Can't sell house!

[ICantWaitAnotherMinute]

What is the longest anyone has had to continue to live with their exH?

Divorce finalised last month and house has been on the market since May this year. Approx. 9/10 viewings, dropped price three times and about to swap agents when it will drop in price again. Looking at probably selling for the purchase price paid five years ago.

But what with Christmas slow down in the housing market, the thought of another six months sharing with the exH is not filling me with joy. Anyone else in the same boat?

I'll more than likely go into a rental, if I do buy it would be best to offer on an onward purchase later than ex and look to change after we have completed. Might have to AirBNB or rent a caravan for a bit!

Solidarity - sadly I can really relate and offer heartfelt sympathies. It is such a shock, the betrayal is huge.

I hear you on the resentment, it comes and goes. You got this, tak eyour time and talk to someone, I have been speaking to a counsellor and it's really been so beneficial.

@NewLife4me72 Totally understand, on days I work from home and ex is in the office is great, space to breathe and just be.

@rwalker thank you, hope to get the house back on the market soon. Hopefully the budget brings good news.

@LemonTT that was a strategy we adopted with the first agent. Anyone who asked why we wanted to move was advised we were downsizing, which we are in theory. Where there may be a disparity on what price to relist at, the crux is we just want to move on.

@Medexpert fingers crossed I'll have a buyer by Christmas!

It's so up and down, some days I can be patient, other days just feel so desperate. Got some plans lined up for early next year but it's not every day I can afford to go out and still need to work FT. It is just really, really shit.

I read the threads on the best thing about living alone, focus on the what the future looks like but some days are really bloody hard.

My advice is generic. Some people are very public about their splits in real life and on social media. There is a good possibility that anyone moving to your area or wanting to move to your area has a local connection. Which they will use to find out more the area and reason for the sale.

Divorcing or separating couples are often in very tight financial circumstances which makes them price sensitive. One may be more sensitive than the other and therefore they can disagree on what they will or won’t accept.

They are looking for 2 properties not one and are dancing on pinheads in terms of timings.

The statement you made, we are keen to sell, is catnip to an investment buyer. Who will low ball you.

These generalisations won’t apply to everyone but if there is an option to keep them out of a property chain then people will take the other option. It applies to buying and selling. People are going to prefer, cash buyers, mortgage free, FTB and chain free above everything else.

Which is another reason to not shout about your divorce from the rooftops as commonly advised by MNers.

15 months - we had an agreement for monthly finances following the divorce to be sorted at the time of sale. There was a delay as house needed work before being marketed; though I can’t be sure it made a difference. It gave us time to get rid of stuff but there was a lot of tension.
We were both going to rent but I changed my mind - that only delayed the sale a few weeks and I’m so glad I did it. Many years on I wish we’d been nicer to eachother at the time. When I wasn’t decorating I went to stay with friends to give us some space apart.

Quick update - listed with another agent and in the days since going live three viewings and an enquiry - more activity in 5 days than in months with other agent!

Starting to feel really sad about it all. Anniversary of split coming up. Whereas the impatient in me to move on was prevalent, the challenge now is the grief.

Update: accepted offer on house today!

So happy for you! Onwards to your new life!

3 years and counting. Had to massively discount the house and just had an offer

I could be in same boat, but I can’t get an agreement to even sell, he wants house but can’t afford it, I can afford it but dont want it as it’s too remote and beside all his family. He thinks I should just hand it over to him! 🤷🏼 it will take forever to sell as it’s remote and has historical planning issue which will need to be resolved . It’s all ahead of me!!!

ah I've only just spotted this, congratulations, you must feel so much lighter going into Christmas moving forward!!

Thank you! The relief is real! And I managed to find an onward purchase that is chain free too! Fingers crossed completion in Spring time.

Such a rollercoaster - one minute excited and the next super sad and tearful.

Ignore me just read your update!!

People are scrolling right move over Christmas when they have had enough of their own homes, don’t take it off the listing.

Find a realtor that specializes your area, look at their status on RightMove and Zoopla for what they're selling for in your area, who has the most listings, how long they've been on the market, and come up with a chart to see your best options on who to consider hiring and if it was priced right. Had to fire a realtor earlier this year because they were out-of-town more than actually being there and over-priced it. After 8 months it dropped 30% from the original price, but it's a buyer's market right now. Best of luck to you.

It took us a year to get an offer on our house and then another 5 months to complete on the sale. I finally moved in September. Our divorce was finalised in July 2024. The market is awful.

Great update. Hope it goes smoothly for you .

Hope to exchange this week! Cross all fingers and toes…

Everything crossed for you!

Exchange did occur finally after ex threatened to pull out of sale because he felt bulllied into agreeing an earlier date for completion. He gave in and agreed to exchange late Friday afternoon.

The power plays continue…

That's brilliant!!!!! I'm so pleased for you. I was in your situation years ago and remember the huge relief once the house was sold - we actually exchanged and completed the same day. Onwards and upwards with your new life!!!!

Thank you! Completed today. Not sure relief has hit yet, cried like a baby and feel traumatised from the physical exertion. End of that chapter, time to start the next one. Hang in there folks - 15 months seems like it’s gone quick but lord it was longgggg.

I'm so happy for you!! It'll be a few emotional days till you are properly bedded into your new home, but you must be so relieved!

I am still stuck, but not for much longer thank god, due to move into my own place next month and I am so relieved. Marital home is still up for sale, someone is interested, but they still have to sell, but STBEXH has finally agreed to buy me out. I suspect his parents have helped him, but however he's done it, I'm grateful. It will be pretty much 12 months living together after he cheated with a random man off the internet and its been torture!!

I am still to sign missives, but I'm in Scotland and the whole process is much more secure than the one you've had to deal with. No chain on their side to collapse either, so fingers crossed it will go through ok.