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Original poster

A 'waiting for viewings and offers' support group?

999 replies

TheWanderingUterus · 17/11/2016 13:24

Not quite ready for the 'in a chain' support group (please please don't let it be too long!), but we have just put our house up for sale and are waiting for viewings. Mostly cleaning and primping and procrastinating, with occasional adrenaline bursts when the phone rings.

Anyone else in the same position wanting to share the angst?

OP posts:
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17
Notanotherpawpatrol · 30/01/2017 17:27

Help me decide what to do. I spoke to ea today and made it clear we weren't happy. They admitted they would expect 3-4 viewings a week on our house and didn't really know why we hadn't had that.
They suggested we reduce the price by 10k to get people through the door and put it offers in excess of £200,000.
I don't know what to do. £210 is the same as all the others around here, we have one of the bigger houses and the semis range from £200-215. I really don't think we are over priced, but we aren't getting viewings. Our open house only had 1 person turn up too. I'm torn between, if it was priced right then we'd get more people through the door and ea clearly aren't doing enough for them. What do you think? Move EA or reduce the price (we have 1 more week in contract and then 2 weeks notice period) both?

Notanotherpawpatrol · 30/01/2017 17:29

(btw I posted my listing a couple of weeks ago in a thread and the worst that was said about the house was the photos were taken on a gloomy day, so I don't think it's anything to do with our house or the photos)

Equimum · 30/01/2017 17:31

Congratulations Lamp. Can I ask which county that is? I thought it was crazy here, but probably a bit further out than you (about 45 min train south of London).

Our viewers are planning to put an offer in but EA unsure whether they are procedurable or not. If not, we'll reject until they are.

lampfromikea · 30/01/2017 18:08

pawpatrol I would switch agents, the open day fiasco would be enough for me. Get some valuations and see what other EAs think about the price.

Equimum we are in south west Essex, just outside of the m25 and on the crossrail line (when it opens next year). Not a London borough, but may as well be!

loveka · 30/01/2017 19:14

We have had an offer today. It is 25k under the asking price though (on for 475k).
It is not enough for us to move to the new house so have said no.

Our price is a 'week after Brexit' price. We had an offer at full asking in October which fell through on the day of exchange.

Similar to ours are now being put on for 500k, so I think we are already cheap.

We are really keen to move though as our new house is ready and waiting...

We have said we want 460. What do you think?

Blackfellpony · 30/01/2017 19:25

Loveka can you hold out a few days and see if they change their minds and up the offer?

Out of interest is your new house off the market even though you haven't sold yours yet?

loveka · 30/01/2017 19:47

Yes it's off the market. Our buyer pulled out on the day of exchange, so the people we are buying from said they would wait before putting it back on. We were supposed to move last week!

We will wait a few weeks I think before taking offers. But there is that niggling what if we don't get any other offers? Grrrr!

summerholsdreamin · 30/01/2017 20:04

It's all such a game

drspouse · 30/01/2017 21:31

Just out of interest: How long did it take you to get your house ready to go on the market?

And if you have experience of a no chain purchase, how long from offer accepted to exchange? Where basically all you have to do is get mortgage finalised, survey and searches, contracts?

Notanotherpawpatrol · 30/01/2017 21:32

I did a rightmove check on 1/2 a mile radius, turns out we are definitely fairly priced. I am not reducing the price by 10k to make their lives easier 😕 Told the agents head office tonight unless we get viewings this week we will be handing in notice and moving to another agent. Seriously not happy.

drspouse · 30/01/2017 22:15

Well done nota, put your foot down!

drspouse · 30/01/2017 22:15

Well done nota, put your foot down!

contractor6 · 31/01/2017 07:39

Loveka, id wait it out for higher offer, we were tempted to accept lower offer after few days but waited until after weekend and got higher offer from other buyer.
pawpatrol go with another agent, when they list it on right move the alerts will be sent to anyone who has signed up for alerts and it will appear in the recent searches. Also make sure you have a floorplan and request a premium listing. Fyi my first EA screwed up right mice posting and we got now queries, moved EA and had 6 viewings booked in 24 hours....

Blackfellpony · 31/01/2017 08:44

So it's been 3 weeks without a viewing, do you all think I should look at lowering price?

