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Original poster

Selling without a "For Sale" sign

58 replies

minceypie · 07/01/2015 21:14

We are intending to put our house on the market this spring. I would prefer not to put up a "For Sale" sign as I don't like the idea of all my neighbours knowing my business and having a good virtual snoop around my house as I do every time a house on the street goes on the market.

Do "For Sale" signs do anything other than a) save buyers having to look at the house number to house when doing viewings and b) advertise the estate agency?

OP posts:

SilverDiary2013 · 08/01/2015 13:36

What about trying to sell a house without it appearing on any internet sites ?

I am thinking about selling my house in the near future, but don't wish certain people to know about it. I know they will find out eventually but I would prefer this to be after the house has sold. The people in question are not neighbours but don't know want to give too much more away for fear of identifying myself. They live some distance away from me so For Sale boards would not be a problem but details on the internet would.

badRoly · 08/01/2015 13:39

We bought our current house within a couple of weeks of it going on the market. No For Sale sign, we found it on the Internet.

PenguinsandtheTantrumofDoom · 08/01/2015 13:44

Silver - It would depend on the state of the local market and your house I would think. If it's the type of house where estate agents have loads of people waiting for something to come on in your road, you'd probably be fine. If that's the case, you probably already get a lot of flyers through saying "We have buyers interested in houses on Green Road".

If you are relying on someone 'finding' your house, I'd say it could be a major hurdle. It's the main way people draw up short lists now. You'd need an agent with a good turnover of similar properties on their books who was willing to proactively suggest your house to people who asked to view those similar properties. Also bear in mind that, if your property isn't on the internet because of, for example, a violent ex, lots of people will find that offputting. You might want to come up with a story that sounds less serious (she's a teacher and she doesn't want all her pupils nebbing at her house).

badRoly · 08/01/2015 13:49

Silver I agree with everything Penguins said and would add that you risk cutting out people who are not particularly local.

We relocated from Oxfordshire to Cornwall and did all our searching online initially. Only when we had a decent 'shortlist' did we visit.

I know we could have done this without the internet but it would not have been as easy.

TheWildRumpyPumpus · 08/01/2015 13:52

We sold our house to someone who saw the sign outside so went along to the estate agent - it was priced above the limit he'd been searching on RightMove but when he'd had a look round he ended up buying anyway

Unless I really wanted to keep it a secret until I had the removal van parked outside, then I'd have a sign.

ZingTheGreat · 08/01/2015 13:56

we put our house up for sale with local Estate agent and agreed that no sign will go up until it's sold.

I was very busy, pg with my 7th, feeling sick all the time and just couldn't cope with the thought of people stopping me and endlessly asking questions and looking at me pityingly "oh you poor thing you have your plate full" or pointing at my belly saying "you could've timed it better" (which did happen when "Sold" sign went up and I just hated it). fucking nosey bunch of twats.

ooh i didn't I had so much rage about it!

Anyway, rant over, it's possible. good luck

SilverDiary2013 · 08/01/2015 14:20

Thanks for the replies Penguins and badRoly.

The housing market in my area is not that good at the moment and I also hadn't thought about people who are looking from outside of the area. It looks as though if I want to sell I will definitely have to go down the internet route.

bilbodog · 14/01/2015 11:38

You can't sell a house these days without being on the internet and based on that you might as well have a for sale board - I am an EA and we had a client who didn't want all his neighbours to know he was marketing his house - that lasted about 1 week until they all saw it either on-line or in the local paper - so he then had a FOR SALE board. It is worth it as you only need one person to drive past, notice, and then buy your property. It doesn't cost you anything. Good luck.

TheHappinessTrap · 14/01/2015 12:52

I bought a house where they didn't have a sign up - they had good relationships with their neighbours and we now also enjoy that good relationship. My own house sold before the estate agent got the sign up. He put it up anyway. I presume because it's good for business to follow it with a sold sign.

awfulomission · 14/01/2015 21:06

Both times we sold we refused a 'For Sale' sign. The first time because we sold it before the sign could go up (2 hours on the market) and the second because the DCs were already feeling unsettled about moving and we felt this would be all too much for them.

We sold really fast both times.

dietcokeisgreat · 14/01/2015 21:10

We just accepted an offer on our place last week. No sign. Thought we would ask for one if we didn't sell for ages! Suggest start without if you don't fancy it - you can always change your mind.

