Selling your house in 2024? Join me in house sprucing!

[Yemelade]

Been scouring for a similar thread, but not seen one so far!

I'm planning to get my house on the market this year, hopefully by May 2024. There's a couple very noticeable things that will put people off straight away if we don't sort out prior to listing (fascia boards/uPVC drainage near roofline is broken and has holes in and looks a mess, plus also no hand rail on the stairs) But also some cosmetic things we need to spruce up to improve curb appeal, as well as the need to declutter.

Tasks on my list also include sanding and reoiling our oak worktops (not been done since they were fitted in 2019) as well as finally getting around to putting a door back over a cupboard opening. The biggest one is sorting out our garden and putting gravel in the driveway that we lined with railway sleepers and membrane last year but never filled with gravel!!

Anyone else care to join me and list what you're hoping to achieve prior to sale? Part of me thinks "I'll just list it as is" but I know not doing these things will go against us financially, plus I'm keen to see how mortgage rates change in the next few months so I'm not in the biggest of rushes!

Please join if you're in the same boat 😊

Eek, good luck @Yemelade ! I wondered if the agents might be able to work around the weather conditions. I think it'll be good to have it up on the sites by the bank holiday. I was hoping ours would be too but we're not quite there. Got our photos booked for next Thursday!

4 offers, one accepted, they are ready to go so no waiting for them to sell, yay! Offer accepted on the house we want, fingers crossed for smooth sailing, good luck everyone selling 😀

Congratulations! Great and quick work.

Our estate agent told us yesterday it would be on yesterday but there was a problem with my ID stuff. That was sorted out yesterday afternoon, and this morning I chased for an update and they told me its active. However, I checked Rightmove and Zoopla and their own website, still not showing. They closed at 1 today and shut tomorrow and bank holiday so I followed up again earlier and they advised by email it would take 3-4 hours. It's been 5-6 hours and it's still not anywhere to be seen... Is that normal?

Hi everyone, I started a thread a while back about prepping my house to sell and got some helpful advice that motivated me to get on with it... shame I hadn't found this thread but better late than never!

I started off with a really long list of all the things we had to do but we've concluded that we just need to prioritise the main things and not sweat the small stuff. The main things are plenty to be getting on with anyway, we're in the thick of it and exhausted!

We have two young children (7 & 3) so the clutter is the biggest challenge, that and finding time to sort the house and garden. We had to get some decorating done and paid a decorator to do it, definitely glad we did because she did a great job and it has been enough work for us "just" clearing the rooms and putting things back.

We have a few small jobs that need doing - hoping to get a handyman/carpenter in for half a day - but that'll be it for tradespeople.

We did some long overdue gardening today - mowed grass and made a start on the weeding but there is loads more weeding to do!

Then "just" finish decluttering, tidying, cleaning.

I had all these ideas about making it just so but I think if it's clean, tidy and clutter-free, well maintained, it'll sell easily. We do live in a popular area.

Want ours sold so we are in the best possible position if we see a house we want. Missed out on one recently as ours isn't on the market yet.

I have already appointed an agent though, and we've done the ID checks and signed the contract. Will book photographer when we're ready - though I am wondering about asking to get the EPC and floor plan sorted in the meantime.

@Loobyloo68 Congrats!
@Yemelade Hope your listing appears v soon 🤞

@Loobyloo68 well done!! Exciting times :)

@Yemelade has the listing appeared yet?

@OverwhelmedAndUnderprepared yes, I think clean, tidy and uncluttered is what we are going for too! I just hope no one wants to open any wardrobes as they may end up buried under a pile of stuff collapsing out! I've spent all bank holiday weekend cleaning and we've finished off all the little jobs and now apart from the last minute tidying and cleaning before photos I think we are about ready for the photos on Thursday! We are near the beach and with summer (hopefully) on its way I hope we will get a fair bit of interest.

Still not listed!! I've emailed the estate agents to disappointingly ask why, highlighting that its a real shame we missed traffic over bank holiday when it was actually ready to go!! My colleague told me perhaps there is someone in their office that wants to but it or something so they're deliberately stalling. I have absolutely no idea but still no response to my email.

I did get a video approval sent to me, however. There are so many things I can see that are "wrong" with it, e.g. mad about toilet roll on display and bed isn't straightened out properly plus some things left out... Also didn't realise they would have a drone and the hedge needs cutting but we have nesting birds!! What do you all think?

https://vimeo.com/949865255/61eae7a664

I agree about the bed, but the hedge isn't an issue to my eye. When I had my photos taken (no video) it was made clear to me I was responsible for moving things out of shot and doing things like the bed. I went round with the photographer the whole time he was here.

Our listing is now LIVE!

I am probably making a mountain out of a mile hill tbh. The bed was made, though my husband made it his way Vs mine and cats walked on it so it was crumply.

