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Original poster

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

980 replies

MovingThisYearHopefully · 08/08/2018 14:50

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?

OP posts:
tentative3 · 14/08/2018 09:16

Well we've had an offer this morning which has taken me off guard a bit. I'm over the moon, of course, but doesn't feel real and I have this gut feeling it could all fall through. We're also now running around like blue arsed flies trying to arrange viewings on potential onward purchases.

twinkydink · 14/08/2018 09:21

congrats @tentative that's brilliant news! I would say dont rush yourself into finding somewhere, buyer accept that they need to wait for their sellers to buy somewhere. it's all part of the process.

Also it gives time for people to consider their offers. there's been a few instances on here of people changing mind on offers, hopefully that won't happen to you but it does seem to be more common than before.

But be happy with the offer! that's better than a lot of us have had!!

flamingofridays · 14/08/2018 09:35

that's fantastic tentative

well estate agent has been in touch, no news from Friday viewers (surprise surprise) but weve got a viewing today, one tomorrow (Which ive reluctantly agreed to do) and one Thursday.

Again, not getting hopes up. Also lost count of viewings now, must be in the 30s!

Original poster
MovingThisYearHopefully · 14/08/2018 10:21

Congratulations Tentative. Thats great news, as long as the offer is acceptable to you. Do you know how long the chain is? Hope you find something suitable for you very soon. Flowers

Another kick in the nuts our end. The housing association couple, who were going to offer on Monday when their buyers offer was agreed have now got cold feet because of a small new development that is on a completely different road to our house, so not on a route construction vehicles would take and a third of a mile away. Would this bother you? Anyway, they're coming around again at the weekend with their parents for another viewing. Hopefully the parents & EA can talk some sense into them. We also have 2 back to back viewings today. Surely someone will offer soon? Sad

Fingers crossed for you Flaming. Flowers

OP posts:
flamingofridays · 14/08/2018 10:27

thanks moving todays viewing has just cancelled so not having any luck so far, think tomorrows will go the same way tbh.

no the development wouldn't bother me at all, in fact it probably wouldn't even enter my mind.

Original poster
MovingThisYearHopefully · 14/08/2018 11:02

So frustrating when they do that Flaming. We had the same yesterday. I'd spent all morning getting the house ready & had just finished moving everything out to the garage & car when the EA says they want to reschedule to today. Infuriating! Angry Really not what I needed. The development excuse is them way overthinking things in my mind. They're only looking to build 17 houses & its not even agreed yet!

OP posts:
jgm · 14/08/2018 11:06

That wouldn't bother me at all Moving. Oh no flamingo, we had the same on friday, cancelled half an hour before ('stuck at work'), was supposed to be rearranging to some time this week, but not heard anything so far. Stuff them. Stuff them all! AngryGrin

flamingofridays · 14/08/2018 11:10

yeah everyone whos said they will arrange hasn't bothered! at least this woman was honest she said she didn't like the back street (ok but the whole town more or less is like this its a bloody mill town the houses were built for the workers of course theyre not luxury houses with sprawling gardens ffs!)

I am honestly thinking fuck it im not moving but dp doesn't want to give up.

did I mention the company who got mortgages etc for people with little deposit / bad credit who I approached ?
they have apparently had some interest and are going to call me about it today so maybe its not as bad as I think It is.

just feeling so down about the whole thing today

jgm · 14/08/2018 11:20

I felt like that yesterday flamingo, so fed up of the whole thing. I've decided to put it all out of my mind for a few weeks (apart from popping on this thread!), I've taken a break from looking on right move etc and I'm leaving it all to fate. Come Sept I'll look at getting photos redone etc but at the moment my house is constantly full of my kids and their friends so no time to sort that!

tentative3 · 14/08/2018 12:07

Thank you all and yes, we are very lucky and I'm sorry if I sounded insensitive to all of you who would dearly love an offer. We are very fortunate indeed. I think it just seems a bit too good to be true and as said above, I'm well aware that lots of sales fall through at the moment so I guess I just don't want to count my chickens. Our buyer is lovely, we did both the viewings with her but she is downsizing after 30 years in the family home and is now on her own after her husband passed away and I think is understandably overwhelmed by the whole process and perhaps very sad to be leaving her own home so I do worry there's potential for her to change her mind. If we buy either of our potential purchases it would be a chain of 5, we've never dealt with more than 3.