Also, we currently live in a cul de sac and no one apart from our immediate neighbours would see it anyway.

Silenzio · 18/08/2021 12:23

Really helpful thread thank you, all my questions answered & a lot of my hopes/fears either way confirmed. Hoping to sell while it's still a Seller's market in August/Sept 2021. I definitely won't want a board even if I use an agent - hoping they won't try to insist! I couldn't find an answer to my search query asking if I have to have one if I appoint an agent to sell for me. I've tried to find local agents who offer 'Discreet Marketing' specifically as a service but there don't seem to be any in my area ...

AfternoonToffee · 18/08/2021 13:08

This is an old thread, but I didn't have a sale board, they offered, but we refused on the basis that it was the end of a cul-de-sac so not getting any passing traffic.

Silenzio · 18/08/2021 13:24

thanks - I'm always behind the times but I shall just tell the agent I don't want one!

Iamsodonewith2020 · 18/08/2021 14:25

Our EA didn’t put up a for sale sign as we live in a small cul de sac so no through traffic. They said it wasn’t worth the cost.

Itscoldouthere · 18/08/2021 14:36

I’ve never had a board outside when selling any of our houses, can’t say it’s made any difference to any of our sales, if you are looking to buy you are looking online or in estate agents, yes driving around streets help you work out the area but I’d never think the number of boards are a true reflection of the number of houses for sale.
Where I lived in North London most estate agent boards are actually advertising a school fate or event rather than the house being for sale.

memberofthewedding · 18/08/2021 14:44

I bought my house directly from my (then) LL and of course there was no for sale sign. The LL and I did not have a good relationship with the PITA NDN and wanted her to know as little about our business as possible. LL was moving countries and was glad to do a quick deal with a no chain cash buyer.

In fact it was over 2 years before my PITA NDN found out the house had changed hands and I was having a new kitchen and bathroom put in and there was a skip on my drive. Her face was like thunder when I told her that I now owned the house.

notangelinajolie · 18/08/2021 14:50

There is a shortage of houses on the market right now and those that do go up for sale are snapped up very quickly. I would think that most buyers are having to be very proactive to avoid missing out and they are more than likely refreshing the pages of Rightmove several times a day. You might not even get to the board stage. We moved recently and we sold before the board even went up. Unless you are in an area where the property market is very sluggish, you probably won't need one. Good luck

DonLewis · 18/08/2021 14:52

Round here, not having a sign wouldn't mean the neighbours didn't know. Like a pp, I think they all have Rightmove alerts or something. (Because in a certain circle of mine, they know everything that's on the market locally).

Silenzio · 18/08/2021 15:33

@DonLewis @notangelinajolie @memberofthewedding @itscoldouthere @Iamsodonewith2020

Thank you all for your input! I never expected to hear from anyone on such an old thread ... I am literally only thinking of selling because another property in the lovely village where I am lucky enough to live has come up that might suit me better going forward and I read recently that now is a seller's market (but probably not for long!) so thought I'd best act in case it really is the right one for me! have already viewed twice, just hoping I don't get pipped before mine is appraised/marketed. otherwise I wouldn't even be think of moving atm tbh. And I've never been in this position before as I've mainly been a tenant until my parents popped 5 years ago and I 'inherited' a home of my own (theirs ...) seize the day, eh? @memberofthewedding well done you, I lived in a few properties where I would gladly have bought it had I had the opportunity! and saved a fortune in re-letting agents fees into the bargain ... Life has a funny way...

Eaumyword · 18/08/2021 15:43

I've never had a for sale sign.
These days, a house would go on to Rightmove, the EA's own website and hopefully they would match/market it to any interested buyers signed up to their marketing alerts.
My reason is the same - we've always lived rurally and DH lived away for work so I don't want to advertise to randoms that it's on the market for people to look round, unless they are potentially proceedable.
My parents were burgled many decades ago in this way.

Eaumyword · 18/08/2021 15:45

Oops, just seen this is a zombie thread!

user1471538283 · 18/08/2021 15:47

Anything that increases your chances are worth it. I had a sign with our last house. And I smiled everytime I saw the Sold sign.

Anordinarymum · 18/08/2021 15:49

When I sell my house, there will be no 'for sale' board going up in my garden.
There has to be some privacy from my nosy neighbours

frazzledasarock · 18/08/2021 15:50

We sold our house fine without a for sale sign.

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