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Original poster

Sellers/Buyers roll call Part 4 Keep strong everyone!

999 replies

alifelessordinary · 13/02/2019 16:46

Thought I'd start a new thread as previous one had hit 1000 posts and wouldn't let me reply!

@LookingOptimistic why do solicitors have to be so difficult at times? Hope it gets resolved for you soon.

The indemnity policy came through this afternoon, so we're hoping we might be exchanging sometime next week...unless something else crops up!

OP posts:
nevermovinghouseagain56 · 23/03/2019 20:58

Thanks Sandy. The buyers seem quite genuine. I had a bad experience last year when the buyers reduced their offer just before exchange of contracts meaning I couldn't buy the house I was planning to. Lost a lot of money on survey, searches etc so feeling very wary this time.

I met my buyers today and they were telling me of the plans they have for my house (in a nice way). They are cash buyers with nothing to sell so I'm hoping that it all goes smoothly this time.

ABingThing · 24/03/2019 06:52

Quick question: would you consider an offer of £195k on a £200k property reasonable or unreasonable? Property has been on for 3 weeks

TokyoSushi · 24/03/2019 07:01

I'd say £195K on £200K is entirely reasonable.

What a lot has been going on over the last few days! Tomorrow marks the beginning of week 32, will it finally be the week out sellers get out, and we get out of living in a hotel?!

amroc18 · 24/03/2019 07:38

WBWIFE pleased the bungalow lady saw sense.

We’ve had another offer but it’s too low. Nearly 15% off asking after they previously indicated a higher figure (but before they sold). We have rejected in the hope they come back with something more reasonable as we can’t make the figures work for that.

I’m so frustrated with it all now. Our last offer was just over asking (didn’t work out at buyer end) and not expecting this with current climate but feel like it’s all just not going to be worth it and we should just take off market if we are only going to get silly money for it.

More viewings booked for next week at least so maybe something will come of that, or our potential buyers will be a bit more reasonable.

amroc18 · 24/03/2019 07:40

ABingThing definitely!
TokyoSushi crossing my fingers for you!

WBWIFE · 24/03/2019 08:00

@ABingThing more than acceptable. I always go in with a cheeky offer and go up. The vendor may have to negotiate like ours did anyway if mortgage valuation comes up lower than offered.

Our bungalow we are buying was on for originally 325k (never ever worth that) then dropped to 300k and she still had no viewings until us for 6 months. We then went in at 285k and then 287k and then agreed on 291k if she removes the carpets.

Mortgage valuation was done and they will only lend to the value of 290k due to the state of the property, so the vendor had to renegotiate. Yes it's only 1k, and the vendor is mortgage free, but she wasn't willing to negotiate until we pulled out.

So 5k under is entirely reasonable, if not expected sometimes. We were willing to take 270k on our house that was on at 275k if buyers were proceedable. Luckily we got asking price.

WBWIFE · 24/03/2019 08:01

@amroc18 Fingers crossed for you, I'm sure they're just being cheeky and testing the waters. They will come back x

OhWesternWind · 24/03/2019 08:50

@ABingThing I’d go in even lower. You can easily increase if they say no.

amroc18 · 24/03/2019 08:51

Thanks WBWIFE fingers crossed!

Newdad19 · 24/03/2019 08:57

@ABingThing someome offered us 195k when ours was on at 200k and I accepted it.

Obviously would have preferred more but sometimes the right offer at the right time is good enough. A flexible FTB was important to us abd we could still afford to move on to our next home with the 5k shortfall.

ABingThing · 24/03/2019 09:35

Thanks all. I'm a bit worried because, although they're in a good position, they already tried putting in an even lower offer (possibly two - there have been some odd things going on this week) before seeing the place yesterday. I'm worried they'll pull something at the last minute.

My gut instinct was to see if they'd met us at £197k but I don't know which way to go now.

OhWesternWind · 25/03/2019 09:09

Fingers crossed for a good week for everyone with things moving on well

Thekitten · 25/03/2019 09:14

I'm hoping for some good news this week. Our exchange is stuck with the top of the chain still... :(

dimmu · 25/03/2019 09:34

I really hope something will happen this week, feeling quite frustrated about the lack of offers.
We now have 4 viewings booked in this week following a price reduction, two of them are second viewings so fingers crossed.

Good luck everyone!

amroc18 · 25/03/2019 10:06

I’m having to put my phone on the other side of the room to try and forget about it as I hate sitting waiting for it to ring! Does anyone else get jumpy on a Monday after viewings on a weekend?

Plus hopefully the ridiculous offer people will come back...

Good luck everyone!

