Property roll call - who's trying to sell ?

[Kaz33]

Well we are back on the market as of next monday, after having been on the market since September. We've redecorated, hidden all the kids toys and dealt with the damp. Lets hope for a buoyant property market in the new year

[moondog]

Oooooh lets!!
Our house goes on the market next week. We bought a new one and have tried to rent out the old one for 4 months to no avail (well, people have been interested but not the right sort-we're very fussy!)Estate agents say that the buy-to-let market is flooded,also that many people are renting whilst waiting to see if prices fall.
Hope not!

You sound like you're well sorted. After looking at about 50 houses befgore we bought our new one, i am stunned at some of the sh**holes that people have the audacity to try and flog (and bizarrely, the most expensive were generally the worst!)

[moondog]

I've had to say goodbye to my Aga though...
Hope whoever gets it loves it like I did.

[moondog]

Surely you can find another place for it Lockets? You must,if you cherish it.
We got married in a very low key way (only us, took an afternoon on flexitime to do it!) but I had a slate tile engraved with our names and wedding date and put in the kitchen floor with all the rest of the slate floor.
I was going to leave it behind (seemed part of the house somehow) but all the family told me I MUST take it up, so dh did with much hassle and cursing, in the short time we were back in the UK at Christmas.
I'm glad now though!

[Heathcliffscathy]

listen, can you tell me what your agents are saying about the market at the moment...we're trying to buy and i feel like they're trying to panic us by saying that market is going really well again now and that we're in danger of missing the boat...is that BS?

[moondog]

Sophable, I think the whole thing is bullshit (Dh and I have a good laugh every week listening to Phil 'n Kirstie (endlessly repeated on bloody BBC Prime) making staggeringly obvious comments about buying/selling houses.
A house is only worth what someone will buy for it. If you see the right one, you will know. Simple as that.
People tell us we bought at the 'wrong' time (July). Bollocks! It was exactly the right time, with a new baby and (luckily) more money than we had had the year before.
Estate agents don't half talk some shite!!

(Sorry-swearing a lot here! Making me sound very aggressive!!)

[Heathcliffscathy]

moodog. swear away, i know i do!

[BadHair]

Market is not going well again, at least not in N. Shropshire. My friends are trying to sell their house (3 beds, mid-terraced, same as ours, not exactly the most expensive end of the property market) and are only getting occasional interest, and that from buy-to-letters. It's been on since early December and estate agents promised them that January would be busy. Well its not - no viewings since mid-December and one offer from buy-to-letter that was apparently insultingly low.
So I'd say that buyers are in a very strong position right now.

[Heathcliffscathy]

you'd never know it from what all the estate agents are like with me badhair!

[Heathcliffscathy]

i wonder if there are any estate agents on mn? and i wonder if they would gain incredible karma points by posting truthfully about how things are going for them?

[Gobbledigook]

I'm trying to sell too!

On the mkt since last July with only 3 viewings and no offers. Been off mkt since start of Dec and went back on last week - got 2 viewings lined up for Monday so fingers crossed.

We moved out anyway in early Jan so are currently paying 2 mortgages which will, quite frankly, be crippling after more than a few months.

I think it's gonna pick up - interest rates have stayed the same again this month and it's generally the time of year buyers are out in force.

You realise I have to believe this though!!

[Gobbledigook]

I think perhaps Jan will not be the busiest month - I'd expect Feb and March to be better.

[moondog]

How was your house move GG? Must have been heavy going with three kids straight after Christmas!
Wasn't it your parents' old place? How does that feel?
After nearly 40 years abroad, my parents bought the house my father was brought up in. They even sleep in the room he was born in.

I am worried we won't sell our old place straight away. We are haemorrhaging money at present. Dh is so thankful that I am here in Turkey with him so he can keep an eye on my spending [grinn]

[Gobbledigook]

It was OK thanks Moondog. It feels a bit wierd but I think because we've still got the other house 'hanging over us' so I can't relax yet. This month we've paid £1300 in mortgage with covering our old house and this one - we can't cope with that for long!!

It's great to have all the extra space and the extra bedroom. The kids have their own playroom now so all their toys are in there and we have our own 'grown up' lounge which is lovely.

I'm stressing about school now as the secretary of the school ds should go to in Sept told me the other day that the LEA checks all addresses on the electoral register! We've just got forms to change the register but it won't be effective till 1st March and I'm worried they'll check before then. If we aren't on it, they want a solicitor letter to show exchange of contracts but of course we haven't done that yet even though we are living here and our old house is empty. Surely we can prove in some other way that we live here and not in the other house?!?

Sorry, off on a tangent there but it's stressing me out! I won't relax till ds is walking through those school gates in September!!

How is it out in Turkey - is the weather warm at this time of year?

[JanH]

[moondog]

Turkey's bloody freezing GG!!! (Yes JanH, my reaction exactly!) Still, off to Dubai for a week on Monday so I should'nt complain (although obviously I still do...

I wouldn't worry about the electoral roll thing-after all, if it comes to the worst, they only ha ve to call at the house to see that you live there (which, according to the Telegraph on line, they're starting to do!

Grown up living room....sounds blissful.
Are the kids banned from it,or just the toys? [gring]

[JanH]

(Sorry, GDG - she lives in the mountains and it's not warm!)

Re the housing market, my neighbour put hers on mid-October (couldn't stand living next door to us another minute ) and although she had a lot of early interest and one silly offer there was nothing concrete. She put in a provisional offer on one she liked, which was accepted, and then someone did the same for hers - all this was before Christmas.

Then last week her buyer got a first-time buyer offer, so their chain is all systems go now, touch wood!

[jampots]

I sort of put mine on the market last year in the hope that my bathroom and decorating would be finished pretty quickly - it didn;t happen so took it off again. All work is now done so hopefully will put it back on this year. Looking for some land to build a house on . Anyone got some to sell?

[moondog]

God, where the hell d'you find some land? Tried that-bloody impossible in North Wales!!

[jampots]

my sister bought some about 4 years ago and built a lovely house on it - she's sold it now but it was really spacious and airy with a kitchen to die for. Sadly I would probably nick her plans

[Cranberry]

Well I hope things do pick up soon as we've been on since last JUNE. We've dropped the price 3 times and can't go any lower! We're now on with two agents which is higher commission but we've just got sell soon. Somebody PLEASE buy my house

[hernow]

I want to sell but our house is so dated that we can't afford to . Actually really like our house but I feel we need somewhere bigger (then again think I am greedy and shoud be happy). We are looking at spending some money and maybe going for summer sale but I hate the thought of all the selling and buying

[pootlepod]

We have sold and are just waiting to exchange, however, we were supposed to exchange before Christmas, then 1st week of Jan, then last week, now it could be this week...

Have started to pack and I didn't realise how physically tiring it is. We have already thrown out/given away loads of things and we're still running out of boxes!

[sweetkitty]

Count me in! Ours has been on since end of August 5 viewers no offers

We've dropped the price and put it back on. Decoration wise theres nothing else we can do it's a 4 year old 2 bed flat recently redecorated throughout, we are so cramped need to move!