Sellers roll call part 2. Who is still on this treadmill?

[MovingThisYearHopefully]

I thought it was about time to start a new thread as this one is close to 1000 messages.

Who is still here & what is your story?

Heres me: I have been trying to move since April last year. Had a buyer, buyers lost their buyer in October & still haven't got a new one. We remarketed at a low price in November in order to continue buying the house we were at point of exchange with, but were unable to get enough to move on & lost the house in February.

Prices are definitely falling here in Surrey. Realistically we're looking to get 10% less than our original asking price, if we're lucky. Getting viewers has never been an issue, regardless of price. This process has been stressful beyond belief & almost split me & DH up. Surely our luck must change soon?

One thing that seems to be helping us get more interest than other properties is that we have now agreed to go chain free. Is this a possibility for any of you struggling? If offered significantly less than asking price then as far as I see it you are within your rights to say chain free was based on near to asking price & not affordable at a significant amount under! Worth considering perhaps?

Hi everyone! Only read the last few pages of the thread but thought I'd join in. We're first tone sellers, relocating so husband current away Monday to Friday while I try and keep the house today with a full time job and a toddler!!

Went on market 1st September with a useless agent- got one viewing. Changed agents 26th September. Have reduced by 10k. One viewer last week thinks it's too small, another one on Saturday. I am desperate to sell so we can all live together bit also because my dream house is available....

Good luck all

Its all happening here!

Hope you get news soon Flamingo. So frustrating when you just want some answers but nobody is forthcoming!

Fingers crossed you can get a deal on an ongoing purchase so you can accept your offer Tiddle

Waiting for feedback is so frustrating. You just want to know one way or another. I hope you get some soon Harriet

Glad things seem to be moving in the right direction for you Tokyo. Purplebricks are bloody awful in every way. We were on with them for 5 months before finally giving up & switching to a high street agent. I'm sure our local property expert cost us several potential buyers because she couldn't be arsed to negotiate.

I wouldn't pay for any of those things 3in4years. Only thing I'd get done is a boiler service, as thats fair enough to ask. Anything else they can pay for themselves.

Oh no jgm, thats the last thing you want. I hope your offer is successful.

As for us, we finally replied to our EA about the buyers unreasonable demands & he said its typical of their age of buyer, but he will pass on that as the house was already heavily reduced we cannot pay for anything else they may require. We also heard from our solicitor that the survey came back with exactly the things we knew about from speaking to the surveyor when he was here. We reminded him that we'd already sent him information in regard to this & the indemnity insurance request. Could have been worse. Feeling a bit better now, just worried about finding somewhere short term to rent as the new build is unlikely to be ready until next year!

Good luck everyone!!

good luck jgm!!!!

thank you moving I spoke to FTB guy last night, and I finally have some good news!!

he said he will put up the extra 2 grand, so we can all continue, if I give them the money post sale to do the work (fine) then they can do the work, and he gets his 2 grand back and everyones happy. I agreed with this and he wants to complete within about 3 weeks. Woo!

I dont believe it - our sale (second attempt) has fallen through again as buyer at the bottom of the short chain has just pulled out! Am so very fed up as yet again, its nothing to do with our actual house so there is nothing we can do to fix the issue...

Glad you've got a solution and things are moving in the right direction Flamingofridays

@flamingo, I'm thrilled for you. Mazel tov!! X

Oh @dinkystinky that is so frustrating, especially when it is totally out of your hands :(

Congratulations Flamingo. Such a relief for you!

I am so sorry to hear that Dinky. What is your plan of action now? Remarket in the hope to find a new buyer asap?

Our EA has levelled with our buyers as to our situation, ie you can't get blood out of a stone & if they want anything else they will need to pay for it! They seemed to accept it apparently. Such a relief. We are still awaiting an update on the top of the chain so I guess they still have stuff outstanding. Fine by us, they can take as long as they like!

DH & I are now looking into life insurance for us both. Its looking to be scarily expensive because we both have health issues, but for the sake of the kids, who have SEN, its something we must implement!

thanks everyone! it is very much a relief.

I am so sorry to hear that dinky

that's a coincidence moving I looked at life insurance last night. we have never had it! bad and I am glad to hear about your buyers backing off with their requests!!

