Think I have decided to put house up for sale..any tips..??

lol thanks glamma.. and all....

Well done you biker sounds like you have been busy,time to relax a wee bit and put your feet up and just wait for those buyers.

Hi all my initial suggestion of splitting etc...was I think to shock OH into seeking medical help...I may have thought about it but if it actualy came to "doing" it! I dont think I could.
Thanks for all the tips...etc.....we /I have just decorated right through the house, changed curtains, new carpet , garden is full! of flowers, tidy and neat (few bits lying around)..the house is ready to walk into without having anything to do, apart from personal choice etc and the kitchen could do with updating. but other than that it has been well maintained.

I am ringing another estate agents today..so we shall see how things go.
bfn have a lovely day

great advice list jeanie99 .
I would add that maybe spring is a better time to put on the market and that it just took me 6 months to get my house spruced up, decluttered and ready to rent...
But don't be worried about your OH negotiating the rate with estate agents.

Think very carefully about selling your home if the end result might mean there is not enough to split the price and buy separate houses.
Do your research on property prices thru right move, this will give you an indicator of what you can get for your money.
Get at least three agents to value your property, make sure you get the value in writing with the costs for selling,including board,adverts etc.

Factor in estate agent fees
Solicitor fees for selling and buying, get several quotes in writing, this is based on the selling and buying price and whether your property is leasehold or freehold. Ask if the price includes VAT and all searches.
Do you have stamp duty to pay on the property you buy.
Surveyor cost, you will need at least the basic survey.
Removal costs, pack yourself to save money.
When viewing properties find out the general rate and water rate cost per year.
If the property has full double glazing,cavity wall, how old the house is,
are the carpets curtains light fittings included. How old is the boiler, do they have serviced regularly. Is the loft insulated and have a look up there.
Buying and selling costs can add up.
You will need permission to paint the next door neighbours door.
Hanging baskets look good outside if you have the room or tubs.
Clear up any rubbish in the garden and tidy.
Main thing is have your home spotlessly clean including windows inside and out and no smells, there's nothing puts people off more than a smelly house.
Get out the paint brush if the decorating is the worse for wear and clean carpets to freshen them up.
Put the lights on in dark rooms.
Goes without saying get rid of the junk.
Have a mat for people to wipe their feet before they come in.
Ask viewers what their position is, have they sold, is their house on the market.
Fresh ground coffee is a nice smell as is freshly baked bread.
When showing people round tell them about the rooms allowing them to walk in first and provide information about the area including schools nearest shops if there is a church or shop nearby if you are on a bus route etc. Never say anything negative.

I absolutely agree with the comments regarding the programme House Doctor from a few years back, the problem with the presenter was that she came across as a bit sniffy and kept harking on about "you Brits" the implication being that we weren't a clean or very stylish race. Strange because a massive proportion of properties are being bought up by foreign investors here in the South East. Having said that the points she made about animal smells putting people off is very relevant. I have a friend who has a house full of animals, she also doesn't have a very good sense of smell, she had a dog a while back that reeked to high heaven. I remember when we discussed the House Doctor programme she thought the American woman's comments about animals were outrageous, we ended up arguing about it, I said as far as I was concerned selling a house was a business deal if you are aiming for the best price possible you should be prepared to smarten your property up, neutralise smells and farm out pets if necessary. I hasten to add I do like animals but a very doggy smell is off putting. I also can't understand people who present their properties with overflowing bins and unmade beds for heaven's sake. We sold our last house in two weeks, it was cleaned from top to bottom, the children were made to put everything away, it was hard living in what I considered quite an unnatural state for that brief period. The bath, the shower, basins and sink had to be buffed up after use, but it did achieve the end result we wanted. If I were to sell the house we are presently in I would be inclined to go for one of these "open day" affairs get the house looking at it's absolute best, offloading as much clutter as possible then go out and hand over to the estate agents and let them line up appointments for that day.

bikergran what a shame about your neighbours I do sympathise and hopefully you will sell and when you move you will get better ones, fingers crossed for you.

Gosh ! so many hints and tips..we moved from our lovely house to this so only had experience of this move.and is it was new build we didn't really have much to think about...didn't even have a survey on new house!

