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Original poster

Next door ruining our chance of selling?

147 replies

Helloitsme123 · 06/02/2018 19:39

Came on here for a rant really. We have had our house up for sale for nearly 6 week, 7 viewings and everyone has commented how lovely it is only thing putting the off is next door has planning permission to build 9 houses on their field. Also 43 houses have been approved to go up opposite, we know the people who own the land and they had told us these plans could be in 2/5/10 years it’s just the permission is there. I’m at my wits end! Is everyone out there actually interested in buying a house with new builds going up next door? So frustrating as we’ve seen a house we love

OP posts:

LavenderDoll · 07/02/2018 19:48

Is there link to the house

If it's Preston OP then the planning permissions that have been allowed over the last few years are just bloody crazy

Original poster

Helloitsme123 · 07/02/2018 19:49

I’d appreciate no one posting the link to my house. I don’t want anyone else knowing where I live, it’s on the outskirts of Preston.

OP posts:

LindySprint · 07/02/2018 19:51

OP, I asked last night when the planning permissions affecting you were granted, if you don't mind saying?

LavenderDoll · 07/02/2018 19:56

I think you will sell.
Outskirts of Preston tend to be rural.
Yes the planning can put some people off but everyone has different criteria

namechangedtoday15 · 07/02/2018 20:40

Hi OP, good luck OP.

Violletta · 07/02/2018 20:41

when you are trying to sell, you have to sell the idea of the buyers living in your house - its the first rule of selling - you paint the walls magnolia and clear out all your personal shit...

you wont sell if people cannot see themselves living there.. you're selling a dream

Original poster

Helloitsme123 · 07/02/2018 20:49

Ok thanks again for your input about me now painting my walls when they’re white and magnolia anyway except the grey bedroom but thanks!

OP posts:

BubblesBuddy · 07/02/2018 20:51

I think you are in a difficult position op. If you come back to the thread, you do need to be aware that most LAs stipulate that building must commence within 3 years of granting pp. So no landowner with pp will wait longer than that or they have to get pp again.

Regarding the larger development, I think many of us now have to accept that building IS going to happen on a site near us! We have a housing shortage and anyone can look up the areas which are scheduled for development. Any solicitor doing searches would find it.

There are huge efforts put in these days to stop flooding and LAs (county level) have land drainage requirements that developers have to follow. Ditto road layout requirements.

In villages and small towns near me there is a lot of development! Escaping areas with development is expensive! Someone will
want this house at the right price.

Violletta · 07/02/2018 21:07

talk about spectacularly missing the point OP - do you want to sell the house for the best price, or keep your own style in there

people dont really have much imagination, so you need to be as neutral as possible so they dont have to work too hard to see their own things in there - you need to leave some things in there so it doesnt look empty or like a hotel. I thought that your inside didnt match your outside to be honest. Your inside had the style of a bigger more opulent house, where the outside was bit more 'normal/everyday'

i didnt actually notice the colours of your walls

(

BringMeTea · 07/02/2018 21:14

Violletta that is a spectacularly unhelpful post. What exactly are you suggesting? That OP has had interior ideas above her station? How do you think she should make the inside match the outside? Any practical suggestions that don’t involve a total redecoration and refurb? I did find the listing (I am not too far away near Lancaster) and it is a perfectly lovely home. If you don’t get the money you want OP it will be the development not your ‘towie’ interior as some bitchy pp mentioned.

Plumsofwrath · 07/02/2018 21:15

It’s just so weird that you are being so chippy about this, OP. Nobody is criticising you personally - how can they? You’re on an anonymous forum! You’ve asked questions about the sale of your home, and are receiving answers. There’s really no need to take it so personally and be so defensive. Posters are giving you what you asked for!

PancakeInMaBelly · 07/02/2018 21:16

Exactly, we're not doubting you when you say the planning is the primary issue, but where you have an issue you can't change then you often need to go the extra mile with the areas you can change, and stop insisting that things that arn't an issue for you shouldn't be an issue for buyers (and yes, "well it's never been a problem for us!" is a red flag for an unhelpful obstructive vendor IMO and I've had enough time wasted by them to have it give me less of a good feeling about a property.

So YOU don't care that the front door opens into the living room, I do, I lived somewhere where we lost all the heat anytime some one came or went.
If you ACCEPT that this might not be fine for people who are not you, there are things you can do: strategically placing bookshelves where a partition wall could be added to make an internal porch for example. Not everyone has vision

Bluntness100 · 07/02/2018 21:29

I thought the house was lovely inside as said, the plastic grass will be a problem for many but easy to turf over.

I'd also agree the main issue here is the planning permission.

Op. People are predominantly trying to give you hints to make it more saleable. There are always some arsey comments. Ignore them. You need to look at the house as an asset to sell, not your home. To disengage.

I understand your anger though, you're in a bad position and these comments just make it worse.

