Support thread for house sellers

[Spirael]

Just what it says on the tin, really! I'm sure there must be other stressed house sellers out there? Hopefully we can band together and get some small joy of (hopefully?) seeing our houses sell so we can get a move on!

This is a thread of hand holding and mutual support for the EA dealings, weeks of silence, frantic house tidying, no-show viewings, silly offers and tough decisions. This is not for house bashing and price slating. There are plenty of other threads for that!

I've been trying to sell for a year now. Had a surge of viewings earlier in the summer making the right noises, but all has gone quiet for the last few weeks.

However, we have a viewing booked for later this afternoon from someone who has sold their house and is able to proceed - wanting to move before Christmas. Currently swinging between pessimistic and optimistic, while trying not to look at the house we want to buy!

Anyone else out there? :)

Had my feedback from the survey on our house last week - main comments were about subsidence (to which I've replied along the lines of the standard wording on the homebuyers report when I bought the house - some movement typical in a house of this age and on this soil but historic rather than recent) - and also a question about FENSA certificates for windows - my windows were done before I moved there but I had the back door replaced with a new glazed door & window.

This was done by my builders as part of my kitchen renovations so they weren't double glazing specialists - hence no FENSA certificate. I've got the building control letter confirming the council examined & approved the work, though, so I'm hoping that will satisfy them.

Apparently lack of double glazing certification is the single biggest thing that delays house sales - I've now learned from looking on DIY forums and Money Saving Expert!

The survey on the house we're buying has shown up rising damp, asbestos, lead piping - all apparently to be expected on a house this age. A fairly hefty list of things to deal with when we move in...

Oh Spirael I hadn't seen your latest post when I posted. How awful.

Here's two more suggestions (both found in my house when I moved in)

• wheely bin full of festering, stinking rubbish (not bin bagged, loose in the bin).
• dog poo in the garden (though that might have been foxes in reality).

Awful people.
It's behaviour of people like that which makes me not want to try and knock down the price of the house we're buying, even though I suspect with the asbestos and all it's going to cost us a pretty penny - I don't want to be one of 'those' people.

Oh Spirael - what bastards! Leave 'em nowt! It wouldn't have been so bad if she'd raised it with you straight away and of course you would have had time to get your own quote/professional opinion. It's a shame you can't play her at her own game and refuse to reduce the price but of course can't risk your new house (and she knows it!). She's probably calling your bluff but you never know. I wish I had the balls to be that hard faced sometimes.

What YellowWellies says - prawns behind the radiators, and kippers under the carpet (evil :o). Also, sign the buyers up for every single totally inappropriate junk mail you can find - stairlifts, incontinence pads etc etc (more evil :o).

My DH has banned me from doing anything too obviously sabotage, but apparently anything that could be handwaved as me being neurotic/inept is ok. As is anything that can be blamed on the cats.

Can't do dog poo, but I could let my cats use the litter tray for a few days and then leave their offerings all over the garden. I'm also hoping my cats bring in some dead mice/birds over the next few weeks, which I can then freeze before leaving around the house on moving day. Less suspicious than prawns!

Like the junk mail, should be able to do that one. Would have to do it via snail mail leaflets though rather than anywhere trackable.

Also, we have a bottle of Lambrini that's been laying around for ages that we won on a tombola/raffle and have had no idea what to do with. It still has the ticket attached. Would it be more insulting to leave that (w/ticket) and two foam cups than nothing or an empty bottle??

Currently debating using bleach/salt/weed killer to draw crop circles on the lawn. Also thinking of taking one of the shelves out of our oven and the grill pan handle.

Whether or not I'll actually have the balls to do any of these is debatable, but planning them all is quite theraputic!

Incidentally... We're nearing the post limit for the thread, should I create a new one?

Just thought of something else - how about planting bulbs in a pattern or words (:o) that come up in the spring long after you've moved out.

Boiling water is much better for creating crop circles :)

Even better. I could accidentally have taken a kettle full of boiling water outside in order to defrost the patio and tipped it over the lawn instead. Oops! Silly me!

Just as long as you're not planning to leave a forwarding address!

Taking the grill pan handle is GENIUS! Perfectly passive aggressive, annoying on a daily basis yet easily dismissed as an accident - I loves it!

Hello people - h

Hope everyone is okay! Just touching base as they say. After a few weeks of no cleaning we have a viewing tomorrow. I am also viewing a house tomorrow too! How are all the sales progressing?

Hey Cuddy all good here. We've sorted out a rental for our move to Fife. And, sods law just after a house has come on the market that we rather like. It's a good price too - £159k - with a home report value of £170k - so it sounds like motivated and realistic sellers. I think we are going to put a note of interest in, try to view it pronto when we move south (11th Jan - is that too late, I mean nothing is going to go this side of Xmas is it?) and sort out a mortgage AIP so we are good to go if we do like it. I'm going to ring the agent now and see what the vendors situation is.

It's funny - after living in our wee cottage in the dark ages we were almost decided on a new house (despite preferring period properties for stupid aesthetic reasons even though they are a nightmare) as the developers in Fife can't give them away at present - and with a new baby we figured modern and easy was the way forward. But this is a Victorian house - that has been totally renovated so it has really appealed to us.

I figure it will only cost us at most a couple of month's rent payments to break our rental agreement if the sale were to conclude before May when our contract ends? And that's IF we do like it... Also as we're now chain free that has to work in our favour doesn't it?

Sounds good YellowWellies! If you like it it's worth breaking the rental agreement and paying the rental payments. Like you say, you are in an excellent position.

The lady who viewed our house likes it and will bring her husband but they haven't sold - at least they are on the market.

I went to view a house - well bungalow - yesterday and was a bit miffed that they were loitering at the viewing and didn't even bother to tidy up!! Ridiculously overpriced and in a poor condition. Lots of potential mind! It made me appreciate how tidy and well maintained my house is!

Still nothing exciting to report here, unfortunately! Though the solicitors assure us things are slowly progressing and our buyers have mercifully not pulled any other stunts.

We still don't have a date, though there are murmurs that we might get one soon and it's still possible that we'll exchange/complete before Christmas. Sounds like things will move pretty fast once they give the sign off.

I really hope we can move in the next three weeks, it could be a bit of a nightmare scenario otherwise for family logistics!

And finally, I thought I'd better start a new thread before this one maxes out.

Toomuchtea - you're not being a wimp at all. I wouldn't want to be there at all either! Frustratingly I know that should we ever get an offer, that we could exchange literally in 3 weeks. Yes, it's nice to have someone keen, although you can guarantee when Mr comes round there'll be something he doesn't like.

Spirael - you're getting there -not much longer now!

Well done for starting this thread and of course the continuation of it :)