Selling house

[Bloops]

Hi all

My partner and I are considering selling our house. We've realised it's a fine first home but not a forever home. We want a bigger garden, bigger kitchen and parking space. Somewhere to live for the majority of our life.

We are getting a valuation soon and will opt for a couple more from a few different companies. We haven't completely done the house up, its a blank canvas and needs new carpets throughout but we would rather not sink money into it if we don't have to.

I've been told selling is one of the most stressful things and now I've gone from being excited to ridiculously anxious.

Can you please tell me your stories about selling and finding a new house? Are there any tips you can offer? How long would you say your house was on the market for and did you find your next house quickly after someone put an offer in for yours? The thought of renting if I cant find a house in time is worrying me.

I've looked online for tips but it's always nicer hearing real stories from people who have gone through it.

Thanks!

Selling was easy. We had a really good starter home, ready to be lived in but with some work could add value. Had 3 views I think and then sold. We'd put it on the market after finding a house because we knew it would go pretty fast - our friends house at the end of the same road sold in a day!

Finding our 'forever home' was difficult, we wanted period and 3/4 bed and a good garden and parking. In the end we sacrificed parking and bought a house that needed a lot of work - damp coursing, new floors, new plaster, new built in storage. We could have sacrificed the period factor and had an easier search and probably a bigger house with off street parking but I believe we're happier here.

Good luck in your search and sale!

I’m not sure it’s the selling so much as the conveyancing that’s stressful. Both times we have sold fairly easily (our first home took longer but it was slightly overpriced. Once we dropped it it went in days). The conveyancing has been fairly traumatic both times though. It’s a convoluted process that involves high stakes on all sides. Our last experience we bought and sold no chain and then suddenly ended up in a chain of 8 when both parties changed their minds!!

Thank you @Modestandatinybitsexy that was a nice, positive post. I needed that

@Flamingolingo a chain of 8 sounds horrifying! I hope it all worked out nicely in the end?!

If the carpets obviously need replacing you might need to adjust your pricing accordingly most people put them in with the sale

Selling and buying at the same time is stressful. I think you are right about not spending money on a house you want to move on. Someone buying it will probably prefer to put their own stamp on it. Make sure any outstanding DIY jobs/repairs are done and clean the carpets unless they are threadbare - it'll make the world of difference. Do these things before you have EAs round to value. Hire a Rugdoctor for a weekend and use Persil Small and Mighty instead of the high priced detergent they try to get you to buy.

Think it's all down to chance OP. As PP has said it's the conveyancing part that's most stressful.
We sold our house quite easily (ideal first home) took another 2 months to find a new one, presumed straight forward as deceased estate but it had solar panels and the legalities went on forever as every company who had owned them had gone into liquidation. Our conveyancer despite having the best reputation in our town didn't have a clue, we ended up moving in with family to allow our sale to go ahead. By the time we moved in I was 7 months pregnant (I wasn't pregnant when our house went on the market) and because it had lots of renovating to do I'd say it was one of the most stressful times.
Not everyone is that unlucky, I'd say have an open mind but maintain a neutral perspective that not everything will go to plan - good luck! X

Find a good conveyancing solicitor.
You will pay more but its worth it because they will save you time and relieve the stress that comes with a poor solicitor
Check reviews before employing them

The most stressful thing was the purchasers EA pushing for exchange when
We weren't ready
EA wanted to reach their target I think
They screamed at me
Don't be rushed

Try and become detached emotionally from the process. It's stressful because until the removal men turn up and you leave the key behind nothing is guaranteed.

In September it will have been 2 years since my house went on the market. Won't bore you with all the details but it has been testing.

I'm in rented now, hoping to complete/exchange by end of June on purchase.

The label 'forever home' might add more stress. Relax a bit.

Don't engage with potential buyers/sellers. If possible get the EA to do all viewings and request that an EA takes you round your viewings,

If you don't have one already, grow a thick skin. Nothing is personal, you're trying to sell/buy and the best price and so is everyone else,

Good luck!

