Trying to sell - totally fed up!

[Gabity]

We have had our house on the market now for 7 months. We are desperate to move. DH bought the house 3 years ago on a whim just before we met. We are now married complete with baby and dog. We are looking to move to the country side beside my parents and are so fed up waiting.

Please please, can you have a look at link to house and tell me what you think? Be brutal and honest. We will do/change anything if you think it will make a difference?

Had 4 viewers in 7 months and not a sniff of an offer. Obviously can't do anything about the area, its not great, but is okay. Quiet and excellent schools/parks/shops/train station close by.

As you can see we are now 20k below home report value and really can't afford to go any lower.

our house

Good luck with the viewing. Love the house you have your eye on. Rightmove is property porn .

I agree that 'fixed price' and 'offers above' is off putting when a lot of people want to negoiate but I take it that 'fixed price' is the usual pricing structure in Scotland?

How did last nights viewing go?

Hi - phone a local property auction agent they can tell you about the fees etc. and if your house would be suitable for auction (some aren't if they are too developed or not in a popular rental area). You do need to put it with the auction about 2 months in advance usually as they have to advertise and distribute catalogues, but if the house sells on the day above the reserve then the buyer is committed to purchase and complete within usually about a month. You also need to check your contract with your current EA that there isn't an exclusivity clause that prevents you from advertising your house elsewhere or you may still be liable for their fees on completion. Good luck!

It didn't the fucking twats couple didn't turn up.

Phoned the esate agent who phoned them. Husband answered the phone and said he didn't know anything about it being arranged and now wasn't a good time. She said there was kids shouting in the background, so estate agent is going to phone and try and get the wife today and see whats going on.

Fecked off to say the least. But hey the house is spotless! Leaving shortly for a long weekend at Mums, which is nice, only we know we won't want to come home!

We started with offers offer, have tried offers around, now at fixed price. We are fully expecting not to get the full 'fixed price' though. Estate agent said that is very rare these days, you can pretty much disregard the wording things are that bad. People offer what they think, what they are prepared to pay, tis a buyers market, they have the upper hand and call the shots not the seller. We were looking at a house that needed a lot of work, near total rebuild, it was on at fixed price of £60k, the estate agent said with a cash offer the seller would take 45k.

I think the inside of the house looks fine on the whole and I would not be put off by the table/chairs or any of the furnishings. I think if anything needs doing it would be taking the sofa out of the children's bedroom to make it look bigger. Maybe you could take the transfers off the wall and paint in a plain colour. I think the house is let down by the outside view. Would look better painted white. No sign of any grass in the garden which would put me off. If it is all decking I'd put lots of pot plants outside to cheer it up. I would definitely include a photo of the front of the house even if it isn't very attractive.
Price seems very low - I would not reduce further.

Ok, I'm going to sound really naff here, but I am a photographer and this WILL help...

Do you have any friends with good photography skills? Get them to do your photos, really think about what's included and how it makes the place look, move stuff around, look at the pictures as you take them and make changes then take them again. Really put a lot of care and effort into it, it is the photos that will get you viewings. Most estate agents have pretty basic photographic skills, and don't take enough time to do it well.

Think about how you view a house when you're looking at Rightmove - it's the photos that catch your eye, isn't it? You read the blurb afterwards to see if it suits you with number of bedrooms, etc, but you wouldn't click through unless the first photo grabbed you. So make the photos good, however you can.

The outside of the house is the most important photo, and here it looks grubby and lets down the clean, modern interior. Paint it a clean, fresh light shade, get some greenery and plants into the picture even if it's stuff you've borrowed from your mum for the day, take the photos on a bright day and make sure the sun isn't casting shadows on the front.

I would change the front door (go to the tip, there are often nice wooden doors there practically free, or ask on Freecycle), remove the trellis, remove the hosepipe. Try different angles that give you a good photo of both the front of the house but also includes more of the deck, and make it look NICE!

Put some pictures on the walls and dress the living room a bit, again borrow some bits if you need to, same in the bedrooms.

Try different angles in the rooms, stand as far back into the doorways as possible without including any door, try taking photos from low down as well. In the kitchen change the angle so you're not so focused on the washing machine.

Give the photos to the estate agent (probably a new estate agent) and get them to redo the details, change the photos on the website, and remail to their applicant list.

Hope this helps, I know how dire it is when you want to sell and feel it's all out of your control.

Gabity that's standard operating procedure for Countrywide - we had loads of potential viewings not show up, they always seemed to get someone just when we put some pressure on and then they never showed up.

The other thing they did was to say they had someone who was a buy-to-let or cash buyer or first time buer and offer way below the asking price. Then they pretty much pulled all adverts, displays etc so we had no option but to accept the low offer. Reason being? We were on a fixed price contract so getting a higher price for us wouldn't have meant any more cash from us. They wanted their commission and they wanted it now.

We had another 2 friends who had similar experiences with Countrywide. Out of the three of us, only one has paid a partial fee to them and we've all had to take almost 20% below the home report valuation in order to sell.

Please do some test calls and find out if your property is actually being marketed properly.

We are sitting 20k under home report value at the moment northerngirl. Do you have any recommendation when it comes to choosing another estate agent? My Mum has my Gran's marketed with Ceaser and Howie and seems to be getting on well with them?

Thanks flag we are at Mums at the moment and I don't have time to digest your post properly but will look into it on Monday.

It did occur to me that one of the people who works for Countrywide might also be a MNer...

