Anyone else putting their home on the market in early 2025?

[newhomein2025]

Just that really - I'm going to be putting my home on the market soon, and hoping to find something to buy too. It's due to divorce, but I'm actually feeling ready to move on and find a wee place just for me and my teenager. I'm slightly dreading the process, and all the associated hassle, and worried that I won't be able to find somewhere I can afford nearby, but excited to start again. Anyone else planning on selling and buying in 2025 and want to keep me company?

We have heard nothing about mortgage offer, so fairly certain they can't afford our house now.
We have made decision to pull out and extend. Not just because of our buyers but my MIL was fit and healthy in February and is now in care home, so we are reluctant to move away and not visit her very often.
Husband also needs an ankle operation out of blue.
Do I inform the solicitor or EA or both?
Thanks

Sorry to hear this but sounds like a sound decision. I’d email both the agent and the solicitors.

Sorry about that @rhubarb007 I know the health of elderly parents can decline rapidly and understand not wanting to move too far from MIL. My parents were fairly healthy and robust one minute and then very poorly the next, it was all quite unexpected.

We've accepted an offer on their house so hopefully things will move along now. The EA did eventually share details of all the offers and presented the one he thought we should accept. It's a couple who are buying the house for their DD. They asked a question about the annex and when the EA replied that our house doesn't have one the mum replied "oh sorry, we confused this house with the one we are buying for our other child". They are buying 2 houses in the area for their children. In London. It's truly a different world for some people!

Really sorry to hear that @rhubarb007. It sounds like you're making the best decision for your family.

I'd let both EA and solicitor know.

update from us - our sellers have messed us about. moved the goalpost on price. and whilst we were negotiating with them, our true dream house came on the market. we went to view dream house today and we have fallen in love. we are planning to make asking price offer tomorrow and i feel sick. it felt like home.

send positive thoughts to me please!!!

Good Luck @StrawberryThief1930

Hope you manage to secure it and it sounds likely with you potentially offering the asking price.

thanks @Twiglets1 but we know there is at least one other serious interested buyer. and who knows whos come out of the woodwork over the long weekend. its been priced to get a lot of interest! we only have 1 offer we can make so we just have to hope its enough. we're going in with our best offer first.

We had pulled out of sale.
Good luck to everyone else with the endeavour!

Good luck @StrawberryThief1930, I hope it works out for you. We have now offered and lost out on 2 properties. At close of business Friday we were the top bidders on a house that ticked every box for us, it couldn’t have been more perfect. At 6.30pm the EA emailed us from home to say a new bidder had come in with a substantially higher offer which the vendors decided to accept, without giving us a chance to counter. How can this all be done after 5pm on the Friday before a bank holiday weekend? Doesn’t sit well with me but not much we can do.

We viewed 2 more properties today but neither were suitable and nothing else on the market. I’m hoping our buyers will continue to be patient but I’m feeling the pressure.

yikes @Hermioninny that sounds really tough. i hope something comes up soon.

i know we have put in our very best offer, so if it isn't accepted then we don't have any capacity for a counter offer.

i think the agents sometimes have their own agenda....

We have had a bit of a rough time of it so far and it’s not even the most stressful part! Our house on the market last September and had one viewing and nothing so at the end of March we decided to paint the exterior of the house and change EA. New EA has been great and already much more helpful than the last and house went live in April. Had three views first week that went really well (2 of the views being one couple who wanted to see it twice) and recieved two offers, one at asking price and the other 10k below. EA informed us they had some concerns about asking price couple because they were being a bit cagey about their MIP so they said they’d go back to the other couple and see if they could increase their offer. They increased their offer to still below asking but we decided to accept because they’d seen it twice and really loved the house. When EA told them we’d accepted they said we still have some places over the weekend to see so we’ll let you know - bearing in mind this was the bank holiday weekend. First couple with the MIP issue decided to withdraw offer because they felt the house needed a full electrical survey but not entirely sure why as all the electrics are a modern installation. Think it might have just been an excuse and EA thought they’d be trouble at survey stage anyway. Second couple came back after the long weekend and withdrew their offer because the lack of parking concerns them and they have three cars and I just feel so frustrated because why view somewhere twice and offer twice if that’s such a deal breaker. So now we have no feedback we can change and no one interested. Had 2 enquiries yesterday but they didn’t realise we aren’t walking distance from a train station - do people not look these things up? I feel like i do so much research into the places i look at. Feeling dejected and the house will never bloody sell!