Jem01 · 25/03/2019 10:38

@abingthing yes I would accept that offer. I think in this climate that is a reasonable offer!

@nevermovinghouseagain56 cash buyers with nothing to sell is the best place to be as a seller. Its horrible when people pull out to buy your home so fingers crossed for you this is the one.

@TokyoSushi Have been following your journey and my fingers are crossed for you too!

Our searches came back last week after me chasing our solicitor now waiting to see what our sellers solicitors reply with to our questions. We too are stuck with the top of our chain making our exchange delayed as our seller's seller solicitor is utterly crap. They have changed solicitor which in some ways is good but worried it will take 10,000 years for them to get up to speed with everything. We were hoping for a completion date before Easter holidays but looks like we wont be completing until at least May now. I know others have been in this buying/selling process a lot longer than me but i'm started to lose my patience (our house went on the market back in October) im sure our solicitor will be glad to not be dealing with my constant calls/emails!

TokyoSushi · 25/03/2019 10:51

Well no updates so far this morning, no response from 'the ultimatum.' The solicitor is chasing, the estate agent is chasing - just bloody get out!!! #week32

OhWesternWind · 25/03/2019 11:09

Feeling very anxious and panicky now - the only thing we are waiting for is the seller to either instruct the searches or confirm she doesn't require them, but she's not responding to messages from her solicitor or estate agent and the EA hasn't heard from her since last Wednesday, when she was saying everything was in hand, she'd instructed the searches and she was chasing her solicitor. This kind of buggering about lying makes me very nervous and I have a bad feeling she is going to pull out. If she is, I will be gutted as she's wasted so much time, but I wish she'd just get on with it and then we could get more viewings booked in.

OhWesternWind · 25/03/2019 11:24

Ah I think I jinxed myself just writing that - she has now been in touch and the survey that she had previously said she was happy with, she now isn't and is wanting to reduce her offer. Hmm. Waiting for a call back as she's not said how much or anything, all silly game playing.

firefirefire · 25/03/2019 17:02

Hi, hoping j can join you. Feeling so bloody miserable at the moment about house selling. We've only been on the market a month but it's soul destroying isn't it? House has had a fair few viewings but no bites yet. Some of the feedback has been beyond annoying such as 'we like the house but don't want to live in a village'. Well why look at a house in a village then?!?!?!?

I have already cried loads of times and it makes me want to punch the next person who doesn't like our house ShockBlushGrin. It will happen soon won't it? :-(

dimmu · 25/03/2019 17:22

It's so frustrating isn't it @firefirefire
We have been on the market for five weeks tomorrow, have had some 20 viewings and just reduced price. No offers yet but really hoping the price reduction will help. We have also had lots of viewers who didn't like the area which is so annoying.
Fingers crossed it happens soon for both of us!

firefirefire · 25/03/2019 17:32

Sorry you're going through it too Sad how much have you reduced by? So many houses are being reduced. Ours is up for the same amount as a very similar house down our road which sold at Christmas . But it seems the climate is worse now!

sandybayley · 25/03/2019 17:33

@firefirefire - welcome! I'm afraid that there will be more tears before you are finished.

It took us eight weeks to get an offer first time we were on the market despite loads of viewings (before Christmas) and about four weeks to get an another offer after the first sale fell through. Actually our second 'offer' isn't quite an offer yet as they are still getting their finances together - although the amount in principle they've offered is very close to what we will accept.

I hate having the house on the market. I hate the feedback about a) they don't like the road b) house needs 'work'.

It's a perfectly nice road but not as nice as some others near by (hence it's cheaper) and it's a comfortable house by any standards. I fear people have ridiculous expectations of shiny show homes (fuelled by C4!) It's a family house with three children and a dog. The people who are interested at the moment have made clear they like jt and it makes me want to work with them much more than those who mutter about needing to spend £50k to bring it up to their standard.

Stay strong. Plenty of viewings mean you'll find the person who loves your house.

WBWIFE · 25/03/2019 17:48

@Jem01 dis your solicitors say you could complete by Easter holidays when you've only just had your searches back?

We had our searches back a few weeks ago and they said to us that June is realistic even though we have had nearly all enquiries back as well and our mortgage offer. Chain complete and everyone in the same position! It all takes sooooo long x

dimmu · 25/03/2019 18:01

@firefirefire we went down by 5-6 % and are asking for ' offers over xxx', the limit we set is 10k below the cheapest similar size flat within 2-3 miles. A flat identical to ours was sold in November and we were hoping to get the same as they did, they ended up selling almost 75k under their original asking price so we priced accordingly. But now I think we are not gonna get as much as they did..
Had one viewing today and they really liked the flat but 'have only just started looking' so not expecting anything. So frustrating.