Property on the market for FOUR years..

[GidgetGirl]

Not mine, but one my partner is interested in. It's a quaint but deceptively large 4 bed property on the best street in a picturesque market town. It looks lovely and the price is good, but it's been on the market for at least four years. It's been with the current agent since early 2017, and according to Streetview has been for sale since at least early 2016. Very possibly for some time before that too..

The agents are being tight-lipped and saying it's not sold because it 'hasn't found the right buyer', which seems like very suspicious shite to me. They're being shifty. It's a very attractive property and is very reasonably priced. In early 2017 it was on for £300k, and it's been down to £235k since July 19.

Understandably my partner is reluctant to put an offer in and start spending money on surveys, etc, if there's some obvious issue. Can anyone think of searches we can do ourselves? I'm good at this stuff but I can't think where else to look. There don't seem to be any outstanding planning issues and it's not in an area prone to flooding, etc..

It MUST be the survey. Do you know any other estate agents you can ask? They’ll know, for sure.

Either something is wrong with the property or the vendors.

Have you been to see it?

Dare you link to it? Someone on here might know the history.

Have you actually viewed it?

If not, the reason may become obvious once you see it. Is there a lack of parking? A garden?

It has to be the survey, agree can you link to it as a poster will likely know the area and can offer any other thoughts on it

Have you asked the EA if anything has shown up on previous surveys?

Could be..
something wrong coming up with the survey - structure/wiring etc.
House doesn’t have planning
Dispute with neighbours - antisocial etc
Access/land dispute with neighbours
Japanese knotweed?
Whole place needs gutting?
Going to be a new road/estate planned to be built nearby?
Next door is a drug den/brothel/halfway house

Awww c'mon op- you've got to link it now!

Maybe the current owners are in from Kirsty and Phils love it or list it and the "love it" half wont budge?

Did an awful crime get committed there?

Is it listed? Has work not been done that complies? Happened with a house here. Ended up selling after years for half as new owners would have to put it all right.

There was a house in our village like this. I was always browsing Rightmove and always wondered why it had been on market for 2 years when we started looking to buy. The Estate Agent tolled thier eyes when i asked if we could view it but why had it not sold. Another local Estate Agent eventually told us the vendors didn't actually want to sell it, the vendors were awkward or that was thier view of the situation.

It remained on the market for another 2 years and was then removed. It's never cone up on Sold House Prices.

Thanks for the suggestions all. Sadly, I can't link to it - although I would have done if I'd remembered to name change first! It's in a small town where everyone knows each other, and it/us would be way too googleable with stuff I've posted previously.

We've viewed it and it's a really lovely property. Decent parking and a beautiful garden, whole place seems in really good condition, nice neighbours, no new developments planned nearby, etc etc. It's Grade II listed which can put some people off, but nearly all of the properties around there are and they all seem to sell swiftly. DP's property is listed, located on the next street, and it sold within six weeks.

At least four years just seems like a really really long time for a property hanging around on the market. Especially such a lovely one in such a picturesque area. It must indeed be something in the survey, but EA is pleading ignorance..

I wouldn't say it has to be a problem. The house I'm currently living in went on and off the market for 3 years before we bought it. I was put off thinking there must be something wrong with it. Truth is first time it was priced too high so was taken off then put back on reduced then the owner became ill so viewings were halted and so people wanted to see it etc would have lost interest. Taken off the market again then put back on when the owner died. At this point I think people avoided it because they wondered what was wrong with it. It was on the market 4 months the final time before we bought it when houses in this village were sold before they even hit rightmove. Neighbours tell us how much of a bargain we got and they are right. Next door which is the same has just gone on the market 100k more only 2 years later!

marriage break up or someone died & relatives cant agree
extension there or next door which hasn't been approved & or not built properly
tenant who wont move out
popular or willow next door which is causing problems & neighbours wont cut down
drainage problems
fire,radon pollution
noise
check planning & council meeting for any major plans
check
flood-warning-information.service.gov.uk/long-term-flood-risk
for area to see flood risk locally
check local crime map
read news paper & see if there has been any incidence ( murder)

now for the rest visit & check roof (roofs) check chimney check walls don't bulge are straight & no sign of cracks no evidence of cracked drains
inside: see if floors are relatively straight no cracks no major damps electric & take ladder to check attic
wood worm & mould etc

There was one like this in our road growing up. He didn't want to sell, just wanted to boast what it was worth. Total time waster, one by one all the agents took him on the dropped him again.

Has it been rented out? I viewed a property that had been on right move for 3 years, up for sale and rent. EA said they’d list it, it’d get rented immediately but when the tenants moved on they’d resurrect the old for sale listing.

Asbestos?

Seems to always be acrimonious ex partners not wanting the sale to go through or elderly sellers resisting being pressurised by their families to go into supported accommodation.

It's so short-sighted of the EA not to tell you. If it's the survey, you'll soon find out, but only after wasting time and money.

Divorce, possibly one party is desperate to sell and move on, the other perhaps digging their heals in and making it difficult to sell, not considering offers etc. Or a probate sale where there are a few family members who are unable to agree on a sale price?

Our vendor omitted the fact that our property is leasehold from the details, we found out from the searches, could it be that?

It could well be the Grade II listing, has it had any work done that might not meet the criteria?

Vendor doesn't really want to sell.

We saw a beautiful little cottage same months back, same situation... on for ages, great price etc. Agent said it wasn't selling because there were no concerns for the back extension done 70 years ago...but something felt off. We googled the owner and it turned out he was a peado and still lived next door with his brother. House being sold to pay reparations to victims. Agents said nothing. We were livid!

My guess would be neighbour dispute, which only comes up on a survey. If the neighbour is aggressive or as described above, it will put prospective owners off entirely.