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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:
Hulababy · 03/11/2004 20:55

Just spend all evening cleaning the apartment top to bottom, ready for tomorrow evening's viewing! I have done both bathrooms, scrubbed and swept (twice) the floors, tidied all rooms, done the kitchen, everything. Have full fruit bowl too; no flowers though - will try and get some on way home from work but might not get time. Oh well. He'd better like it!!!

Oh, and where was DH during this time - at a work pub quiz!!!!!! [angry}???? No,, course not! More like

Hulababy · 06/11/2004 10:05

According to estate agent last night, apparantly the viewer is very interested. He has asked to have an independent valuation (hebuys properties a lot), but he is interested and keen to make an offer after the valuation. But where does that leave us??? No idea if it will happen or how long it'll take for the valuation either. Hmmm.

katzguk · 06/11/2004 10:38

house next door still for sale!!! has only had 2 viewings i think! just tot let you know

Hulababy · 06/11/2004 10:40

Cheers Katzguk

Gobbledigook · 06/11/2004 22:51

Not a sausage here again.

It's a bloody nightmare. Still moving on Jan 4th though! Can't wait but tinged with anxiety about running 2 mortgages - for how long???

Gobbledigook · 06/11/2004 22:52

Oh, sorry, changed name from Skate.

Dared to put it here as think there's only a few of us posting on here!!

mothernature · 06/11/2004 22:56

The housing market has gone quiet all round, it is not expected to move again until after christmas, don't think reducing your price will interest buyer's more, they are more likly to think you are desparate and willing to drop again if they think they find something wrong with the property, hold on.

Gobbledigook · 07/11/2004 00:19

MN - that's what I'm thinking too. Not expecting anything to happen now before Xmas. Hopefully interest rates will remain stable and people will begin to feel confident about buying again in the new year.

Twiglett · 07/11/2004 08:25

aha .. so that's who you are

I've never been on this thread before but am v. bored having been up for an hour with kids (the wiggle song is on NickJr though ....)

Hulababy · 07/11/2004 08:30

Going to see 2 houses today later on.

DH seems very positive about this client of his who came Thursday. Trouble is I don't know what t think. Never really known someone to get their own independent valuation. We have had 3 when we put house on market already, but I guess he doesn't know that. The 3 came up with 1 at £175k (known to undervalue) and 2 came up with £189k. Apartment is currently on at £185k. But TBH I just want it sold now, so happy to accept anything above the lowest quote I guess, and would have to consider any other offer regardless. Trouble is there are loads of apartments being built round here now. The whole city is full of them. West One, where we are, is still considdered to be THE placeto be, pbut the prices also reflect this too

Oh, who knows. DH is going to phone his client tomorrow.

bonniej · 07/11/2004 09:28

I've adnutted defeat Going to ring agents on Monday to take the house off the market. Have not had one single viewer in the last month. We've been on since June and had offers that fell through so I think we've missed the boat. Anyway fed up of looking at a for sale sign and fed up with neighbours asking why it hasn't sold yet. We're going to try again in the spring but just relax and enjoy Christmas here. Hope everyone else on this thread has better luck than me!

Gobbledigook · 07/11/2004 09:36

Bonniej - I know how you feel, it's so depressing. We've been on since end of June and only had 3 viewers, no offers. So, so disheartening.

Was thinking of taking ours off till new year too but then again, not sure why as there is always that slim chance someone will come in Nov or Dec. The only thing I can think of is that if we give the agents 3 weeks notice, they might try and pull out all the stops in order not to lose the sale for themselves.

Gobbledigook · 07/11/2004 09:37

BTW Twiglett - I CAT you to let you know! Was hoping if I CAT people I 'know' and who might be on MSN they could let other people know through that!

Twiglett · 07/11/2004 09:38

Can I offer a word of support here

When I went to sell my flat in 2000 ... we had a number of viewers and some silly offer even after dropping price 10K (I believe they were offering silly money because I was 6 months pregnant and they thought, wrongly, that we were desperate to move) ..anyway we took it off the market in November 2000 and lost the house we'd had a survey done on

Put it back on the market in April 2001, sold it to first viewer (who came at 6pm when had instructed estate agents at 2pm) for full asking price which was ... 30K more than the highest offer in November

I believe spring is the best time to sell

Good luck all

Gobbledigook · 07/11/2004 09:40

So would you say it'd be best to take it off market for a couple of months Twiglett?

