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Original poster

I hate selling houses (even more than buying them!)...

239 replies

Heathcliffscathy · 18/10/2004 19:29

we put our house in the market in sept and the first people thro the door offered us asking price...the sale fell thro last week (no reason given) so we have to restart the whole process having lost a (crucial) month...

the papers are all doom and gloom and we just really want to sell it (we can't live in it as it's in the countryside, originally we intended to move there, but it hasn't worked out, and we can't leave london, it's crippling us financially).

every day i wait for the agent to call,it's like when you really fancied someone and you had a sick feeling in your stomach waiting for the phone to ring...it's horrible...i know we probably won't sell before xmas and then there will be a massive crash and we are screwed...

no point to this post other than to express my tortured mind...argh, i hate it so much!

thanks for getting this far if you have...

OP posts:
Kaz33 · 19/10/2004 15:35

We are now with the "minis" - they are very upbeat about selling the flat but so far a total dirth of viewings...

We need to move as well so all a bit tense, but we have decided to be upbeat about it.

SpringChicken · 19/10/2004 15:36

THink i've lost it completely - who are the minis? Anymore clue's?

pamina3 · 19/10/2004 15:44

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Hulababy · 19/10/2004 17:01

Hate this house selling too. Put apartment on market in August. Have had 6 or 7 viewings now; a couple of no shows too. But as yet no offers Estate agents keep telling is it just slow everywhere and certainly the same properties on the websites week in, week out. But no comfort is it?

Given up looking at places we would like to buy for now. Can't see point until we have had at least an offer for ours.

Skate · 19/10/2004 17:25

Thanks for looking SC and JB - yes I think ours is much nicer inside than the neighbours (but I would wouldn't I!?) and the only room that needs doing is the kitchen.

JB, know what you mean about the main road but it doesn't bother me as I grew up on a similar road - in fact it's where I'm going back to as we are buying my parents house! It's nice and big and we couldn't afford it if sold on the open market but M&D are donating a portion of it's value as part of my inheritance!

It's reassuring in some ways to see so many in the same boat as it means I can safely say it's nothing to do with my house but the market. OTOH, when is it going to pick up because we do need to sell! We are moving into the new house in Jan so will have 2 mortgages and I don't want to be doing that for long.

It's going to go mad in January....isn't it?!

cranberry · 19/10/2004 17:30

We've had our house on the market since May and only had 4 people look! We're onto our second estate agent who has sent round one couple in 3 weeks.
Please somebody buy our house!!!!
It doesn't help when estate agent tell you " if you haven't sold it buy the end of October you might aswell take if off the market until February" Great!
I have totally sympathy for anyone selling at the mo, it's a complete nightmare.

Skate · 19/10/2004 17:32

Cranberry - oh, our estate agent said no point taking it off the market but then probably because they know we'd go to someone else when we put it back on!

I do worry that if it's been on a while people might wonder what's wrong with it!

MrsDoolittle · 19/10/2004 17:35

Does this mean we might beable to afford a house soon?

sweetkitty · 19/10/2004 18:44

I haven't even been to see any houses in the area I want to move to because I know it will depress me further!

I know it's a slow time for the market but wish someone would buy my house too.

Skate · 19/10/2004 19:08

Just out of interest, everyone here is trying to sell - have you all also reduced the amount you can afford over the course of this year or are you still going for the same price houses?

Just wondering because some people are talking like buyers aren't going to pay so much for houses and that's why sellers are struggling, but I haven't changed my borrowing even though interest rates have gone up as they are still really low by the 80's standards!

What I'm saying is, all the media hype hasn't scared me into thinking I shouldn't move - has it any of you?

krocket · 19/10/2004 19:14

we've had our on the market since July and it was sold about 3 weeks ago. We've had really trouble finding anything that we like and eventually have had to compromise with the style of house. Agree though Skate that we have not really changed the amount we are borrowing although worried slightly about buying at the top end of the market.
I think certain types of properties will always be desirable for e.g. victorian terrace and semis. There is a 4 bed victorian semi just been sold on our road for £410 (was on the market one day!) and yet there are lots of 1930s houses the same size that have been on the market a while.

cranberry · 19/10/2004 19:14

You probably don't want to hear this Skate but we've dropped the price on our house but £35k. We can only really afford to drop another £10k which is a bit scarry as we're moving because we can't afford to stay where we are.

Hulababy · 19/10/2004 19:17

WE have just dropped our price by £5K jusr o see if it'll drum up some more interest again. Not changed how much we can afford to pay out though; pour budget is same. We would drop another £5k if need be probably.

