Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

Sellers roll call! How many viewings are you gettingin this stagnant market?

974 replies

Pixiedust1973 · 15/01/2018 14:45

I thought it would be nice to update each other with our progress as I seem to of lost the other sellers thread!

My house has been on the market on & off since April last year. We found a house we liked, got a buyer before putting in an offer. Had a low offer but managed to negotiate them up & the house we want down to an acceptable level, just! Turns out after many months that their buyer can't proceed so we decide to cut off from our old agents & start afresh with a 25k reduction for quick sale, making us without question the best house in the area for the price! Comparables being 40-50k higher! Im in an expensive part of Surrey btw, hence silly money for very little!

Been on 55 days now & had 11 viewings, 2 cheeky try their luck offers we can't accept because they're 30k below our asking price already reduced by 25k. Id say that given how stagnant the market is we're getting a reasonable amount of interest. Getting lots more hits online since the new year & hopefully its only a matter of time. The viewers we are getting are proceedable viewers, mainly chain free. Probably explains the low offers! Hmm Had a second viewing on Friday & awaiting their feedback today. Thought they were keen but the later in the day it gets the more nervous im getting!

OP posts:
Pixiedust1973 · 20/01/2018 13:22

Congratulations veuveo! Now thats what I like to hear! Im a bit confused though. Am I right in thinking that they initially offered 30k under asking price & you counter offered with 20k under? So surely these people are mad if they then offered 20k more than you asked for? Unless its me & im going mad (likely) or completely mixing you up with someone else!

You are so right Vivienne. Pretty much the only people selling here at the moment seem to be those that HAVE to, or those who are in broken chains from last year, like me!

That sounds very positive G1ggle. Everything crossed as always. And for you too Helen. Lets hope the second viewers were interested enough to make an offer, unlike mine, who after I recieved their scorings of 3/5 for everything on our agents site, I think I sold the area to them more than our house lol.

You're very welcome Lilmiss Smile You are right, it is looking more positive on here. Lets hope its a productive weekend for all. We have a viewer arriving at 2. Hopefully they're the ones!

OP posts:
HelenTheHunter · 20/01/2018 13:50

No offer :(
Really like the property but want to think about it over the next few days because they're not sure about their commute.
Surely they looked at that before booking their second viewing Angry
So not ruled out but not looking very positive really! And no more viewings booked in. We will get on to the agents to change our blurb. Sigh...

veuveo · 20/01/2018 14:15

Pixie- I think they came to him as they really didn't want to lose it and they knew I had other viewings.
Which is what I did, I was desperate not to lose it so offered the asking price straightaway.

G1ggleloop · 20/01/2018 15:10

Both viewers made the right noises. The first we're making noises about putting in an offer but I'm not holding my breath. The second want to bring someone back to view to check the noise from the trains. Pretty positive for the first viewings.

FrancoisOnTheMove · 20/01/2018 21:39

Ours went on yesterday. Had our first viewing today and one arranged for tomorrow. I have a feeling we will either sell it within a week or we won’t sell it and it’ll still be on the market in 6+ months time. As such it feels like there is ever such a lot riding on these first few days. It’s nerve wracking!

FrancoisOnTheMove · 20/01/2018 21:42

Pixie thank you for the tips on tracking. Very useful to know. Our agent has put ours onto Facebook and it’s weird reading people’s comments or seeing strangers tag other strangers about our house!

Easilyflattered · 21/01/2018 10:15

45 mins till viewing.. does anyone else get nervous showing people round?

HelenTheHunter · 21/01/2018 10:22

I get really nervous and feel really on edge for ages afterwards too. I'm usually pretty calm and socially confident so it's all a bit weird! I think I'm just so invested in the outcome that I can't relax.

veuveo · 21/01/2018 10:42

I'm glad I live in London, I couldn't show people around. Isn't that what the EA gets paid for?
The place where I'm buying I've been shown around by the owners too.

Easilyflattered · 21/01/2018 10:45

Agents won't do Sunday viewings and these viewers want a second viewing so I didn't feel I should say no. This is only the second viewing I've had to do.

My garden looks grimmer than ever in the sleet.

HelenTheHunter · 21/01/2018 11:45

We’ve done a mixture. We said we were happy to do evening and Sunday viewings. There was one which was supposed to be the agent but the viewer was really late so I offered to do it. Mostly because I didn’t want to sit making small talk with the EA for half an hour!

