Have you sold with Zoopla?

[RockinCara]

Has anyone sold a house recently just using Zoopla? Or anything similar. I am executor for my mum’s estate. The sale of her house will go 100% to my brother, but I was told it’s better for me to sell it so he can still get first time buyer status when he buys a house after the sale. He thinks we should just use Zoopla to sell mum’s house as it’s cheaper than estate agents. I think it will be more faff. Presumably we would have to do viewings etc. I would prefer an estate agent. I am just looking for people’s experiences of it.

Zoopla is like rightmove - only accessible by estate agents who pay a lot of money to be members. I think most people use rightmove rather than zoopla although a number of estate agents use both.

agents to avoid are purple bricks and other on-line agents.

you should get 3 local agents round to value the property and do barter on their charges.

do your own homework on what similar properties are on the market for and make sure to have a decent floorplan on the details showing room dimensions.

also bear in mind that the housing market is slow in most areas at the moment so a sale may not happen quickly.

good luck.

Thanks.
im hoping it will sell well. We’ve just redecorated and recarpeted in neutral colours. It’s in a gorgeous village where everything seems to be selling and letting almost immediately at the moment. And it’s a gorgeous old character property. I’ve had a few people ask if it would be going up for sale (it’s six months since mum died). I hope it will be easy to sell.🤞

I think it’s the online agencies he is interested in. Why would you avoid them? I’d rather use a local estate agent. I just need reasons why to persuade my brother.

I would always avoid the online agencies. You don’t have that personal touch for the buyer or yourselves when you need the conveyancing solicitors to be hurried along.

I’d also avoid the chain EA’s like connells group. Try to find someone who knows your area well, takes good photography and prices houses appropriately.

If you’ve gone to the trouble of redecorating I’d also recommend spending a little bit of money on home staging (which usually comes with professional photography). It can be the difference between a quick sale at a great price, and spending months on the market and taking reductions - ideally you want to complete before Winter when your running costs will go up significantly.

If you want to realise the proper value and smooth any conveyancing issues then you need an independent local agent.

Personally I won't even view a house if it is listed by an online agent.

I'm also concerned why you have redecorated in all natural colours a 'character property'. You have striped it of its charm and features, the exact aspects that your buyers will be looking for.

I wouldn’t touch the online agents with a bargepole. My neighbour sold theirs with purple bricks and it took 10 months to from accepting an offer to completion on a chain free sale.

Since they took the listing and conveyancing fee up front there is no incentive for them to actually do anything.

Get some valuations and quotes for fees, see what the agents have sold recently. Avoid ones that overvalue and then make reductions over months.

Why?? Do you have to paint a character house in non neutral colours? Just because it’s painted in neutral colours doesn’t mean it doesn’t have character! The cream looks lovely with the beams and fireplaces. It just looks clean and like someone can move into it without doing any immediate work. The previous carpets were stained, and the walls hadn’t been decorated for over 15 years. It looks lovely now.

Depends who your target buyer is. Perhaps you have simply chosen the wrong words to use. What age is the property?

‘Wrong words’? OP seems to have said exactly the correct words, in that she has stated what she has done, nothing controversial about using neutral colours in any home. She didn’t say anything about stripping it of its features either.

I have asked OP to clarify what she meant acknowledging I may have misunderstood by her choice of language.

My point was that most people looking at character properties in a gorgeous village / location want a character property, and most (not all) are wanting something that does need updating. People house shopping for a neutral box are looking at newer build style properties. Neither is wrong or right, they are very different propositions.
Neutral walls and flooring drains the soul from a genuine old character property. I am assuming it's not listed and on that basis perhaps not as old as OP has implied.

As I understand it, the online agencies end up not being as cheap as they appear.

You have to do almost everything yourself & for their cheapest package you basically get an online listing (that you have written) plus minimal photos (that you have provided). If you want anything more, you pay extra.

I know many EAs are like this but I think the online ones are worse as they are like a Ryanair £20 flight, by the time you have booked what you actually need/want it costs £500!

Surely he’s a first time buyer regardless? Smells to me like brother wants you to do all the work - extra work to save his money for him.