I wasn't there for the photos, it was my husband and he opted to take the dog for a walk to avoid crowding the photographer. He did ask my husband to do some things in advance like moving dog beds etc though!

@Yemelade glad it is now live! Let us know how many viewings you get booked in :)
I think the video is good. I would have also been annoyed about the bed but as a buyer wouldn't pay any attention, I'd be looking at room sizes, etc (well actually I'd probably just be distracted by the beautiful cat 😅)

It went live just after 3.30pm today and I had 2 missed calls at 4.30 from my estate agent, both asking my availability due to interest in bookings. So that's a good start! Now I need to organise time slots and figure out how to arrange my time around this! Hopefully won't be too long.

In the meantime, we are trying to weigh up our options on a house we saw last Friday. It needs a lot of work, hasn't had much interest and owner has openly said he's expecting offers under. We just can't figure out how much under to go. It needs total renovation, hasn't been lived in, collapsed garage etc. Have emailed the listing estate agents to see if we can book a second viewing and also asked if they are able to disclose the figure the owner might have in mind.

Morning all,

Estate agents left a voicemail for me this morning. 3 people want a viewing ASAP, one is booked for Saturday morning. Regrettably however the EA can't facilitate any viewings for another week or so because they're so busy, so I'll be facilitating the viewing. Makes me feel a bit weird. Anyone done this before and have any tips?

@Yemelade hmmm, I wouldn't be too happy with the estate agent on that one but I suppose on the plus side you know the house better than anyone! Good there are people keen to view quickly. Maybe the estate agents could try to block book viewings or have an open day?

No I wasn't best pleased either!

We now have 4 viewings scheduled, all to be completed by us. The person dealing with the viewings is now also on annual leave for the rest of this week and no one is assigned to cover in her absence. So we might have more interest or cancellations etc and we won't know. I assumed they'd have more sophisticated systems than relying on one person to manage things, only for it to fall apart in her absence...like an online bookings system or something??

I think hubby and I have agreed to give a brief tour of downstairs which is nice and big, and then leave them to it to explore further and see upstairs whilst we sit in the garden. I really hope we get offers soon as all of this is really unsettling to me!

I have to say I think that's a really poor service from the agents. What's the fee they charge?

Based on the valuations and agent fees, we'll be paying our agent around £6k. For that I very much expect them to manage the enquiries and viewings properly! Otherwise I'd just save myself the money and use Purple Bricks!

Our total fees will be just shy of £2k. They are vetting all interested parties though and doing all of the back and forth for arranging so that's of great benefit! We are at 6 viewings now, branch manager has been in touch to confirm more early this afternoon. It all feels very overwhelming. I don't think I was quite expecting this level of interest.

@Yemelade it's great you have lots of interest but yes, doesn't seem like the best system or level of service. Hopefully with all of those viewings you will get at least one offer and get it all over and done with quickly!

Estate agent been around to take photos, etc today and will get us the draft details by the end of the weekend and then it will be all systems go here - hoping we get lots of early interest too!

@Yemelade
I agree with Itscrazy, it's great you have lots of viewings lined up and hopefully one of them will end up being your buyer 🤞
Have you had any more thoughts on whether to make an offer on the doer upper and if so how much? I think it's difficult to estimate renovation prices and it always ends up costing more than you think!
We viewed a house which needs a lot of work and it definitely has potential but I decided against it. I don't mind a small amount of work but given our situation, kids' ages and needs etc, we want to avoid extensive renovations if we can. If it wasn't for the kids I'd probably be more up for it.

@ItsCrazyItsParty exciting!

We are away for a long weekend - travelling today and back on Monday - and the timing is frustrating because I think we just need one more weekend before we're ready for the photographer. But I have a carpenter lined up for a week today (touch wood - ha!) and hoping to finish all the decluttering, tidying and weeding next weekend. Photographer w/c 10 June and on the market ASAP after that. My plan is to give the estate agent 3 days for possible viewings - 2 Saturdays and a weekday in between. I don't want the viewings in dribs and drabs, it's too stressful and disruptive with my kids. Anyway, on that schedule I think with any luck we'll have sold it by end of June / start of July 🤞

Our first viewing was terrible. I felt like they nit picked absolutely everything and I was uncomfortable throughout. I think they were expecting a much more expensive house and had negative comments about the immediate area which they would have known about in advance... I had 4 yesterday though and they were all great! I think 3 of them left telling me they want to put an offer in. The first family asked if we would be open to leaving our fridge behind and were Hindu so absolutely loved the part of the kitchen we currently dedicate as a cat feeding station to repurpose as a prayer space. However, it seems their top budget is less than our asking price. The second couple kept referring to "hidden jewels" like our side garden and attic space etc, another couple cried and cancelled their viewings for the rest of the day and said "this is the one." So that's a good sign! The estate agent was already closed after they finished their viewings so we will be waiting on baited breath early next week! I have a viewing tomorrow evening and 2 on Wednesday evening too, so that will be 8 in total. Estate agents are waiting for me to get back to them with further availability as they have others interested, but I'm sort of keen to see what happens with this initial bunch of viewings. Particularly rooting for the couple that cried and spent 10 minutes stroking my dog whilst admiring every detail of the kitchen! Props to her because she told me the kitchen is exactly as she would have designed it 😂