I'm going to struggle massively to go much lower than 107k and it's up for 115k Sad

trevortrevorslattery · 31/01/2017 10:22

drspouse I've done a no-chain purchase and it was 4 weeks to exchange + 2 to completion. We had to stick to those timescales as our purchase was from a property auction but mortgage was involved.
It did involve daily constant chasing conveyancers by email though, which is not too onerous for me as I could do most of the legwork from my desk at work.

lampfromikea · 31/01/2017 10:29

drspouse when we bought this we were first time buyers and buying from a landlord so I think it only took about 8 weeks from offer to completion.

We've just had that horrible phone call from the EA to say that another offer has been put in on our dream home and can we give our best final offer. I've left it all with OH. We can afford to go over the asking by £5k but that's our absolute limit. Really hope the other buyers are put off by paying full price for a house with a pink bathroom suite! (It's one of the things we fell in love with haha!)

drspouse · 31/01/2017 10:40

trevor that's really encouraging!
We have the name of a surveyor and we'll do lots of chasing!

summerholsdreamin · 31/01/2017 12:23

Told EA last night that unless the sellers are prepared to negotiate we are backing out now. EA not pleased "that's not the way we play things Summer" Hmm

Errm... either they negotiate or we're off.

Turns out the son is in NZ so only contactable by email. But EA finally managed to speak to one of the daughters who said she will discuss with other 2. Small progress but at least a verbal convo has been had. Don't expect any response for at least a few days

So frustrating, you'd think as executors of a year empty house they'd want shot if it asap, especially as we're in such a good position.

Do not trust EA one jot even though they've sold our house. Keep having to repeat back that we won't play any games with new house.

drspouse · 31/01/2017 13:11

How do they play things if it isn't to find out what the sellers and buyers want? Sit around twiddling their thumbs while the buyers go off and find another property?

Surveyor contacted and solicitor knows to expect EA/mortgage company call (as they are for different properties).

Now we have to, you know, actually finish tidying and sell this place. 5 more bags/boxes for charity floating around the house. I keep leaving piles of stuff for DH to sort in random places and he ignores them but the DC move them.

Notanotherpawpatrol · 31/01/2017 13:47

I think it's very telling that I haven't yet received a call from our agents today. I've been contacted by a different agent that I left a message with last night, but not ours Hmm clearly not really interested in our £3000+ commission.

Summer, how else do you play it? Either you negotiate or you don't, but don't expect the buyers to sit around and wait!

Honeyandfizz · 31/01/2017 13:48

Hello all. Please may I join you? House went up for sale today via Emoov never used an online agent before but the high street ones wanted £3k plus. I separated from h last September and whilst he is saying I can stay put if I like he is paying an extortionate amount of rent and I know I will have to move eventually so may as well do it now.

Problem is even if I sold today there is not a single house on the market which would meet my criteria. I think this is going to be stressful!

contractor6 · 31/01/2017 14:04

pawpatrol negotiate fees with new one, every single agent I spoke to were willing to drop initial fee. And don't sign contract in their offices, its classed as distance selling if you sign at home and send and then you have two weeks to cancel them if you aren't happy.

Anna275 · 31/01/2017 14:47

Notanotherpawpatrol You say that you done a search of what is currently for sale in your area and you are fairly priced in comparison. But how long have those other homes been on the market? If they are not selling/generating interest they could all be overpriced and then not really an accurate gauge of a "fair price". What have are the recently sold prices like?

SadPandas · 31/01/2017 14:58

Just popping my head in. I've just found this thread, don't know how i've missed it. I'm losing the will to live waiting for viewings when I just want to be done> Have had the house on for over 5 months and no bites yet. Anyone have any useful coping strategies, or advice on when to think about reducing price?

Sending good thoughts to all those in the same boat

Notanotherpawpatrol · 31/01/2017 15:00

I included sold properties and also did a sold price search. We live on a housing estate and a house exactly like ours is marked as sold at 210 and on a sold search another like ours sold at 208.
I've booked the agent for a 3rd to come round who have put a house on exactly like ours at 217.
Our house is quite unusual. But he other 3 bed houses in the area have sold between 205-220 in the past 2 months, so I feel fairly certain that 210 is a fair price. Dh and I aren't against reducing it, but don't want to knock 10k off the asking price just to discover the agent aren't actually doing anything. Once we start reducing it, we can't go back up with another agent. So we are looking at getting a couple more agent valuations and going from there before we reduce with current agent.