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Original poster

Should we still sell our house at this price?

27 replies

Fio2 · 05/04/2004 13:25

God I am going to sound really greedy but we dont have much money that is why I am asking your advice. As you know my husband is being relocated but complications have meant we are still in our own house 200 miles away from where he works. Our sale has been very complicated and the people who are buying our house have been a complete pain up the bum and have knocked 5k off the asking price. We were very negotiable with them because we were desperate to move. But now dh looks to be offered a job up here near to where we are living. He is through to the third round of interviews and it is only the MD who has to see him. Dh is quite confident he will get the job (I am a bit worried he is bit too confident though!) so if he got it we would stay in this area. We were going to move out into rented accomodation, but have been looking at what is available to buy aswell. This weekend a house came up for sale opposite us and it 20k more than what we have accepted on our house. There is loads of interest in it, the house prices have gone up so much and if we rent and then buy it looks like we will have to downgrade. I feel a bit guilty as we are ready to exchange, we are all signed and just waiting. I hate living here and if we stay it would have to be for a few more years. If we move into a smaller crappier house I know I will keep on and on that we shouldnt have sold our house for that much less.

Obviously this all depends on whether dh gets this job or not. But what would the wise mumsnetters do? Would you stick out living somewhere where you hate and save/make money. Or move somewhere else but loose loads of money?

It seems so obvious written down, but I will ask anyway!

OP posts:
SoupDragon · 05/04/2004 13:29

I'd be tempted to pull out (if your DH gets the job) not so much because of the money but because the buyers have been a pain! I don't know really. It's not nice to pull out at this (very) late stage but it's such a big thing, should niceness come into it??

You need to ensure your solicitor knows you do not wish to exchange before your DH finds out about the job though.

Have you thought of getting an estate agent in to value your house to ensure the one over the road isn't more expensive for other reasons?

Blu · 05/04/2004 13:31

I agree with SD re don't exchange til you know whether the job is in the bag or not!

Original poster
Fio2 · 05/04/2004 13:34

Yes we have made sure the solicitor knows not to exchange!! This house on the other side of the road hasnt been extended on like ours, hasnt got a garage but is double glazed. I have costed up getting our double glazed, even though I do like the original windows and it is alot less than 20k, we are looking at about 5k to get it done. Its just the rise in the market that has pushed the prices up. I feel like we are going backwards instead of forwards if we move out iykwim

OP posts:
amess · 05/04/2004 13:48

I too agree with SD. Hope he gets the job as the move itself can be v v stressful too but less so than exchanging and moving.

SoupDragon · 05/04/2004 13:50

It's such a difficult decision isn't it?! £20k is an awful lot of money. I'd probably still get it valued just so you know for sure what the new asking price would be.

SenoraPostrophe · 05/04/2004 13:55

Fio, you're so nice!

I agree with Soupdragon: if they've been a pain in the bum then I wouldn't feel too guilty about letting them down - renting is worth avoiding at all costs imo as it would mean 2 moves and lots of messing about even if you do find a good house/landlord.

Hope he gets the job!

Original poster
Fio2 · 05/04/2004 13:55

I suppose I should get it valued again. It just looks a bit...well...moved out of, with all the boxes everyhwere. Also if we stayed I would have to unpack them all!

OP posts:
MrsDoolittle · 05/04/2004 13:57

Stay where you are if dh gets the job. You can't afford to be nice over 20K. The buyers should understand and if they don't,they should have known when they were on to a good thing!
You would regret it if you had to move to a smaller place for more or less the same money!! And it may put your relationship under strain.
But this is only one opinion.

BadHair · 05/04/2004 14:06

£20k is too much money to be nice over! I'd get another agent in to revalue your house though, just to make sure, and I wouldn't rent as you would definitely lose loads of money. We rented for ages while the prices shot up around us, and in the end we couldn't afford to live where we wanted to.
Don't feel guilty - I bet they didn't when they haggled you out of the £5k.

