A 'waiting for viewings and offers' support group?

[TheWanderingUterus]

Not quite ready for the 'in a chain' support group (please please don't let it be too long!), but we have just put our house up for sale and are waiting for viewings. Mostly cleaning and primping and procrastinating, with occasional adrenaline bursts when the phone rings.

Anyone else in the same position wanting to share the angst?

[sarahd100]

I'll share the angst with you!

I'm in a slightly different situation, but currently living at home with my mum and helping her with the stress of trying to sell her house. She put it on the market in June, we've had loads of viewings, a lot of stupid offers, some developers sniffing around but still nothing concrete. Very frustrating!

The cleaning and primping was awful at first, but we're now used to hiding everything in drawers and polishing furniture within minutes of people arriving! And it will all be worth it in the end.

Which EAs are you with? We're currently on with two, given the distinct lack of selling going on!

[flownthecoopkiwi]

Oh links please :)

[TheWanderingUterus]

Hello fellow angster!

We're with Fenn Wright who sell tons in our local area, but not so impressed so far. We have had contact with two other estate agents who are desperate to get us on their books, so that's something to think about. What feedback have your viewers had?

We had some drive by viewers who didn't like the location on a busyish road, but the draw for this area is the incredible Outstanding primary which has a tiny tiny catchment. Houses in catchment are either on the busyish roads or down the ladder roads which are still busy and have major parking issues (permit parking area and hardly any off street parking). We have off street parking and a garage and more living space than most of the houses in our price range. Downside is we are terraced (but with fabulous neighbours). It's a lovely safe area, twenty minutes walk to town centre, great community and a huge green space five minutes away. DH wants to move more than me, but he has talked me into moving further out now I can drive.

Is your mum downsizing?

I'll post the right move link in a minute!

[TheWanderingUterus]

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-45404049.html

[flownthecoopkiwi]

Can I give some feedback? Your lounge is big but I couldn't tell that from the photos because the way the furniture is placed makes it look like a narrow corridor

[Aliasnumberone]

We've just sold out house whoohoo, literally a couple of days ago so know how you feel. How long has it been on the market wandering?
Did your EA take the photos? I'd ask them to retake a couple as I don't thing they show your house off to its best. Just little things but it all adds up and first impressions count. For instance, there's one of the work area where there's a green curtain in shot on the right hand side so it looks like the picture was taken from inside the window frame! Just looks cheeky on the photographers part like they're trying so hard to make the space look bigger they were actually standing on the window ledge! It's a great asset having that extra area so I wouldn't let them be lazy with their choice of shots to the point that it actually looks like a negative rather than a positive iyswim. Also the garden, there's so much of the table in the bottom half of the picture it blocks a huge part of the actual grades area. If you temporarily moved the table to the rear of the garden or tuck it behind the garage the garden would look three times the size in a photo. The bathroom looks lovely and new, but for the sake of the photos I'd be tempted to introduce one or two small splashes of accent colour to bring it to life. It's all white and reads as flat which again makes it look smaller than I suspect it is. A small hand towel in a light colour like a mint with a matching tone on the windowsill for depth, maybe a little glass bottle?
It's a lovely house, it's all about getting people to view and that's about online marketing, so get onto your EAs and raise some concerns over the photos!

[Aliasnumberone]

Sorry lack of paragraphs... Forgot I couldn't edit on here

[TheWanderingUterus]

Thanks flown, you are right, it is a big lounge that doesn't photograph well. We have some very comfortable large chairs, a sofa bed and unfortunately Dh's work from home desk in there, all of which we currently need and can't get rid of yet.

Not sure how to improve it, any suggestions?

[NewNorman]

Can I join please? We are in this exact situation, so far had 9 viewings but no offers

Wandering, can you take the desk etc out just for the photos? We stacked everything on the corridor to make the rooms look good for the photos then put it all back in again as we need it too.

We're desperate to sell but there's problems with the immediate surroundings that we can't do anything about and it's putting people off. I wanted to drop the price but the EA talked me out of it as he doesn't think it will make a difference given its already priced to sell. The uncertainty is driving me mad!

[TheWanderingUterus]

Thanks alias, congratulations on selling your house, very jealous! We've only been on for 6 days, still early days.

