Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

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

Can I just have a cry on here about my house situation please?

234 replies

Cherms · 11/07/2022 20:29

Suitable houses rarely come up in my search area (once every 5 years) and one came on. We immediately put our house up for sale (literally within one day). Two weeks later we have not had a single viewing. Not one. The forever house is having its last viewing day on Friday and then by Monday all offers need to be in. We can't offer without being sold.

I'm genuinely unbelievably upset. We spent lockdown doing our house up to be in perfect condition and yet absolutely nobody wants to buy it. And that means we will never get a house in our search area (please don't suggest changing the search area. It's not possible. We'd need to stay in our current house rather than ever move outside it)

Which means if another house comes up ever again we won't get that either and I'm absolutely miserable about that. We can't sell and rent because rental houses never come up and also it could be a decade before another house comes up. We really really want this one.

It sounds like I'm feeling melodramatic and sorry for myself but I'm completely gutted. Gutted no-one wants our lovely house and gutted we'll never be able to move. I keep getting weird rises of panic/anxiety about it all.

We're on with the agent that's selling but the forever house will sell whether to us or anyone else. They haven't given actionable feedback as it's just that one room is small. Which it is but the rest is great. And it's a lot of house for the money. No viewings. No interest. Utterly devastated at the hopeless future.

OP posts:
FarFarFarAndAway · 11/07/2022 22:11

OP, I think you have fixated on being in this exact area, but I'm not sure that's wise. The house you are in sounds pretty ok if it has a four car drive! I think you have to make your peace with having the house you have, which sounds a lot better than most, or perhaps start widening the area you could be in. It's not realistic to put a house on the market and get a proceedable offer immediately, I mean, it does happen in a very hot market but the market is cooling, plus you may get an offer that falls through, or a lower valuation or all kinds of things. I'm this way myself, tending to fixate on one solution which is the perfect one and all else are terrible, but that really isn't the case. There isn't one good school in the whole country!

MargaretThursday · 11/07/2022 22:11

We were in the situation that our house had been up for sale for nearly a year, but we weren't too bothered as nothing we really wanted came up.

Then it did.
We were with the same estate agents as the other house, so they went all out to get our house sold so we could get the other one. We had three viewers, two put a low offer in. But we could then afford the house we wanted so we accepted. That was 1/3 less than the original price we'd put it on for (but prices had dropped over that year) but we were getting a bargain for the other (repossessed) too.

Tell your estate agents that you need offers now or you won't be selling, and see what they can get through the door. If you get a low offer then you can consider if with that you can afford the other house.

stuntbubbles · 11/07/2022 22:12

stayingpositiveifpossible · 11/07/2022 22:09

Heavens above, you are entitled to have a cry. You will be homeless in the next thirty seconds.

Any second now you will be heading to a food bank too. Cry away.

Do you feel better for posting that?

JustLyra · 11/07/2022 22:13

Have you double and triple checked your listing details?

If your area is as hot as you say that you’ve not had one single viewing is very odd

MiniPiccolo · 11/07/2022 22:16

Change estate agents immediately. Go for a local family run business - if they dont sell they dont get paid. Unlike the big national ones.

Ours sat on the market for 4 months. New estate agent and we had 4 offers within 48hrs.

After a week your listings basically drop off right move too, as most only search for added in the past 24/48hrs/ week.

TheBestBitch · 11/07/2022 22:21

Op don’t post a link, people will be brutal. I wouldn’t anyway IIWY.

I don’t think you can offer unless you’re under offer and I think you just have to accept that. Can you do anything to improve the kerb appeal?

the conventional mumsnet wisdom is “it’s always price” but it really isn't.

sorry you’re so upset. Good luck..

TheYearOfSmallThings · 11/07/2022 22:21

I’m a bit confused. It’s not clear why you have/want to move? You like your house, you like your area?

I agree. Your lovely (but "ugly") house has a large south facing garden, which however is not big enough for you. You can't understand why nobody wants it but you are filled with despair at having to stay there. You won't be able to find another house in the area because demand is so high...but there has not been one viewing for your house...?

I am guessing there is a fairly obvious reason, for example it is a spacious but plain looking ex-council house in a good area, and your pricing reflects the area average but not the less desirable street. Without actually seeing it, there is no way to know what the story is.

Noblojoforbojo · 11/07/2022 22:21

Trading up is very hard right now as the leap from, say, a four bed to a five bed with a large garden is disproportionately huge in price.

Chances are your prospective buyers are more impacted by the cost of living crisis than someone who is putting in offers on the big, expensive house you have your heart set on.

Don’t lose hope. It may be a lucky escape from over paying in a market that everyone says is going to drop or stagnate. Plus big homes mean big energy bills so there may be people who opt to downsize in the next year rather than putting up with this.

HappyMediocreTime · 11/07/2022 22:23

Big hugs. Unfortunately it’s just the way it goes with the housing market. You need to go on the market almost before you see anything you like, then hope to goodness something decent comes on in the two months after you sell. Sounds like it’s bridging loan or an offer by the weekend for this house. But if it’s not this house, there will be another - or you can stay where you are. Mid terrace with a four car driveway can’t be too shabby!

