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AIBU?

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Original poster

to be pissed of with selling our house

86 replies

worldgonemad72 · 30/05/2011 13:36

desperately trying sell our house at the mo, we've knocked 15 grand of the asking price.
We were supposed to have a viewing today, the house is immaculate and they haven't turned up Angry
This is the 2nd time our estate agents have made an appointment for someone to come and view and they haven't shown up.
Fuckers

OP posts:
cheekeymonkey · 30/05/2011 13:42

Ahh! I hate them that don't turn up! Last Sunday I kick DD and DH out of bed and then kick them out of the house as viewer was elderly man looking for peaceful house and the fucker didn't show. Ignorant bastard!

Also second time this has happened in a row.

What the hell has happened to people's manners?

I have taken time off work unpaid whilst people piss me about!

That's enough swearing for me today.

fluffles · 30/05/2011 13:50

i now refuse to do viewings that are inconvenient. i guess i'm lucky that i don't HAVE to sell quickly, but seriously, if somebody wants to buy the house then they'll be free more than just '2pm next tuesday'. i offer two or three options but will not miss work or cancel established plans with others for a viewing.

breadandbutterfly · 30/05/2011 19:10

Reduce the price. They probably didn't come because it was overpriced. If it was cheap enough they'd be queueing down the street, at any time convenient to you.

OberonTheHopeful · 30/05/2011 19:16

Would it be worth asking the agents to hold an 'open day' on a convenient weekend? My XP and I did this with our house when we getting frantic about selling it and it generated two offers within 95% of asking price. It also promotes interest in the house in general, and you know it's just a single day for multiple viewings.

hokeycakey · 30/05/2011 19:19

Fuckers indeed

Breadandbutterfly that is soooooo not true! people always piss about and sometimes I think that the estate agents make up viewings to make themselves look like they are doing something.

don't despair op, we finally got an offer at the asking price after 4 different viewings didn't show up fingers crossed for you and enjoy the clean house!

hokeycakey · 30/05/2011 19:20

oooh and open day fab idea!

trixie123 · 30/05/2011 19:50

could have written the OP... we can't reduce the price any more, we already have by 30 GRAND and will lose money when we do sell. The problem I think is that its a 1st time buyers property and they can't get mortgages. I agree ots bad enough to be unable to move and lose properties you want because you csn't sell without having your time wasted. Its V V difficult to get a house "viewing ready" with a toddler and a newborn and infuriating when it gets cancelled.

PedigreeChump · 30/05/2011 19:56

I'm jumping aboard the "pissed off" bandwagon... we haven't had one single viewer since we put it on the market 6 weeks ago. Clearly we have the most vile house in the universe that no one will even come to see it. Sad To make matters worse a girl at my work sold her flat in the next street to mine in a week! I don't understand!!!

Original poster
worldgonemad72 · 30/05/2011 21:35

we are already selling it for less than we paid, going ring the estate agents tomorrow and take it off. Ive looked at other houses in my area within a similar price range and i think its the best - although i am obviously biased Smile
Its been on the market since last september, the estate agents have sent people who arnt in a position to buy, a very large family and our house is a 3 bedroom semi. and appointments for people who haven't turned up.
Thanks for all the messages. I will stand by what i said earlier about the people who couldn't be arsed to turn up today

fuckers

OP posts:
ChitChattingagain · 30/05/2011 21:45

When I was looking for a house to buy the real estate were absolute pains about trying to show me all sorts of inappropriate houses. I would ask to see a specific house, ask if there were any other houses that would meet my criteria, GIVE them my criteria, and some of the houses they chose to show me were absolutely ridiculous. As an example, there was one area which I said I was going to completely avoid due to commuting difficulties for us. Lo and behold, there were 2 houses in the list of houses to see in that area. I refused to go and see them because it didn't make a difference how wonderful the houses were, there was no way I was going to buy them. I expect the owners of those two houses were absolutely peeved when I didn't turn up, but it was certainly not my fault!!!

mum765 · 30/05/2011 22:16

The ones that don't turn up are bad enough, but the ones who come for a nose round your house, when they've got no intention of buying - I can't even think of a word bad enough for them. Remember when selling my last house - we'd spend all day tidying up, cancel plans for some daytripper to come round - and blatantly admit it! Much sympathy for you. Hang in there!

ByTheSea · 30/05/2011 22:19

Our house has been on since January and we are expecting our third viewing Thursday. How we're supposed to keep it immaculate when it's half-term and we're working I cannot fathom.

bbird1 · 30/05/2011 22:29

Come on guys, demand and supply aint fecking rocket science. Lower the price - or, failing that, chase the market the 20 or so per cent further down it is set to head over the next 2 or 3 years.

foreverondiet · 30/05/2011 22:36

If you want to sell you will probably have to reduce the price to the level that will attract viewings. it maybe well be less than you paid, whats relevant is what its worth now...