Pixiedust1973 · 21/01/2018 12:18

Sorry you didn't get an offer Helen. At least it's not a flat out NO! We had people do the same thing on a second viewing. They booked to view at 430pm so they could check out the commute. I see it as a positive thing tbh. Good idea about getting onto the agent about the wording. The number of times ive sat in EA offices rewriting our house details lol. You are entirely the best person to sell your house because you know it best!

Amazing news veuveo that things seem to of fallen into place for you.Long may it continue!

You are very welcome Francois. You're pretty accurate in your presumption about it either selling quickly or hanging around. The first week or so is always the busiest, which is why it pays to do your homework & get everything right first time as much as possible, in the way of pricing, the wording on advert, photos & presentation etc. We are coming into a busier time though, so we should all get a lot more interest really soon.

How did the viewing go Easily? We're on with Purplebricks & chose to do all our viewings rather than pay £300 for an agent to do them. Way I see it, I know my house far better than any agent. I know the schools, the neighbours, the local amenities! Plus, viewings can be booked whenever to suit me rather than an agent. I wouldn't do it any other way now. So much less stressful!

I always feel nervous before a potential viewing too, mainly in case they don't turn up. Also in case I say the wrong thing & fuck it up lol! DH is better with people than I am so I let him do it if he's here! I also worry afterwards, trying to figure out if they like it or not.

I'd feel a bit aggrieved to be paying an EA a fortune only to be doing the viewings myself tbh!

OP posts:
Easilyflattered · 21/01/2018 13:18

They came, the sleet had turned to heavy snow!

I found them hard to guage, it became clear that since they last viewed that they have seen what next door sold for. They also pointed out that some of the 2 year old houses up on the new development were already falling to pieces, and they are probably my main competition.

We'll see. I'll get on with my roast dinner now.

FrancoisOnTheMove · 21/01/2018 21:47

We got another viewing today so that’s 3 over the weekend since going on the market on Friday. I thought people would be easier to read but, whilst they sounded interested and said the right sort of things, I have no idea whether they are making an offer type interested!
Can’t switch off from it now...

KittyKK · 22/01/2018 10:24

Really interesting to read this thread for the seller’s point of view. We sold years ago and then moved abroad. Recently back to UK to buy again chain-free. The market has changed so much.

I’ve been tracking the local market since May, but only started viewings recently. I wonder if vendors really want candid feedback after viewings though?

I’ve seen some lovely houses on paper, but when doing viewings the vendors aren’t setting their homes apart from the crowd (yet still asking very high prices). I’ve seen houses that are dirty, smell revolting (dogs), have personalised the space to be a fully kitted gym instead of a more useable room, Astro-turfed back garden (twice), messy beyond belief play rooms with items falling out the door (multiple times), ceilings painted dark colours that seemingly enclose the space...

Basically not showing the property to its full potential. And as a buyer I wonder if there’s enough light, storage etc, what the cost is to returf the lawn, how to remove the gym mirrors/flooring/punchbag steel supports etc.

And a bad smell makes me want to leave the property super quickly without exploring the full potential.

The best properties I’ve viewed have done things like printed out energy use graphs, so I can see their energy spend, provided details on commute times and local schools etc (I know I can all google this, but the gesture is appreciated and gives me a flavour of living in that place). Really liked when one guy printed outl details of the extension plans he’d had drawn up and another had existing planning approval for an additional ensuite etc. All of this outlines potential of a new home.

You guys all seem really conscientious and focused on finding a good buyer, so this feedback is probably unnecessary. But I have noticed a large supply of expensive properties that aren’t doing anything to actively market themselves well.

Good luck with your sales!

Pixiedust1973 · 22/01/2018 10:45

I agree Easily, its so hards to gauge what people think. We have had people ask us how much we'll accept & all but offer on the spot during a viewing, come back with a tape measure & then give us a 3/5 on feedback. Others don't seem interested at all, but then make an offer. Hmm Just can't call it! I wonder if that could be positive that they're pointing out that the newer houses are already falling apart? Perhaps that's something you can use in future viewings? Point out that older houses are built better, have stood the test of time etc? How much did the house next door sell for in comparison to yours? We told our old agent that we wanted to sell before next door but ones sold price was available for all to see, because the people selling it were moving up north & weren't bothered so much about what they got for it, plus it was a fixer-upper, which is not immediately obvious from the photos on their ad. We really didn't/don't want potential buyers comparing our houses, but of course, they do!