Original poster
Fio2 · 05/04/2004 14:08

they tried to haggle with us a few weeks ago over 4.5k more off - god I am getting mad

OP posts:
Twinkie · 05/04/2004 14:19

God take your house off the market until you know if he has the job - that way you can put it back on at a higher price when you know what yuo are doing!!

Freckle · 05/04/2004 14:50

How long until DH gets the nod wrt the new job? If fairly soon, I'd just delay exchanging. If he doesn't get the job, you presumably would need to move fairly quickly to the other job, so it probably isn't worth taking the house off the market.

I'd be tempted to go back to the other side and not only say no to the extra 4.5K, but up the price again on the basis that prices have shot up and you can't buy what you want at the reduced price. Think this is known as gazundering and is supposedly frowned on, but who gives a hoot if the purchasers are the proverbial pain?? If they complain, just point to the house over the road and suggest that they offer what they are offering you to those vendors and see what the answer is.

Original poster
Fio2 · 05/04/2004 14:59

Freckle I like your style!LOL Yes we are not going to take the house off because if he doesnt get the job we are going for the house we are nearly buying down by his current job iykwim! He should know within the next fortnight. But he has had the main interview, that went well, the technical interview he didnt have to do because they already knew he was capable and this third interview is with the MD and the HR person...so it does look promising doesnt it? I dont really want to get my hopes up, I feel neither here nor there

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Janh · 05/04/2004 15:03

Nah, gazundering is what fio's buyers are trying to do - get to the point of exchanging and then try to blackmail sellers into accepting less. Don't think there is a word for telling buyers you want more because the market's rising so fast - but a neighbour of ours has done it twice now and his is back on the market yet again.

Twinkie · 05/04/2004 15:10

AT the end of the day your buyers are taking the proverbial - the market is rising yet they are trying toget you to lower the price just say noooooo!!! - tell them you have had it revalued and it is x amount more which you want or are going to pull out!!

I can't believe a house that has not had double glazing or an extension is worth more than yours - think what yours would be worth now!!

madgirl · 05/04/2004 15:11

think i am agreeing with everyone else- haven't been following the progress of your house sale on other threads but if it's been going on for a while then chances are that your house will have gone up in value anyway, so why lose out when you could well end up not having to move anyway? also- if they have been awful to deal with then you don't owe them anything in my opinion.

MrsDoolittle · 05/04/2004 15:18

Fio2, I think opinion is fairly unanimous here!!

madgirl · 05/04/2004 15:27

good luck with whatever you decide. the whole buying and selling a house thing is such a nightmare. let us know how it goes.

Original poster
Fio2 · 06/04/2004 17:09

OMG!!!!! How likely would it be that our buyer is a mumsnetter??? this is a serious question! >worried

OP posts:
MrsDoolittle · 06/04/2004 17:29

Don't worry, theres not enough detail to point the finger at you.
Sellers and buyers pull out all the time. Have you ever watched Kirsty Allsop and the property chain?

Original poster
Fio2 · 06/04/2004 17:35

yes I am being paranoid but they have gone from being patient yesterday to being pushy today and threatening to pull out if we dont exchange. I am getting to the point where I am past caring tbh

yes I have seen that programme! not one to watch really when you are selling and buying houses!

OP posts:
grumpyzebra · 06/04/2004 17:36

If you feel really guilty about it you could offer to refund part of the buyer's conveyancing/survey fees if you don't exchange.
Keep in mind I'm a big softie, and only you know just how much a jerk your buyer has been!

Original poster
Fio2 · 06/04/2004 17:38

oh hes a jerk with a capital J

OP posts:
Original poster
Fio2 · 06/04/2004 17:39

and anyway I am a big softie but he doesnt seem to care about threatening us all the time and pushing the price down does he? I am going to start ranting ian a minute....In need a drink!!!

OP posts:
MrsDoolittle · 06/04/2004 17:43

Oh tell him to get stuffed!!!
After a HUGE stiff drink, of course. You'll feel loads better.

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