unsellable house?!

stressedmumof4

Hello

I'm new to this so please bear with me!

Our house was put on the market when I was still pregnant with our youngest - she is now 15 months old and we are still on the market :rolleyes: we have dropped the price and 'lost' two dream houses in this time. We now have another home in our sights and we love it - not only that, but if we lose this house it could mean my disabled mum having to go into residential care as this house/annexe is no longer suitable for her due to her worsening MS.

currently we have been made an offer, quite a good offer, but the potential buyers have two homes to sell in order to buy ours. they didn't put these houses on the market until at least a month after making that offer but hey ho, at least they have now!! apparantly one of those houses has an offer, the other is yet to receive anything.

We do have quite a few viewings when the property is in the paper but then we get feedback such as "we dont' know what we'd do with an annexe"

our agent seems to be somewhat complacent in all of this - senior management not returning calls re:lack of advertising in local papers, not chasing viewers etc.

we have been approached by another agent who has sold this house in the past and seems very proactive, should we go for 2 agents? should we get shot of agent one?

I'd appreciate any help or thoughts please!!

mrs.maverick

Bearing in mind that it's a tricky market at the moment, and houses are sticking, I would be tempted to try the other agent. However, many agents will tell you anything ('We'll sell it, no problem') in order to get the business. There is no guarantee that they will be any better, but it seems to me that you have nothing to lose by changing agents. Check whether the 1st agent has a notice period.

Good luck!

christabell

Agent number 1 is charging you for his services...which as I read it doing nothing for you. .

Agent number 2 is hungry.....I know what I would do.

full-time-mum

I'd say that you have nothing to loose by changing agents. I know that the market is slow but, by your own admission, the current agent isn't working as hard as you feel they should. I'd tell the existing agent that unless you see positive action in the next 2 weeks, you will be seeking a new agent (of if you have a notice period, give notice and tell them you may reconsider at the end if they buck their ideas up).

Don't sign up with the new agent with a huge contract - we made that mistake and had to wait 16 weeks before we could consider changing. If they are desparate for business, then you should be able to negotiate - try for 6 or 8 weeks, that should be long enough to see if they are up to the job.

As for the annexe, its a tricky one - are there any photos on the agents website? Iif your mum is living there at the moment, there isn't much you can do but try and look at the rooms and layout and have some ideas ready. "I know that the annexe is currently a granny flat but you could convert this room to a guest room, the bathroom could easily be made less disabled like by doing this that or the other, this room would make a lovely utility" or whatever.

I know its not ideal, but maybe if your mum has to go into residential care temporarily, until you've sold, it would give you an opportunity to make the annexe look less disabled-orientated. I don't think I'd get rid of any disablility facilities as there maybe someone out there looking for them, just try and show what could be done.

When you watch those property style programmes, it always amazes me how shallow viewers can be. I can see through the decor and furnishings but it seems that a lot of people can't. When we sold our first house, the tiny third bedroom was a dark room and you couldn't believe that a bed would fit in. I turned it back into a bedroom by carefully arranging some boxes, an airbed and pillows and a quilt. It was still obviously not a bedroom but it gave enough of a hint to see that it could be.


Good Luck, its miserable being in limbo and I'm sure doubly so when you have your mum's health looming over you.

dexters_mum_2

Get shot of the agent who is being complacent and not really working for you, not returning calls in not a good courtesy to clients paying you thousands. As I see it, you have been more than fair to agent 1 in allowing him a long time to seel your property.

Go with agent 2, after their minimum contract is up, if you don't like them or don't get on with them, you can move on to another agent on a sole or joint basis.

chickmug

christabell wrote: »

Agent number 1 is charging you for his services...which as I read it doing nothing for you. .

Agent number 2 is hungry.....I know what I would do.

As mrs.maverick said EA's will usually say anything to get your business so do not 'jump out of the frying pan into the fire'.

eileenfromplaistow

Annexes - don't know exactly what yours consists of, but certainly have ideas to hand, eg

Elder daughter/son would love their own space
I used to use it to do my dressmaking/ knitting/ pottery/ cooking.......
We originally thought it would be useful for a lodger if my mum moved into care

Lovely warm / sunny space for studying

Guests really appreciated some space of their own

SouthCoast

Our house was put on the market when I was still pregnant with our youngest - she is now 15 months old and we are still on the market

This must be one of the longest seen on this board.

Reduce the price.

stressedmumof4

already have! - by £25,000.

stressedmumof4

Thanks for all the tips and helpful advice - still can't get hold of estate agents manager today (he's having a day off!) but will try again tomorrow. will do what you suggested full-time-mum, about the contracts.

Tozer

We've just sold our place after nearly 5 months on the market. Couple of tips:

1. It is definitely a slow market so check your price is competitive against others in the area.

2. Try dual-agency (not multi). That way the agents have to stay keen to be in with a shout of selling it. Don't pay more commission though - agents are desperate at the moment.

3. We were really pleased when we got rid of one agent and appointed another in a different nearby town. They instantly got us viewers as it was, effectively, a whole new market. No point in having two agents marketing your property in the same place.

4. The agent that actually sold the property was one of the two original agents. However, when we got rid of one and instructed another in a different location it seemed to gee them up a bit and sold it within a couple of weeks.

Good luck! Hope some of this helps.