Need to sell property fast - part furnished or empty?

[Keithlovessmash]

Hi there,

A family member sadly developed dementia while living three hours from me. They sold their home to come and buy one near me but the sale dragged on for almost a year (they were ill, wouldn’t accept help, I couldn’t get a diagnosis until crisis point was reached and they kept throwing paperwork away), and by the time they moved in, they had been in hospital for six weeks.

They were due to move into this flat with carers visiting but it was clear 24 hour care was needed so they never got to move in and they are now in a care home.

As POA I am selling the flat for them. I need to sort their finances fast as I want them to stay in the care home they are in now as they are being treated well. Self funding but we need this flat to sell as savings are dwindling even with deferred payment, and at the moment, with the proceeds they will get from the flat and the savings left it thankfully adds up to the two years fees they need to prove they have to live there.

I need it gone as well as I am on my own with it all and I’m finding it stressful.

Everything is gone apart from a few bits of big furniture but I don’t know if I should leave those to give an idea of space or just get rid of it all now?

link is here, I’m not worried about outing myself, I don’t know anyone!

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/121849214#/?channel=RES_BUY

@ItsSnowJokes

You need a floor plan done. So many people won't even view a place if it has no floorplan. Flats are harder to sell at the moment. Is this also a retirement block? They can take an age to sell.

You need to get the ground rent and service charges on the right move advert as well. That puts a lot of people off.

It’s not a retirement flat.

They are working on the ground rent etc.

He only completed in December, we’ve had a lot of hoops to jump though and the paper work he had, he burned.

I will get onto the about floor plan.

Dh called MIL just now to ask.

She just keeps parroting that she won’t lend anything, that I should get a credit card as I’ll be a rich woman when it’s sold and I get to keep £125k so I can pay it off then.

She will not understand that he’s self funding and that in 2 years, all that money will be gone on care home fees. Just keeps telling us that the council
will pay like they did for Mrs so and so‘a parents abs that we are stupid/lying.

I’m noting this all down and I’ll make myself go there this weekend to do what I can and speak to the agent.

Its a tidy flat.
The walls look in good condition and although the carpet could do with a clean the look ok in the photos.

Pic1 External1 - looks fine
Pic2 livingroom- air freshner on window could indicate bad smell
Vac beside tv indicates poor storage
Red mat dominates the floor space
Black chair is not great even placing one of the cushion would have helped
No table/chairs for eating
Pic10 livingroom - move to pic 3 as above different angle
Pic11 livingroom - move to pic4 as it transitions to kitchen
Pic3 kitchen - shows basic kitchen layout
Pic4 kitchen - as above.
Pic5 Bedroom1 - dress bed, open blind and show storage
Pic12 Ensuite - toilet not captured and no idea how its linked to bedroom
Pic6 Bedroom2 - guessing this is the 2 bedroom no bed no storage shown
Pic7 Bathroom1- bath, loo and sink is fine
Pic8 External2 - why its not attractive and focuses on what looks like warehousing
Pic9 External3 - better than pic8 but focuses development potential of unlandscaped area.
Pic10 livingroom - move
Pic11 livingroom - move
Pic12 Ensuite - move
Pic13 ok clean low maintenance entrance hallway.
Is there an internal hallway how is the living space and bedrooms linked.
add a floorplan

Most of the above is down to the EA's photographer (or whoever took the pics) how much are they costing?

No money is a kicker.
Will you be charged again for a photo reshoot?
If not and you can be there for the pics?

Bring bedding from home. Ask friends if they have spares or put up a FB check out free recycle websites too.

If you will be charged get the photos reorganised. Ask to see all the pics taken on the day and use pic8 & 9 for internal shots.
You can only do what you can. If the EA is selling similar for the asking price dont stress too much.

People are always trying to give away duvets, pillows etc on our local Facebook photos. Pop a post up to see if anyone is giving one away perhaps.

@SolasAnla

Its a tidy flat. The walls look in good condition and although the carpet could do with a clean the look ok in the photos.

