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Original poster

My house has been on the market since Jan...

18 replies

Nymphadora · 13/05/2010 14:57

Reduced it once and now is on the low side for my type of house/area. reluctant to reduce again due to that (and needing the money!).House is empty as we moved into dh house last year.

Had loads of viewers and some said 'loads of similar properties' and some registered an interest but have to sell their own.

Has the market been holding due to the election and will now pick up. Anyone in the know? Should I reduce? WWYD?

OP posts:
notasize10yetbutoneday · 13/05/2010 16:57

Maybe the fact of the house being empty is making it difficult for people to visualise it as a home? Would you be able to put any spare furniture in there to at least give an indication of 'oh yes this was the lounge' or whatever? Not sure if thats a practical ida or not but as someone who has viewed a LOT of houses, i think that the empty ones are much harder to see 'through' and also the fact of them being empty generally makes you more aware of any work/decorating which needs doing.

Original poster
Nymphadora · 13/05/2010 17:12

If I put furniture in it costs me in council tax!

Estate Agents originally marketed it at FTB but in the FTB have not had as much deposit and its on the line between FTB (with deposit) and second time /downsizers. Hence considering reducing again. Majority of similar houses are £95-105 K and mine is now £95K.Saw another thread on here about someone reducing their house & everyone being suspicious of why its cheap.

I know one of the 'have to sell my house' and they are v keen but their house isnt selling.

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annh · 13/05/2010 17:13

Do you mean the viewers are saying that there are loads of properties like yours on the market? If so, are you competitively priced? Are the other houses selling or are they all sitting unsold?

If your house was newly-decorated and empty, it would probably be great because people would feel they could move straight in and just unpack their furniture. I agree with the other poster however who said they probably can't see beyond the marks left behind where you removed the pictures and the fact that there are dents in the carpet from the sofa. Could you possibly give the whole house a coat of neutral paint and get the carpets professionally cleaned? Also if the house has been empty for some time, it will very quickly start to look unloved with piles of junk mail in the hallway and leaves blowing around the garden. Are you able to go over there regularly to keep it looking good?

And finally, what have the estate agents said?

GrendelsMum · 13/05/2010 17:21

I would agree with AnnH. I expect that it is looking rather tired and unloved if it's standing empty - we've been in this situation and the house started to look slightly run down very quickly, and stains in the carpet / scuffs on the walls were horribly visible in an empty house. I do think you need to pop over once a week to keep it looking good. We reckoned that you could leave a small amount of furniture in it and be okay for council tax - not enough that you could actually live there, but enough that people could see what the rooms for. We had something like a dining table, a sofa and a bed, so there was something in each of the main rooms to indicate what they were.

Original poster
Nymphadora · 13/05/2010 17:37

Has been decorated since I moved out. needs a new fireplace but it all works wtc. Had house professionally cleaned.No garden and yard has been powerwashed etc.

EA just say there is plenty of comparable properties and its a buyers market

CT inspected the house to ensure it was empty.Photos were done with furniture though.

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PlanetEarth · 13/05/2010 17:39

I know I'm weird, but when viewing houses I prefer them to be empty. That way I can visualise myself in them much better, otherwise I have to imagine the other person's stuff out first before I can imagine me and my stuff in. And you can see the house itself much better.

Nearly all the houses we made an offer on were unoccupied.

Original poster
Nymphadora · 13/05/2010 17:41

planetearth want another one?

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Fizzylemonade · 13/05/2010 19:30

I used to work in council tax and your C class exemption for it being unfurnished only lasts 6 months so don't let this stop you furnishing it.

azazello · 13/05/2010 19:33

Can you have a chat to your agent? Do you have a floorplan done etc? Is it worth seeing what another agent would reckon? It might be that it has been on for a while and the buzz has gone so it just needs to be revived a little bit IYSWIM

Original poster
Nymphadora · 13/05/2010 19:33

Been unfurnished since March so I still have til Sept to have it cheaper. Also would have to buy furniture since we moved everything.

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Original poster
Nymphadora · 13/05/2010 19:38

Still getting a few viewers a week which is what everyone is getting apparantly. Agent has a good website with loads of pics/plans etc.(why I chose them even though they will cost slightly more)

I was wondering if the market was hovering a bit with the election uncertainty.

The new govt has talked about doing away with HIPS now too so will that boost or not? Or will the fact I have one make it better than one without?

Can't you tell its the first time I've sold!

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BeenBeta · 13/05/2010 19:42

Doing away with HIPs will just encourage more sellers to put their house on the market - just to see what offers they get.

RambleOn · 13/05/2010 19:43

Do the details for your house specify 'no chain'?

My house has been on the market since Jan as well - Jan 2009! Sold it twice, and the chain has broken down leaving us without a buyer.

It has now sold again, and wouldn't consider looking at something to buy where there was a chain involved. Therefore stating 'no chain' is a big selling point imo.

Original poster
Nymphadora · 13/05/2010 19:46

Thats what I thought. Its a PITA actually for us as we have another property to sell and were putting it on soon when the tenants are out. Will have to have a HIP as they won't be scrapped but then they are putting up capital gains and will pay that!

The end will be worth it though I suppose.

OP posts:
BeenBeta · 13/05/2010 20:18

Nymphadora - why are you paying capital gains tax?

It was your principle residence surely. You do not pay capital gains tax on that as long as you lived in the house recently.

Original poster
Nymphadora · 14/05/2010 07:11

The other property is capital gains tax. As dh didn't live in it. Mine is ok

OP posts:
skidoodly · 14/05/2010 07:24

If you are keen to sell, reduce your price so it is a lot cheaper than other similar properties. Of course you don't want to sell for less, but if you want to sell you need to be prepared to sell at a price someone is willing to pay.

Coming down significantly in price will increase the pool of potential buyers.

Original poster
Nymphadora · 14/05/2010 08:05

Thanks I think am probably at that stage again. Will see what this weeks phone call brings. They usually phone on a Friday

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