So I need to sell yesterday :-) ideas?

[barregirl1]

Lovely ladies,

So I need to sell my house SOOOO urgently (I won't bore you with the details on how I'm here - but child maintenance related).

So I've been on the market for 9.5 months, but price was right (had offers, but chain broken courtesy of the BoE governor comments a few months ago.) It's a 400 year old cottage in a sought after village, with planning permission. Third bed upstairs is very small, which has put some viewers off, but have planning permission to turn this into a bathroom and planning permission to erect a wall to re-create a third and much larger bedroom elsewhere.

Trying to avoid the "we buy any homes" brigade, and I've reduced my house price by £70k for a v v quick sale.

Help and ideas would be hugely welcomed. Sorry, it's a bit can I feed the kids / buy petrol today situation.xx

What was the original price? Are houses shifting in your area? Have you been to view some of them, to see what they're doing differently?

Lower price by £40k better than loosing out by £70k

Go round all the local estate agents, speak to their senior person about the market and who they have house hunting. Be chain free and ready to move quickly with all paperwork in place.

We sold our cottage practically overnight, because the agent had someone on their books whose purchase (of a similar property) was collapsing and needed to find another quickly to keep the chain going. They had her round viewing it before it was even on Rightmove. We also used the local "beautiful country properties" agent so our house was quite affordable by the standards of most of their collection, rather than the mainstream local agents.

Assuming it's tidy and the presentation does it justice, it will be better to take a bit of a hit on the sale price than be stuck waiting for the higher offer that never comes.

House was valued by mortgage company in March at £585k, so put on the market at that price following estate agents' valuation.

A month later I changed to "offers over £550k"

Dropped last month to "offers over £500k" and yesterday to £480k with e-mail to estate agents that I need a quick sale.

£550k would still be a realistic valuation given the houses that have sold nearby very recently. The estate agents haven't been great, but am in a desperate situation so need a quick resolution.

NotMeNoNo, thank you.

I will do a round of the estate agents. I've had a couple knocking on the door, asking why it hasn't sold and wanting me to move to them.

I'm assuming by it's age it is listed and will appeal to a niche market? Are there any estate agents who specialise in selling listed houses?

What are the photos like? Do they show the property off?

If you're willing to, post a link to the listing and people will give you honest opinions on how it presents.

It is listed :-)

I've given notice to my current estate agents to move to Winkworth who seem to be much more geared to both listed properties and villages. Am prepared to go double-agent until my current contract expires.

Here :

-www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-64099228.html)

Looks lovely

There are 2 questions though

Parking does it have any?

How is it when weddings on or Sunday mornings?

Front door goes into where?

That's a beautiful house!

I think it is really well presented, but picture 14 is a bit odd. The number of cars in it make it seem like the house is either on a really busy road, or on a road that is a bit of nightmare for parking. Is it either of those things? Regardless, I'd be inclined to ditch that photo as it clashes a bit with the country idyll that the rest of the pictures suggest.

Oh wow, that’s absolutely beautiful. I’ve just sent it to DP asking if we can come and view....

I can’t help you, but I imagine someone will fall madly in love with your house, it is gorgeous.

I would drop the word end terrace. Could it not say attached Cottage?
End terrace does not conjure up images of your house, it's lovely and chocolate boxy. 

Agree about picture 14.

Love that house! Would make a perfect main home or holiday home given location.

It's the market - not many buyers going to buy until Brexit is negotiated or not.

It's a lovely house. I agree about picture 14. I would take it off. It makes it look like parking will be a nightmare. I think unfortunately it is just the market at the moment. SIL has her house on and has only had one viewing in six weeks and it is definitely well priced. Good luck it works out for you.

Thank you all :-)

And s genuinely in a lovely village, with the most popular pub in the area over the road. (Family, rather than kids, so it's not noisy :-))

Parking is on-road, and yes summer weddings can be be busy but it's not been a huge problem and still get a parking spot nearly outside. Agree though - thank you.Have just e-mailed my agent and asked him to ditch picture 14. And will try with the "attached cottage" description.

It's not a busy road though - may have been taken when something on in the village hall.

Shirleyphallus - very welcome to view :-)

I think the type of house and the layout mean you're going to have a very limited pool of buyers. Downstairs is great but upstairs is very small in comparison, no bathroom on that level and no family sized bathroom at all will put a lot of people off (even if you have the permission to get a bathroom upstairs)

Can’t get the link to work but I would be wary of dropping the price too much as it will start to make people think there is something wrong, particularly if it’s listed. You could make it clear that offers are invited so people aren’t put off if they are just below the price you want?

Subtitleson - front door goes into the living room, but we don't use it. (The key is about 4 inches long :-)

There's another door at the front of the kitchen area a few metres to the side of the front door with a path (we go use that door as enter onto slate floor (washable) and key is smaller.

Soulrider - that's been the problem. Offers been from a couple down=sizing and a couple from London.

Services have been brought round though, so to finish the house would cost under £10k to create bathroom, new 3rd bedroom and dressing room/ storage.

I just need to move soo quickly now.

No bath? That would put me off, apart from that it's lovely.

I agree that it's beautiful but will only appeal to a limited pool of buyers due to the layout. I'd imagine it wouldn't appeal to families with effectively 1 / 1 + small room upstairs, but no bathroom, and potentially a 3rd room downstairs. That just doesn't work for families with children. So it's maybe a couple, and then you're narrowing it again for attracting a couple who are prepared to do the work of putting the bathroom upstairs.

I agree that it's a question of marketing as broadly as possible, maybe consider an open house type thing to get people through the door.