3 viewings is great Francois. Totally understand not being able to switch off from it. I can't either. Its really doing my head in!

We had a pretty positive viewing on Saturday. Lovely couple, they know people on the road already & go to a nearby church. School catchments aren't a factor for them as yet, so I'm expecting them to maybe choose something larger outside of catchment tbh. Having said that, the area is lovely even if you don't need the schools. They were looking at quite a few houses within the price range & I think they have a particular style of house they're after, which we fit the bill for, so you never know. I'm not going to get excited anymore, & they have a house to sell anyway! We have another viewing booked in for Wednesday with a chain free buyer, so hopefully they like it!

OP posts:
Pixiedust1973 · 22/01/2018 11:00

Hi Kitty. Just seen your message. Really great advice! I know what you mean about some houses being really not presented for sale. We saw one that had the garage used as a dogs kennel. The whole place reeked of dog, but not only that, it was decorated in the brightest awful wallpaper imaginable & woodwork painted in dark brown colours. The whole place was also untidy & filthy. It was very much to the vendors taste & pretty much nobody elses. It didn't even have a proper garden, just a tiny paved yard which was very overlooked & parking was quite a severe slope. The place has literally nothing going for it whatsoever.

When asked for feedback about what I thought about the house & its price I was brutally honest & said that literally everything wanted doing & if it remained as it was then it would need to come down from 550k to 450k before anyone would touch it. My husband & daughter thought I was quite rude, but I was only giving my honest opinion, which as a seller Id appreciate. It has subsequently played musical estate agents & dropped down to 475k eventually before coming off the market altogether, hopefully to allow the vendors to do a bit of sprucing up before remarketing in the spring!

OP posts:
Easilyflattered · 22/01/2018 11:05

Three viewings is a good start Francois, and fingers crossed for the lovely couple Pixie, you never know how quickly their house might sell.

Kitty, my only experience of selling a house was when I was living down under. I had two offers come in at the first open home. I had scrubbed that house within an inch of its life and tried to stage it for sale.

And I've taken the same approach with this one, but no bites. Admittedly my garden looks sad at the moment, not a junk filled eyesore, but just bare trees and no colour.

Most sellers are also buying, so theres the added insult that whilst people are scrutinising your house you are out looking at grubby houses, or one where the vendors neighbour is standing in the garden in their pants ( I actually felt sorry for the agent showing us round at that house).

The agent phoned this morning about yesterday's viewing and my husband took the call. The agent can't speak to the viewers till this afternoon but my husband passed on that I found the viewers a bit cagey, to which the agent answered that she also found them particularly hard to read!!!!

I think I'm back to square one

Easilyflattered · 22/01/2018 11:13

Pixie my neighbours sold for 10k below our asking price, which was also 10k under the neighbours asking price. If they offered that price here I would accept.

I don't think your feedback was rude. I have two asthmatics in the family, we looked at one house with three cats and my husband's eyes were streaming. Any offer on that place would have allowed for a full recarpeting. We also looked at a house where they had divided large bedrooms to provide a room for each of their 5 kids, but we would have taken all those stud walls straight out.

veuveo · 22/01/2018 12:41

Now I'm stressing about the survey.
I re-read the survey I had taken , only 3 years ago and it's all v ambiguous and "there could be", "more investigation required"
The house is sound, no leaks, no damp, roof is fine.

G1ggleloop · 22/01/2018 13:55

So we've got another viewing this afternoon. I've come home from work and scrubbed the house from top to bottom. No word from the super keen first viewers, why do people start talking about offers and get your hopes up? If you're not interested or might not be just say thank you and leave. They were talking for ages about how fast we could move and all sorts. Ah well onwards.

Easilyflattered · 22/01/2018 18:43

drum roll please*

Yesterdays viewers who seemed tight lipped and lacking enthusiasm have offered 11k under asking, 1k less than next door sold for last month. Chain free, mortgage in place.

We have accepted, I'm ecstatic. My mum brought me back down to earth by telling me I should have squeezed more out of them.

veuveo · 22/01/2018 18:50

Woohoo, niceone!!

G1ggleloop · 22/01/2018 19:12

Yay. Well done. Great news

Lilmisskittykat · 22/01/2018 20:01

Brill news easily flattered can't think what if ...