About to put our house up for sale.. anyone else?

[DomusAurea]

We are taking the plunge and it's happening - we are selling our house (and relocating 200 miles away but that's another thread I guess) - anyone else? I could do with a collective handhold!

This is where we are now:

• finishing the last small jobs such as painting a ceiling
• having meets with estate agents for valuation
• nervously searching rightmove for possible houses in our relocation area (there isn't a lot!)

Are you going for sale soon? Tell me how it's going!

(we are in the South East)

Ha ha great idea @DomusAurea !🍸

I’ll try anything 😀 Agent was still waitimgntumhear from his mortgage broker as to whether she can do something for buyers. We discussed it going back in the market and I do fully expect it to be shortly.

@Volterra that sounds stressful! Will your sellers wait for you to sell again?

I'm worried if we do have to go back on the market it seems to have really slowed down and the ones still on Rightmove are being reduced.

Maybe it will pick up again after the summer but it'll be too late for anyone looking for school applications for next September which is a big selling point for our house to offset the busy road.

I'm going to try not to think about this week now, DH has hassled everyone possible so we just have to hope someone manages to sort something out.

We’re extremely fortunate to have somewhere to go which takes the pressure off and we will still go next month now and leave this on the market. Photographer booked for Friday, window cleaner just turned up which is handy.

My friend’s brother is a local agent and apparently a lot falling through currently. Really hope the new broker can save the day with their mortgage but suspect they can’t at this stage. Last week we lost the buyer on my Grandmother’s house that my Dad lived in until he died a few months ago. My Aunt was the other legal owner and she died a week ago so now need probate.

I think I have pissed the house buying gods off somewhere along the line.

Sold a few weeks ago they pulled out a week later. House went back on market have now sold again but had to drop 10 grand or the buyer threatened to walk away. If I hadn't had an ongoing purchase I'd have told them to get stuffed. 3 of us in chain estate agent reckons 4/5 months til completion......ridiculous

Sold a few weeks ago they pulled out a week later. House went back on market have now sold again but had to drop 10 grand or the buyer threatened to walk away. If I hadn't had an ongoing purchase I'd have told them to get stuffed. 3 of us in chain estate agent reckons 4/5 months til completion......ridiculous

OMG, what a time to sell/buy/move.

When this is all over, we must remember this. These harsh conditions of the market, the lack of stock, the volatility of the whole process.

I do not want to make it sound like we are climbing Everest, but, hey, I've been selling and buying in a lot easier circumstances.

Buyer hasn’t bothered to send documents to the broker who is really good and saved my new neighbour’s sale - despite her kindly saying she would give up some of her weekend. Agent trying to get hold of buyers but I am not interested in anything they have to say now, 12 wasted weeks.

I am so sorry to hear this. Why are people so air headed!!!

Thanks, I am done with them now.

They haven’t bothered to call agent back. He’s going to ring one of the other couples who wanted it but I imagine they have found now,

@Volterra - again, I am so sorry! When we moved to this house we were actually planning to purchase a different property, but the seller (codename: Old Elton John) pulled out at the last minute before exchange. No reasons, he just changed his mind. I am still holding a grudge against him, although we found this house which was better.

Many people have said this before, but the English house selling system is too noncommittal. And getting a mortgage on principle is ridiculous as it relies on information you give, which could be totally fabricated.

I am jotting down a timeline of where we are which can be useful for people going through the process. I'm writing own out of memory so dates approximate:

Feb/March 2022: preparing the house for sale (decluttering, painting, some repairs at windows and bathroom)

Mid-end March 2022: choosing estate agent, signing contract, having pictures taken

30/3/22: for sale

April 2022: 2 x open days, 10 viewings, 2 x offers (mildly) over asking - went for buyers in safer position according to the estate agent

20/4/22: sale agreed

25/4/22: offer accepted on our onward purchase (asking price)

The chain: 3 houses, 4 families: ftb, our buyers, us, our sellers.

Situation at 13/7/22: contracts signed, searches and queries on our side completed. What is lagging behind is (like others here) the bottom of the chain: buyers at the bottom waiting for the mortgage offer.

Thanks @DomusAurea , that is exactly the issue with the AIP. Garden centre for me this morning and DS cutting the grass. Need to hide all the stuff we have been clearing from cupboards ready for photos on Friday.