Fuuuuuckit · 11/07/2022 22:25

It’s always the price. Reduce by a good amount to secure the house you want

It really isn't. It can be any number of things, including lack of off-street parking, poky, dark rooms, awkward layout, poor location, no garden, tiny or unkempt garden, ugly house, horrible decor, house needs too much work, on a busy road, and so on.

All of which can be mitigated for the right price. It IS always the price

knackeredagain · 11/07/2022 22:28

Approach the agent that is selling the house you want. If there are several people bidding on the one you want, would one of them perhaps buy yours if it’s in the same area but a lower spec?
It’s a double win for the agent if they sell two houses so they’d likely take you on. You may have to pay something in fees to the original agent but that might be a price worth paying.

TedMullins · 11/07/2022 22:32

Bodgejobvendors · 11/07/2022 21:42

I’m a bit confused. It’s not clear why you have/want to move? You like your house, you like your area? Someone waiting for a once-every-five-year sale to come up isn’t what I’d call a committed mover.

I’m feeling quite unsympathetic I’m afraid. So many people genuinely are trapped because of the building safety crisis.

If your area is that great then an ugly house at the right price isn’t a problem.

Yeah got to say I agree with this. You have a house with a garden in a nice area that you want to stay in, yet you’re “devastated” you can’t move, when moving would realistically be what, a few metres down the road if you’re staying in the immediate area? If you were having to downsize because you could no longer afford the mortgage and bills and were having to go to food banks I’d have sympathy but this sounds like a massive first world problem

PurplePeach83 · 11/07/2022 22:34

I agree with Housemaus. A bridging loan could be the answer here. Look it up and see what you think about the terms and possible risks and benefits. Good luck with your house.

Contract · 11/07/2022 22:35

Agree with PPs - the price is too high. DH and I put our house up for sale after making an offer on another and, within three days and without an advert even going online, we had over thirty viewings booked and multiple offers over asking price (and asking price was more than 30% higher than we bought it for two years ago). The market is absolutely insane right now - if no one wants to buy your house then you're charging way too much.

Zeus44 · 11/07/2022 22:35

PurplePeach83 · 11/07/2022 22:34

I agree with Housemaus. A bridging loan could be the answer here. Look it up and see what you think about the terms and possible risks and benefits. Good luck with your house.

Risky.

Threeboysandadog · 11/07/2022 22:37

Are the other houses that sold near you all mid terrace? Obviously you can’t do anything about that but it would put me off so would have to be at the right price.

mackthepony · 11/07/2022 22:38

Change agents

If no movement, reduce the price

DistaffSide · 11/07/2022 22:40

You're allowed to be gutted, it's crap. I'm sorry.

One suggestion, I didn't view any houses that were "offers over". I find it really off-putting.
.

1dontunderstand · 11/07/2022 22:40

Share the link?

Sswhinesthebest · 11/07/2022 22:49

It will sell if the price is right. It only takes one buyer. See what happens this weekend and reduce the price.

cansu · 11/07/2022 22:49

You are being melodramatic. Finding a forever home is not the be all and end all. You have a nice house in a good area and by the sounds of it a lot of equity. There really is no excuse for being 'utterly miserable'. You need to count your blessings.

Rosscameasdoody · 11/07/2022 22:51

Can you not put in an offer in principle ? The EA is obliged to put it forward even though you don’t have an offer on your own house. Then if you get lucky before monday the offer is in. Long shot, yes, but better than nothing.

Solonge · 11/07/2022 22:52

Sounds like the author is living in Scotland.

Idontknowwhattodo5 · 11/07/2022 22:54

Your house is in an area that is so desirable that properties only come up once in a blue moon.
You say you have done all that can be done with it.

Sadly owners can place too much emotion on what they feel their property is worth.
The area may not be as desirable as you think (perhaps to you it is) as they are not biting for your property. If it was that desirable you would have a queue of people.

Many prefer a house that has something that needs doing or can extend/ make personal changes as that is where the bargain is. The fact it's done up and you likely want top dollar for your turn key property could be off putting to potential buyers.

On a more positive note, it has only been on the market a couple of weeks so I wouldn't reduce too soon. The rush to sell has been created by your desire for this other property.

We often create our own "can't do" situations. It is more likely a "don't want to" so if selling so quickly is important to try for this other property then you would have to reduce or like other posters have suggested, sell to an instant buy company.

My humble opinion is that you never know what is around the corner. It is daft to say you may have to wait another 5 or 10 years for another property to come on to the market. It could be a couple of months. You did have know this one would come on.
You are in a dizzy of "what could be" so I would make a sensible choice and let this ship sail as it sounds like you would need to lose to gain... is that really gaining?
Another one will come along. Enjoy your existing property a bit longer as it sounds lovely.
Good luck OP 🤞

GailTheSnail · 11/07/2022 22:55

Does it have floorplan? I had real house hunting fatigue by the end and found myself dismissing the ones without a floorplan