The feedback is great, I'll share it with DH and we will have a chat with the estate agent. The curtain is actually the door to the study but it shouldn't be in shot, you're right. We could certainly do with a picture of the garden from another angle, the table is too heavy to move far but we could shove it back against the house or fence to get it out of shot. I can look into extra bits for the bathroom too.

The agent also left out from the particulars that the utility pictured is only half of what is there, in the garden picture you can see that it's quite long, the other half is a workshop/shed. There is an internal block wall dividing them, the shed has a separate door at the end. We are speaking to him tomorrow about that so we can include this other feedback at the same time.

[TheWanderingUterus]

Newnorman, the uncertainty is the worst isn't it! I feel very powerless at the moment. What's the problem with the local area that is putting off buyers?

I did ask DH if we could remove his desk, but he is concerned that it won't go back together again if it is taken apart. It's only IKEA chipboard and a bit wobbly as it is. It won't fit through the door with its legs on as it's actually really quite large. If we still don't get viewings I'll have to have another chat with him about it.

[GiraffesAndButterflies]

Me too me too! 10 viewings only one stupid offer. We have a town house and I think we priced too high lower than all three agents that valued it though
Feedback has been really complimentary except for back garden size and town house issue. Neither of which we can change. We've been on the market for a month and keeping the house beautiful for viewers is killing me.

(to prettify your kitchens) and sympathy to you two. Have you looked at any houses / do you know what you want to buy?

[TheWanderingUterus]

Sympathies Giraffes. Yes, we've seen a couple of houses we like, not enough to be desperate to sell yet. How about you?

I was shocked when we had it valued. We picked the lowest valuation and the one that seemed most realistic given the sold and for sale properties in the area. We rejected the one at £340k, that one seemed a bit silly.

[GiraffesAndButterflies]

Sympathies to you three, I should've said, sorry!

A probably-okay house in an absolutely PERFECT location for us is on the market and I am taking DH to see it this weekend. If he likes it then I am going to be very tempted to say we should accept the one very low offer we've had.
We did a lot of house hunting initially but it's too depressing now while we're not proceedable. We've already seen one beauty go past us.

Yeah in hindsight I wasn't cynical enough going into the meetings with EAs. I was at about 50% cynical and needed to be at 100%. I have come to believe that they will say literally anything to get you to sign a contract with them. I kind of knew that academically but it hadn't sunk in enough!

Feeling so impotent at the moment... I want an offer damnit.

[NewNorman]

We had two high valuations and one much lower one and went in a bit below the highest valuations. I was surprised that the agent didn't think reducing the price would make a difference but the issue is that some of the local businesses have dumped loads of rubbish and it looks really untidy but it's private land so the council have said it's 'not priority' to sort out. Really bad timing basically.

We're in the slightly mad situation of having had an offer accepted on a house and moving forward with it but if we can't sell our current one we'll have to get a last minute massive mortgage and hope to rent ours out. And pay a huge whack of extra stamp duty too. I just want ours to go!

[NewNorman]

Wandering, you might be surprised at the durability of the desk, we had to recently to do the same with a massive Ikea wardrobe but it came apart and went back together again really well.

[TheWanderingUterus]

Good luck with the perfect location house this weekend! One of our almost right houses is offering to take their house off the market for a week in the hope we sell in that week. Debating this and going to look on Sunday. I think it will put too much pressure on us but trying to be optimistic. We certainly can't buy it without selling ours first.

Notnorman, that sounds awful and such a shame they won't sort the rubbish. What's the house you are buying like? We'll have a look at the desk this weekend, the garage is massive so we can stuff it in there if DH is convinced.

I'm sitting here thinking I ought to load the dishwasher and hang out the washing just in case I have a viewing tomorrow. Inner laziness needs to be kicked into touch. My cats have migrated to my lap and I think both sets of neighbours have their heating on so I am warm and sleepy. Cats are the hardest members of the household to keep tidy, I keep threatening to hoover them and to kick them out for every poo. They keep sharpening their claws on my brand new laundry basket, little bastards.

[sarahd100]

Yes, she's downsizing. My brother and I flew the nest years ago, but my dad unfortunately passed away this year (hence why I came home) so she wants to find somewhere smaller and more manageable, back where she used to live in Norfolk! We're in Esher (Surrey) at the moment and it's getting increasingly busy there.

