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Listing, viewings and offers thread 3!

997 replies

Fortheloveofscience · 06/06/2017 10:17

We filled up our old one, hoping I'm not posting out of turn by starting the next, it's the only thing keeping me from going nuts with the endless cycle of no viewings - viewings - feedback - no offer - no viewings - viewings etc!

Hope this is the thread where we all sell and get our dream houses. I'm working from home and doing 'backseat cleaning' - nagging my poor OH who has the day off to do everything for our second viewing this afternoon from the only couple to have shown serious interest.

OP posts:
LuLloyd · 18/08/2017 19:01

Gizlot oh I'd be very very angry!

Gizlotsmum · 18/08/2017 19:22

LuLloyd once this is done I will be feeding back exactly how he made me feel! It felt like he was working for our buyers not us.

LazyDailyMailJournos · 18/08/2017 19:47

Oh giz that's awful. The whole thing really sucks, doesn't it? Perhaps we should set up the Mumsnet Estate Agency once we've all got through this?! Phone calls returned on time, emails answered, proper and prompt negotiations, time-wasters told to naff off and absolutely no-gazumping or gazundering allowed. Oh and unlimited Bear Biscuit and Wine

fialor · 18/08/2017 20:02

•LazyDailyMailJournos• you made me laugh so hard!
"gazundering' - that is new :-)

Gizlotsmum · 18/08/2017 20:12

I like that idea Lazy.. we would all be fab and understanding

LuLloyd · 18/08/2017 21:03

Great idea!

LazyDailyMailJournos · 18/08/2017 21:48

We would. Photos would be lovely and viewers would be vetted to ensure that they have a basic understanding - none of this "I like your flat but I wanted a 500 room mansion" nonsense.

Is anyone else - quite literally - going grey overnight? In the last three months the rate of grey hair cropping up right in the front of my hairline has really shot up!

Gizlotsmum · 18/08/2017 21:55

I was a bit grey to start but it has def got worse! I am also waking up ( if I manage to get to sleep) at ridiculous o clock worrying...poor kids have had short shrift a few times

Gizlotsmum · 18/08/2017 21:57

Surveys would be done before the house went on the market and be available to vetted buyers

fialor · 18/08/2017 22:12

...and contracts would be binding once an offer is made, subject to survey of course.

LuLloyd · 18/08/2017 23:38

I love all those ideas! Not sure I've gone grey just yet, but I don't sleep anymore and I'm losing weight on the stress diet, so I guess that's a plus! Blush

PickAChew · 18/08/2017 23:47

I'm just gaining weight! We haven't even made an offer, yet!

fialor · 19/08/2017 00:18

Gizlotsmum, I sometimes feel that once EAs get an offer they are reluctant to do much more as the increase, unless huge, make no significant impact on their commission. At up to 3% a few extra thousands increase on a house impacts thier commission figure very little. And they are then in a hurry to cash in /lockdown the commission they are due rather than put it at risk by wanting more.

Our buyers have come back and increased their offer. We have turned them down again as they are still a way off of the property price. Hopefully they make an offer that would allow us to say a conditional yes.

Now that the summer holidays are almost over, the business world should pick up again with lots of things happening for everyone.
Fx.

LazyDailyMailJournos · 19/08/2017 05:46

Fialor is it worth giving a bottom line figure to your agent? I must admit I have zero patience for the negotiation stage. I know there is a school of thought that if you aren't embarrassed by your first offer then you aren't trying hard enough, but our approach has been to do our research on sold prices for comparable properties in the local area. If we feel the asking price is fair then we'll offer it - otherwise what's the point?

'Cheeky offers' are all very well and good but if the numbers suggest that the vendor's asking price is achievable then why faff about? I'm quite happy paying the fair market value for a property - because so much of this stupid process is based on trust, I want to start my relationship with the vendor on the right note! I realise that not everyone agrees with this approach though. When we sold our place, we got an offer in which was below FAP and went back and countered with our bottom line number - making it clear to the agent that we weren't up for negotiating anything lower than that. Saved a bit of time and a few phone calls - I can't be arsed with the pointlessness of going back and forth in £500 increments!

drspouse · 19/08/2017 10:18

YYY to the MN EA.
I'm
I'll set up a virtual declutter coaching element. I'm very good at working out what other people should do to declutter and make their houses look nice.
Also we'll have a babysitting service - someone will take your DCs out for the day and we'll rent you a van, and there will be a discount on storage, for the decluttering (we did this and I highly recommend). Then they'll get them out of your hair for a last minute tidy.
Viewers would have to sign a contract for no pulling out, in England anyway, as the law is not yet sensible like in Scotland.

Gizlotsmum · 19/08/2017 10:25

Dr spouse. We could extend the babysitting to cover house viewings too

drspouse · 19/08/2017 11:23

Definitely!

fialor · 19/08/2017 11:41

Lazy, yes we have already done that. So the buyers know what our minimum is. I think they like the idea of the negotiations via increments. They are still a good 30k from our minimum. We are not in a hurry to sell (though we risk losing our lovely potential new home).

I am quite looking forward to what is offered on Monday now.

Gizlotsmum · 19/08/2017 12:03

How odd that they know your minimum but still keep offering under...😖 Do they think you will just go lower if they keep trying?

MrsJW15 · 19/08/2017 14:03

Hello all can I join you? DH and I have a 3 month old baby and have decided this is the perfect time to try to move! 🤔

We are selling our two bed flat and looking for a 3 or 4 bed property. We are in London

Yesterday we had someone from the estate agent in to take photos and do the floor plan for our place. Plan is to list in September and to do an open house season for first viewings as getting everything ready with the baby is tricky. We also went to see a house and really liked it! We've asked for a second viewing. The EA yesterday was very weird, seemed strangely unenthused for most of the viewing. Particularly odd as he works for an agency known for pushing rather too hard!

Gizlotsmum · 19/08/2017 14:07

Hello Mrs

Feed that back to the agency. Good luck

drspouse · 19/08/2017 18:46

Mrs not one beginning with F by any chance? We bought our rental flat through them and vowed never to use them again!

MrsJW15 · 19/08/2017 20:02

Yes @drspouse that's the one! We are not using them to sell. Usually I find them annoyingly pushy but this guy was so meh. But they have the house!

LazyDailyMailJournos · 19/08/2017 20:09

Welcome to the mad house MrsJ - good luck! Grin

Drspouse any news from your other viewing or has the EA just given up now?

Fialor it's good that you're not in a rush, it means you can settle in and enjoy the "No, too low, go away and try again"! I can't understand why someone would be in possession of a bottom line number and yet insist on offering under it anyway. Are they bonkers? Or do they think that if they keep coming back with a few extra thousand you'll get bored and give in?!

drspouse · 19/08/2017 20:11

I know, they had our flat that we ended up buying so we had to deal with them! We didn't use them to sell our old rental flat (and we'd already got an offer when we bought so didn't have them saying "ooh have you not sold yet"), and we told them to get lost when they asked if we wanted to rent through them.

They hassled us every 5 minutes about the sale of our old flat, which was zilch to do with them.