For the record estate agents can be proper fuckers. Mine argued point blank I shouldn't drop the price, and then argued on how much and that I had to give it a few weeks, eventually after four months I did it at the price I suspected was right and sold it. They seemed to be confused on the concept I actually wanted to sell it.

If they can keep the market high,,they will. Many agents value as high as they can to get the business, often sellers go for the highest valuation, it means other agents have to follow suit or they'd not get any business. It's a mucky business.

GinnyBaker · 07/02/2018 21:30

Hi OP, I really feel for you about the PP and I don't think you've had a very easy time of it on this thread! I'm not sure i'd want my style of dining chairs critiqued they're crappy

If it helps, what would worry me about the new builds going up as a potential buyer would not so much be the work noise etc, but the fact that they will probably sell to families with children, and that might affect the catchment area/ class sizes etc of the local primary which would be one of the biggest factors we would look at when moving.

We did look at a house in a similar situation, and the buyer, very cleverly, had thought about this, there was an outstanding primary nearby, and they casually dropped this into conversation (we knew already) and told us they were increasing from one class to two class intake next year which would massively increase the number of places (which we didn't know) so it allayed our fears on that front. We put in an asking price offer but another family offered 10k over the same day, so we obviously weren't the only people reassured by this info

BordersMumNow123 · 08/02/2018 14:09

It's quite rude to criticise decor so much. Is it really that impossible for people too see past wall paper and chairs when finding a home?? OP tbh your house sounds fine though.(didn't see the link)

I have never discounted a house even if it has the ugliest sofa or dated wallpaper.

It's about layout and location, and ultimately price!

Unfortunately OP the development will effect selling speed. And 6weeks is not that long on the market at this time of year

Cherrycokewinning · 08/02/2018 14:26

I thought the house is lovely and my kind is fairly blown at the decor talk- it is very plain! Totally inoffensive.

I think you’re in a tricky place OP. I bought a house in a village where 2000 properties are going up. Thing is I didn’t really care about village life AND the house was a great opportunity (I live in a v expensive area) so I suppose it was price that did it. I’m not sure how you can compete on that basis because you’d be looking at selling at a loss.

We had a hard to sell many years ago and it was hell, don’t blame you for your rant at all

Violletta · 08/02/2018 15:18

i can certainly see why it looks like i am criticising the decor, and for that i apologise for offending the OP, and my clumsy words.

what i was trying to say (badly) is that the inside is very plush, and looks very expensive (not horribly) and belongs in a bigger house where the outside looks very normal and understated

again, i didnt mean to offend - sorry

parkview094 · 08/02/2018 15:32

Every house is saleable at a price. If people are not buying it's either because you just haven't found the right buyer yet, or it's overpriced.

The trouble with a house surrounded by beautiful country views is that people will probably want to buy it because of the beautiful views. If suddenly it becomes a house surrounded by housing estates, it becomes a direct comparible to those houses being built and suddenly faces much stiffer competition.

The biggest problem as I see it, as others have said, is probably not the houses going up around you but:

The noise and disruption of those works
The likelihood of people building on the field behind you. Whilst you are confident that the people behind won't build an estate of houses there, you don't know what will happen in the future. If the LA has granted permission next door, they would likely grant permission behind should the situation arise.

As you've only been in the house 2 years, others will be able to see this from the various websites. If I was a buyer I'd be thinking.. "Uh ho - lots of houses going up, now the people are selling only having been there for short time because they themselves aren't happy with the situation.." (regardless or not of whether that is the actual situation).

It's a very tough situation I'm afraid and I feel for you, but I don't think there's much you can do besides wait it out or lower the price.

parkview094 · 08/02/2018 15:35

Gaah - schoolboy mistake on my part. Read page one and didn't spot 5 subsequent pages. My apologies and good luck with the sale!

Downtheroadfirstonleft · 08/02/2018 20:13

I’d rather live near a building site than with artificial grass. It may smell more than you realise of stale dog wee. Dog owners can go nose blind...

BubblesBuddy · 08/02/2018 20:29

Who gives xxxxx about fake grass! It can be removed! Building sites are temporary. Fake grass is temporary! Lots of new estates have more building going on if you are in the first wave to move in. People will take a view on what offends them and what doesn’t.

Cheeseislife · 11/02/2018 19:47

I did a bit of stalking and found your house - I do think it's got some absolutely lovely features, the exposed brick especially. All those saying it's not that big a house to downsize from, well f**k me how many stately home owners on one forum, in my neck of the woods that's a two up two down budget! I do agree though that the garden needs a lot more than what it has - maybe some big pot plants you could even take with you, or a bit of furniture? It being so empty is quite a contrast to the well furnished house.

I just wanted to say as well, the people saying your reasons for moving aren't plausible, I'm looking to buy and viewed a house which hadn't been owned long, fully refurbished, and was being sold as they couldn't face living there after their plans for a family had fallen through. Of course it may have been cobblers but looking at an immaculate nursery same as yours and no sign of a baby was too poignant to raise any doubts once we were through the door. I hope you find a buyer soon and for a fair price, sorry you're having to go through this

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