Skate · 19/10/2004 19:18

I know what you mean Krocket - we are borrowing more than we can afford based on income multipliers iykwim, but we can still afford the payments. It won't be easy but I'm moving to the house that I'll stay in for years and years - it's the perfect size for me, in the perfect location for schools so I'll pay whatever I have to. I'm not going to gain anything by staying where I am - I want to be moving onwards and upwards!

Maybe I just have this blind faith that everything will be OK - in my personal experience, and based on my family's experience, people tend to get better off as time goes on so that this mortgage won't be nearly as significant in 10 years time as it is now.

Skate · 19/10/2004 19:21

We've dropped ours by £7.5K but it's made no difference whatsoever. We can afford to accept another £5K off that but people aren't even coming in to make offers!!

A house a few doors down dropped hers a month or so ago by £7K and it made no difference obviously because she's now with another agent and has put the price back up to the original one!!

Cranberry - £35K is a lot but is your house on the market for a lot, ie it's a small percentage of the value?

cranberry · 19/10/2004 19:26

Yes it is on for a lot. We are lucky to have an excellent house in a great area but the interst rise over the summer means we can no longer afford it But that's just life sometimes. It was ok when I was working but now I'm a SAHM and dh has changed jobs we have to make a sacrific. We are very fortunate though I know as we'll still be able to move to a very nice just smaller property.

muddaofsuburbia · 19/10/2004 19:30

Same boat here too.

Our 3 bed ex-council terrace has been on the market since June. We've had a viewer a week on average. Each viewer has said they love our house and it's been the best one they've seen. There is no negative feedback, other than the are has a bit of a dodgy reputation, but our price reflects that too.

The estate agent said that lowering our price would make no difference to the number of viewers and that it's a fair price.

We've house doctored it as much as we can afford to - new kitchen, new windows, new doors, magnolia everywhere, decluttered, loads of stuff in storage, fresh flowers blah blah blah. No offers

We've bought our new house and we have to move in 4 weeks cos we've signed the contract (Scottsich system), but as we're selling in England it just doesn't match up very well. My mum and dad are remortgaging their house to make up the shortfall!!!

20 mins commute to Euston - a snip at £169K - any takers???

muddaofsuburbia · 19/10/2004 19:31

That's the Scottish system...

Original poster
Heathcliffscathy · 19/10/2004 19:38

oh god! anyone got inside info on when this whole thing is going to end...i really (even in my more pessimistic moments) don't think we're looking at an 80s style crash as the economy is in much better shape...

any estate agents in the house ?

OP posts:
Hulababy · 19/10/2004 19:39

Skate - your house looks great and not over priced at all. Rooms are all good sizes. Looks light and area. Kitchen may need updating a bit, but it is clean and tidy, and in no way overpowering or something that needs doing before anyone moves in. In all, it's very liveable and easy to move into. Bathroom sounds nice and modern too - another biggy.

Ours is on here . Search for 2 bed, apartment in City Centre for £1705k to £200k. Ours is the 2nd one - 503 West One Tower.

Again we have had no negative feedback, so idea whyit's taking so long, unless it is just the market.

Skate · 19/10/2004 19:42

Sophable - I dont' think that will happen either and I certainly can't see it in our area as it's very desirable (usually!!!) - particularly because it's 10 mins to Manchester Airport, 10 mins to the M6, top schools and state grammar schools that are right at the top of the league tables. Half the Man United Footie team live 5 mins away from us!

I read something in dh's paper saying 'someone' (some economist type person) didn't think a crash would happen because the economy is still strong.

I'm not worrying about that. It won't happen...it won't, it won't, it won't!!!!

Original poster
Heathcliffscathy · 19/10/2004 19:44

[pleading, praying, beseeching emoticon] i hope you're right skate...

OP posts:
Skate · 19/10/2004 19:45

Hulababy - yes yours looks fab, I looked at it a while ago. Can't believe it's not sold - it must be the quiet market mustn't it?

Apart from our kitchen, there's nothing else to be done. Yes, the bathroom was done in April and it's all white, separate shower cubicle, white tiles and cream walls.

We're moving in Jan anyway and paying Mum and Dad 'rent' for their house so we'll be paying that plus our mortgage - that's fine for a while but I don't want to be doing it for more than 6 months. Our house will sell by next June won't it??!

Original poster
Heathcliffscathy · 19/10/2004 19:46

we had 3 viewings at the weekend...no takers, lots of positive feedback but nothing

dh is muttering darkly in the bath about it being a disaster (nothing like a positive take on things eh?)

OP posts:
Skate · 19/10/2004 19:48

I think we have to accept it's getting to that time of year anyway when people tend not to look. Last time we moved (sold flat in London to move up here), we had nothing before Xmas and Jan did go mad with up to 8 viewers on the first weekend then went to sealed bids!! I know it was London and a first time buyers flat but even so, they weren't around in Oct/Nov.

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