One of the other buyers just had an offer accepted last week. Our ‘buyer’ forwarded all the documents to agent’s broker yesterday afternoon and is ringing agent this afternoon. Broker going through everything and doesn’t understand why first broker tried the building society he did. There is apparently a little bit of hope, agent says to give him 24 hours. We are preparing for new photos though.

I am keeping everything crossed for you.

Thank you.

I've been reading this thread on and off for a while and I'm crossing my fingers for you all too. We all need some good news! This whole house selling and buying lark is ever so stressful.

Is anyone else packing before exchange? We're supposed to be exchanging soon and I am getting the impression that we have to proceed quickly once (if!) we exchange. The house is a mess now because there's no point doing anything if we're moving anyway, but at the same time I'm still preparing for the whole thing to fall through, so I'm kind of sat here doing nothing and occasionally swearing under my breath. I don't know what to do with myself. 😣

Hey @SpaceyCake , really good to meet you and thank you for posting. As things progress I find myself reading following the thread more and more and wanting to update it more often as it's helping to soothe my anxiety a little!

I am not doing too much because we have been bitten once before but as soon as we have news about exchange we will get a skip and three piles:

• throw away (I forecast this to be a big pile)


• give away (this will be a medium pile)


• sell (this will be a small pile)

We are going to take only furniture we know it fits and that we really want.

I am keeping the house and the garden tidy because I function better in a clean and tidy space, and ultimately the cleans benefits us because we are living in it, and equally looking after the garden as we are using it. I have stopped buying plants though (usually I buy so many plants in the gardening season).

I have also taken up learning to upcycle and restored an old chest of drawers which would fit perfectly an alcove in the new house. I had lots of fun doing it.

I am also keeping an eye on 2nd hard rugs on eBay. I am trying to have fun as much as I can whilst feeling a bit worried and a bit impatient. But I am trying.

We are SSTC, went on the market in May, accepted an offer after a couple of weeks.
So far we have submitted all documents, valuation report done and all ok, draft contract sent and now awaiting Level 2 survey in a couple of weeks which is making me nervous!
Cant find anything to buy at all.

I am so jealous of all of you who’ve completed chains and are waiting for the legal process.

We’re at the top of our chain and just can’t secure anywhere and it’s making me despair. Everything we attempt to buy goes waaaaaayy beyond asking. But we’ve also lost out to chain free buyers who’ve got the house at asking despite us offering more. The only thing we can do now is rent, and keep looking without the pressure of time against us and the added advantage of being chain free.

good luck with all your exchanges, completions and moves. We’ve moved many times and this is the worst market ever!

Thanks @DomusAurea ! Very useful tips. We started going through our stuff yesterday and so far we have two piles, one for stuff to get rid of and one to sort. The sort pile is massive. 😂Hopefully a lot of it can also be recycled/disposed of...

We have been bitten before too so I'm not going to buy anything for the new house yet. I'm finding it really hard not to move in in my head, and I'm having to constantly stop myself from planning what to do with the garden etc. I really want some news and we were hoping for some progress this week, but turns out even our sales progressor is off this week so no one is chasing anything. 😑

Breaking news: our buyers' business has folded, seemingly overnight, and they have withdrawn for the sale (I have checked, their business has indeed closed), leaving both us and their poor buyers in the lurch.

I do not want to look backward but move forward, the only comment I am allowing myself to make is that, if there was any uncertainty about the business - why bigger house? Unless that was a strategy to offset liquid assets... I do not know but the point is... we have now fallen face down on the pavement and it hurts.

We are back on the market since this morning at 9 with 2x viewings booked for Saturday.

It is shit, but it is what it is.

Trying to stay positive is harder and harder but I am made of stern stuff, life doesn't give me more than I can handle and all that motivational shit. It's cliched but creating a narrative of positivity an strength helps me

Thank fuck I have kept the house and garden tidy.

@DomusAurea Argh that is proper shit. Sorry to hear that. We've been there (twice) and it's so frustrating. Just feels like such a waste of time and energy. But you totally got this. Your house is viewing ready and you've done it before so you know what to do. Fingers crossed for a decent offer soon!