Thread 2: "Anyone not being picky - and STILL can't find anything?"

[Momniscient]

Just spotted the first one is full so have set up thread two so we can keep talking with minimal delay. Hoping that tagging works regardless ...

RightMove addicts, and serial refreshers of other property websites, share your troubles!

Posters from last two pages in the thread and OP:
@PessimisticOptimist
@Eastie77Returns
@RidingMyBike
@beguilingeyes
@DanisEndo
@EmmaH2022
@dubyalass
@BennyBean
@ByeByeMissAmericanPie
@areyouhavingagiraffe
@CheltenhamLady
@doubleraspberry
@YukoandHiro
@TulipsfromAmsterdam
@MummyJ12
@starseeking
@GoinSouth
@MiracleBaby2022

Original thread: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/property/4346330-Anyone-not-being-picky-and-STILL-cant-find-anything

Sixteen viewings and one bit of 'feedback' - asking if it has been underpinned. Otherwise nothing, although agents report positive comments during viewings.

It's OK, I'm just so fed up with being the only people who can't sell their house in this market. I'd understand if we were asking silly money but we're not (well, we are, but not sillier than others), and I seem to have chosen yet another agent who isn't driving this forward.

June is just the end of a standard conveyancing period - and it's a family house so people mostly want to move in the summer now. Again, going on what the agent says, and why would I, eh? Sigh.

@Doubleraspberry

I hope that's not the case, *@Starseeking*. That's three months away and the longer it's empty before sale, the bigger financial issues we'll face. People buy tenanted houses all the time I'm told. God knows, I'm so miserable about it to be honest. We'll be in absolutely dire straits if it doesn't sell until then.

Unless I was looking for an investment property where I was getting a buy to let mortgage I would not entertain buy a property that was tenanted because they can say they getting out until the cows come home until they’ve actually left you’re not in a position to guarantee vacant possession. I think itll sell quick once theyve gone

I do understand that - I’m just very much hoping not everyone is like that! It failed to sell when empty too and the agents then said it didn’t look lived in enough. It’s basically a really lovely house in a hot market but I feel like we’re cursed.

These are tenants staying for seven months with most of their stuff in storage and somewhere to go, and happy to sign re vacant possession so probably the least scary version possible.

The trouble is Estate Agents lie that is the bottom line and they lie so often that nobody believes the tenants are gonna go

Would you post your link on here raspberry? In case there's anything we can (helpfully) say?

Most houses are shifting quickly round here but it can be tricky to work out why some don't. There's one nearby that I think is too close to a road but then others on that road sell. Then there are others I gasp when I see the price that are gone within a week. Who knows! How frustrating for you.

I can’t post a link because it’s not sodding online! This is one of my issues - the agent doing their soft marketing felt like a good idea for the first weekend but they are not now moving to get it online. The first set of photos were bad so we asked for them to be redone but everything is taking so long.

It’s a month since we agreed to put it on with them, so this is very annoying.

The photos will be underwhelming though - the tenants have left some rooms very sparsely furnished. The first set of photos were just terrible so I’m hoping that they up their game. I am seriously regretting not going with our other option who I know do great photos.

Ah ok yes sorry I had forgotten you said that yesterday. That is awful. They need a rocket up them.

After a very firm email last night, it's going online today.

@Doubleraspberry

After a very firm email last night, it's going online today.

I really hope that helps move things along for you!

Argh. They've sent me the draft details. They are dreadful. You can tell the agent is hacked off with us just by reading them. They say nothing nice about our house at all. Doesn't mention the things we'd suggested they should - instead says the things we explicitly said we didn't want to say. Even has the wrong number of bedrooms. I am almost in tears at how poor it is.

@Doubleraspberry

Argh. They've sent me the draft details. They are dreadful. You can tell the agent is hacked off with us just by reading them. They say nothing nice about our house at all. Doesn't mention the things we'd suggested they should - instead says the things we explicitly said we didn't want to say. Even has the wrong number of bedrooms. I am almost in tears at how poor it is.

Sorry to hear that

Why is the agent pissed off, you mean because of your email?

I doubt it's personal. It is more likely to be a template that's constantly overwritten, hence the wrong number of rooms.

Just popping my head back in to say I'm so sorry to hear about so many ongoing woes and hope you are all managing to keep your sanity intact.

