The decluttering, cleaning, vacating, pandering, nailbiting antics of the stressed out house sellers

[Spirael]

Starting a new thread, since our old one was almost full!

Anyone suffering the stresses of trying to sell a house is welcome to join us; anyone here to tell us our houses are crap and/or overpriced is not.

[Spirael]

Still not exchanged. It's currently the bank holding things up, having found the valuation they now seem to be processing it at a snail's pace. Having a horrible feeling we're going to end up trying to exchange and complete on the same day.

Assuming we do still actually move tomorrow (which still isn't guarenteed!!) we're certainly going to have no flooring now. Which means we can't start unpacking and have to move everything again some time next week. [sigh] Assuming we can get flooring before Christmas!

It's meant to rain all day tomorrow. PITA for moving, but at least the removals can't wreck the non-existant carpets/floors!

You have a lovely house, Pootles! Agree that the photos seem quite dark though, but then all the days are pretty dark this time of year. Rooms look nice and modern in line with the house, as well as clean and tidy.

I also would suggest changing the curtain in the lounge, possibly to blinds to match with the rest of the house? Personally I'd see past that if I were looking for that type of house in your area, but some buyers are self absorbed bloody minded morons with the intellectual capability of a teabag more difficult to please!

[TerracottaPie]

I'm just marking my place here for the new year. Plan is to get the house decluttered, freshen up some of the paint, do some more decluttering and then get some EAs round and put the house on the market before the end of January.

I'm not looking forward to this process at all (understatement) but we want to build a house and so kind of need to get started really! It won't be helped by being 5 months pregnant by then but I'm counting on some sort of early nesting kicking in and helping me crack on with it all .

I expect come January though I will probably be posting asking you all why oh why did I not get started on this sooner? Repeatedly.

Happy viewings everyone

[Spirael]

We are apparently going to exchange and complete tomorrow. Oh good. Why am I having visions of being sat with a lorry filled with our possessions being told that the whole thing is cancelled??

Hi Terracotta! Welcome to insanity. The whole selling and moving process is lovely and easy and always goes as smoothly as everyone can possibly manage. Oh yes.

[Pootles2010]

Well the de cluttering went well, trying to get ds in the car once it was filled with all his crap, less so

The bins aren't ours, they're next doors (ours is the house on the end). You can just see our brown one down the drive, but it's not the bright one.

There isn't a dolls house - do you mean the little cooker in the living room? Yes i agree that needs moving. I think we're going to change living room curtains, paint it, and replace cushions, get pots for the front, and then get him to do photos on a nice day. I do have a rose in a pot by the front door, but of course its a bit sad at this time of year. Might get cyclamen or similar.

Hi Terracotta! Agree it might be an idea to start on decluttering now - especially if you're anything like us, you're get a whole truckload of new crap at Christmas

Good luck Spirael, it'll all be fine 'this too shall pass' and all that.

[suzilywoozily]

Hi All,
Thanks for the welcome - very glad to hear no one will be telling me my house is overpriced! Our 'cheeky offer' viewers have some more houses to view before they get back to us, but we have another viewing for next week too so could be worse.
Cuddymum - yes the cleaning is awful - I'm hoping as time goes on I will relax about it a bit. I don't honestly think any one is not going to buy a house because someone has left a towel in the bathroom, but right now I am feeling the need to do a frantic OCD clean before every viewing - its exhausting!
Spirael - I am really pleased to have had a bit of interest, even if its not at the level I want it is a good start I suppose - must be more positive, otherwise I can see this being a very painful process! So sorry to hear you are having a stressful time. Keeping my fingers crossed for you that all goes well tomorrow.
Pootles - You have a lovely house which looks impressively de-cluttered! I think a bit of natural light on a brighter day could make all the difference (and maybe the curtains as others have said).

[CuddyMum]

So Spirael by this time tomorrow you could be eating a takeaway in your new but flooring free home? Yay!

Pootles - as the others have said, see if you can get the agent to retake photos on a sunnier day or with a better camera. Although, we have a crappy agent in this area who takes really bad pictures and does no floor plans etc and he still manages to get sales.

[ArbitraryUsername]

Pootles: other than what everyone else has said, I'd say that your kitchen looks quite bare. You've decluttered perhaps too effectively there. A nice fruit bowl with attractive fruit and some flowers on the windowsill might make it look more inviting. It's a great kitchen for a 2 bedroom house though!

Also tell your agent to put the photos in a logical order. We looked a gazillions of houses on rightmove before we bought this one (the photos for which were crap, actually), and it's very annoying when it jumps around from room to room and then back to a previous room. I think the photos should give a tour of the house.

The floor plan is very good though.

[CuddyMum]

Spirael - wishing you all the very best for today :)

[Spirael]

Thanks, but it's fallen through for today. :(

Bottom of the chain has a funds issue, naturally found this out after the lorry was loaded with all our things. Had to be unloaded again, so now just sitting atop a pile of boxes waiting to hear if/when we're moving next week.

Not sure how we're going to get through the weekend with toddler DD. Everything is dismantled... TV, dining table, beds, etc. Utter, utter nightmare!

[YellowWellies]

Oh crap may next week bring better luck xx

[Pootles2010]

Oh crap, really sorry to hear that Spirael. How bloody annoying. Can you go and stay at relatives or something?

