same price as mine, but the agents give a lot more detail in their blurb and more photos (which is something I have asked B. Eves to do but to no avail)

They also appear to be actively marketing these properties from what I can see. I did actually do a mystery shop on my agent giving them all the details I was looking for to lead them up my path but was fobbed off with a dozen or so properties bung in the post to me, the majority not having the car parking/garage I particulary pushed for ....

In hindsight, I wished I had chosen one of these other agents, but being naive I suppose I fell for the old line of "Bairstow Eves are the largest estate agents in the country and our offices are located all the way up into London ...."

Is there any way I can push for a joint agency basis now?

moneysavinmonkey

you need to get them to emphasise the plus points you have just told us in the description.

I think your bet is to keep moaning on at them. Keep asking for more/new photos, better description... confront them about your 'mystery shop' ask them if they have sent out the property details to registered buyers on the book- hopefully they will either get on with it or get so fed up with you the will release you from your contract! :rotfl:

heeth

We have just gone through the entire process and we really struggled to sell our house - we had refurbed throughout. We started at 176 and sold three/four months later at 160, the one we bought started at 210 and we bought for 190. Prices are on the slide. We sat at 165 for a long time but realised every other 2 bed terrace was priced at that, so we decided to bite the bullet and go lower so ours stood out. We got two offers the next week.

One thing we did do was pester the agents. change the text if you don't like it, we provided our own photos (advise taking down your net curtains and getting as much light in your property) and we were even thinking of giving the agents an incentive to sell - something like extra £200 if x amount or above is offered (don't actually know if that is above bored or not).

Do remember that it is a buyers market (sorry I now hate that phrase myself) but when you do get an offer on yours that is under the asking (and be prepared for that to happen) then beat the sellers down on the one you want - it's all relative at the end of the day.

good luck

mr.broderick

janie161 wrote: »

Hi all, first time posting so please be gentle ...

Put my 3 bed mid terraced house on market four weeks ago with Bairstow Eves. Had a viewer the first day and another a week later, no feedback from either of them, first viewer apparently views everything that comes on market and second viewer didnt get back to agents. Three weeks have passed with no viewers whatsoever. Have a board outside my house and I live on a main road near a large secondary school so lots of passers by.

I am well aware of the current market difficulties and appreciate that things are slow (and this is the first property I have ever sold so am a bit naive)

I check rightmove every day to see what's on the market and at what price and which property sells with which agent. I believe that my property is at the right price (bang in the middle of all other prices for 3 bed mid terrs in my area) I should mention that it has an extension at the rear, detached double garage and two further car parking spaces at the rear too.

I feel that Bairstows have given up on me already, they seem very lethargic when I go in there and staff morale seems to be generally low. Their property description is very short and sweet and they only show four pictures (two internal and two external) on rightmove. I have asked that they say a bit more about the property and take more photos and have managed to get them to add just one more photo today! :mad:

To sum up, I feel they have played on my naivety and I now find I am locked in for sole agency for 12 weeks with them (another 8 weeks to go!!) I am really loathe to just sit here and waste 8 weeks - I have approached them to ask for a joint agency (as I can see other 3 bed mid terraced selling with other agents around the same price) and was told "maybe in another two weeks, we'll see" They also tried to get me to reduce by £2,500 but I argued that without more viewings and feedback I am not convinced that will make any difference now.

Please can anyone tell me the right direction to go in now? One last bit of info, the house we are really interested in buying is also with Bairstow Eves (meaning double commission for them!!) But still no sense of the agents doing anything to help push things along .....

Thanks in advance.

Employed by agents no doubt

Tozer

Being honest, I think in this market it is not about the sales particulars or the photos. It is simply a price issue.

Phirefly

janie161 wrote: »

Is there any way I can push for a joint agency basis now?

You need to get over this.

You could have it on with every agency in the land but it would make no difference. If someone's looking for a house like yours, they'd have already seen it on Rightmove. Buyers don't register their details with one agent and only view the properties on their books - as you well know as a buyer. You just need to hope that new buyers start looking or people who've already dismissed your property reconsider it in the light of their own changed circumstances.

tomstickland

Any house will sell if the buyer wants it and it's the right price.
However, a good advert can help bring people in, so here's my thoughts:

Viewings come advised to appreciate the accommodation on offer.

What a waste of space! Write your own description setting out the plus points.

Photos: it looks a bit dreary to me. Run of the mill mid terrace, grey sofa and grey carpet in front room, bare garden. I'm not advocating redecorating it or anything, but think a bit of decluttering/minor tarting might help. Even pumping the colour balance in photoshop could help.

It is in good condition, so at the right price I see nothing wrong with it.

Get a photo showing the big, wide garage doors.

ceridwen

Just my 2pworth. Agree with others that possibly you need to reduce the price.

Just my own teensy little thought - the second I saw the words "on the main road" it instantly got crossed off my mental houses I might view list. I dont know how many people feel the same as I do about that one being a big minus on a house. In my own area certainly I wouldnt even consider main road houses - because of the volume of traffic (and with the way traffic levels are still on the increase at present - then all the more reason).

Really dont know what the ration of buyers thinking:
- defo not on a main road
- I'd have a main road one, but only for a noticeable discount on price
- not bothered
- regarding main road as a plus point

is.

dubsey

I agree with everything that has been said so far. How long a contract with Bairstow Eves do you have?

We are in Kent and when we viewed one weekend 4 of the properties were with them. All of the other agents were on the phone first thing Monday to get feedback. We never ever heard back from Bairstow about a single one of the properties we viewed through them and it wasn't as if they had buyers lined up for them, they took months to sell.

We do make an initial decision to view based room sizes and the pictures but ultimately as others have said it would come down to price to get me through the door.