Well, interesting weekend. On the way home from Mums we went the long way and passed the dream house. The old couple who live there were outside shovelling snow and we ended up talking to them and having a look around. It is fantastic. Beyond fantastic. We now have to sell our house with more urgency than before! We cannot let this house slip away!

So I need a plan of action!!! Going to see our estate agent this afternoon when DH gets home from work. Going to give them one month and then we are changing.

In that month we are going to do as much as possible to house, to prepare for new photos.

Garden: Hanging baskets, and fill pots with greenery. Remove trelis from wall and take down hose. Replace front door if possible.

Kitchen: Forgot we have changed the flooring since last photos so that will make a difference. Replace cupboard knobs. Vase of flowers.

Livingroom: already got new dining room table and chairs, going to get new rug and cushions.

Bathroom: Good clean and different towels.

Bedrooms: Picture and remove chest of drawers. DD's room take of decals and de clutter a bit.

Sound okay? Any recommendations of other estate agents would be great. Thanks, you have all been so fab!

Fingers crossed for you. We tried to sell a house last year, initial valuation was 125, when it didn't move (or have any viewings for three months) we got another EA to value it. 95 was the going rate by then. They had it for three months or so and it was unsustainable. We then got a rental agency involved and they told us it was filthy and scruffy so during our summer holidays, we spent 3 days painting and cleaning. It is currently rented and worth around 85k. We can't afford to sell it at that price so we'll have to keep it for another couple of years.
Hope yours goes more quickly.

I would seriously think about renting or auctioning. Good luck.

Went to estate agent today, they weren't particularly helpful or interested in us. Went to see another couple and have got 2 coming out to have a look at the house and see what they think of it with a view to changing to them.

Meant to ask esate agent about auctioning and totally forgot, will e-mail her as countrywide arrange their own auctions. OH def won't rent.

I've only read page 1 and 4 but I'm going to go agaisnt the grain here and say I think it's the price (as you've said yourself just after 1 oclock.

I'd guess if you bought it 3 years ago (2007) you don't want to reduce the price because of what you paid however that has no bearing on what someone else will pay for it today (a house is only worth what someone is prepared to pay for it blah blah blah) gone are the days when puting twigs in a vase will add 10k to the price (except in my area of London grrr)

Some quick maths suggests that at 85k with a 10% deposit lets call it 9k you need a mortgage of 76k ie a single salary of 25k or double of 20k and 15k (quick maths no childcare costs/tax credits etc etc) so what kind of jobs pay that where you are? are they hiring or firing? are people doing those jobs looking to live in your area?

A quick rightmove search shows 2 properties at a lower price within 1/4 mile with 3 beds one is on at 79k and the other 75k both look very nice inside (both ex-council so look similar outside (apart from large grass gardens at the front-nice if you have kids) obv. I know nothing about the streets but why would anyone buy yours and not those ones?

FWIW a falling market is a great time to trade up I'd sit down with dp do the maths and work out exactly how low you can go and still afford what you want then take the hit resolve not to buy property at the top of the market again and get on with your life!

Thanks crisps, we pretty much don't want to reduce any more, and in all honesty I don't think it would make a difference. We were getting more interest when the house was on at offers over £105k than we are getting now? But who knows? I don't. Feel like giving up, only that is not an option. If the estate agents that are coming out feel that we should reduce further we will. If someone offered £75k tomorrow we would prob bite their hand off. The house we are looking at is on for fixed price of £140k we are planning on offering around £115 to start with, don't think anyone pays any regard to what is being asked up here at the moment.

Maybe I am being a snob but who can't afford a mortgage of 76k? Feel like we are giving it away for that. Plenty of industry in the area, don't personally know of anyone who earns less than 20-25k per year.

Think the difference of the two that are cheaper is that they don't have parking close, they are more in the middle of the scheme and you have to walk through alley ways to get to them. We are the cheapest house on Countrywide website for Cambuslang and the 6th cheapest house on Rightmove for Cambuslang.

I am waffeling, I am pissed off, away to bed to dream of pastures new and wake up in this crappy house in this crappy place again.

If we ever do sell shall celebrate with you all with virtual champagne. How I wish that day was now.

Long shot, but are there any property TV programmes you can contact - those that help people sell their house? Something like House Doctor (although your place doesn't look like it needs it).

Sorry not to be more helpful

Houses here are 10 times your asking price

explains why we rent

.

At the very least ditch the 'fixed price' tag then.

I haven't read all the posts so this may have already been mentioned. It was the word "dog" in your thread that set me thinking. You may not think so, but viewers may find that the house smells of dog when they set foot in it. That is one of the most off putting things about looking at a house.

yes Jeremyess we will look at changing price, again, once we have got the opinions of other estate agents. One coming tomorrow and one next Tuesday.

Have worried about the dog smell bun but don't think it is an issue. Have asked lots of friends if they can smell anything and they assure me they can't. The pics don't indicate that we have a dog, and its really getting people in the door we are struggling with, not people looking and not wanting. Ddog is packed of to his grannys at the first mention of a viewing and doesn't return until they have been (or not as the case usually is!).

I don't have any advice for you Gabity, but we have been in your position and it stinks - hang on in there :) and I really really hope you get your dream doer upper

Thanks *shellbell

Well after kicking up a fuss in Countrywide yesterday they have mysteriously found us a viewer for Thursday night.

Agree if you would take 75 then drop to 79 and get rid of the fixed price.

(chosen 79 since it makes you competative with the others)

I know the dog goes but does the basket/toys/bowl a dog is a no no as far as I'm concerned

(dog hairs in carpet and poo in the garden don't want to deal with it)