How can I sell my house?

[challacombe]

I am very frustrated as I have a lovely large family home which I need to sell quickly due to my husbands business. It has everything going for it including 4 reception rooms and 4 bedrooms 2 of which are masters with lounges dressing rooms and with ensuites. The reason I mention this is that it would be suitable for so many potential owners as offers dual living so grannys, teenagers or business use would be great for someone. What I can't get my head around is that the agents just do not know how to market my house. As it is unique and doesn't hit the tick box way they work it is being disguarded. So many times I have had to return the details as being wrong and as for some of the photos...! We are close to the beach and being just one hour from London I decided today to phone agents closer to London who may have applicants wishing to move out slightly. Honestly you would think i had asked them to transport their applicants to the moon! The answer was that if they had anyone they would look on Rightmove. My argument is how will they find me if they don't know Thorpe Bay exists? They won't and therefore they are not being offered a good all round service by agents or Rightmove. I just wondered if anyone has any has any suggestions how to get around this. I find that if something doesn't fit a tick box then it stands no chance. How would someone know to look in an area if they don't know that area exists?

We didn't want to have to look beyond the decor of a house. We had a 2 month old baby when we chose this house and 4 years on have redecorated one room.

It would be interesting to know the proportions of people who want a project or to stamp their identity on a house compared to those who want a ready to live in house. The advantage of presenting a ready to live in house is that those who want to "make it theirs" can still do so, so you can appeal to both markets, providing you haven't overspent on decor.

One of the best things we did in selling our old house was insisting on being allowed to read and edit the estate agent details before they were published.

Link me please.

Wouldn't consider a finished house because I would be paying for the finish despite disliking it.

Link is in the thread

If your road is where I think it is then that would put me off....you are right near the really rough bit of Shoebury (there is a massive amount of snobbery between Thorpe Bay and Shoebury) and the schools round that area are less than desireable.

Location location location and for me personally your location is not good.

Pico2, I would have loved to have moved in to a recently finished and pleasantly neutral house, just having to add a few pictures, maybe paint the odd wall......... nothing too dusty, nothing that would require builders and a skip!! but I couldn't afford that. My house is so dated. I am here 2 years and I've done one room. My house is small though. I'll get there eventually.

thank you! It's an amazing place, with lots of lovely space. It would be suitable for many families! Well done to you. I'll be passing this link on to a few people that I know who are looking to move out of London. Lots of luck xx

HappyHanna the Zoopla pics are so much better. Your home has been on the market for less than a month. I know you are impatient for a sale but it sounds early to get anxious. Don't lose heart.

Tbh I'd be surprised if your agent told you they spend hours on the phone bigging up clients' property. These days people go online and do their own research, Street View saved us from several wasted trips.

Anyway my point in writing was to say, someone I met who wasn't satisfied with her agent but whose DCs went to a school with a great Ofsted report said she found success printing flyers promoting her home and dropped through letterboxes of homes with FOR SALE and SOLD signs within that school catchment area.

BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack You obviously do not know my area as well as you think yu might. We are not near the rough bit of Shoebury as you so nicely put it. Shoebury is a very nice area anyway. We are actually in Thorpe Bay and I am not at all snobbish! The school catchment is Bournes Green which is one of the best int he area. I must say though all the schools locally are very good. I am unsure what your knowledge is based on but mine is fact - living in the area all my life and teaching in many of the local schools!

Hydeparkhottie - thank you. That is very kind of you. Thank you too for your nice comments.

Thank you again for the helpful and positive comments which I really appreciate. Good idea re the flyers. I have many contacts in education so will take that idea on board. Thanks.

Yes my house has only been on the market for 4 weeks and I suppose I am impatient especially this time of year. Having made the decision I just want to get on with my life. Thankfully we have a had a coupleof viewings both of which were positive feedback but both not in a position to go forward due to having to sell themselves. One was a family with the man having 3 children and the women 2. The children would visit every other weekend. They thought the house perfect for them. We will wait to see.

Well, coming from a non-Londoners perspective, it is a lot of money imo. I appreciate it's priced for what it is in your area though - but for half a million (which is not an unusual price where I am) I would expect to see a large, well kept older property which had been decorated recently.

MargaretRiver's list was a good one, Hanna, I was going to write a similar one. Are you going to take her advice?

This is in Thorpe Bay (albeit in a slightly different part of T.B.) for less money and is done up beautifully.

The Zoopla pics are much better than the Rightmove ones, but they aren't that great in their own right tbh. Definitely have a big declutter, reorganise the rooms, add some life to the garden and re-photograph.

But don't despair! It's only been 4 weeks!

I think it's a house that would work perfectly for some people wanting the flexibility of different spaces for different members of the family. In my opinion, it takes a bit longer to find those people, but they are definitely out there.

I'm on Rightmove a fair bit, and bad or non existent floor plans are a deal breaker. The space you have is fab, but I cannot work out how the space flows and how the house 'hangs together'. I don't want to see a plan with furniture dotted around it. Maybe an indication of a double bed here and there esp if marketed as a double bedroom.

Good luck with your new agents and your new floor plan.