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How long has your house been for sale?

42 replies

SomeLikeItHot · 20/08/2008 14:06

Getting fed up now... we had an offer accepted on a gorgeous house 2 months ago but can't seem get anyone to view ours never mind put an offer in!!! We've got it on with 2 estate agents, its on rightmove and we've not had a single viewer since it went on 10 weeks ago!! Now i know with credit crunch etc its all crashing but i did expect to have had at least 1 viewer by now!!!!

Please someone give me sympathy and tell me they're in same situation!!!

OP posts:
noddyholder · 25/08/2008 22:23

I agree if you are planning to stay years it will even out but why take on 1000s extra debt if you don't have to?I would prefer to have the money in the bank than on a mortgage!

scanner · 25/08/2008 23:12

Maybe, but the point I'm making is that even when the market is bad there's always someone looking to buy.

noddyholder · 25/08/2008 23:30

yes me!!!!!!!!!!!

LynetteScavo · 25/08/2008 23:47

People want to buy, but they can't get a mortgage. It's just so difficult for first time buiyers, atm.

nancy75 · 25/08/2008 23:57

i have posted this on threads before. we are would be first time buyers in a very good position (finance in place, could move tomorrow) we have made good offers on a couple of houses (no more than 10% under the asking price) and been turned down these houses are still for sale, sellers need to start getting more realistic about prices.

i have also viewed houses that are total shit holes - i am prepared to do work but not prepared to view houses that have dirty knickers all over the kitchen floor and stink because the bathroom has never been cleaned. now i know all vendors are not like this but alot of the houses i have seen have been presented so badly its no wonder nobody is buying them.

noddyholder · 26/08/2008 09:17

The banks are right to withdraw these mortagges at ridiculous multiples.Only when prices revert to sensible levels will the market pick up as they can't risk this level of debt and over borrowing again.If you have a decent deposit and want to borrow 3x salary you can get a mortgage easily any more than that and there is a risk of this scenario recurring. I have pulled out of 2 purchases recently following the surveys but I had negotiated 27% off both asking prices.So it is possible to find a bargain and once these reductuions start showing on the land registry other prices will tumble.

LynetteScavo · 26/08/2008 09:39

I do agree with you noddy.

How long do you predict before prices are low enough for things to start moving again?

Oliveoil · 26/08/2008 09:44

went on mid May

had an offer in two weeks, turned out to be timewasters

had another offer, good ones (hopefully), survey happening on Friday so still early days and could go pear shaped at any time so I am not planning anything until we exchange

we knocked 10% off the asking price

2 houses on our street are on for higher than ours and are smaller , a house is only worth what someone is willing to pay so being stubborn and refusing to slash prices is daft imo

claricebeansmum · 26/08/2008 09:59

We have to move as DH has changed job.

Put house on market - 14 viewings in 3 weeks and 2 second viewings but no offers as nobody was in a position to proceed. Agent suggested we reduce our price in order than the couple who really wanted to buy our house could drop theirs. So we dropped ours but would they drop theirs? No. They thought they were recession proof. And they are still on the market. We have rented ours out.

Looking to buy - every house I looked at - vendors all thought that house prices were falling but their house was recession proof. It was complete madness. We have now found a house and are due to complete on Thursday but it was a struggle. I think alot of middle classes are in denial about their houses falling in value.

noddyholder · 26/08/2008 10:40

I agree what is it with all these recession proof houses which are just like any other house?A friend had hers on for 325 since last year when the schools went back.At the time I though she should drop to 260 and get 250 but she was in love with all the work they had done and just wouldn't accept it.She has been dropping it by 5 and 10k here and there this year and accepted an offer last week for 239.She had to take it as her dp relocated at xmas and she has been struggling on her own.That is the problem with chasing the market down you do get less.She has been paying the mortgage for a year plus her dps rental and she has had to drop much more than she would have needed at the start of the falls.That is why what looks like a huge drop now will seem very small next year.

selby · 26/08/2008 15:24

Job relocation here too. 15 viewings and 3 second viewings in 4 mths but only 2 proceedable buyers - 1 of whom went on to buy another house and the remaining one who thought he could get a mortgage but didn't due to self-employment. We've also rented ours out - not a decision taken lightly considering the decreasing equity level of the house but we needed to mitigate our mortgage payments after 5 mths of paying rent as well (having already relocated to a new area). We naively thought that we could take a hit on the selling price as we would eventually be trading upwards and the reality was/is that it's extremely hard to find a proceedable buyer even with this strategy in place! So, tons of interest but no offers not even a cheeky one (which we would have considered if we had the opportunity!) Not even contemplating looking to buy due to our belief that the market is still falling for next 12-24 mths.

claricebeansmum · 26/08/2008 18:42

Selby - you probably felt the same way we did when trying to sell and buy. Whilst the media went into panic and overdrive some people HAD to sell and they were not helping.

The thing is for those with a good deposit there are deals available and stuff is happening. There is also not a shortage funds for mortgages - there is money there - not to be lent on wild multiples admittedly but sensible borrowing is available and there are now some attractive rates.

Obviously the Chancellor has killed the market further with his mithering over stamp duty but for those of us who had to move...

Many people cannot sell because they would be in negative equity but some people are just being greedy. But there are deals to be done.

lalaa · 27/08/2008 16:24

We put ours on the market a month ago. We've had about 8 viewings and have sold today to someone in a proceedable position at 2.5% under my asking price. Am crossing my fingers it all goes through - I see no reason why it shouldn't.

So, keep positive! Houses are selling!

onceinalifetime · 27/08/2008 16:31

lalaa, do you mind me asking, did you put yours on at a price lower than you might have last year?

wombleprincess · 28/08/2008 11:30

somelikeithot... after a really tense week we exchanged on tuesday.. i actually cried when we finally did it all as i was so relieved. sold for 12.5k below asking price but actually 2.5k above what we budgeted to get originally so i think we are pretty lucky despite the mega stress..

SomeLikeItHot · 29/08/2008 10:01

congratualtions wombleprincess! Bet its such a relief its all over!!!

OP posts:
lalaa · 01/09/2008 16:29

yes, we did put it on at lower than we would have done this time last year, definitely.

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