Listing, viewings and offers thread 3!

[Fortheloveofscience]

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.

I'd love to know whereabouts in the UK you are all selling. I'm in London and have been on the market since September, recently changed agents and they haven't got me more than one viewing in three weeks! The market here is terrible.

Alix I'm SW London

Alix I'm in Yorkshire. The market here is OK but it's not super hot. I've read that parts of the London market have really slowed down. What's been the feedback from your viewings?

Ah OK, so maybe different to here. Feedback has been really good from people that have actually come and viewed and I have had a couple of offers over that time but they fell through due to the whole chain sitatuion unfortunately. Offers that were higher than I currently have the proeprty on at. However viewings are non existent depsite changing agents. My property is more expensive too which doesn't help but it's taking an absolute age to get people through the door.

Alix here in SW London, it's crazy busy with buyers and a really strong market. That said, after 43 (I forget now) viewings with no offers we had to drop the price and considerably so - by 10%.

Rainsbow, that a lot of viewings which is great but must be very frustrating.

A couple of friends of mine are selling too and sold within five or six weeks which I'm very jealous about but as my property is on at £850 and is a 2 bed there's not a lot of people in that bracket looking it seems. I have droppped the price though a lot and am cheaper than similar-ish flats in the area but they're also sitting there doing nothing.

Should add we've been on three weeks.

Great news @rainbow! Hope you can now secure your dream home!

We are torn between a fixer-upper (which has damp and nearby knotweed on survey), and a Victorian with a fairly average survey, but close to a main road (and scared my cat will be hit by a car...)
The Victorian went on the market Friday, couldn't get hold of the agent until this morning and asked to view this weekend as we want to offer Monday morning - apparently vendor will only do weekday viewings, and earliest is Tuesday. We drove by it and apart from the road it's perfect, bigger than the Victorian we ruled out, and better survey. DH says we should just offer on it without viewing it since I may be giving birth Monday/Tuesday with the way things are going - but in Scotland it's much more binding to offer so im really uneasy about that...

If you've got the budget then I'd go for the fixer upper, but make sure you negotiate hard on the price if there is knotweed involved - it's a professional job to get rid of it. Make sure your mortgage company will still offer if they know about the knotweed - some won't.

I'd be reluctant to go for the main road - obviously there's the cat to worry about, but I'd also worry about traffic noise and fumes. The latter especially in rush hour.

That's great rainsbow

alix we are north west midway between Manchester and Liverpool.

We got great news today the vendors of the house we want to buy.... want to buy our house. House swap!!! Although they have got a second property that they currently live in so not quite.
2weeks on the market
4 viewings
1 asking price offer from another party ( no mortgage sorted)
Went with £5k off asking to secure our next property with an offer of £20k from asking.

Eek it's all happened rather fast

@paul - yeah it's a lot to consider from a mortgage point of view! Additionally it seems in Scotland everything is offers over - so this houses report says value 210 'less any specialist works' and highlights damp and knotweed, and asking OIEO 195k. So think we will have to have surveys/quotes done before we offer, since the offer is pretty much binding once submitted by the solicitor! Just feels so weird paying for surveys when we don't even know if they would accept our offer!
@emma that's great news! I suppose that makes it a ridiculously short chain!!!!

Poochie I'd say that £15k off full asking does not sound an awful lot for damp and knotweed.

I suppose it depends how extensive both are, but knotweed is a nightmare to get rid of and can't be done in one go - which pushes the price up because treatment will involve multiple visits to ensure that it's gone for good. Even one tiny piece left (the size of a fingernail) is enough for it to reactivate and start growing again.

Likewise damp might just mean throwing open some windows, installing dehumidifiers and some treatment if there are leaks/cracks which are causing the ingress. However if it's extensive then potentially it's a new damp proof course and stripping and replastering the walls. However there is a school of thought that says that damp issues can be overstated in surveys, because they are often carried out by companies in this field - who obviously have a vested interest in saying that there is damp present!

I'd definitely get some costings from local trades.

Emma - blimey that sounds amazing! Congrats on it all coming together.

Found you! Can someone on a mobile device post a link to this thread on the old one? You can't post any more on a desktop.

Anyway we had a viewing last week on Election day, actually (oops) turns out it's an acquaintance of a friend (not FB friends with them fortunately but I thought I recognised the rather unusual name). They loved the house and the location but our yard is tiny (which TBF is true and also hard to tell from the particulars) It never bothered us as a) all the local yards are tiny in the area round the station so you pick location (and TBF price as the more modern estate 10 mins walk away has larger, more expensive gardens) and b) there is a gorgeous park 3 mins walk away and c) all the local kids play in the very safe street/smaller ones on the pavement outside their houses.

But it's still on their "actively considering" list.

Another viewing this week, just the one, but after the last few weeks of barrenness one viewing a week isn't bad!

We are increasingly veering towards the "head over heart" house.

We have started realising that the "heart" house is what we fantasised about pre-kids. But actually the kids would end up living in a spectacularly beautiful house on the edge of a beautiful forest near a lake.....and be lonely.

The "head" house is literally 5 doors down from from a school. And I found out a FB friend sends her kids there so I contacted her and the school is the hub of the whole community, everything is on there. They would be able to have friends around after school and go to all their clubs easily etc.

It's hard being an adult!

Skip is coming today btw, the great clear out begins!

10 days on the market here & had 3 viewings. The feedback has been great but no interested parties yet. I had hoped for an offer this morning from the people who viewed on Saturday as the agent said that they were super keen but they have instead chosen to reserve a new build in a nearby village instead.
I know that it's early days yet but we ummed and ahhhed so much about selling, that now we've made the decision to do so the waiting around for a buyer is torturous. Plus keeping the house in viewing ready state is really tough with a 6 week old and a 2 year old. I'm looking forward to returning to my slovenly ways soon

We've put an offer in of £660k on a £680k house. Fingers crossed.

IAmALionTamer I could have written the exact post 2 weeks ago, now we have had 2 offers and one of which is being accepted today and we have had our offer accepted as well. Keep the faith, and look forward to when you have an offer and can relax the cleaning, its great!!

Ditto emma. We've been on three weeks, accepted an offer today of 5k over asking price to first time buyers. The house weve offered on is also not in a chain. Bring back my slovenly ways now!

Oh it is really nice now we've moved - though we do have to keep moving furniture round for work to be done. Painter started today and that should be it for a while... except the washing machine needs moving and we need a new kitchen tap... and we need built in shelves...

Fingers crossed rainsbow
And yes Elspeth its rubbish being an adult sometimes. Sounds like you've made the right decision.

So we got 2 offers this morning! One was ridiculously low and from people who offered 5 weeks ago and we turned down and now they've offered even less. They've been hard work to deal with!

BUT we have accepted an offer from someone who viewed Sat. Less than we wanted but means we can still get the house we want which we would lose out on in a week! Cutting it fine but we've done it!! So thrilled!

Am sure all the hassle will pay off drspouse once all the moving stuff round and decorating is done!

You turned it down and now they've offered less??! What?!

But great news about the genuine offer!

So pleased to hear about everyone's offers.

We're still banging our heads against the wall - 22 viewings no offers. People viewing sat said it was a nice house, liked the location but actually they want a new build. Why did they come and see the 1950's semi then?!

We've accepted 15k over the asking price!!

Bloody hell. How did it jump from 5 to 15?! What is this witchcraft???