“bugger off and sell it yourself or accept an estate agent doing it” would be my answer

No. If he owns a house, which can be due to inheritance or purchase, then he’s no longer a first time buyer. If the estate sells the property, and he inherits the proceeds, then he remains a first time buyer.

OP is probably the executor.

The really cheap way to do is is list it via Quicklister. Costs £200 or so I think, and they will list the house on Rightmove.

You have to do all the work yourself, photos, writing listing, doing viewings, negotiating offers, progressing the sale etc, But if it saves you £4000 or £5000 over a traditional EA, you might decide it’s worth it.

Yeah, she says she’s executor - but surely if the house is his in the will, she can’t sell it unless it’s to pay debts first then him inherit the rest?

im not sure if I think that’s fraudulent or if I just think it’s a total piss take on his behalf - hope the OP is suitably recompensed either way!!

Usually the executor can sell the property and pass on proceeds. I think the piss take is in DB thinking he can dictate how it’s sold (probably trying to maximise inheritance), but honestly I think it’s tight. Take the lowest stress option and get it done would be my advice. I’d say you take the house, or the proceeds once sold. You don’t get to penny pinch on the sale. Cake and eat it springs to mind.

Totally agree - I think at best he’s taking the piss !!!

No it’s a solicitor working for us on something else who has told us to do this. It’s not my brother. He’s done all the work emptying and painting. Can’t fault him.

I really don’t see what wording needs clarifying. We’ve refreshed paint and replaced old carpets using creams. The house is a stone, 250 year old cottage that was previously a church property. It’s not listed. Not all old properties are listed. We live in a much older 350 yr old property that isn’t listed either (thank goodness!). The house still has plenty of character and charm.

Thanks everyone for your comments on the online agencies. It definitely confirms that we need to use a regular estate agent. I might put pictures on my own social media for a week or so beforehand and let the people who asked about it previously have a chance to look/buy prior to engaging an estate agent.

Good. I mean, it’s nobody’s business than yours anyway - but I’m glad not everyone has to be as cynical as I do 🤣

I think the decorating sounds like it’s only going to have enhanced it - enough to look nice but blank enough to let the new people not worry about putting their vision on it. Best of luck 😁

No, I got your point. My brother has been a real lazy arse, piss taker for most of this life, but strangely grew up and stepped up when my father died a few years ago.

Don't get bogged down on what anyone is saying about decor. Buyers wont really be bothered and you have made it look fresh and clean for presentation. If they want to put their own stamp on it they can (I'm an EA)
I cant recommend online agencies at all. There are loads of hidden charges, no sales progressors in some cases and they are impossible to pin down. I feel your brother is being selfish. Stick to your guns and go with a real person

Thanks. It was just looking very tired, that’s why we decorated. The washing machine had flooded the downstairs and stained carpets, and my elderly mum dropped food upstairs and stained those carpets too. It was as the difference between someone coming in and thinking “gosh I’ve got to spend xyz on carpet before I move in” compared to thinking “it’s clean and tidy. Even if I don’t love the colour scheme I can live with it for now”. We did have an estate agent out for probate who thought it could add £10/15k to the price. Anyway, it looks lovely.
I think my brother is being naive rather than selfish. He’s never bought or sold a house before. He’s only asking, not insisting. I just want to be able to explain why properly to him.

I’d honestly go with the path of least stress for you as executor. Whatever he gets is a bonus!! ( in fact I’ve got £70 in the bank - would you take that and a hairy old polo I found in my coat pocket?)

I had a great experience selling with Yopa. It depends on the value of the house as to the savings - traditional estate agents usually charge a % whereas online are usually fixed. I’ve sold 2 properties and saved 1000s. Yopa charged 1.5k including viewings and photos etc, traditional estate agents usually would’ve been 10k+ and I’m honestly not sure what it would add. Also gave us a direct line of communication with the buyer which is so much easier than having to go through solicitors/estate agents every time (though that option was still there if needed). They have local agents for each area. The only downside I can see is you have to pay upfront vs at time of sale..

If you think it will sell easily I think it’s def worth a try with the online one!

I would def use your own solicitor for conveyancing though.