Anyone else had viewings today?

[Chanel05]

I had 4 viewings today.

First time buyer, couple that have sold to a first time buyer, a first time buyer and a couple that aren't yet back on the market but they had sold and their sale had fallen through.

Anyone else had viewings today? How did they go?

That’s good & bad news @Bumblebee74

Overall, it should be seen as a positive thing as it’s better to have an offer than not. Have you tried asking your EA to explain that you want closer to the asking price as it was priced very competitively? It’s possible the buyers could increase their offer a little, though they are probably reluctant to offer full asking price.

Sorry I’m terrible at working out percentages @Bumblebee74 & I guess it depends on the asking price. Is it in the region of 10/ 20k off the asking price? Similar situation to us in that we were encouraged by EA to price competitively & OIEO & then got an offer under anyway! The EA did manage to squeeze another 5k out of our buyers. You could ask them to negotiate I suppose.

We are in a rush to move but our EA did say it was early days & if we’d been happy to wait we may have got a better offer. Depends a lot on the area & how buoyant the market is I guess. Good luck anyway.

That's a shame @Bumblebee74 - how much is the 5% worth? I agree with the other poster that if it's £10-20k it might be worth taking or at least negotiating up but accepting if they only raise a little.

I personally don't find it helpful to compare to other properties sale prices, as what individual buyers value is so unpredictable that it's luck as much as anything what a house ends up selling for.

No viewings still here, and the house we liked and planned to eventually offer on is off the market. Not sold, just taken off the market. It's a shame because we told the estate agent we would definitely make an offer when procedable, but I guess the owners couldn't/wouldn't wait for that which is fair enough.

Thanks @ClonedSquare @Worstyearyet @Twiglets1 its around 20k. We also took advice from the EA to price competitively which I was nervous about given the likelihood people would offer under. But it’s an offer and we’ll consider it. We always said we’d only move if we got what we needed so I think the answer is somewhere in there :)

Still radio silence here, been on a week! Potentially we went on a little high but will see what the next weeks bring and go from there.

Morning all, nothing at all over Easter. A house down this road sold before Easter, very similar, so I asked our agent if they could find out the price it went for (not even sure they can do that?) but no reply. We had a viewing nearly 2 weeks ago, no feedback, nothing since.

I have a plan - tell me if you think its nuts (esp @Twiglets1 ): So my house is on for £450k down from £475k. It's a standard 1930s 3 bed semi, we're getting hardly any viewings, 3rd agent in 12 months. Our house is same size and similar condition to all the 3 bed 1930s semis for sale in this village-type area. I'd be happy to take £430k but would prefer £435k. But agent wants me to reduce to £425k to show up in the next Rightmove listing level if that makes sense - if we do that (a) we will then be on sale for the same price as terraced houses in the nearest not-very-nice town and (b) there is nowhere for us to go price wise (if I saw a house at £425k, I'd offer £400k and go from there!) His plan (he says) is to attract attention at £425k then if he gets an offer tell them we won't accept that price! If I was a buyer, I'd just walk away then so I don't see his logic. I think if he got a low offer he'd just put pressure on us to accept it - so a pretty poor outcome for us.

I want him to show our house to people coming on his books looking for something cheaper than £450k telling them that he thinks we'd take a lower offer and to view anyway. He says no, thinks that's unworkable, I think his plan is much worse! Who is right?

BTW I don't intend to do anything for the next few weeks, this would be a plan for later in the month if nothing picks up.

I definitely don't think your agent is right, @GoingDownLikeBHS ! When I'm looking at houses now, I'm only expecting to pay asking price at absolutely maximum. Most houses I would expect to offer less on and meet somewhere in the middle. I'd be furious if I made an offer on somewhere and found out they wouldn't accept asking!

I think people who are looking to spend (for example) £430k are already looking at the £450k price bracket on RightMove and expecting to offer under. That's the bracket we're looking in and we're definitely looking slightly above our budget. So while I think your plan makes more sense than the estate agent's one, I don't think it would necessarily pick up any extra buyers.