Pic1 External1 - looks fine
Pic2 livingroom- air freshner on window could indicate bad smell
Vac beside tv indicates poor storage
Red mat dominates the floor space
Black chair is not great even placing one of the cushion would have helped
No table/chairs for eating
Pic10 livingroom - move to pic 3 as above different angle
Pic11 livingroom - move to pic4 as it transitions to kitchen
Pic3 kitchen - shows basic kitchen layout
Pic4 kitchen - as above.
Pic5 Bedroom1 - dress bed, open blind and show storage
Pic12 Ensuite - toilet not captured and no idea how its linked to bedroom
Pic6 Bedroom2 - guessing this is the 2 bedroom no bed no storage shown
Pic7 Bathroom1- bath, loo and sink is fine
Pic8 External2 - why its not attractive and focuses on what looks like warehousing
Pic9 External3 - better than pic8 but focuses development potential of unlandscaped area.
Pic10 livingroom - move
Pic11 livingroom - move
Pic12 Ensuite - move
Pic13 ok clean low maintenance entrance hallway.
Is there an internal hallway how is the living space and bedrooms linked.
add a floorplan

Most of the above is down to the EA's photographer (or whoever took the pics) how much are they costing?

No money is a kicker.
Will you be charged again for a photo reshoot?
If not and you can be there for the pics?

Bring bedding from home. Ask friends if they have spares or put up a FB check out free recycle websites too.

If you will be charged get the photos reorganised. Ask to see all the pics taken on the day and use pic8 & 9 for internal shots.
You can only do what you can. If the EA is selling similar for the asking price dont stress too much.

Thank you!

I can’t add a table or a bed. I wish I could as the second room is a double too.

I just left the air fresher as it was there when we got the keys, didn’t even think to move it.

It’s not warehousing out the window - it’s new build houses. Sorry just seen you meant in external photos. The building stuff is actually the new tram which will take you right into the centre of Birmingham, which is a selling point for the area.

The landscaping (what looks like in landscaped) around it is actually a children’s play area to the side, after the residents car park that you can’t see because of the angle, it’s not going to be built on but don’t know how you can get that across from that distance.

I should have been there yes. But I’m not coping and I can’t be in that place without breaking down. It gets really embarrassing bursting into tears in front of strangers, they think I’m crazy I’m sure.

And i’ll ask them to come back. They will just have to add it to his bill at the end I guess.

Honestly, if you are getting viewings I would leave as is.
My mum moved to a rented flat near me and left a few bits of furniture in her old house. It sold, I just asked the purchasers of they wanted anything and then paid a house clearence firm £60 to clear it before completion.
It sounds lime you have enough on your plate.

@SpiderinaWingMirror

Honestly, if you are getting viewings I would leave as is. My mum moved to a rented flat near me and left a few bits of furniture in her old house. It sold, I just asked the purchasers of they wanted anything and then paid a house clearence firm £60 to clear it before completion. It sounds lime you have enough on your plate.

I’ve not been told of any viewings or interest, but it’s only been a week.

It’s just the hassle from the care home company. They keep calling the agent too.

The actual care home is great - the one he was in before, he was out there for respite after hospital and we couldn’t see him for a month due to them being shut because of covid. As soon as we were allowed to see him, I brought him here for the day - he’d lost 2 stone and was covered in bruises. He ended up in hospital so drs/police could get involved, and we found this care home which is a private place (the respite one was council, although he was still having to pay the same price as private as he was self funded).

So I’ve got that investigation going on too. Plus the guilt that he can’t live with me - we tried it when things first got bad and he was waiting for his house to sell. Two of my children are very young and we couldn’t keep them safe from his outbursts.

I just need the bloody place to sell so they can see he has their money in his account and they will leave me alone. I’m not in the best health myself and it’s too much.

Outrageous that the care company have been interfering. Under gdpr the ea should not engage.

@LIZS

Outrageous that the care company have been interfering. Under gdpr the ea should not engage.

In fairness, he has to prove he has two years fees in order to stay there.

And as long as he sells the place for a min of (I think) 117k, then he has.

But anything could happen. So until it sells, we’re in this horrible limbo.

But they keep hassling me and won’t let the care home manager do things like hang up his photos/paintings in the mean time.

When I sold my late parents house, the estate agent told me it would sell much better if photo'd and viewed with furniture, and that buyers liked to see it as a home rather than a shell.
It sold within a week. I then only sold the dining room table and chairs on facebook, took some things I wanted, and then asked the buyers if they wanted to keep the rest, which they did. That saved me a lot of hassle, as they kept the beds, etc.

@LIZS I told gave them permission to speak to the EA, and she agreed in the hope it would stop them calling me twice a week for an update. It took a month to get the place on the market as it wasn’t even on the land registry to him yet, he’d burned all the paperwork, we had to get some info from th e solicitor he’d used. it’s been a nightmare.

