Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

Original poster

Is anyone else preparing to put their house on the market?

418 replies

Clettercletterthatsbetter · 17/01/2021 18:20

I know, I know...we should have done it last year when the market was crazy busy but finances, family circumstances and whatnot meant that wasn’t possible and so we’re looking to sell our house and move this year.

Is there anyone else in the same boat who fancies a support thread to get us through?

We’ve had our place valued by 4 agents, have chosen one to go with and are currently doing a few minor bits to the house to get it in tip-top condition (filling old screw holes, a bit of touch-up painting and a good declutter) before we have photos taken.

Who else is looking to move in 2021?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
6
Comps83 · 17/01/2021 18:46

I'll join
We've actually been on the market since June last year but it's a long story

Starseeking · 17/01/2021 18:53

Ooh, this will be fun. We want to sell to move nearer my parents, and also back to a London Borough, as we're just outside at the moment. Haven't yet had the agents round as I haven't quite finished all the small DIY jobs and dressing which should hopefully make the house more attractive.

We're aiming to go on sale by end of January/February half term at the latest, so I'm a bit early to this thread, but will be good to hear everyone else's success stories and support each other.

Original poster
Clettercletterthatsbetter · 17/01/2021 19:01

Hello @Starseeking and @Comps83!

@Starseeking you’re not early at all - I think we’ll probably be on the market in early Feb by the time we’ve sorted things and had photos taken.

@Comps83 I’ve got time for long stories if you feel like telling it!

OP posts:
Housebuyer2021 · 17/01/2021 19:04

Hope it’s ok to join as we are probably a good three months off but would be good to chat to others going through the process.

Things are still selling quickly here, lots of closing dates. I’m worried we are going to miss the flurry of activity but I’m not prepared to put it on till I feel it’s ready.

Starseeking · 17/01/2021 20:06

Thanks @Clettercletterthatsbetter.

I'm not prepared to put it on till I feel it's ready.

That is exactly how I feel @Housebuyer2021.

We're not in a rush rush, but ideally we'd like to have completed our sale by the end of this year, and purchased a new house if possible. Saying that, we're prepared to go into rented after our sale, and not form a chain if required, as there are some specific areas that I want to live in, and happy to wait for the right house to come up (for up to a year).

Starseeking · 17/01/2021 20:11

Are you getting your agent to take the pictures, or doing them professionally @Clettercletterthatsbetter?

I found a company who take amazing pictures and videos which I think would help ours to sell, as our main drawback is that we live on a main road. Our house is Edwardian and reasonably big (3 double bed, 3 reception), so hoping people will love it for that, and overlook location (after all, we did!).

The agents we plan to go with are lovely (family run business, we bought this property from them a few years ago) but they never take great pictures as they do them themselves.

rainydogday · 17/01/2021 20:11

We keep debating whether to move or not. Do you think the house prices will drop soon? Or is that not relevant as what we get for ours will be less?

kirinm · 17/01/2021 20:13

We are also hoping to sell although not until spring as this has been a long renovation and we have quite a lot of finishing touches to do. We are thinking of getting advice from an agent about whether to do certain bits that we are unsure about. I'm not sure if agents are happy to advise. Anyone know?

rainydogday · 17/01/2021 20:26

Also thinking of possibly selling and go into rented until we find what we want and hope the prices go down Hmm

Blackletterofthelaw · 17/01/2021 21:20

Hi everyone, property went on the market on 4th January, we are not in a crazy rush hence only just gone on but would like to move by the summer. We have a good house also on a main road so think a sale may take a while. 😬

jj7141 · 17/01/2021 21:25

Hi all, we are in a similar position, just a few bits to do before we go on the market (looking at beginning of February probably).

APurpleSquirrel · 17/01/2021 21:38

We'd like to move this year, but have various bits to do before we get an agent involved, plus not found something we like in the area we want for a price we can afford.
This week we're painting the family bathroom.

Housebuyer2021 · 18/01/2021 06:30

@kirinm that’s exactly what I’m doing. Our house was a doer upper and it’s taken us a few years. There’s still a few bits and pieces left to do and I’m going to ask the agent if it’s worth it - if we can leave them I’d rather from a time and money point of view.

There’s other things like the garden that’s half done which we’ll definitely finish and a few bits of painting.