Moving that construction wouldn't bother me at all. Forgive me if you've said but were they first time buyers or people who haven't moved for a long time? It sounds very over cautious to be concerned about something like that.

flamingo and jgm I'm sorry things are so frustrating at the moment. It is definitely a quiet time of year here so hopefully come September there will be a refresh in the market in terms of buyers and things will start moving again.

flamingofridays · 14/08/2018 12:09

yeah I need to try and do the same. im just drained by the whole experience,

I do want to move but just wondering whether its not to be.

after our hol a fence will be going up anyway so we will have a garden regardless. Well what they call a "yarden" so I am told haha.

will pretty it up and buy some plants and a table and chairs etc but no resurfacing it as would cost £££ that we don't have really (and even if we did I would be reluctant to spend it!)

we should get planning permission for a fence but I think I am just going to do it and play dumb. nobody else on the street has had it so I will just use that as my reasoning!

flamingofridays · 14/08/2018 12:10

we are very lucky and I'm sorry if I sounded insensitive to all of you who would dearly love an offer

don't worry you didn't at all, I think I would feel similar if we got an offer right now! I hope it all goes smoothly for you! :)

jgm · 14/08/2018 12:41

Ooh I missed your post @tentative - congratulations! Don’t worry, we love good news around here! I know what you mean though, it’s just the beginning of all the worry isn’t it? Fingers crossed for a smooth stress free sale Grin

Original poster
MovingThisYearHopefully · 14/08/2018 12:42

As long as everyone is comitted to moving & everyone is able to raise funds then length of chain shouldn't make too much of a difference Tentative. At least you know what you're working with. The chain we were in last year was full of liars. Our buyers buyer were supposed to be FTB, but it turned out they were unmortgageable because of previously defaulted mortgage payments, so FTB my arse. Angry Plus the vendors of the house we offered on lied to us about so many things, first one being that the people they were buying from were going into rented, so end of chain. Err no, these people were buying on & the people they were buying from were also buying on & so on, so our reasonable chain of 5 turned into a chain of about 8. It was the unmortgageable ones at the top that buggered it up though who had lied about being FTB, everyone else was ready to exchange, so it only takes one regardless of the length of the chain.

The people possibly interested in ours currently are not FTB, they have a shared ownership place they have an offer on. We just waited a week for the HA to clarify their potential buyer & they were apparently going to offer on ours yesterday, until they got cold feet of course. Sad We do have 2 further viewings today, so perhaps one of them will be interested!

OP posts:
Spicylolly · 14/08/2018 13:04

We've finally got ourselves a nice little chain, just 4 of us, all paperwork filled in and with the solicitors now so just waiting for it all to progress.
I'm terrified the chain will break through, if it did it would be the ftb buying our buyers flat but their mortgage is apparently all sorted so fingers crossed they don't just change their minds.

Original poster
MovingThisYearHopefully · 14/08/2018 13:30

Sounds positive Spicy. Will keep everything crossed for you.

OP posts:
Original poster
MovingThisYearHopefully · 14/08/2018 14:35

So, first lot of viewers have cancelled half hour before the viewing. FFS! Angry

OP posts:
jgm · 14/08/2018 14:45

Oh no moving Angry. Is that the same ones that rescheduled from yesterday?

flamingofridays · 14/08/2018 15:32

oh that's shit moving hopefully we will all have some luck soon.

until then Wine Cake

also, can anyone advise me WTF to do with my parking space to make it look like a garden, without spending a fortune? we are def going to fence it off as my Thursday viewing has now cancelled for same reason (back street!!)

picture for reference!!

Sellers roll call part 2. Who is still on this treadmill?
Dorothyislost · 14/08/2018 15:35

Can I join? We're doing a partEx to buy a new build and having the surveyor out next week and the photographer to put the house online. I'm looking around at the mess the kids have created just today and it's just so overwhelming!

Any tips to get the house sale ready? We've outgrown this house well the kids have so I'm trying not to show that!

flamingofridays · 14/08/2018 15:37

this is what you look out on to (excuse my socks!) so I can see their point to be honest!! just didn't really wanna shell out more on a fence but hey ! (ps we have tidied it since then!)

Sellers roll call part 2. Who is still on this treadmill?
Lilmisskittykat · 14/08/2018 16:19

@flamingofridays it's not clear is that whole area yours at the back ? Just there are two backdoors.

Pots always cheer up an area and you can take them with you to your new house

I think it just looks and so maybe feels a bit exposed if it's supposed to be a gladden area. So a bit of fencing with a gate would be nicer so it felt more private an area to relax in

If it's parking then that's different and probably just looks like needs nice tarmac / imprinting done but that's nothing that someone couldn't take on (unless getting a cement mixer down there might be hard)

jgm · 14/08/2018 16:49

Could you fence off half the area flamingo and leave the bit near the back road as parking (if there’s enough room to do that)?

tentative3 · 14/08/2018 16:49

Is there space for a space and a garden/yard? Even if the car had to pull in so it was parallel rather than facing the house?

tentative3 · 14/08/2018 16:49

Great minds jgm!