For sale sign board outside of home/ or not?

[4658Lou]

Just really wondering what to do about a for sale sign board going outside my house. There is one more house (a smaller property) up for sale £255 k ours is going up initially for £280k this other property is next door but so
it’s quite close to our house I’m just worried it will be seen as competition to potential buyers and or neighbours may see the sale board and look it up to compare their property’s maybe even think they will sell - I’m just wanting views on if a sale sign is worth it in this situation? Or just in general

Anyone coming to view your house is going to see the board for next door and go and look it up. So you have already lost there. By having a board you can hope to gain from people viewing the neighbour property, who might think it is too small or not high enough spec.

Thats a big % difference in prices though? Are you confident that yours is worth so much more?

Well ours is a bigger house we have more bedroom and it’s three storey with a seperate garage/building. I do not believe it will go for 280 mine but it’s a starting point. the 255k house wasn’t original put on for that its they tried to put it up for 270 themselves but just obviously didn’t get what they wanted maybe or want a quick sale but it’s smaller in terms of size. I guess that may be a positive for both houses if there is two boards up We get each others viewers I’m not sure though haha

I would put a board up. It’s a clear indication to others that you’re wanting to sell but I would use a different estate agent yp the one next door.

I'd definitely have a board up. We've sold several properties in very different types of location over the years and always had a board. The only time I regretted it was when some idiot set fire to the board! (Naice street with a mix of large 4 bed victorian terraced and a few - also victorian, of which ours was one - detached). Think it was just a random stroke of bad luck as opposed to anything more sinister. We did have a bus stop outside our front garden, so kids tended to congregate.

Even nowadays when most property searches take place online, I think there's still a chance prospective purchasers might be passing and see the board. Additionally, someone who's seen the ad on the portals, but does a drive by to check out the property - if the street is full of identical houses it would help to have a board indicating which one's for sale imho.

I guess not everyone thinks boards are a good idea, as currently in our road there are four houses for sale, none of which have them. These are wildly different properties, from a '90s townhouse to a large Georgian cottage, ranging in price from around 260k to 650k,

Thinking about it, maybe it's because we're a conservation area and boards aren't allowed/frowned upon - when we bought here last year our house did have one, but it was inside, in a downstairs window....

I'd also put a board up. Many viewing either property will have checked out online what's available locally anyway. Also, there's the chance someone passing might think yours is suitable for someone they know and mention it.

In your case I would agree to a board. You're comparing apples and oranges here, your house is different to the neighbour's and priced accordingly.

I chose not to have a board when selling my mum's place - she died suddenly and had lived in the same house 40 years, I couldn't cope with a board, the neighbours were all terribly upset too. Sold for £30k above asking price!

Anyone looking for a house will be looking on Rightmove, and find both houses regardless of whether you have a for sale board or not.

One didn’t have a board - end of a cul de sac, no passing foot or car traffic so didn’t see the point, one round the corner from an outstanding primary, lots of passing traffic, had a board! The house next door was also up for sale around the same time, we definitely got people viewing both for comparison but it worked both ways. Our buyers had originally been to see the (cheaper) house next door!

Boards only attract nosey neighbours. Real buyers will be on Rightmove etc.

I haven’t the last two times we’ve moved - I didn’t want people in the street asking me about it before we knew what was happening, and didn’t really want local randomers looking up the RightMove listing while we were still living there, just to nose. We sold within a couple of weeks both times. I suppose you never know what you might have missed but we were happy with the price achieved etc and I think anyone serious is looking on RightMove these days and doing their homework.

I’ve passed houses on the bus/car etc and a board has made me look the house up online so I think they’re handy to have. Not everyone is on Rightmove, especially elderly people

Put up a sign. You're either selling or you're not. Trying to do stealth selling, hiding it from the neighbours, is silly and results in a lower price. You don't seem committed to moving as vendors without a sign so that puts buyers off. You could be 'testing' the market.

For sale boards are just advertising for the estate agent. The only other purpose they serve is if people are coming to view, your house is easy to spot. I’d put one up because people coming to view yours will assume it’s the neighbour’s house that’s for sale and knock on their door instead.

I would see no disadvantages of putting a ‘For sale’ board up other than if you do not want the neighbours to know you are selling (eg you want to be secretive about your intention to sell if for example the cause of selling is due to a divorce and you do not want neighbours to know about your divorce until you find a buyer). Many a times, people walking down the street and driving past will see the board and there will be excellent publicity due to word of mouth. The advantages seem to outweigh the disadvantages