Original poster
Clettercletterthatsbetter · 18/01/2021 06:58

Hello everyone waves

@Starseeking the agent we’re using gets someone in to do the photos and videos (not one of their staff, but a trained photographer) - their photos and videos look good. Not amazingly good, but I think good enough to get potential viewers interested.

@APurpleSquirrel there’s nothing suitable for sale at the moment where we want to buy either, but agents aren’t letting people view without being under offer themselves so it’s a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation. We don’t want to miss out on something good when it does turn up so we’ve bitten the bullet and just have to hope the timings work out.

@Blackletterofthelaw we’re hoping to move in the summer too. We are hoping to move area and we have one DC at school, so ideally it would align with summer holidays for the least disruption to her learning. We definitely need to move by January though as that’s the deadline for school applications for our middle child, so we need to be in situ in the new area with DD already at the school by then.

OP posts:
Comps83 · 18/01/2021 07:35

@Clettercletterthatsbetter
Long story short we went to part ex with a major developer
The afternoon before the 'completion' date they'd set they raised queries
Then took a month to decide they wouldn't accept our house for part ex
House has been up for private sale since October and we've only had 3 viewings
The market where we are has ground to a halt and if we did manage to sell then there's nothing we'd like to buy anymore

kirinm · 18/01/2021 09:36

[quote Housebuyer2021]@kirinm that’s exactly what I’m doing. Our house was a doer upper and it’s taken us a few years. There’s still a few bits and pieces left to do and I’m going to ask the agent if it’s worth it - if we can leave them I’d rather from a time and money point of view.

There’s other things like the garden that’s half done which we’ll definitely finish and a few bits of painting.[/quote]
Yeah we basically have to repaint everything. The only room we didn't touch was the bathroom but now everything else looks lovely we are wondering if we should just get the bathroom done. We also have a massive garden to tame. It looks great in the winter and spring but is far too full of trees and bushes by summer.

Original poster
Clettercletterthatsbetter · 18/01/2021 14:50

@Comps83 that’s dreadful! I’ll keep everything crossed that you get a buyer soon and something lovely comes on the market for you to buy!

OP posts:
oneofthegiantsisme · 18/01/2021 15:56

Can I join? We've been on the market since mid-November, but have only had one viewing Sad - yes, I know, with Christmas and lockdowns it's probably not surprising, but still rather depressing.

We'd really like to be moved by the summer holidays - we're relocating, and building, so will be going into rental for a year or so. At least that will help keep the chain short (I hope!).

We're in Wales, so the stamp duty holiday is less of an issue here than in England, and the market seems pretty flat at the moment.

ChurchRdRules · 18/01/2021 18:09

I’ll join in!
Looking to move ASAP.
Going with an online agent and getting photos done on Monday, so massive tidying and tarting up mission on this week.

MutteringDarkly · 18/01/2021 20:00

Joining.

Put ours on the market last week (went live on Fri). Have got viewings booked for it tomorrow and Weds, so am now thinking I should have a proper look for something to buy!

Feeling mildly twitchy about letting people into the house covid-wise, but will be leaving all doors and windows open, and viewers will be masked and not allowed to touch anything. Agent is also only allowing 1 viewer in house at a time.

PurBal · 18/01/2021 20:03

We accepted an offer at the end of December and had an offer on our new home accepted at the beginning of January. So we are little ahead of you OP. Pandemic has certainly made it an interesting ride. We're expecting our first child and currently in a one bed so needs must.

user1471462428 · 18/01/2021 21:44

I’m looking to put mine on the market. Bought it with my ex to do up and make into a family home. It is (barring him) the worst decision I ever made. He decided to stop contributing after we moved and I’ve really struggled keeping afloat. It is incredibly tatty and has loads of problems which I’m trying to sort but don’t not have the money for. It will be a huge relief when it is sold. I’m planning to get a tiny house for me and the kids.

Comps83 · 19/01/2021 12:41

Well I just had a call to say the viewer we had on Sunday isn't interested
I'm not surprised no one wants to buy it as the area has been left a mess by the developer
I don't want to reduce any further as I feel we are practically giving it away as it is. There is a house exactly like ours on phase 2 of the estate up for £20k more and they are cheap houses to start with

Original poster
Clettercletterthatsbetter · 19/01/2021 13:19

@Comps83 how long have you been in your house? I’m assuming it was a new build when you bought it?

We’re also selling an almost-new house - we bought just over 3 years ago.

OP posts:
Comps83 · 19/01/2021 13:24

@Clettercletterthatsbetter will be 5 years in May