We solved up and moved whilst I was 7 months pregnant, the only thing I found stressful was waiting in for viewers to come and them not turning up! Pay for a decent solicitor that you’ve researched and have some info on. Selling is never plain sailing so don’t expect it to be. However, it wasn’t horrendous either.

@Bloops well we did eventually move, but it all came to a head when I decided to suggest a date (I was the first to discuss dates, but I picked a completion date about 3 weeks ahead). All hell broke loose with someone further up the chain saying if we didn’t complete in a fortnight they would pull out. And then someone else said they would only do the end of the month (10 days away). We couldn’t get removals because it was a very busy time of year for moving house. So our sellers split the chain (ridiculous really because the reason we were in a chain was them anyway). Our buyers tried to tie another sale in at the last minute. And despite offering as cash buyers (who then later got a mortgage), suggested that they didn’t have the cash after all. It did all work out and we did move on our originally suggested date but it was super stressful. And the buyers’ sale didn’t complete for another 6 weeks so I’m glad we didn’t allow them to join. You need a good conveyancer, and try not to get too wound up by estate agents, who in my experience, can cause considerable damage to a chain just by winding everyone up. I’m sure they’re not all like this but some are.

Thanks for all the info guys. Do you have a rough estimate of how much money we will need to set aside for extra costs (solicitor, surveyor, epc certificate etc) obviously everyones will be different, but would you say under 5k or more?

@Bloops probably depending where you live regarding fees but I'd set £4K aside for buying and selling conveyancing, possible own building survey if required.

Don't forget stamp duty too on the new house

DECLUTTER, DECLUTTER, DECLUTTER.

As someone who has sold three times in less than 24 hours, that is the best advice I can give you. We rented a storage unit, and put everything that we didn't use at least weekly, in it. So there was nothing under the bed, nothing on top of the wardrobe or on top of the kitchen cupboards. Everything had a place and everything was in it. It was clean and tidy and pretty depersonalised.

Paint over any cracked bits, tidy up that chip you have been meaning to deal with. BUT don't spend loads of money - a good clean and a declutter will work wonders. Ask the estate agent if there is anything you could do to improve saleability - this isn't to increase value but to help sell it faster and for the best possible price.

Oh, and negotiate the estate agents fee - they are currently desperate for houses as COIVD has really slowed the market. Depending on where you are you may be able to reduce you fee down by half.

Our solicitors fee was about £2.5k (selling and buying), the agent’s fee was 1%, and of course stamp duty (use an online calculator), survey was £800 (full survey), removals £1750 (full packing service)

I've bought and sold several times, buying for the first time in the boom of 1973, total nightmare with houses going on the day they went on the market for 50% more than the asking price. We went from looking at nice 3 bed semis with garage to buying a rundown 2 up 2 down terrace six months later. Sold it 2 years later just we were coming out of the slump following the boom.

I hate buying and selling houses, I find it really stressful but then I forget and do it again. Currently selling a buy to let, didn't want to be landlords, did it to help a bankrupt family member who picked the house, paid the rent and wanted to buy it as soon as they could. Seven years on they had rebuilt their credit, saved a deposit and bought something else so here I am selling in the midst of Covid.

I'd put £5k aside but it does vary, get a quote from solicitors, look at commission for estate agents to get a better figure. Then think about removal costs, depends how much stuff you have and how far you are moving.

Just brace yourself for a 3 month rollercoaster. Good luck.

Thank you all, really helpful advice. I am running around decluttering, filling any cracks and cleaning like a woman possessed First valuation this Wednesday. Just have to remember to not worry so much and what will be will be :)

@1forsorrow how lovely of you to do that. Best of luck with the sale!

Thanks Bloops, we have interest so I'm hoping but if the market crashes I think we will just have to be landlords for a while. I can't really afford to lose the "pension pot" we invested in it.