Still no viewings here. Basically just pretending we're not on the market for now and if any viewings pop up then great would probably reduce the price in a couple of months if no offers before then, but like everyone else the dilemma is what to reduce it to.

Nothing here either. Not in a particular rush as nothing really to move to either.

After a slow start we seem to have had a bit of a flurry of viewings booked in. Four this evening and a couple in for the next few days too. We switched round the order of our photos on Rightmove etc last week which seemed to have helped (nothing we can do about it but the front view of the house isn't that appealing - annoyingly looks better a few weeks on as the tree now has leaves).

We've had mixed feedback - a couple of "overpriced", several where the viewers loved it but ultimately chose a different house (same price, usually slightly better positioned in terms of tube but further away in Zone3/4 rather than 2 where we are).

Just had our first one book 🙏

Get the EA to take a new picture of the front of the house. They need to show it to its best advantage!

I def disagree with the EA and agree with you. I’ve tried this by listening to previous EA and it’s happened exactly as you said. Lower budget and offering lower and I’d be annoyed by the fact that ‘we’re’ expecting more in this ‘climate’.

I’d go with your instincts.

They just want your house sold so they get their money. They don't care about your onward move.

My agent tried to get me to sign on with. Percentage of the marketing price..

We will do but to be honest it's not an attractive house front and there's not much we can do about it - it's clean and tidy, new windows, new front door, new house numbers, but it will never look pretty.

We did receive our first offer today - it is lower than we would like so we've gone back with a counter offer and also said unless we hear back the booked in viewings will be going ahead.

Ditto - we are in Zone 2, what I’ve noticed over time is that the ‘overpriced’ comments are from investors not families/couples - I just ignore the former now. The latter I have either found they’ve overestimated their finances or have come out with comments like it’s too much pollution.. (did ask the EA to politely convey they are looking to buy in London..). There have been instances where they’ve said they’ll look further out but then I also think that’s another way for them to say the house isn’t for them, which is fair enough.

@AshRJ Are you on a main road?

Nope, we are 3 roads away from one, so you can’t hear anything from it either.

But I remember in the early days, someone saying it was too close.. think you’d be hard pressed to find anything in London that’s not going to be close-ish by a main road.

Think sometimes people just want to find a reason for feedback or want it to be close to a tube, close to public transport but still miles away from a main road.. 😁

Had someone book in for the weekend, but the agent said they have a house to sell and it's not on the market. Initially I agreed but now I am thinking really? its the only viewing we've got booked for Saturday so we'd be cleaning etc just for this person, thinking of cancelling. Do you just let anyone view in the hope something might come of it, or even in a buyers' market should you still be a bit selective?

I agree with @AshRJ and @ClonedSquare, @GoingDownLikeBHS. I’ve sold now, but the first agent recommended this tactic, said it would get multiple people to bid and then they would bid the price up. I was hesitant but trusted him to know what he was doing. Surprise surprise, lots of viewings, and he wanted me to take the first offer, which was somewhat BELOW the below-value asking price! Then he didn’t want to bother with doing anything else. I realised that whilst the agent’s website trumpeted about most clients getting their asking price, that’s easy to do if you underprice the property in the first place 🤦‍♀️ I went on with a different agent, and got an offer within two days (from the person I sold to) that was 15% higher than that previous offer, and actually above what I’d thought I’d achieve given the current market.

@GoingDownLikeBHS I think it depends on your circumstances, and also where there house is. If you have an onward purchase and/or their house is in an undesirable area then no. But otherwise it might work out.

Hoping to give a positive update here early next week.

@GoingDownLikeBHS - I'd probably allow the viewing but just do a basic tidy and hoover rather than make it pristine.

I think it depends on how you feel, but you never know, I’d let the viewing go ahead but just don’t kill yourself cleaning.

The reason I say it is, you just never know, the house I’m selling now I’d not planned on ‘liking’ at all, I’d seen one I liked already but went just because the agent mentioned it and said you may like it.. ended up offering two hours after viewing it.

If they offer and aren’t ready yet, it’ll be good to have them in the back pocket while you continue to show yours and tell them that.