Also, the estate agent does seem really lazy! Most round here put on videos, etc. Can you look at getting a more local estate agent, not a big chain?

You poor thing. This sounds so hard. When they call you simply repeat, 'I am doing everything I can to sell the flat, I will update you as soon as there is news' and hang up.

You say you have a husband, if you find going to the flat too hard, send him up with a loaf of stuff from your own house. Bedding etc. Get home to make sure the photographer does a good job.

@Somuddled

You poor thing. This sounds so hard. When they call you simply repeat, 'I am doing everything I can to sell the flat, I will update you as soon as there is news' and hang up.

You say you have a husband, if you find going to the flat too hard, send him up with a loaf of stuff from your own house. Bedding etc. Get home to make sure the photographer does a good job.

Dh is good. He will do little bits to the place but time is limited as my dad is here one weekend day and we visit him the other (as well as in the week, he needs a lot of reassurance to keep him on an even keel) and doesn’t understand about the flat, he can’t remember buying it. So one of us has to be with him/the children.

It’s really embarrassing but we only have one set of bedding each, so I don’t have any spare sheets myself

He works so much as well, he took so much time off over the last year to help me with my dad, looking after our toddler while I was up and down to hospitals, he moved my dad across the country, packed it all up himself with just a van.

It’s so hard now as he’s on a warning from work because of all the times he or I had to drive 3 hours when my dad was screaming in the street and his neighbours called us when no one would help us (drs, SS etc just didn’t care, it’s been a battle), so he can’t just finish before 6 to meet people at the flat or take time off because if he loses that job, we are screwed.

The building stuff is actually the new tram which will take you right into the centre of Birmingham, which is a selling point for the area.

Has the EA a boiler plate pic of the tram?
If its a quick walk, swap out one of the external pics for a map to the nearest stop and a tram.

Is the energy rating good or poor compared to similar properties is on the market? Cheaper bills is a long term saving.

I would ask to see all the pictures already taken before spending extra money on new ones.

And as for being upset, EA deal with all sorts from probate to people loosing their homes. So dont get embarrass about being emotional.

If the company are calling each week, would giving them instructions to email you and not use your phone number for finance collection calls help?

Deep breaths. I understand how hard this is for you and have been there myself. You will get through all of this.

Yes leave the furniture in. Be brave and go back in and just tidy some of the things away like the vacuum and any things on the surface. Just put them in cupboards etc. Give it a good vacuum and wipe the kitchen and bathroom. Ideally yes make the bed. Has a friend got anything you could use - even a throw to cover the bed?

You don't need any staging items. Just have it nice and tidy. It will sell. Good luck.

Put a request up on your local fb group. If you explain that you need to stage a flat to assist an elderly relative and ask if anyone has a duvet cover, sheet etc I’m sure someone will. I’d be happy to donate some of my old ones if I saw that.

It looks a really nice apartment. I would empty it completely if you cannot afford to stage it.

I know it's so hard. I hope it sells very soon.

Can you just go round with a few things from your house to stage it a bit for the photos and then take them home with you? You could put a couple of things on the shelves, bedding on the bed, a couple of ornaments or plants around the place if you have anything suitable. Even a rug if you've got one that's not too big to move.

Then you can pack up anything you can't afford to miss until it sells and take it home again- might help with getting people through the door.

Just wanted to say I’m so sorry that you’re having to deal with all this OP. There has to be a better solution to caring for our elderly. The burden it places on families is just intolerable.

I don’t have any advice to add to the multitude you’re getting but I wish you well.

Its obvious it's in the process of being emptied so I wouldn't bother dressing it.

I haven't read the whole thread but looked at the flat , I would clear the lot , sell it cheaply , give it away , and sell it empty , I also would look to see what selling at auction would achieve as it's much quicker and less hassle

Don't pay the estate agent for new photos. Tell them you're not happy with the quality of the photos and want them redoing. I've had photos redone before and have never had to pay for them. Also make them do a floorplan. Buyers hate not having one.

I’d find out when the pictures are being retaken and take your bedding and furniture bits round just for the picture or get rid of it all.

Have you looked into auction with a reserve?

I'm in a similar situation I need to sell my relatives house to fund her care. I'm sorry you are being put under such pressure by the care home to sell as quickly as possible. It's hard enough dealing with dementia, I think it's unacceptable. Personally I would sell the flat as it is. I can't see the point of putting extra effort into staging the flat what benefit is it to you all the money is going to go to the care home as long as you can cover the two years fees. Wishing you good luck.