Should I be suspicious of houses that have been on Rightmove a long time?

Porridgeislife · 22/04/2021 17:23

Often they’re under offer. Some agents leave it up and buyers forget to ask them to remove it from online platforms as a condition of offer (or are too afraid to in a hot market).

Our sale is still available on Rightmove but it’s actually pretty far along in the sales process and I know of others locally in the same position.

ComtesseDeSpair · 22/04/2021 17:34

I think it’s healthy to assume that there’s probably a good reason they haven’t sold, but it needn’t be suspicious or insurmountable. The house I recently bought was on the market for almost a year by the time I viewed it, without even an single offer - incredibly unusual in this part of London. The problem was that the agent’s photos concealed quite how much work needed doing: largely cosmetic, but more than many people who would typically look for that kind of property at that stage in their lives were willing to take on. So people would view, expecting a house which just needed a coat of paint, a good clean and perhaps some minor repairs and be overwhelmed that it was actually going to need a new kitchen and bathroom, new floors throughout, repairs to some of the plasterwork and attention to the big crack in the hallway (which inexperienced buyers may have been worried was subsidence.)

So it could be something similar to that; or it could be totally unreasonable sellers or an actual structural issue or something to do with the local area. You won’t know until you view or ask the agent.

Treacletoots · 22/04/2021 17:53

It's probably just over priced and sellers deluded by what they think the house is worth. Like the opposite of those buyers on Kirstie & Phil who are convinced their perfect property is out there, they just haven't found it yet (not that their budget isn't realistic to their expectations) Everything will sell, at the right price.

Or it had a north facing garden. We found those with west or south gardens always sold way way way quicker than the north / east ones.

Paddingtonthebear · 22/04/2021 17:58

I think it depends where you live. Anything available for more than a month here must have something very wrong with it or be completely over priced, or both, to be still unsold. We are house hunting at the moment and the market here is crazy. But I know in some areas of the country houses do take months to sell even if decent and already reduced s

BlessedBeTheFruitCake · 22/04/2021 18:00

There’s one near us that’s been up for sale since October 2019, seems perfectly decent and good value for money. It is currently rented out though so maybe that’s the reason for that one.

YellowGlasses · 22/04/2021 18:02

It depends. It could be they have had a buyer in that time but the sale fell through so they are still available and look as if they’ve been waiting months to sell (some Estate Agents amend the dates to get around this but not always).

OneCalamerra · 22/04/2021 18:03

There are some houses in our area that have been on since 2019, and generally the market here is very hot and moved quickly.

They are unusual properties, so may take a while to find a buyer who just falls in love with them - for most people they’re a bit odd. Also they are priced at the top end - not necessarily overpriced, but bigger/more fancy inside than most houses round here so I think sell a bit more slowly.

readytosell · 22/04/2021 18:12

Not necessarily suspicious, no, but certainly would keep an open mind. Sometimes it's deluded, overpriced sellers, sometimes it's a property sale that has fallen through which doesn't reset the original date on rightmove.

Or like one property I've seen, is clearly a 3 bed that has been converted to a 2 bed with a walk through dressing room. However, the way it's been converted so you walk through the dressing room to the bedroom means it would take quite a bit of work to put it back to 3 iyswim. So it's on at a reasonable price for a 3 bed, but it's only 2 actual bedrooms currently. It would suit me, but I would always worry about resale potential down the line without converting it back .

A couple of years ago when I was looking I viewed a house that had been on for 2 years - the guy had just been desperately unlucky and twice it had got to the week before exchange and buyers pulled out. He was the one showing me round and you call almost here the exasperation in his voice. It did actually go under offer a few months later and sold!

Volcanoexplorer · 22/04/2021 18:13

I don’t think it’s always an issue. The house we bought had been on the market a long time (18 months or there about). This is because of the asking price. They’d had offers before ours but always rejected them. It had been on with multiple agents. By the time we made our offer they were more realistic about what they could get and accepted our offer. Think others had offered more previously, but they’d been rejected.

readytosell · 22/04/2021 18:23

@Volcanoexplorer

I don’t think it’s always an issue. The house we bought had been on the market a long time (18 months or there about). This is because of the asking price. They’d had offers before ours but always rejected them. It had been on with multiple agents. By the time we made our offer they were more realistic about what they could get and accepted our offer. Think others had offered more previously, but they’d been rejected.

Same as my place, I actually viewed it long before as it was originally listed with an agent at kite flying price. I loved the property, just the price was too way out.

Eventually it went off sale, but came back about a year later with a different agent who was more realistic and we got the deal done.

Cipot · 22/04/2021 18:53

No. Someone maybe holding out for the price they want. In a year the value goes up and it evens out.

gorillasinthemist · 22/04/2021 18:58

Best to have a degree of suspicion particularly as the market is super hot in most areas now.
Probably over priced if not selling in this market but may be something else like previous sale fell through.

