To think it's actually quite easy to flog a house..

[squeekywheel]

I've done it three times in the last four years. Took between two and four weeks each time.

Now I'm trying to buy one for the first time and years and bloody hell, there are some idiots out there...

1. Price it reasonably. It's not worth what you need to buy your dream home, it's worth what someone will pay for it. A lower offer is not a personal insult or disrespectful to all your happy memories, it's an object lesson that you might have over priced.

2. Let people view it. Sounds obvious but the amount of vendors who only allow viewings during working hours or refuse to give the estate agent a key when they go on holiday. Nobody wants to steal your massive fluffy grey rug or your sparkly cat ornaments.

3. Clean it.

4. Answer questions. If there is a huge crack in a walk, give me a sensible answer when I ask about it. Don't deny the existence of said crack that I sent you a picture of. You just come across as hard to deal with.

Why do people make it so hard to buy their blumin houses??!!

Unless you or someone in your household is severely ill or disabled, there really is no excuse for any of it.

Rant over.

I don’t care how you choose whether to view a house. That is your investment of your time in looking at a property you know is going to cost a certain amount of money. Your risk. They are under no obligation to price according to your personal preferences. Go and look at homes you know you can afford, or take the risk you will think it is overpriced.

I've always sold houses easily .. I always show them myself and accommodate people at the last minute .. 3 x I've been offered a job at the estate agents .. 🤔

What makes you think I'm looking at stuff I can't afford? You've read that in yourself and are now arguing that black is white for the sake of it.

Have you had a house on the market for a year or more? If not, why do you care?

I don’t care. This is AIBU. Yes, you are BU. Other people can market their homes however they wish. The vendor doesn’t owe you anything. If they don’t drop the price it is because they believe they will eventually get it, and don’t mind the wait. Why do you think they owe you a reconsideration just you can afford/are willing to buy it? It’s not yours, it’s theirs.

The process here can be unbelievable slow. I saw a flat with tenants, I wanted to keep them they want to stay. Vendor desperate to sell so I got it at a good price paying cash. Survey fine. Then nothing! For four months I was ringing my lawyer and seller was ringing - what was the holdup??
Still have no idea but it did take four months to go thru. Only time I have been able to buy quickly has been at auction. I go under offer within a month when selling but from then on it can drag.
I see a lot of probate sales and am amazed the family of the deceased don’t bother to get someone in to remove personal items and to give the place a good clean. And why agents don’t seem to advise this.

Thoroughly sensible opening post, squeeky. We all know it's not just about the basics and that plenty can still go wrong, but if someone can't be bothered to get those basics right there's really little hope

And no, they're not obliged to sell a house to anyone at any time or at any price ... but then there's no point in moaning because it hasn't sold either

If you don't care, why are you arguing with me?

Those houses are a waste of everybody's time. Mine, the estate agents and their own.

With kids and a job, time is precious so I'm entitled to rant when people waste it.

OP I will be buying and selling at the same time! Let’s send each other good luck vibes!

Again, who cares why I am arguing with you? I’m argumentative. The point is you asked and I am telling you. Nobody owes you consideration when marketing their properties. They want to sell. At a price they are happy with. End of.

The viewings one is the worst. Stuff sells mega fast here, often in a week. So you call the day it appears on the market to say you want to view, they ask when, you give them a range, they say they have to ask the vendor. 1/2 a day passes and then they call back with a different set of times and by the time you see it a closing has been set.
Ok technically they are selling their house it’s just really annoying.

It depends on your area, the price, the location.

For example, I can think of a few prestigious schools where owners of local properties really needn't bother cleaning or decluttering and can name their price.

So, duh, don't overprice your house, but it's all relative. In some places you are better off presenting a show home, in others you don't need to bother.

The only real advice to give is know your market, and be professional.

I am currently house hunting. It's fairly obvious from the Rightmove ads whether a property is priced in the right ballpark, or rather what you as a potential buyer feel is the right ballpark. If you think they're asking too much, click another listing. Approximately 30 seconds of your time wasted. If you don't want to risk wasting significant amounts of time viewing houses where the ads are skimpy on photos/details (and there aren't many like this) then it would be sensible to call the agent and ask a few questions or request more photos.

I have seen houses where vendors needed to drop the price because they didn’t sell in time (usually because of stupid rules around viewings) and then the estate calls me back begging to reconsider it. No thanks. By that point I probably have chosen a better house

@herculepoirot2

What are you telling me exactly? That I'm not entitled moan about people wasting my time and outright lying?

You're wrong there. End of!

I see a lot of probate sales and am amazed the family of the deceased don’t bother to get someone in to remove personal items and to give the place a good clean

Tell me about it I really don't want to see your late relative's commode ... or a pile of incontinence pads under the sink ... or a huge stash of medication in a cupboard ... or a sharps bin in the kitchen ... but I saw all of these when looking for my current house (and not all in the same place)

Granted some don't have anyone in a position to help, but if an executor expects to get the money, that's what house clearance companies are for

What are you telling me exactly? That I'm not entitled moan about people wasting my time and outright lying?

Nope. That nobody is wasting your time. You are investing your time.

OP you may not be wrong in your first post, but you do come across as a smug tw*t...

That's a somewhat simplistic view
More unusual houses are going to take time to find the right person.
We didn't have a specific house in mind when we were looking we looked at everything from complete wrecks to completely perfect houses but we did have a very specific area we had to look in.
Estate agents hated me as I wanted something with a bit of 'different' otherwise, that felt some we could stay & grow, my criteria was a 20mile radius of DHs work & 4 plus bedrooms. Our budget range was huge as it depended on how much work needed doing. We looked at new builds and old cottages, one of which was a gorgeous Art Deco house covered top to bottom with mould - we almost bought it but they got a buyer who offered more (they knocked it down and built flats)
We bought a do-er upper that many people shyed away from because it was a big project.

Tell me about it hmm I really don't want to see your late relative's commode ... or a pile of incontinence pads under the sink ... or a huge stash of medication in a cupboard ... or a sharps bin in the kitchen ... but I saw all of these when looking for my current house (and not all in the same place)

What? Why are you too good to see incontinence pads and medication?

Re the probate houses

My dad died last year, I’m moving to be closer to mum. He left a MOUNTAIN of tat behind which we are clearing. But I can imagine a relative left with that and a house sale might just hope that a buyer is going to do some work and bring a skip anyway!

Oh do put a sock in it @herculepoirot2. You might find being boringly argumentative entertaining but it's just poisoning the atmosphere.

Oh do put a sock in it @herculepoirot2. You might find being boringly argumentative entertaining but it's just poisoning the atmosphere.

😂

I will say what I like. If someone asks whether they are being unreasonable and I tell them, and they take issue with being told, that’s not my problem. “Put a sock in it” is hardly very pleasant either, so maybe stay out of the bun fight and you won’t get cream all over you.

Where did I say I was "too good" to see these things, hercule? I'd have thought it was less about whether the viewer was good enough and more about whether the property's appealing enough to sell - especially with probate sales, where such things are no longer needed by the late owner

I'd have thought it was less about whether the viewer was good enough and more about whether the property's appealing enough to sell - especially with probate sales, where such things are no longer needed by the late owner

But why would the presence of medication affect that? You just remove it, surely?

I'd rather give my house keys to the local dodgy geezer than hand them to an estate agent.