@Lashestoashes have you thought about reducing the price? That is normally the best way to generate more interest. I definitely would have done that when I put the house on with a new agent assuming it has been on Rightmove since last September.

Sounds like you were unlucky with the last 2 potential buyers though.

@StrawberryThief1930 hope things work out for you.

@rhubarb007 sorry to hear of your change of plans, it's so disappointing for you after all the effort to try and sell.

@Lashestoashes that also sounds so frustrating. I would wait a couple more weeks and then maybe reduce the price if you can? It's such a tough market at the moment.

We are just still waiting, still looking on RM at nothing for us. If only we had £2m budget 😂

We are not sure whether to go for a Level 2 or Level 3 survey. Any thoughts? House is 1930’s, has a single storey extension built in 2007. Good condition not a doer upper or anything.

We actually reduced it about three times with the previous EA but it didn’t make any difference unfortunately 😅 although I do think previous EA priced it wrong to start with, it’s now on at a more sensible price which has helped. We will reduce eventually but think it’s too soon with current EA at the moment.

Definitely think that will be the way to go, it’s just so annoying because I think it’s priced accordingly at the moment. Our real issue is that we are in a village and so it will only come up for people looking in a very small specific radius so it was always going to be a challenge to start with. Lesson learned for next time!

Oh yes I agree it's too soon with the new EA and hopefully unnecessary as you have already reduced it.

our offer on our dream forever home has been accepted. im in shock. i just need everyone to send positive vibes for our house getting through our buyer's survey ok and everything proceeding. maybe some things are meant to be.... eek.

@StrawberryThief1930 very best of luck! Does sound like it was meant to be:)

So disappointed with the solicitor dealing with late parent’s estate. At the beginning of April she told me the Inheritance Tax paperwork was done, just needed to be signed off by her manager and then it would be sent off and we could apply for Probate 20 days later. So I was under the impression we’d able to apply for it at the end of the April. Chased her for an update last week and after sending multiple e-mails she called Tuesday to say the IHT paperwork has in fact not even been sent yet?! Apparently she didn't realise another signature was required by the Executor (my sibling) before it could be sent to HMRC.

She then said it would be sent out to my sibling for signature by first class post on Tues and a copy emailed to me. My sibling hasn't received anything in the post and she hasn’t emailed me anything either. Really frustrating. The EA had set expectations with the buyer that Probate would be dealt with within 12 weeks but will have to push that back considerably as the earliest we can now apply is probably end of this month.

This is giving me flashbacks/PTSD to when I sold my flat and bought a few years ago. The stress of incompetent Solicitors almost pushed me over the edge!

Congratulations @StrawberryThief1930! You’ve given me some hope. I hope it all progresses well for you.

There is nothing new on the market here since last Friday. I was hoping for a little flurry of listings after the bank holiday weekend but no sign. I’m starting to wonder how long our buyers are prepared to be patient, it’s definitely an added pressure.

Yes @StrawberryThief1930 that's great news!

@Hermioninny we feel the same about our buyers. I just cannot be bothered to go through the hassle of re-listing and keeping the house mega tidy again if it falls through.

The advice our previous surveying firm gave us re: level of survey: anything older than 90 years old, or that has been extended, or that has had significant internal alterations (guessing they mean load bearing walls moved) needs a level 3. Otherwise, L2. As yours has been extended, it falls into the L3 camp.

Makes sense when you think about it - some people literally build their own extensions.

Yes we’ve gone for Level 3. The range in fees quoted was huge though!

So, nearly 8 weeks on and my vendors still haven’t found anywhere.

So I have! Went and viewed a property on Thursday, and absolutely fell in love with it. And £20k cheaper. And more importantly - chain free! So I am now chain complete, and there’s still a vague possibility of meeting my buyers end of July hope for moving.

I feel slightly bad for the original vendors (my offer on the new house was only accepted late yesterday, so I’ve not called the agent yet) - but am now feeling utter relief.

You don't need to feel guilty at all.

It was their right to take as long as it takes to find their onward move. But this was always the risk they were taking.