LittleLadyCece · 22/04/2021 19:00

No. I work as an estate agent so often you find the house went up for sale, sale agreed then fell through for whatever reason. When we put it back up for sale we can't change the date it shows as going online due to the Rightmove/Zoopla portals.

My advice as an estate agent is always if its a house in an area you like, price your comfortable with then go check it out. You can always ask whoever shows you around the back story.

Original poster

Poppie363 · 22/04/2021 19:03

Thanks everyone for the advice, I'll keep this all in mind whilst looking!

OP posts:

Candleabra · 22/04/2021 19:06

Not necessarily. All the reasons above, plus it may be due to a "deal-breaker" for most that doesn't bother you (eg no off street parking for a big detached house or something like that)

CoconutChair · 22/04/2021 19:26

I viewed a large number of properties when we were doing our search. Those that lingered were generally overpriced.

It isn’t always about the house having something wrong with it though... a couple of houses I liked were being sold by downsizers who didn’t need to move, but insisted on a certain (inflated) price for the standard of the property (e.g. it needing a total overhaul, but pricing themselves at the top of the market).

A few others I liked were being sold due to divorce (with the resident party being awkward/impossible around availability for viewings, for example).

Actually there was another lovely house going through probate with 4 beneficiaries and they couldn't agree on an acceptable price (1 of the deceased’s DC wanted to live in the house, but couldn’t afford to buy out her siblings, so was just being a blocked to a sale).

I really liked a lovely farmhouse we viewed...until the agent let slip that the vendor had just sold an option to a developer to build a big housing estate on the lovely paddock 😂 So for 10 years we wouldn’t be sure if we’d be on the edge of a gigantic housing estate or if we’d remain semi-rural!! I wonder if they actually managed to offload it with such onerous conditions.

isseys4xmastinselcats · 22/04/2021 19:34

Not always a reason for long time we put MILs (probate) flat up for sale last summer but with lockdown and being in a retirement complex it has taken a while to sell

Scantilydoesit · 22/04/2021 19:39

Not always. Mine was on Rightmove for ages before we offered. Ok, there's quite a bit to be done but it's definitely livable. I think what put people off was the horrible decor (brown and orange). I was able to see past that and painted it all light grey and it looks sooo much better.
The other thing was possible parking. There's only one parking space on the driveway and all our neighbours have at least 2-3 cars.
As I said, lots to be done (kitchen, floor etc) and it will take time but been here two years and nothing majorly urgent.

Scantilydoesit · 22/04/2021 19:41

On the other hand, We did view another house that had been on for ages and I recently found it in a local newspaper article about houses that never sell!
What put us off was that the attic had been converted but there were no building regs for it. Also the kitchen was dire.

FlyingBurrito · 22/04/2021 19:46

Suspicious in what way?

Are you being stopped from viewing for some reason? If the house is right for you and you've done all the proper searches, surveys and checks etc why does it matter how long it was on the market for?

I know a divorcing couple who have a lovely house for sale but the wife refuses to go below the unrealistic asking price so it's been up since pre covid. Absolutely not suspicious at all.

Changingwiththetimes · 22/04/2021 20:25

Mine took a few months to sell. It's a large house where most of the houses have been divided up, snd its on the busy end of the road. Frankly if it was further up it would not have been affordable when I bought it.
Being large, it had a more limited pool of prospective buyers, and then on top a busy street. Take one of those issues away and it may have sold quicker.
The properties I see still languishing on the market after a year are too expensive for what they offer, and/or have a quirky layout.

earsup · 22/04/2021 23:05

Two near me that are on rightmove for over 2 years...overpriced and the interiors have been over modernised and just look awfull....a 1920's house totally destroyed with ugly extension and shiny porcelain tiles all over inc the side wall !!

BackforGood · 22/04/2021 23:15

I wouldn't call 'since Summer 2020' a long time to be on the market, especially in a pandemic.
I guess it depends what the market is like near you.

There are lots of reasons why a house doesn't sell straight away.

Saltyslug · 22/04/2021 23:27

Mine looked like it had been on the market a year but hadn’t. We put the house on the market in 2017, withdrew when under offer and couldn’t find anything to move to, then put the house back up for sale a year later. Strangely the details had the original date so House looked like it had been on 12 months.

FakeFruitShoot · 23/04/2021 07:00

We've bought 3 houses that have lingered around longer than others in the area.

Housing estate house - we viewed 4 others the same or with very minor differences. The one we chose was heavily smoke stained and needed carpet and curtain replacement.

4 bed house but 2 singles and 2 doubles. We needed a 4 bed in a very small area. Best fit for us but can understand why it wasn't for others. Also divorce where one party wanted full asking price. Other party did an unequal equity split just to move things on in the end.

This one - busy road, unusually large house. Just more of a "niche" house that would always be top of a chain so reliant on many factors dovetailing.

All lovely, happy homes and the 2 we have sold have sold for us within a fortnight