[CuddyMum]

Oh God Spirael - I'm so sorry. Are you able to stay in a Travel Lodge or similar?

[ArbitraryUsername]

That's absolutely dreadful. It's ridiculous that the system can have things fall through when you've got everything loaded onto a van to move. You are now obliged to drink lots of wine and have a takeaway.

[Spirael]

Nearest family is 100 miles away, unfortunately! And we're so financially crippled we really can't justify any hotel time.

We've managed to dig out the mattresses and make up floor beds, fortunately DD has been an absolute star and seems to be finding the whole thing a big adventure. Dinner was microwaved chocolate croissants...healthy!

Turns out the problem was that the FTB at the bottom of the chain forgot to sort out building insurance so their mortgage wouldn't release the funds.

Everything tentatively rearranged for exchange Monday, complete Tuesday. Just hope it happens then or the whole thing might collapse, as our buyers are off on holiday then for weeks and I doubt the bank selling our repo house will wait - given we're already over the time specified to move!!

Some good news is that my removals firm agreed to come back of Tuesday and move us again for no additional charge. I could have kissed the guy!!

[marshmallowpies]

Oh Spirael! That's so frustrating. I remember when I was a FTB, the importance of getting insurance was drummed in so thoroughly I wouldn't have dared forget it!

And based on my experience earlier in the week, insurers ought to be able to fax the front sheet of a policy to solicitors as proof...so no excuse for them not being able to sort out insurance & provide proof quickly, no need to wait for a letter to be delivered. Sorry, probably not helpful to hear that now...

Anyway, looks like we both move on the same day. Fingers crossed it all goes smoothly next week...

[confusedperson]

Sorry to hear Spirael that it has fallen through. Think of it as temporary inconvenience. Have some wine

Welcome TerracottaPie I am at the same stage - I actually disregarded our local agencies(expensive!) and bought 12 months of online agency marketing and paid £600 for it, but asked them to take photos in the end of January, as I still have some serious decluttering and painting to do.

I feel slightly as we will be downsizing for a better area/better school and hopefully a home of easier maintenance, and very few people actually understand that.

[indiegrrl]

Sorry to butt in after a brief comment some weeks ago then silence due to mental life. We are lucky: v. smooth thus far, and short chain: FTBs getting our place, we're buying from a woman moving to a house that's empty. You may sense the 'but'. Now inches from exchange. BUT FTBs started getting v. anxious. Desperate to complete on 11 Jan: they've given notice on their rented place and taken annual leave. Our vendor can't move before 18th, solicitor still getting ducks in row. That suits us fine, but now DP getting blackmailing emails from FTBs about their impending homelessness. If there'd been a delay I'd understand it, but no one, including their solicitor, ever gave them reason to believe that 11 Jan was do-able. They are the people moving the least distance (few streets) with the least stuff, so really not prepared to offer to go into rented to save them a couple of weeks. Rant rant. Gotta get it out of my system as they're coming round tomorrow to measure up and I'm going to be the one saying 'sorry, def not 11 Jan' while not appearing to be total cow.

[indiegrrl]

PS Spirael, that's bloody terrible. I dealt with vendors like that a few years ago, they just did not do their homework, actually ended up leaving house we bought as a pigsty (and their dad's death certificate...) when they eventually moved out. But your plight far worse.

[Shattereddreams]

I'm not selling, so not joining the party....
Pootles
Wait for a sunny day, take your own photos and email them to agent. I suggest standing at the other end of the garden, take a pic back towards the house from fence line. And state how long the garden is. Agree about the order. It's taking away the mystery of your small but perfectly formed house.

Also, yes flowers in oversize vase in kitchen, brighten lounge put a few pics back up, maybe a large wedding day one as you most likely selling to young couple?? (Sorry if assuming too much)
The upstairs hall colour is the only one that I would repaint something much lighter and fresh - choose a dulux fresh colour off a strip, you won't need much and it won't take long.

[CuddyMum]

Hope you exchange today Spirael in readiness for completion tomorrow.

[Spirael]

I hope so too... Everything is an absolute nightmare at the moment!

I've been so ill over the weekend, I've been taking maximum doses of various flu/cold meds just to try and function. Poor DH has been trying to look after me and entertain the toddler with zero facilities.

Dragged my sorry self into work today because of crazy rules about sickness/holiday times and I'm just hoping I can make it through the day without passing out or throwing up!! At least DD is in nursery, so can actually have some healthy meals and proper entertainment.

DH should be talking to the solicitors now/imminently to try and find out what the hell is happening. I really, really hope everything is still going to plan. I'm not sure exactly what we'll do if not!

Even if things are going to plan, DH can't get tomorrow off work so assuming the move does actually happen then I'll have to handle everything by myself. I've had to juggle holiday so I have no time off over Christmas in order to get the day myself.

[Spirael]

Still not heard anything. [twiddles thumbs] DH spoke to the solicitors this morning, apparently our previous solicitor left the company on Friday (might explain why they were so rubbish) and DH had to push to find out who was now responsible for our file.

Eventually got through to the guy, who by all accounts had no idea what was going on and sounded like he should still be in primary school. He murmured about contacting the other solicitors in the chain and then calling DH back.

That was the last I heard. I have a horrible, gut wrenching fear that the whole thing is in the process of collapsing.