URGENT - selling house and I need tips on price. Viewers today!

[inscotland]

We had our first viewers today. The home buyers report (Scotland) has valued the house at £285,000 however the Solicitor has prepared the schedules at offers around £295,000 to ensure that we definitely get the valuation and possibly a couple of thousand more. Hope that makes sense!

Anyway, our first couple have just left. He said we will have a problem as we're asking for £10K more than the valuation and he thinks we will struggle to sell. I bluffed it and said that we've just gone with Solicitors advice.

He then said he could scrape to the valuation as this is the best house he's seen - they are in rented at the moment. But, it has just crossed my mind that he's only just had access to the home buyers report so will only now have seen the surveyors valuation. The price on the web is the higher valuation so I think he's obviously got the money to spend. Anyway, we're not greedy and just want the valuation although a couple of thousand more will lessen the loss we've made.

We've got 4 other viewings this afternoon but I am just not sure what to say if anyone else picks up on the £10K difference. Do you think it is ok just to say we've been guided by the Solicitor?

Up until recently in Scotland people regularly paid over the survey valuation because of the offers over system. I don't know if that will have changed with the current climate and the new home buyers report.

I think it would be fine to say that you have been guided by the solicitor and won't accept less than the valuation.

It's not as if you are saying offers over the valuation,so if people only want to pay the valuation then they will put offers in accordingly.

And if you have 5 viewings already, then it doesn't look like it is over priced.

Cheers trixy. I also did say that the price does say offers around. We will wait and see. One couple have now shown up so far!

You can ask for whatever you want. I think that saying that you have been guided by your solicitor is fine.

I think though, that at the moment most people would be looking to spend less than the advertised price for a property, so the fact that they have made an appointment to look at your house doesnt mean that they are necessarily coming to see it with a view to putting in an offer at the asking price, IYSWIM?

Hope it goes well for you!

I think if I were a buyer I would go with the valuation from the surveyor rather than the solicitor whom, I understand, act as estate agents in Scotland. I know traditionally people have expected to get offers over but, in a recession, it seems a bit of a big ask. The first viewer sounds as if he was keen but you'd have to be a bit odd not to pick up on the discrepancy and, tbh, £285k on a £295k asking price seems like a very good offer to me.

Well the next couple have been and seemed to love it. Fingers crossed for more of the same today and may be an offer or at least a note of interest on Monday.

I think saying you are going with the solicitors adivice could be seen that you are not confident in making your own decisions.

Even if you get an offer, you don't have to sell if it isn't enough.

The market is so hard to gauge at the moment. For those of you that don't live in Scotland there has been a big change from everything being offers over to a lot of fixed price and offers around prices. It used to be the case that everyone knew in which areas properties were going for certain percentages over the asking price, now nobody has a clue and it must be very difficult for both buyers and sellers.

I really don't think it's unreasonable to say that you are taking your solicitors advice given the big change in market conditions.

At the end of the day people will only offer what they think it's worth and you don't have to accept.