So far we've had about 30+ viewings, we started off having at least 3 a week, it died down a bit at the end of October but we've had another 3 this week and a developer come and view.

Feedback has been mixed - people really like the house, it's on a very desirable estate and is on a large plot with potential to extend, but some don't like the slightly sloping garden. Developers don't want to buy at the moment because the market is uncertain due to Brexit

We've got a couple of people who have been hanging around for a while - one has just sold his house, after months of telling us he'd offer straight away, his girlfriend has now decided she's bored of the whole thing and wants to go on holiday instead. The other has found tenants for his existing home, but hasn't put another offer in.

My mum is ringing our estate agent this morning and telling him if she doesn't get an offer in the next few days she's going to take it off the market until next year. It would be a shame really as she's found a lovely house that she adores, but can't do anything about it yet!

[GiraffesAndButterflies]

Ooo big decision sarah. We are also wondering at what point we should give up and come off the market over Christmas.

Good luck to you likewise Wandering!

[NewNorman]

Gosh, 30+ viewings? Maybe I'm being a bit hasty then as I think ours is struggling after only nine! The EA told us there's nothing booked in for the weekend so we have slashed the price to try and generate more interest. I really don't know if that's the right thing to do or not. At the price it's on for its significantly lower than anything else on the market and we're not prepared to accept offers lower than the asking price. I can't decide if this is crazy or not as even if we accept an offer, we're then totally at the mercy of our buyer and how quick they can go.
Hope everyone has an offer and dream - house filled weekend

[YelloDraw]

Not sure how to improve it, any suggestions?

Same comment - lovely house but the lounge looks a bit rubbish, like a dentists waiting room or something all long and thin (even tho it isn't really) and doesn't look comfy and cosey.

Can't he use the study on his WFH days? 3 desks seems a bit excessive and his desk is ruining the lounge for me. Or can it as least go at one end rather than be in the focal point of the room?

I think you can get a more cosey seating set up and loose the desk it will make the room look much better.

[TheWanderingUterus]

30 viewings sounds exhausting sarah, must be so frustrating to have all those people in a nd out and no offer. Norfolk is lovely, I have lots of family there and I don't blame her for moving back.

Fingers crossed the price slash works out new.

We have still had no viewings and the estate agent didn't ring us back today. Going to have a good chat with DH about it this weekend.

Thanks for the feedback Yello, it IS a lovely house but the lounge is awkward. It's been knocked through from two smaller rooms, but the doors are in awkward places and the windows are large and low. I think it might look better to have it as two separate lounge areas rather than one big one. Perhaps some small armchairs and a coffee table at the window end and the existing big chairs and sofa at the other. Should we keep the large sofa with the three blue cushions and white cover at the window end or should we ditch that too? It's actually a large sofa bed for guests, but no one will be staying with us for a good couple of months whether we move or not.

DH can't work in the office space because he is a noisy fidgety fucker and I can't concentrate when he is in there. Going to see if I can negotiate a compromise over the weekend

[NotAMammy]

Trying to think of things to help. Does your neighbour have a jungle of a garden? It looks that way from the photo and that would always worry me that they'd be bad neighbours. Also, trim the ivy round your door.
I agree that the lounge doesn't look great. I think it would be better if you could make it look more like a living room space and a bit of a play space. Maybe zone it using rugs, lighting, etc? At the moment it's just three sofas in a row - does everyone line up facing the wall and not speak to each other?
Add some coloured towels to the bathroom. It's a bit stark.
Move boxes of stuff into other rooms while you photograph each one, otherwise it can look like you're short of storage space. Can you move most of them into the loft or garage while you're viewing?
I can't comment on price as it's so location specific, but try to think what would most bug you or what you're most looking for in a new house.

[TheWanderingUterus]

Thanks for your honesty. We have rugs down but the estate agent took them all up for the photos (sigh). Any other advice welcome.

I'll take on board the overpriced comment, although it is in line with a lot of similar properties in the catchment area that have sold recently and those that are currently up for sale. The catchment area has shrunk steadily over the last few years as its a fantastic and popular school which accounts for a good bit of the recent price increase. And we have a garage/parking which is vanishingly rare in catchment. Out of interest what price would you say is right for the house?

We are going to address the presentation over the next week or two, but we'll watch the market and see what happens.

You are welcome to come and have a no pressure view