Feedback from 2 of the last 3 viewers is "oooh lovely house, we need to put our house on the market, so can't make an offer yet"...

WHY VIEW IF YOU HAVE NO INTENTION OF MAKING AN OFFER!!

Grrr. Feeling totally pissed off and rather despairing tbh.

harriet we are guilty of doing just that (though our house was on the market and had some interest!) however it did work out with the house we are buying, however I entirely understand your frustration because A LOT of people did the same as us.

Can you ask your EA to determine the viewers position before they let them view, ie say proceedable/cash buyers only?

I think what annoys me @flamingo is that they hadn't even put their place on the market and I wouldn't mind a conditional offer based on them selling but it just feels like they're having a nosy and wasting my time a bit... they've asked to be kept informed of any offers. Would it be awful for me to make a fake offer on my own house?! (I'm joking. I think...)

Anyway. Another viewing tomorrow afternoon and one tba. So let's hope something comes of them...

I understand your annoyance Harriet, you never know though, it can work out. We had some people view our house 2 or 3 times before putting their house on the market at a low price in order to buy ours. They then sold theirs quickly but ended up buying something that had already been extended.. The idea was there to start with though, so it can work out if they like the house enough.

Spoke to our solicitor today. Our buyers seem to be fine now pretty much & have asked if they can get an architect in at some point between exchange & complete to have a look around, measure up etc. I said thats fine as long as we have a bit of notice. Its seeming more possible it will happen now. Still no contracts through to sign in respect of the sale & no news on their own buyers at the top of the chain, which is fine by us. Its the developers who are now putting on the pressure a bit & saying we need to exchange by next Friday or they may re-release our house for sale. DH & I will go & chat to the girls in the office on Saturday. From what has been said before its highly unlikely they'll do that, plus they have many unanswered queries to deal with first before we could exchange.

@moving that would seem really stupid for the developers to do that as anyone else who offers will still have to go through the same processes you are going through so it won't go any faster!

@harriet sounds like you are getting a fair bit of interest so fingers crossed a proceedable person comes in at some point.

We are waiting for feedback from the survey on our current house. Really don't want them to bring up any issues! and just sitting around waiting to hear back on our mortgage offer, I hate this period of limbo where there is literally nothing we can do! Although I have been on it with the solicitor who has been asking me for things and I have been getting back very quickly!

@harriethoyle understand your frustration, but like others I have been guilty of looking at properties before I was fully proceedable!

Well we have accepted our FTB's rather low offer (relief!!) and are hoping we can buy the house we have our eye on. Got a builder to come with us tomorrow for a second viewing and price up the work needed. Hoping it doesn't exceed £20k then we could offer reasonably on the property. More than that and we'll either have to pass on it or find a way to borrow money...

Thanks all. Am trying to think of it like internet dating. Lots of interest, a few wankers, some nice but not quite right then Prince Charming will cross the threshold! 🤣

Yeah, I know twinky. We're not at all worried tbh. They are frustrated at the lack of feedback on the people at the top of the chains shared ownership purchase on our buyers place & want to spur them on. We told our solicitor that we don't want to hurry them because the quicker they are at point of exchange the more it will cost us in renting, which we'd rather avoid if possible, but seems inevitable as no firm date on our new build yet. We will get an update on that tomorrow, so fingers crossed its good news.

Congratulations Tiddle. I hope things work out with the house you are interested in. You are in a good position to offer now that your own place is SSTC.

Thats hilarious harriet, but just a few wankers? I think you're being a bit kind there. I'd say 90% wankers at least lol. Definitely a few prince charmings too though. I met DH online & we've been together 10+ years now.

Good luck to everyone having viewings on their place this weekend & those of you out viewing. DH & I will do our weekly trip to the site tomorrow to catch up on progress of our potential home. Exciting times!

Just catching up on all the news. Well we didn't get the house that went to a bidding war, and after a few days of long discussions we've decided to pull out of our sale. Feel really bad about it (I did tell our buyers from the start we hadn't found anywhere and it needed to be the right house and not to spend any money yet), but I'd got to the point of having anxiety attacks about not being able to find anywhere suitable. We're off on holiday next week so I didn't want it hanging over us, and decided I'd rather pull out now than later on, or regret moving to the wrong house. We were always torn between move or extend and I think this has cemented that extend is the right thing for us to do. I'll still keep checking in to see how everyone is getting on though xx

@jgm really sorry to hear that , but it sounds like the right decision for you. In regards to pulling out of your sale, these things happen and you have to do what's right for your circumstances right now. Anxiety stuff sounds horrible so I hope you get a break from all the worry and feel some relief about it all.