@OverwhelmedAndUnderprepared we keep thinking about the house... It doesn't make sense because it doesn't hit some of our essential criteria but it really surpasses other expectations. And it's also not practical in terms of public transport, I hate driving and will mean each of us needing a car due to being semi rural. But the outdoor space is just amazing and it leads into a beautiful woodland trail which you can access down the bottom of the garden which back into open countryside. We have a number in mind we would offer at and have contacted the estate agents again to ask about a second viewing. Hopefully by the time we arrange this we will have offers on our property! We've also started googling prices of work anticipated to try and make sure we'll have the budget for the work needed! Have you had any more luck house hunting and have you decided you're only up for minor cosmetic/decorative works only?

@ItsCrazyItsParty I hope you're having a good weekend, great pun with the wood 😂sounds like you've got a great plan! Hopefully you get a good buzz of interest when you do list! I have to say I've been a little overwhelmed by ours!

@Yemelade
That sounds really promising! Has anyone made an offer yet? It sounds as if the couple that cried and cancelled their other viewings might end up being your buyers, if they can offer a price you're happy with! 🤞

I've booked the photographer for next Wednesday which gives us a week to finish getting the house ready! The carpenter confirmed he's coming this week and apart from that it's "just" tidying the house and garden. Still quite a bit to do but it's achievable and we always work best with a deadline

A house I liked has been reduced in price which makes it within budget (just!) so I've booked a viewing for 10 days time. I think we will be just about ready to put ours on the market by then.

There was another house we were interested in but the vendors are only allowing viewings during very restricted times, which don't suit us at all, so I said we won't bother then. It's so weird, I don't get it!

PS to answer your question, I would be up for minor renovations eg if roof or windows needed doing, replacing kitchen and/or bathroom(s), decorating walls, replacing flooring, etc. Replacing boiler and electrics are not out of the question but a bit off putting. But the more that needs doing, the more it puts me off. Would prefer to avoid having to do an extension (we were planning it for our current house before deciding to move - not having to do that kind of work would be a bonus of moving).

@Yemelade any offers yet?? I'm sure the one who cried must make an offer, no? Have you arranged a second viewing of the house you like? I feel like at a second viewing you will proabably get a better feeling of whether it's right or not.

@OverwhelmedAndUnderprepared well done for booking the photographer! I'm the same, always better with a deadline! Good you have already seen a couple of houses you are interested in. Fingers crossed you can find a buyer quickly and get things moving!

Our house listing went live this morning so that is exciting! Our estate agent likes to hold back viewings and then block book them so he says he'll hopefully get some booked in for next weekend. Fingers crossed we can just have a couple of blocks of viewings and then find a buyer because I can't cope with the idea of constantly having to keep the house clean and tidy...

We've actually just gone to best and final offers! Multiple offers now, last one being 3k above listing price but 2k less than husbands ideal number. We've set a cut off date of next week and husband is managing all outstanding viewings with EAs too because I have a peptic stomach ulcer 🙃 possibly from the stress of all of this...

Sadly, the couple where the girl cried in the kitchen gave us feedback just this morning that they are unable to proceed as the boyfriend's parents will not release his trust fund for a property located where we are. The couple must be devastated as they told me they couldn't find anywhere with the space outside and size we have here. However, the person that offered 148 is very proceedable and in a good position too so we are more than happy!

I am off work ATM because I can't stop bringing up bile, but hoping once my meds have kicked in I can view that property again I mentioned earlier in the thread. That property has also been recently reduced, but husband rang them this morning and apparently he's still had no offers so perhaps there is still a deal to be done...

Block bookings sounds great btw! Much more manageable, especially with kids etc! Keep us posted on your progress, hope you get lots of bites!

@Yemelade oh no, sorry to hear you have been unwell. It does sound like the sort of thing stress would cause. Hope meds kick in and you are back on your feet soon. Glad your husband has stepped up to take on the viewings. It's sad the couple who really loved it couldn't make an offer but brilliant that you have had so much interest and can go to final offers so quickly - especially with the market how it is at the moment. It sounds promising that the property you like has still had no offers. Hopefully you can go back for a second look soon and will be in a strong position then if you have accepted an offer.

Yes, very happy with block booking the viewings. He's also very insistent that an agent does the viewings so hopefully we can just take the dog and disappear for a few hours while they get on with showing people around. Fingers crossed for as much interest as you have had!