Viewings

[Fritilleries]

How many viewings are people getting? I've been on market since last Thursday and only one viewing booked for Friday. Thought there'd be more.

You’ll find lots of people just don’t give feedback. It’s just a thing. And when you do get it, it’s often absolutely crap.

As a really general rule, if someone is interested, they’ll get in touch with the agent themselves, and quite quickly.

We saw an EA last week for a valuation, he said vendors are needing to be more realistic with pricing and allow more time to sell, as the market is quieter, not surprising given interest rates and economy. Good luck to those looking to move.

As a soon-to-be chain free buyer I would not even bother to view something I think is overpriced. Be realistic if you need to sell now, or wait a while. This thread is getting my hopes up we will get a bargain in the high demand South east town we want to buy in

Since adjusting our offers over price, we’ve had 5 viewers with another 5 booked in. Our EA said that whilst there’s a definite cooling, those viewing are often more ‘serious’. In our area people were getting 20% over HR up until last month but I’m fully aware we likely won’t achieve close to that.

Shitty thing to post on a thread full of sellers. You're unlikely to get a bargain, you'll get something for around market value, which is likely to be less than you'd have paid a year ago. Don't get your hopes up too much. Speaking as a seller, we had a minimum amount we'd have been willing to accept. If we hadn't achieved that we just wouldn't move.

I also think you often have to view somewhere to understand whether it actually is overpriced. Sometimes the size or location will tell you all, but other times it’s only when you get there and see what the condition/situation is, or how much a layout affects it, or flaws hidden by good photos that you can decide if the sellers have over-pitched.

Friend put her 2-bed flat on the market the same day the Queen died. It was beautiful (IMO) and on at a realistic price that lots of people would be able to afford. Bad timing though.
First viewer tried to beat her down. (Failed.)
Second viewers made all the right noises when viewing, and made an acceptable offer, after a small bit of haggling.

That was it in the bag.
OP, you really only need one keen viewer who can follow through (though obviously it's brilliant if you get loads wanting your home and fighting for it!!). good luck.

I've had two viewings in five days so far. Haven't been contacted by the EA today so I'm guessing that neither have put offers in and no one else has enquired to view!

Today's viewing was cancelled with no reason given. Disappointing. I was led to think that our place would shift extremely quickly due to demand but there has been no action.

@Fritilleries that's very frustrating! How many viewings have you had so far?

Feedback on my viewings were that cash buyer (for themselves as they've received inheritance) was that they're "mulling it over", whatever that means but it's their favourite they've seen. Other viewer said that "everything needs doing" though it doesn't and is "overpriced". It's actually cheapest in my area for my type of property, in the desirable area of my town. I've only been on the market 6 days so I definitely won't be reducing! I think she's clearly interested but would rather we pay for the home improvements she'd like to make to our home, via a discount!

We had 2 booked. One didn't reply to EA enquiries after viewing and today's was cancelled with no warning.

The market has changed so quickly and I think some estate agents have been naive about the situation which might be why you were given that impression.

We originally started looking early this year and had an offer accepted in April. Our “quick” sale has been significantly delayed by an issue with the other property in the chain so we started viewing again in September. The two experiences have been like night and day - it was a ridiculous battle with everything going over asking the first time and it’s tumbleweed this time.

The week before the mini budget a young estate agent told us the market could never turn in our area because demand was so high and there’s a growing population. The reality is most of the Rightmove updates now are reductions or returns to the market, BTL landlords are clearly trying to offload properties asap and loads is going to auction and not selling.

It’s pretty scary and I think a lot of people are in for a real shock, prices have risen by 100%+ here in the last decade, and were still climbing quickly until recently, so I think a lot of agents and homeowners felt immune to wider economic pressures.

Yes I agree with @rrrrrreatt we live in East Anglia, prices were crazy last year, lots of properties going to bidding wars, we viewed a bungalow on the coast, marketed at £315k, thought it overpriced, as we knew the area, EA said well I have had three offers already over £350k, Why didn’t you tell us, we wouldn’t have bothered viewing think it sold for £370k in the end, we stopped looking as it was just silly, the bungalow we did buy we bought for under asking in June.

