trying to sell house - why isn't anyone buying ?

[binker]

Am becoming increasingly despondent about ever moving ! Our house has been on the market for about 8-9 weeks,which I know isn't really very long, but I was assured by the agents that it would go fairly quickly as it is,though I say it myself,a very desirable property with bags of features and charm, very well presented (I 've watched the programmes !) and on one of the nicest roads in our area,which I am also assured is up and coming...so where are the viewers and when they come why are they being so hesitant in making offers ? Am I too impatient ? We've seen several houses that we'd love to put an offer on, but we can't proceed as we haven't a buyer - grrr ! We're in West London by the way - any mumsnetters got any ideas ?

well done SamboM - brilliant news - hope it all continues to go smoothly. Our two weeks (of trying to get a buyer while the house we want is being taken off the market to give us a chance)is now up and there have been no offers,which isn't very surprising as there were only two viewings. One man who came didn't say a word ! Will change agents now,I think - have drafted a letter. Mostly I'm ok about all this, but every so often is makes me feel really despondent.

Binker, your situations sounds like ours. Two weeks on the market and only two viewing. Feedback pretty useless - one couple were apparently 'very positive' and the other guy said it 'wasn't for him'. I have had to chase feedback in both cases.

Just had the arrogant prick estate agent we didn't pick call me to 'see how things are'! Of course he was slagging off other agents saying he would have had a few viewings a week. I had to laugh and point out that he would say that - seemed a bit taken aback. Anyway, I have to give it to him for doggedness. Might switch to him when sole agency up for renewal...I can put up with the cockiness if he sells the place!

Try not to get despondent though - know it's hard.

SueW: thanks v. much! My mum is trying to sell her house in West Bridgford, but may be interested in buying in one of the towns/villages covered by Jonathan Fox. She'll be pleased if the market is picking up. Thanks again!

How typical is this? At last we have exchanged on our house. Moving to sheen was a compromise as we really wanted to move out of London but Dh couldn't find a suitable job and didn't want to commute. I can work from home/anywhere.

So three days after we exchange a flipping job comes up just where we want to be in the country. GRRRRRRRRRR

btw thanks Binker for the congrats!

oh god sambo - congrats about the exchange and bummer about the job! assuming there is nothing you can do about it now (I guess you don't want to lose your deposit?!!!) you will have to do some deep breathing, and be very zen about it and say "it probably wasn't the right job for me, I probably wouldn't have got it anyway, fate has decided that we will be happy in this house". And then go out and get drunk!

hewlettsdaughter, West Bridgford - prime NCT country! Maybe she should put an ad in the NCT newsletter or at the hospital.

If it's family suitable there are lots of places she oculd advertise herself in addition to the agents e.g. the numerous 0-5 guides that are springing up in Nottingham at the moment.

SamboM - oh how pesky - but I'm sure you'll like Sheen (we live nearby and I went to primary school in Mortlake and have v happy memories of the area)...
Ness73 - we get no feedback from our agents -it's always me having to chase them up ! arghhh! I am getting a bit obssessive about the state of my house now - I see all the smeary,dusty bits no matter how much I clean and tidy - I shall probably go quite mad by the end of this. I so wish we could've moved before the autumn term so my son could start year 2 in his new school - what happens if it drags on and on ?

Thanks for the suggestions, SueW. Do you know WB well? (I was born there).

Just thought I'd cheer up everyone whose trying to sell a house by letting you know how much it costs in Holland!!! We've just bought a house and were a bit gutted to discover that you actually end up paying, on average, 10% on top of the purchase price in fees (6% transfer tax payable to govt. sim to our stamp duty, 2% to estate agent and another 2% swallowed up in sundries like paying the financial advisor who arranges the mortgage, various bank charges etc)

Bit of a sickener really! Needless to say, people don't move house very often here!

But how much does an average house cost there? We are paying nearly £20k in stamp duty, 6k in estate agents fees, £1k for our survey, £700 removals, £1500 solicitors fees + searches etc.

Total nearly £30k!!!!!

I am NEVER moving again.

HD, no I don't know WB particularly well but I grew up in Nottingham (Bramcote) before moving to London, then after 10 years in London I came back here.

I've got to know bits of WB over the past 4-5 years through NCT, as one of our most active groups is over there and if people are trading up and staying in Nottingham, they often seem to move over there.

I sometimes wonder about going back to Nottingham myself...
Good luck to all those of you trying to sell at the moment (sorry for hijacking your thread!)

SamboM - just console yourself with the fact that you wouldn't be near me if you moved to the country. I know that will make you feel a lot better.

aaargh ! someone I know has just put their house on the market, not far from us, and have immediately got a buyer - jolly good for them of course, but it's not fair .....

SamboM, It depends on what you want (obviously!!) but you can buy a modern, fairly compact 3 bed on an estate for between Eu200 and 250 k. We have gone for a big 4 bed 1930s house in a nice area and that is Eu350,000 excluding fees. However, where we live, there are very exclusive areas ranging from 500K to 1.5 mill euro - obviously ouside our wildest dreams

Well done ks! When we had our offer we thought it was crap too. We didn't accept it but didn't turn it down either and kept the house on the market. It has turned out to be quite a good offer in the long run. How bad is it?

Tell him you are prepared to negotiate, if you are, but not until he is prepared to talk seriously.

Or tell your agent that and let them translate it!

Actually what DH said, I think, was 'Tell him to come back when he's prepared to make a real offer and until then he can naff off'!

92.5% seems quite good in the current market would you not think?

That's what I thought, SamboM.
KS: have you tried hometrack (I think it's www.hometrack.co.uk, but it won't come up right now)? You type in most of your postcode and they will tell you what houses sold for in your area last month. Maybe your house was overpriced to begin with?