@Doubleraspberry - I am aghast at your agent's incompetence. Poor pictures are one thing but there is no excuse for getting basics incorrect such as the number of rooms. I had a really nice EA but wrote a large part of my property description myself and emphasised the benefits of the local area, the lovely community of neighbours in the block of flats etc and mentioned some of our favourite local places to visit. I gave it to the EA to edit but he said it was better than anything they could have come up and used the whole thing. Can you write up the blurb yourself?

Tenants will put some buyers off but not all. I don't know if this would help or hinder but what about if the tenants were present during viewings to reassure buyers they are def leaving (evidence of belongings being packed up etc) and moving abroad. Sixteen viewings and no offers also suggests the EA are not targeting the property correctly from their pool of potential buyers (assuming they have one as all good EAs should)

Emma sorry things are dragging with your purchase. I understand the need to be out by a certain time. The thought of remaining in my old flat over the Summer filled me with depression.

Starseeking hoping to read good news from you soon. I read your post about location. Our new place is walking distance to a school but a bus ride from the tube/overground. It was a compromise I didn't want to have to make so I understand your thoughts. I really don't love the idea of taking a bus to get the train but there it is. The upside is I only plan to work in the office a couple of days a month.

I’ve rewritten it and they’re using my version: it was free text not a template, and just very poorly done. The other agent in the office said she’d been taken aback when she saw it.

The tenants wouldn’t be keen on packing up! But they’ve not got much stuff in there - it’s clearly lightly used. The lack of offers has clearly surprised the agents but they don’t seem to have done much to work out what the issue is - I suspect the buyers on their books are looking for a slightly different area to where our house is.

I agree with @Eastie77Returns @Doubleraspberry, write your own description. That's what we did when marketing our house, and it sold in 3 days.

To be honest, your EA doesn't sound like they are working hard enough to sell your house, and showing to a bunch of real ransoms, as opposed to targeted marketing. How long are you contracted with them as sole EA, if at all? I'd sign up with the EA you preferred originally as soon as possible.

I have written it! It’s online now.

I think they thought they’d line up a chunk of viewings, get an offer on day one, bish bash bosh. So after we got no offers through that it all just slowed to a stop. They were I think using a list of people looking for something slightly different.

The agent I spoken to has promised a fresh start. The listing looks OK. I just want to sell the place.

And they were the agents I preferred. The others are a slightly sharky chain who I ended up buying and selling with before and they were a pain in the arse to deal with. But they did sell.

I'm a FTB , started house searching since last Dec, feel frustrated. So difficult, thought I'm extremely bad on this, wondered why people is willing to get new home every few years with this level of stress... Now I understand why, wish I found this topic earlier. Nevertheless, better late than never! Thanks @Momniscient

Before searching, I did my homework online : offer 10-15% below asking price, promo strong point such as no chain,cash buy...etc.Non of these advices worked for 2022🙃

No chance if you offer £1 lower than asking price.

Here is a recent example in london --A house on rightmove description : viewing from 10Feb. 5 days before 10Feb, I phoned EA to book viewing, EA said: we already got 20 viewers booked in coming Sat, most likely we'll have an offer, I doubt I can book you in another date (I requested 14Feb).
20 viewers in same day! I hope the EA got time for lunch break🙄
Only take 3-5 days for a nice propety to get STC on Rightmove since it first published.

On the other hand, there are some properties reduce price a lot or few times! I saw one reduced twice, total dropped £70k within few weeks...Alao a lot got "reduced" label (not sure if some are EA strategy)

Many posts on EA website or Rightmove/Zoopla doesn't show under offer or STC, but most of them are more likely to be gone already. I learnt, if EA doesn't get in touch soon after I request, 99% the property is under offer.I wish they update the label then I don't need to have false hope!!

So, Into March, still tough for buyers. I just pulled out from a property tonight because of a bad survey. I don't take this decision light as I know how hard to get this stage.

I start to convince myself renting is not too bad at all 🙂

Four new houses on in my search area! Do I want to view any of them? No!

still bugger all and what is on there is overpriced by around 20%+

Two new properties on today, both realistically priced and tick most of our boxes! One in particular is absolutely stunning, I feel a bit sick and I'm desperate to see it!

Got a viewing booked for a place that I thought had sold last year, but of course I can't find any evidence of this apart from the Rightmove sold data saying the photos are from Aug 2021. Anyway, it's smaller than I'd like but it's modern, doesn't need any work and is in a great location.

The vendor is showing me around so I can ask why it didn't sell. It's on for a guide price rather than offers over, which is refreshing, although I expect it will go over asking.

Has anyone tried the posting a letter through the door thing?