Yes I did wonder about removing photos.

Thankyou for all your kind thought's on my erm " relationship "lol. yes it is difficult and I am trying to look at it so that I will hopefully be ok if n when the time comes I am on my own..hence would like a clean slate.

Few reasons we would like to move..is..we are on a family estate, live in a close so not too bad, but are surround by 3/4 bed houses...when we bought ours, these other houses had not been built and to be honest never thought or looked what was being built around us!

next door has had approx. 9 possibly 12 new tenants, some good some bad, I have never liked the house I have hated it from day one and also our lovely black cat (Magic) escaped the night we arrived.
We are also moving for financial reasons,, straighten a few debts etc,,, the house we are in is small, open plan, we have built a conservatory on and it is quite pleasant,but my front door is on the side...very odd! if anyone remembers the old back to back terraced houses then this is the modern version...in fact I shall go and take few pics and maybe put on my profile later..
I won't be sad to leave this house, but we may end up staying as if we cannot find the property we like at the right price, and I already know it is going to be really tight...then we will just have to stay here.

ok taken everything on board mind you we may have hit a stumbling block already...OH said "I will ring the estate agents and tell them we are going ahead" ok I thought! keep his brain occupied, as I was busy with GS today....I comes home..he proudly announces" I rung the agents.and TOLD! them!! if they do it at( one % ) instead of one and a half % they can have our business!!!!

I said " it's not a &&** market stall!!!! grrrrrrrrrrrr.... they havn't rung us back now!! ok asking for one and a quarter, but one %!!! I feel he has offended them! I can see fun and games ahead..lol but I shall smile away lol...take care all and thanks...

Last time we sold the agent took ages moving stuff, taking the photo and then putting it all back....must've been a good'un

Butty, any photos would be better than those taken by French Estate Agents. Dirty washing up, piles of clothes, ironing boards up, clothes hanging over banisters, clutter, people in photos; I am sure you have laughed at them as we have!
I wonder if they need a five year training with lots of work placement to do it as badly as they do?

I could tell of some really horror stories of viewing properties from my house selling days,I worked for one of the largest Part Exchange builders in the Country for yrs,people thought that because we where interested in PXing with their property they didn't have to make any effort to "display" their home and many certainly didn't bother at all,it was a good job that we had staff shower's at Head Office the amount of times I came out of homes that where none to clean and left you feeling the same.

I liked the rightmove photo that showed a paved drive that was almost completely covered in an big puddle. And the rent a room ad that showed in picture one, the toilet with the lid up and in picture 2 the shared lounge with a clothes airer taking pride of place.

Always amazed to see photos on Right Move where there are things like clothes drying over radiators etc. . A friend who works for an estate agent said that they have to be very careful about being critical of someones property but, then again, they are there to help them to sell it.

I would also have a folder showing local schools and their standing with Ofsted if your house is family size. We actually decided on this house before we went through the gate. It was a bungalow on a steep hill with three bedrooms .none of which we wanted but the setting was fabulous and we are here after a lot of money spent on building extra rooms after thirty years and probably won't downsize.

When house hunting you do see some horrors. One that sticks in my mind is the house in which every room was bright orange.
Also the one with the curtains all closed. Estate agent obviously did not have guts to tell African owners that opening the curtains would help them to sell. There were also large chest freezers all over the place. We wondered if they were importing some rather iffy perishables.

biker my friend you are certainly on the right track with regards to decluttering,the more your home looks open & spacious the better I have always gone for big mirrors and the lamps on when people have viewed a house we where selling,just look at some of the showhomes for sale they always have the lights on when you go to view,pick up some light coloured curtains for the windows and open the window's if the weather allow's.Try and find out what the last property sold for if you can,not what it was up for sale for but what was actually achieved and price accordingly,the most inportant thing is to get an agent who will give you constant feedback when you have had a viewing and to tell you what potential viewers thoughts where,and not to let anyone view who couldn't
proceed view,ie someone who hasn't sold their own property or got genuine interest from a buyer as it is just a waste of time.I do hope things turn out well for you it is a stressful time I know. glamma x

I loved the House Doctor programmes but was really surprised when they made a programme about her house, and not only did she own a dog but it was allowed on the furniture. When it comes to anything about property she is the one we always listened to [along with the wonderful Sarah Beeny].

