How can I sell this f*cking house

[Instawars]

due to a relationship breakdown I need to sell my house. I am still living with ex and it’s absolutely hellish. The house has been on the market for 6 months and nothing in our area is moving.
ive spoke to the estate agent and they’ve said it’s not the price “the market is just slow”. We own as tenants in common so because the estate agent keeps saying it’s not the price I can’t get my ex to sell it at well below market rate to entice a buyer that way.
I am at the end of my tether and don’t know what to do. If I look on right move there are 25 properties listed in our area and only one is under offer- some have been on the market 9 months or more.

Because it’s not being reduced enough. In my area, houses that were 500k pre-covid are now going on for 700 and then being reduced to 675 or 650. They need to be like 500 at the most! That’s why they’re not selling - everyone still thinks it’s 2021 and wants to make a massive profit.

Locally they’re still selling at that rate people have for pre-Covid well late 2020 done a bit of work to be fair to them, and are selling them for 150 grand profit. The sales haven’t gone through yet. Admittedly I will be watching with interest. But so far, there seems to be no change in the game.

What part of the country is that?

Warwickshire

Even experienced estate agents can only guess at what a house might fetch at any given time.
It will sell if the price is low enough.

Honestly the EA won’t worry about whether your house sells for £250k or £200k. If their contract is on 1% commission then the difference is minimal for them and they will want to do a deal.

Some people are deluded as to what their house will sell for and hang for them THEIR price. They could be waiting a long time. However buyers also need to recognise that not everyone is desperate to sell. They will also stay put.

I think the market will start to stagnate. There will only be a handful of properties that NEED to sell but the rest on both sides will stay put. No one on MN or anywhere really will know what is going to happen and how to make £££. If they did they would be multi millionaires. My DF brought a house in London back in the 60’s. He never moved out until he needed care. He made stacks of money most of which went on his care home fees. Did he know that house prices would rocket over the years. Nope….

Ok price will be a factor.
Most purchases are apparently decided by the female in a relationship and are decided before they even walk through the door! So you need to ace up the kerb appeal. Sweep, declutter and tidy the front drive, front of house and a cheeky tidy up of the road you live on (can you wander past a stray sticking out twig with a pair of secateurs / pick up any rubbish / mow any public patches of grass?). Put a hanging basket out with bright and breezy colours and one sprig of a yellow flower, is there room for some pots of summer flowers? Yellow is meant to make something instantly desirable. Remove your cars from the drive if possible to make it look roomy.

Dont overdo the yellow, but a vase of sunflowers, white roses or peonies would look nice. General keep it uncluttered, remove personal photos and anything that detracts them from seeing it as their own.

i feel for you, I have done this and lasted under a week and it was horrible. Good luck and hope there will be some movement soon.

You say he has been financially abusive and controlling towards you. This is just an extension of that control by keeping the price at an unattainable price therefore not selling. If I were you I'd be seeking support and advice from woman's aid and citizens advice. Due to the relationship breaking down over financially control they may be able to mediate and give you support. Good luck. I hope everything goes well for you.

That's an interesting tool. Never heard of that one.

Asking prices can be a bit of a red herring in a falling market as it does not reflect the actual sale price. People can ask anything for their property, it's the sold price that shows true worth and the only data for that is usually delayed for months after it has happened. Mean asking values are also pretty misleading as high value properties skew the average. I live in an area with some of the most expensive asking prices outside of London and even down the road from my shitty area there are 1mln + asking prices just for plots if land.

Firstly, don’t rent it out, as this will make you ineligible for any benefit support you would otherwise be entitled to. (Unless you’re a big earner, and I don’t get that impression from your post)
Secondly, get another estate agent out to give an up to date valuation. You don’t need his permission to do that. Ask their advice on the situation (how to sell quickly rather than your marital situation).
Look at your local market, see which properties are shifting fast - and there will be some.
Yes, you could reduce massively and it would probably sell, but actually it’s not JUST about the price, it’s about the marketability and curb appeal of the property.

Dress the house properly. Paint in neutral colours. Declutter ruthlessly. Clean, clean, clean. Ask your agent to take new photographs, now the sunshine is here(ish) the houses will “ping” rather than using the same dull pics taken in winter. Reread your property details online and ask them to reword, and emphasis the selling points. Stress positives about the local area. Make sure your agent knows little things about the area that are likely to appeal to your target market - schools, and kids clubs if the property is likely to appeal to families, good pubs and restaurants, social groups for older people - all play a part in selling your property. Lead with a different picture. Ask them to arrange an open day, and advertise and plug it relentlessly. Post links to the house on your local pages. Ask your friends and family to share the links. Keep a filter coffee machine in the corner of the kitchen and leave it on when you have a viewing. Keep windows open to let air circulate. Get rid of dated net curtains (if you have any), they make a house feel dark. When you have a viewing, leave strategic lights on/ doors open to make the place feel as light as possible. Carpet freshener just before a viewing. Try and remove any indoor pets if possible. Take the dog for a walk, put the rabbit cage in the garden. Regrout the bathroom. Honestly, all these things will help.
Send me a message if you want any other help. Happy to read your property details and give advice.

You say he has been financially abusive and controlling towards you. This is just an extension of that control by keeping the price at an unattainable price therefore not selling
I agree with @Normalweirdo and furthermore I would say that he will be enjoying the inconvenience and stress that he is causing you. His enjoyment may be obscuring/outweighing any pain that he would otherwise be experiencing due to not getting his share of the money for the house.
Or to put it another way he won't care that he's shooting himself in the foot because it's so enjoyable to cause you pain.

Try smudging the house to get rid of the negativity following the break down of your relationship.
First impressions count a lot,can you do up the garden a bit?
Maybe change agents,a set of fresh photos might do the job?

It’s definitely the price.
Have you considered renting it out for a couple years instead of moving ?
hopefully the market will pick up then.
then at least you can move on and maybe house prices will have risen or at least not continuously go down like it is now.
then you can use rent to pay mortgage??
I had to live with my ex during a divorce it was a living hell
him being verbally abusive and police constantly being called. Thank God he met a new woman and moved in with her.
good luck
it will get better
Im 6 years on and couldn’t be happier 😀

Try smudging the house to get rid of the negativity

Is this something to do with burning thyme leaves?

I think it’s sage.
It doesn’t really matter though - the only leaf burning that will have an impact on desirability is cannabis!

Truth 😂😂😂

Although bread baking, coffee and vanilla essence can genuinely all help evoke good associations and reactions to a house.

“Try smudging the house to get rid of the negativity following the break down of your relationship.”

I find this pretty irritating really. Even if you think burning some sage is going to do anything - why should there be negativity in the house? Ending a relationship that isn’t working is a really positive thing.

If they were 500k when base rate was sub 1% they are not going to sell for 500k now, they need to be 400k now to account for the increase in borrowing costs.

Renting out brings a whole new set of problems and legislation, not worth it IMO.