The market here has changed a lot, more reduction, a lot coming into the market, particularly larger family homes, they were like gold dust before, the lack of supply, caused a lot of the madness.

Bungalows in my road usually sell within days, a neighbour, put theirs on the market a couple of months ago, they have not sold.

We had valuations on the coastal bungalow, yes gone up in price, however EA said properties are taking longer to sell and must be priced realistically to achieve a sale.

Now Estate Agents are picking up the phone and asking if we are still looking, that’s speaks for itself, they wouldn’t give us the time of day before 😂

Two neighbours are up for sale here - both retired, took on big gardens, three bed houses £650k . During Covid they would have been the perfect WFH escape buy. Now in November they look sad, grey and cold and honestly 200k overpriced.
I don't what it is - family expectation, online calculator, estate agent but the pricing is crazy high.
Like a previous poster we considered one, as the neighbour, as an investment but we know too much! It had a bodge job make over 20 years ago and more recent additions are also on the cheap which would be fine if the price reflected that. A decent surveyor will tear it apart.

It will be interesting to see what they do but I:'m sure they are looking at each others properties as guides for their own rather than the wider market.

I can’t lie, I’m loving the estate agents calling me and being super friendly 😂

I wanted to scream when people told me to register with agents and make friends - I tried so hard but a high LTV & being in a chain put us bottom of the pile. Now we’re chain free with an old interest rate offer and they’re offering us the first viewings on new properties!

It was me considering buying a neighbours house. Honestly I really would like to make offer, but it's just too much money and they won't shift on the asking price yet. Problem is they paid £175k in 2014 and I think that was well over the odd at that point - it's about what I would offer now, realistically, with the work that needs doing. Pretty much cosmetic, but the whole property including kitchen and bathroom. still doing sums but I don't think we can make it work. They want £250k for it.

I hate to say it op but this is usually a sign it’s significantly over priced. If that’s the case it will continue to languish. I’m sorry. You need to decide if that’s ok, or if it’s not, reduce to get people at least through the door.

Had two viewings yesterday and EA will chase up tomorrow. That's 3 in 17 days.

I had a viewing Friday afternoon and I have another booked for Tuesday morning. Feedback from Friday's viewers was that my house needs an extension already (not sure how this is feedback as house would be priced higher with extra space of course!) and that it's small. Fwiw, it's a 3 bed semi and we've outgrown it as a family of nearly 4. Very baffled as to why they came to view it when the floor plan, dimensions and 3D tour are all available on our listing!

Oh, they're also ideally looking to spend £100-£150k more. Still don't know why they've viewed!

@KimmySchmitt
''Shitty thing to post on a thread full of sellers. You're unlikely to get a bargain, you'll get something for around market value, which is likely to be less than you'd have paid a year ago. Don't get your hopes up too much. Speaking as a seller, we had a minimum amount we'd have been willing to accept. If we hadn't achieved that we just wouldn't move.''

Yet I am sure as a seller you never gave a second thought to potential buyers (especially first-time buyers) being unable to get on the property ladder because of inflated house prices or any qualms about asking as much money as you possibly could get away for your property when it was a sellers' market...

it is not ''shitty'' to try to get the best possible deal based on your circumstances.

This is what the buyer above is doing.

Swings and roundabouts.

@Artygirlghost But I didn't go and post that I was hoping to make a huge profit on a thread full of FTBs worrying about mortgage rates/affordability did I? That's what was quite rude/'shitty', it's not nice to gloat.

As an aside, both properties we've sold recently have been ideal for FTBs and marketed at affordable prices as we're not in an area with ridiculously over-inflated prices. Not that it's particularly relevant.

Feedback so far is too expensive (we agree) and 'wrong area.' Annoying. But agent is refreshing the photos including front of house image and relaunching with a reduction on Friday. Fingers crossed.