Bright, light, neutral, decluttered and depersonalised; that's what we did, and in a competitive market it worked! It also meant that a lot of the packing and clearing for the move was already done - we rented a small storage unti and put stuff in there until the move.

I really believe this worked. As Jess says, like it or not, the "House Doctor" and co are right. Although it seemed like an eternity, (must have seemed so to GNs who listened to me moaning!) it only took four months to sell, and that was after the first buyer pulled out.

But Elegran makes a good point - could you bear a smaller place? Think of yourself and your needs too.

Bikergran, a much smaller place would mean you couldn't escape from OH when being intolerable, unless you could arrange it into separate living areas. In your position I would think very carefully before rushing into a move. Consider your own quality of life first, it wouldn't be selfish!
I hope things work out well for you.

I did buy my house despite the state of the garden next door, as it's one I have known since childhood and I knew I wanted it before I walked inside it. The elderly man next door never does his garden. When I have a gardener round, I ask them to cut next door's front hedge.

It all depends who wants the house and why. People who need a local house because of schools, jobs, nearness to relatives, will be more flexible than those with no strings attached.

Kerb appeal is important, though. If your house looks more attractive than its neighbours, they'll want to view it. A few hanging abskets and planted up tubs, neat garden, paintwork in good condition, no crumbling garden walls or broken fences. Bin out of sight and sparkling windows.

Our present house had been renovated by a young couple who bought it as a "doer-upper" following the death of two elderly very heavy smokers As Flickety says, nicotine gets into the very fabric of the home.

The young couple had had to have the whole place re-plastered to get rid of it. We would never have bought it if it had smelled of smoke as I am asthmatic and smoke affects my breathing.

For me (and DH) the state of a house and garden do not bother us as we are serial house-improvers, which is why we have the house we now have.

But after multiple experiences of renovating property for ourselves, with our children and selling as executors there is one property fault that will stop us dead in our tracks - and that is a house that has been inhabited by a heavy smoker. DP's bought a bungalow in excellent order, except that the previous occupants were smokers. The smell could be dealt with, replace the curtains and clean the carpets but decorate as they would the yellow of the nicotine would come through. It took 15 years and about four redecorations to deal with it. DS had a similar experience and we had to redecorate an elderly relation's house when we sold it. Three coats of paint on the living room ceiling could not stop the nicotine coming through.

biker so sorry to hear of your problems! Brilliant advice on here for selling but please make sure you make the right decision for you for afterwards (((hugs)))

... and another point. Photos. If you think you can do a better job than the agents, then make them use yours. I did. Good photos will get viewings. It's worked.
Go with multiple agents.

I once spent a sickly weekend watching re runs of House doctor. She is absolutely right - make the house look as empty and neutral as you can. Remove all photos, ornaments etc etc and paint magnolia and white. I then followed her advice and we sold our house to the first viewer. Just done it again and we let it to the first viewers.
However this time we have been through six months of painful throwing stuff away. DH sold some more valuable items on ebay. We donated a lorry load of books and clothes to oxfam. Other stuff went to the dump. Still chucking odds and ends up to the last day (yesterday!!!)
It is really hard throwing stuff away as items often have some emotional meaning. But they are, in the end, just things.
But it is the only way if you want to live in a smaller space. Don't even dream about putting anything in storage.

biker My house is up for sale, so appreciate your concerns.

Are you in a hurry to move? Price according to your needs - not what the market tells you. You don't have to go with what the E.A. says.

Next - first impressions count. So I'd crack on with making friends with next door and explaining your situation. Hopefully, they'll welcome it.

There's a saying - most people make up their minds in the first 10 seconds or so.

This house was in a terrible state - but we knew it was a renovation job.
It doesn't sound as if yours is - so I'd go with clean, airy, bright and uncluttered.

If outside maintenance needs updating, do it. If it costs to much - then let that reflect in the price. That can be a good bargaining tool.

I don't think I've added anything to that which others have said, but wish you good luck!

I know your personal circumstances are difficult, so selling sounds like a very positive and energising thing to do.