On our front, we viewed the property we like with a builder to price up the work earlier and have offered about 10% under asking. The estate agent didn't sound too shocked and it's been vacant and on the market for some time. I emphasised the urgent work needed at the property and our good position with a FTB buying ours. EA noted down the address of our sold property, which might be a good sign. Fingers crossed.

Thanks tiddle, I do feel relieved , and excited about spending money on our current home. Good luck with your offer!

So sorry jgm. DH & I said that if this move doesn't work out we'll contact Kirsty & Phil on Love it or list it. Have you thought about doing that? She does amazing transformations!

Good luck TiddleTaddle. Hope you don't have to wait too long to get an answer.

We had an email from our EA today, panicking about the developers saying they'll pull out if we don't exchange soon & wanting to discuss completion dates & to confirm if we will still vacate.. I sent a message asking him not to hurry the chain because it was not in our interests for things to move quickly. Then DH spoke to him & he seemed to get the idea we were saying we wouldn't vacate, which we never said, just it was too early to discuss exchange & completion dates yet when there are still outstanding enquiries, plus the buyers at the top of the chain, their solicitors & the housing association are being elusive & nobody has any idea what stage they're at.

We decided to go chat at the site office & found out top of chains solicitor only just sent out a memorandum of sale & it would be at least 4 weeks until they are ready to exchange. Suits us & proves my point of no point throwing dates around until everyone is ready. I'm estimating that as it will now be November before exchange & we need 4 weeks between exchange & complete to find somewhere to rent, it will probably be first week in December or later before completion. I'm hoping the developer can give us a date, or at least narrow it down to within a few weeks before we exchange, then if its close we could try & tie it in, or at least know we don't have long in a horrendously expensive short term let. As it stands its looking like we will be spending Christmas in some random place instead of our new home as we'd hoped!

@jgm it sounds like the most sensible option for you right now and I think you have been very fair to your buyers. No doubt they are disappointed but you have been upfront with them the whole way through.

It's great to hear you are excited about doing a project on your house. I love our house and if i could just pick it up and take it to our new location I would!

@Tiddle fingers crossed with your offer.did they give you an idea of when you would hear?

@moving you seem to be able to stay so calm throughout the process all the while people are trying to unnerve you! How was the house looking when you went round?

Our mortgage application has been approved subject to valuation, my concern is they are going to put a retention on it due to structural work. We should know eithrr way this time next week! im just happy they aporoved the financial side as we are both self employed which doesn't make things easy!

Thanks all. Still feeling a bit fragile about the whole thing, but we never 'needed' to move, we put ours on the market after seeing the dream home which was then unavailable by the time we sold. I have other stuff going on at the moment and I think this was one thing too much to cope with - feeling dread instead of excitement was a tell tale sign. I'm not proud of our current house (it needs loads doing to it), but it's big enough, in a nice location, feels safe, the kids are happy here and we can be mortgage free in a few years rather than taking it back up to 25+ years. I probably needed to go through this process to realise what we have!

@jgm it sounds like your house is great! Sometimes you need to 'test out' other options to help you come to a decision.

We are still waiting to hear back from the vendor about our offer. I made it by phone then followed up with an email which listed further details to justify it. Not expecting to hear back until Monday now. I guess waiting could be a good thing, as it suggests it's not been immediately declined. Still, it's torture!

I don't feel very calm tbh Twinky. We didn't get to the site today as it was pouring with rain. Should hopefully get there tomorrow. I hope your valuation goes ok. Is there anything you think may show up as structurally unsound to cause the mortgage company to put a retention on the buyers mortgage for? We weren't too worried about the mortgage valuation on ours, because they pretty much just walk in, take a brief look around & leave. We were shitting ourselves that they wanted a full structural survey done too though. Luckily all was fine, which kind of surprised us, as we always tend to fear the worst. Everything crossed you get good news soon.