PurpleCrazyHorse · 30/05/2011 22:45

Have you checked the photos etc that the Estate Agent have put together? We're looking at the moment and there are some shockingly awful photos (not the actual house just poor photography). There's so many houses around that the Estate Agents really need to be on the ball with the very best presentation of your photos and house details. Maybe look your house up on RightMove or similar and check it looks brilliant.

Hoping things improve for you soon.

ByTheSea · 31/05/2011 19:38

PurpleCrazyHorse - you are right. I just checked rightmove and photos that were there previously are not there now, and the picture of my large lovely back garden is missing too. Also, my house didn't come up in the general search of my town for my size houses in my price range. I am soooo changing estate agents.

fluffles · 31/05/2011 20:02

i don't mind lowering the price, but i must get enough to discharge the mortgage... i am not looking to buy, i moved in with my husband when i married him. i just want rid of the damn flat and need enough to pay off the mortgage (which was 90% when i bought it) and pay the estate agents.

TarquinGyrfalcon · 31/05/2011 20:04

Selling our house it took five long years was one of the lowest points of my life.
I hated people coming to view, but I hated people not turning up even more!

PurpleCrazyHorse · 01/06/2011 10:51

Sorry to hear the estate agent is a bit rubbish, but great that you know about it. Hoping you get it sorted soon and get some viewings :)

bubblecoral · 01/06/2011 11:20

I agree with lots of points that others have made. You need to keep nagging at the EA's, even though you are paying them to do a job, and check what the printed info on your property looks like, how many people that have sent it out to, how many pople do that have on their books that fit your criteria, what does your property look like in the paper, on rightmove etc.

I would only do viewings at convenient times. Serious buyers will do evening or weekend viewings if they are interested. if they are not, it's not worth wasting time.

I sold my property when I was on my own with a 4yo and a 6yo, it was a nightmare keeping the house spotless all the time. But I just kept on top of it and saw it as selling my house was my lifes purpose for the time being, and I got three offers in three weeks, one that I was prepared to accept in 4 weeks. But this was when houses were selling better and nobody had trouble getting a mortgage.

If you think your EA's are doing a shit job, don't be afraid to change them. Much better to have your property off the market for a couple of weeks to change to someone that will do their job properly. You have nothing to lose, but be wary of changing more than once because if buyers see your property up with lots of EA's they will stsrt to think there is something seriously wrong with it.

bubblecoral · 01/06/2011 11:22

Oh, and if you don't want to do the viewings yourself, make the EA do it. Unless theres something new that I know nothing about, they are not going to charge you any less for doing their job for them, so make them earn their money. You get better feedback that way too.

InWithTheITCrowd · 01/06/2011 12:02

Oh no - I feel worse after reading this thread - Mine's been on the market since September and we haven't had a single enquiry. It was well-priced anyway, and has ben reduced twice.. Oh dear.
I am joining you on the "Pissed-Off Train"

Rangirl · 01/06/2011 14:18

It's really hard at the moment .In my experience price dropping is the way to go.It's hard but unfortunately selling for 10's of 1000's less than you paid and selling for less than you paid is just the way it is at the moment in lots of parts of England

breadandbutterfly · 01/06/2011 16:54

It IS the price. I speak as a would-be buyer, frustrated at the number of vendors who put property on at prices above 2007 peak and are then 'surprised' when it doesn't sell. It's no good saying you 'need' x grand to cover your mortgage costs. If a buyer can't get a mortgage for x amount because the surveyor knows it's overvalued, even if you get an offer, it won't proceed very far.

A house we nearly bought at peak in 2007 was bought instead by an amateur developer, after some dodgy dealing. It therefore seemed lie poetic justice when the same property appeared on the market a few month's later, once local prices had fallen somewhat, gutted and obviously in a state of disrepair, as clearly the 'developer' had run out of money. It was advertised for cash buyers only for a much lower sum. It did eventually sell, for an unknown amount, to a cash buyer (who are not required to give selling price details to the Land Registry). They then finished off the building work, tarted it up superficially and put it on the market - at a price 25% what it sold for at the peak of the market. That was over 2 years ago - it is STILL on the market, and will be for ever - because no-one could qualify for a mortgage for that property for that amount, even if they wanted to pay that (which they'd be unlikely to as other nearby properties are much cheaper).

The fact is, if the price is competitive, it will sell. Only a few very 'unique' properties can set their own prices regardless of the local market.

Competitively priced properties sell speedily. Even in the current market.

breadandbutterfly · 01/06/2011 16:55

Sorry, that should say 'at a price 25% OVER what it sold for at the peak of the market' !!