So angry at estate agent. Should I do anything?

[TerrysNo2]

We put our house on the market last week using the price the estate agent recommended and we have had about 20 viewings in the last week but no offers.

Today one of the agents said to me it might be priced a bit high, I replied that they told us what price to use

What should we do? Drop the price straight away or leave it a bit longer. Its currently on at £340k and so I assume we'd need to drop it to 320-325k.

We're not in a massive rush to move but DS is starting school in September and we're moving area so I would like to be moved before then.

sorry if this post is a bit messy, I need a rant and maybe some positive suggestions / thoughts. Its constantly on my mind at the moment and I am losing sleep over this

Thanks!

[FasterStronger]

Lesson number one: never trust the EA. how do you know they are lying? Their lips are moving boom boom!

[SoupDragon]

Whether the changes to make it look bigger are "overwhelming" depends on whether you want to sell quickly at a good price or be hanging on and reducing the price - maybe more than once.

[MintyyAeroEgg]

Don't think I am being unsupportive (because, it seems, the entire population of Mumsnet is narsty and bitchy atm ) but you probably should be cross with yourself, rather than the EA. You should have got 3 valuations. Valuing houses is not an exact science, the EA has not much more information to go on than that which is available for all to see online nowadays anyway.

[TerrysNo2]

don't worry minty I don't mind honesty

[Mamf74]

We had this with our last agent; they priced it at 225k then within 3 weeks had told us it was maybe overpriced. They then really pissed us off by "strongly advising" us to take an offer of 160. WTAF!

We told them the only reason we were selling was the price they gave (bit of a lie, we were relocating) and unless we got an offer around the asking price we would take it off. Dropped it to offers over 215k and ended up selling (to the original offer man) at 217, after another few offers.

They kept asking us what the minimum we would take was, we just said the asking price - after all, that is what they assured us we'd get (mischievous smiley).

So, if you feel you'd get an offer too low if you do change the asking price maybe change to "offers over"? We thought that made it clear what we would take and stop stupid offers wasting everyone's time.

[Mamf74]

Oh, and seeing pp the initial price wasn't the highest we were quoted - one agent (out of the 4 local ones) valued it at 265!

[goodygumdrops]

I agree with those who say not to drop the price just yet as 20 viewings in a week is really very good - or at least would be around my area - and I think suggests price is achievable.

[LadyKooKoo]

If you were overpriced then there isn't a chance in hell you would have had so many viewings! The problem is happening when people are coming through the door and as Lizzy said you need to declutter! We had 28 boxes go into storage before ours went on the market and we sold in three days (and completed six weeks later). I don't want to sound rude but you and DH need to suck it up and do the things suggested (and I know it is difficult, we did all of our moving furniture/boxing stuff up with a 20 month old in tow).

[TerrysNo2]

lady I want to ignore Lizzy's suggestion and you're not helping

might have a wizz around tonight then, better to be doing something rather than feeling totally helpless! I am even considering putting DS back into his toddler bed to make the place look more roomy!

[SoupDragon]

Pack away anything you won't want between now and when you hope to move by - you are going to have to pack it at some point anyway.

[huhpuh]

Our house is currently on the market so you have my sympathy. Our house has never ben so clean and tidy but it is a bloody effort to live in it practically and keep on top of viewings!

A couple of observations:

• a week is no time at all. I'd hold firm for now.
  
• shove anything you don't need/use into the loft or storage. pack a few boxes up as you'll be doing it when you move anyway!
  
• check Zoopla for a valuation on your house and others like it in the area.
  
• check Rightmove and see what houses similar to yours are selling for.
  
• there's absolutely nothing to stop you getting a couple of rival estate agents to come round and value the house now. You can always use the line that you're not happy with your existing agent (you're not!) and see what their consensus on price is. You are under no obligation to give them your business, or even speak to them again!
  

Doing all this should give you a much better idea of what your house is worth rather than relying on the word of one agent who plucked a number from the air to get your business and now sounds like they are not willing to stand by it.

Good luck.

[GreenEggsAndNichts]

Terrys I'd love to have a look if you don't mind PMing me the link? :)

[TerrysNo2]

I have instructed DH to pick up some boxes on his way home. we've got nowhere to store them though but I might try one of those self storage places, they are doing the first month for £1.

thanks for all the suggestions! greeneggs have pm-ed you.

[GreenEggsAndNichts]

Have had a look, sorry to say, I have to agree with the de-cluttering suggestions! It looks lovely tbh, it's just that as Lizzy says, people won't want to see it all when they come to view. Open houses are a good idea for that; keeps the tidying to a minimum and might give previous viewers the idea to stop by again.

If you're keen to sell you can drop the price, but as far as I can see from other properties in the area, your price is fine. I would wait a while anyway, as I wouldn't think you'd want to drop the price after just a week.

[iseenodust]

I really wouldn't drop the price after a week. Potential buyers will look at how your price has moved and will think you are desperate to sell and then make silly offers.

[TerrysNo2]

Thanks for suggestions, I am not in anyway desperate to sell. its really silly as we love our house and are really happy here but we do want somewhere bigger and DS starts school in September so I thought we should move before then. But I hate this limbo feeling.

Can you tell I am a control freak

[TerrysNo2]

I like the idea of an open house, I might suggest it to the agent for this weekend.

[thebestpossibletaste]

Terry's I'd love to take a look too. I work for an estate agent and agree a week is no time at all. Are the people who view able to proceed? I also think sometimes when people don't want to buy a house and don't have a specific reason, they tend to say it's too expensive or too small.

[Potterer]

The thing about decluttering is you have to pack it all when you go anyway so why not start now?

We went to a Big Yellow storage unit, got one of their own cardboard boxes and they showed us a couple of different units. We used the now erected cardboard box to measure how many we could fit across each unit and how high we could stack the boxes.

That gave us a much better idea of space than this half a garage malarky when we could say, right it will fit 20 boxes in that one and 30 in that. We also said no to any with a steel column in the middle so as not to scupper our stacking plans

We too had grown out of our last house, that didn't stop me dismantling furniture, packing loads from any open storage units and stashing it all in storage. You will be amazed at how big it all looks when you do that, especially if you take before and after photos.

How you live in a property and how you present it for sale are worlds apart.

[Cosmosim]

We found the person who evaluates the house is a separate job from the EAs who sell/market/do viewings with the firms in our old area (only small local did both jobs).

We had a wide variety on estimations from four different firms, so were paying attention to feedback the first week. We had less than half your viewings but the EAs said if it was really overpriced, they wouldn't be able to get any viewings. Accepted the first offer following week. House sold without a major drop in price

[TerrysNo2]

thanks guys, can't respond much tonight as busy decluttering, I'm feeling empowered as we speak

[TerrysNo2]

I will share pics later to those interested!

[thebestpossibletaste]

Thanks Terry's :-)

Definitely agree about decluttering, the lounge is very full, try and hide in the attic/cellar the toy boxes and big toys, the room needs to be fairly neutral if possible. The less furniture there is, the bigger the room looks - this is a trick used in show houses.

I think the other rooms aren't too bad, although the room with the cabin bed does appear very full, could you put away toys and make the bed tidier?

When you've done that, get the estate agent to take new photos. I wouldn't drop the price yet, seems in keeping with others in the area.

[poocatcherchampion]

well done Terry's - think of the prize of getting it sold and moving to your bigger place. we just did this this and hopefully are well on our way to new bigger house dom.

[TerrysNo2]

thanks thebest (good short form name!) the opinions are at least, very consistent!