Something not right about this 'news' story

[WallaceinAnderland]

70 year old woman claims to be unable to sell her house.

'I reluctantly dropped the price from £860,000 to £750,000 six months ago because I was desperate'

But if you look at the house on Rightmove, it's advertised at 850k. So she's only dropped it by 10k in all this time. Did the paper make the 'typo' on purpose do we think? Surely reducing your asking price by 10k in 18 months, is not news?

She's just asking too much for it.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/at-70-i-m-trapped-in-my-850-000-family-house-i-can-t-sell-it/ar-AA21m6md?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=69e8bdc7025d4e0ea96d196da0becc8b&ei=56

I'd buy the house in the article for 550,000 max if I wanted to live in a close in chippenham. It's a lovely house. Could convert the garages to more useful space. They'll get a buyer with this advertising, just not at the price it's on for.

Although I agree with @SabrinaThwaite its the bungalow the lady wants to sell, and the wrong house is in the article. How hard can it be to get it right?

I don't think it's either of those houses. Definitely not the first one, but neither of them is "in a village". It's possible it's been removed from the market now. I can't find any likely candidates

I wouldn’t call Chippenham a village, pretty or otherwise.

at a guess its the emotional aspect and the elderly vs the govt spin

Well if thats what the estate agent values it at thats what they would hope to get. Its nothing to do with "entitlement " its the housing market.
Good God mumsnetters really hate older people dont they, like as if everything they ever had just dropped into their laps randomly 😳

This one was recently reduced to 750. www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/171141803#/?channel=RES_BUY

If it's not priced correctly she won't be getting viewings. In her situation, when the market is difficult you need enough to buy the type of place you want to downsize to and do any work needed. She won't have a mortgage either. If someone is really motivated to sell, they'll make it happen.

That one has been on the market 4 times in the last 20 years, it's not that.

If they bought it for £440k or whatever then they weren't short of a bob or two. The seller might be on a state pension but she must have something else stuffed under the mattress. Surely her DH didn't leave her completely high and dry financially.

That house does nothing for me, just looks like a large new build on a development...
p.s I know it's not new....

Aren't all housing estates bland?

Wonderful example there of mental gymnastics. Never miss an opportunity to have a dig at pensioners. 🙄

I know, it's unreal. If she (or anyone on this thread) could get £750k for their house they would. I can't see many people arguing the toss with the estate agent about the sheer entitlement of it.

@SilenceInside "She bought it for £440,000 in 2003 and wants £860,000 for it now."

So if you own a house I assume you'll be selling it at 2003 prices?

Ism 73 and my house interior looks far more like the incorrect house shown than the chalet bungalow. Not all of us like chintz and lace.

I always think when there are these articles about expensive non-london properties… have they considered who the buyer is exactly?

£750k - even with a £200k deposit, your young family looking for a family home will need a £550k mortgage which will be currently ~£3k a month or 100% of the take home pay on a £50k salary. You are probably looking at someone with an income of >£140k to feasibly afford this even with a chunky deposit.

There is not a never ending stream of people in this situation looking to buy houses in small towns and villages. It is completely detached from realistic earnings.

You’ve left off my last sentence which makes it seem like I’m making a different point to the one that I am. Which is that she is asking too much for the property compared to what has sold nearby recently. I’m clearly not suggesting she sells it for 440 now. And everyone who sells hopes to get the best price they can, but not everyone prices realistically.

People with £850k to spend usually want to live somewhere less tacky.

My house is worth about £150k (up north) so I've got no chance

I think it's more likely this one https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/172600301#/?channel=RES_BUY

or this one

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/166818329#/floorplan?activePlan=1&channel=RES_BUY

Records don't go as far back as 1992 when she moved in so I can't tell whether they were built then but they're both village properties, which fits better with her description.

It’s hardly ‘giving away’ a property if she sells it for £750k is it?

There is a new build near me with a really good sized garden, not sold, its been empty since building completion nearly 2 years ago. Obviously well overpriced. Personally I think properties like this should be handed to council for housing if unsold in a certain time frame. It would encourage realistic pricing or developers only building what realistically will sell.

The first one is SSTC though.

This ^ It's bloody bland and awful!

Definitely much more likely to be the (slightly more characterful) chalet bungalow, imo. Still seems overpriced, however.

I've just turned 56 and don't get why some posters associate older/retired people with bland decor/houses? We love arty interiors and our home is full of colour/pattern/interesting stuff - like many of the similarly aged people we know. I can't imagine a world in which we'd suddenly want to paint everything white/magnolia and put lace doilies everywhere just because we've reached 70 or whatever.....in the same way I won't be booking a shampoo, set and purple rinse 🤷‍♀️

I would say so, hence I'd be reluctant to spend that amount of money on a house there.