Twiglett · 07/11/2004 09:44

IME (of 1 sale ) yes .. if you can

I don't personally think I'd be house-hunting in the run-up to christmas .. and why have the stress of keeping it clean and chasing agents?

also if you put it back on the market, viewers won't think they can offer silly money because its been on a long time .. and you can shop around for lower estate agency deals

However don't know whehter the house prices are going to continue to 'correct' themselves .. I would be surprised if they went down TBH .. but even if they do so will the house you're looking to buy

(if we hadn't have made that extra 30K we wouldn't be in the lovely big house we have now, as opposed to the pokey 2 and 1/2 bedroom house we were looking at before .. I'm eternally grateful we didn't buy that one)

Hulababy · 07/11/2004 16:19

Update

One of Dh's clients asked to see apartment on Thursday, through the agents. He phoned them back 9am next day with very positive feedback. Apparantly he is VERY interested but would like to get an independent valuation before he puts his offer in. He is also buying another property which he did the same for. DH has already checked out with his collaegue and this guy is genuine and normally says what he means, and his finances has never been an issue. He is also in NO chain

Not really sure what that means for us - how long will he take over it? will he put in an offer? Who knows - but signs are good I guess.

Been to see another two houses today for ourselves, both on same street. The second one we saw wasn't suitable as bit too small and garden was a bit child unfriendly.

First house we really like. Needs a bit of titivating to make it ours, but nothing major.

It is here: House we like enough to register interest

We would use the front sitting room as a dining room, and the back extended room as a large family room. I'd also re-paint this white or some form of cream/beige.

The kitchen isn't fitted so we need to get new kitchen stuff, even cooker. Been to price some up though this afternoon and that isn't a problem.

Bathroom we would replace and retile, but not immediaitely. More of a spring/summer project. It isn't large but better use of the space would be easy to do. Can't remember flooring, but we'd do that too.

Back big room would be Mollie's. We'd sand and paint those huge wardrobes - and repaint everywhere pink and princess like Flooring needs changing, as I didn't like the blue carpet for Mollie.

Front bedroom for us was fine as it is for now. Would repaint lighter colour (beige or similar) later next year.

Tiny room would, hopefully, become a nursery sometime in the future and we'd re decorate it then.

Hall carpet and decor was fine

Garden was nice size and decking lovely. Bakck half needs digging over, membrane down and bark covering it. Just a tidy round rest of it. Oh, and they are leaving a bug shed type structure which their girl's use as a play house, which we'd transform for Mollie.

Even has a garage

And catchment primary school is an excellent beacon school.

We are going to register our interest tomorrow morning, and if this bloke comes good we will put in an offer at full asking price.

What do you think?

ks · 07/11/2004 18:10

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Message withdrawn

Hulababy · 07/11/2004 18:24

KS - it's South Sheffield. This house is just off Ecclesall Road - near the roundabout where the park is. It's more Ecclesall/Hunters Bar than Banner Cross really.

ks · 07/11/2004 18:49

This reply has been deleted

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Hulababy · 07/11/2004 19:06

Hope so too. Never bought a "non new" place before, so all this is very strange for me. If I got that far and got gazumped, I think I would completely crack!!!

Love Ecclesall area. My only consension to not being in the city really, plus the local school is so good It's such a fab area!

And we do like this house. Has loads of potential for us.

BUT, we also know that they'll be others. So if this falls through we will cope.

Gobbledigook · 07/11/2004 19:10

Looks lovely Hulababy - hope it all starts to go smoothly for you!

We've still had no viewers

Hulababy · 07/11/2004 19:12

Gobbledigook = nightmare isn't it? We only have had this one as it is a client of DHs. DH knew he wanted somewhere secure for when he is away on business (a lot) and our apartment has all that. Don't even thing he particularly is going to live here much!!!

Gobbledigook · 07/11/2004 19:14

Who cares if he buys it!! Lets hope he does!!

Skate
(hee hee!)

Hulababy · 07/11/2004 19:17

Oh god, yes! Please let him. As I told DH, I don't care who he is or where he gets his money fm - so long as he buys my apartment NOW!

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