putting home on the market

This is an old thread (Aug 23) revived by a spammer.

Friends of ours put their property on the market last year. They'd had tenants living in it who hadn't taken care of it. EA told them not to waste their money doing it up as most purchasers would want to do it themselves anyway. However, the house was on the market for a very long time. They eventually decided to 'tart it up', by replacing the bathroom with a cheap new one, painting the kitchen units, and giving it a lick of paint. It sold the same week, and they got their full asking price! I guess sometimes it pays to spend a little bit of money.

My very elderly neighbour had a new bathroom installed, it was so nice we got the plumber to install one for us, sadly about 6 months later she became ill and had to go into a care home. Her bungalow was sold and the first thing the new owner did was rip out the bathroom. So don’t waste your money. Whoever moves in will probably gut the house and make it to their own taste.

I think Mabon1 has probably sold the property by now. She posted this op in August 2023

How awful for you, that agent is so rude and is obviously not interested in getting a sale/commission.

Please ask another agent to give advice, and continue until you feel happy with the agent and the advice they give you

I agree with all the advice to change agents. Do look round to see who has sold signs up in your area. Quite often they will have a list of people looking for property there. I had three agents to look round and went with one who loved my house, told me not to do anything because people would change things and had sold houses down my street. It sold really quickly. Good luck

I would definitely change estate agents! If she was so abrupt and rude to you ,cant see her being the kind of person you want showing people round the property. I think you should leave your rooms as they are now and not put yourself through a lot of hassle which may not be appreciated anyway. Having moved many times both here and abroad, can I make a few suggestions? Look in the local paper and at property you see for sale in your area, to gain an idea of the general prices in your area., and if you see several similar to your own place from a particular estate agent go to them. If you have some young friends or perhaps a niece or grandchildren, you could ask them to come in and make HELPFUL suggestions. When we live somewhere , it is our home and we do not necessarily notice particular things. So for example, I am a great book reader and have various books about on the go at the same time. If I was going to show the house I would probably put them away for that time, and move things just a little to make it look more spacious. But if your house is well maintained then people will make their own changes as they want to, and I would think you are just wasting money , unless there is some major problem . One thing I have always done is to have a little house book, as I have always had champagne taste and beer money! So in a notebook I have 3/4 pages for each room. It has the window size, how many rolls of wallpaper needed , curtain size etc. With this I have been able to find quite a lot of things from charity shops or in discontinued lines etc. With the wallpapers I usually buy 2 extra rolls if I really like them and they are cheap . Also note on a plan of the room any things under the floor and where there are any trapdoors if any etc. At the back I used to put the names and numbers of plumbers electricians etc that we had used over the years and when I sold the house presented the book and the extra paper etc to the new people. This allowed them time to get sorted and have the local people to contact if they needed. If you are downsizing you might have some things that you know that you do not want to take with you? If you are sure about them then you might be able to dispose of them now and save yourself some cost and effort when you actually move. I am a similar age to you , so wouldnt do it now but when we used to move we always got a couple of nights bed and breakfast close to the new house. Very worthwhile, so that if there were delays with furniture arriving or things didnt work , we had somewhere clean and restful to be able to go and get showered and have a rest and not have to do the beds immediately.! I wish you all the best with the move., and I used to find that when the people viewing were commentating on the things that we had liked and made us buy the property, they were often the people who bought the house. Good Luck

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Meant to say Skydancer. The young whippersnapper dealing with your mums house obviously hadn't got a clue.......if Mums house has stood for 150 years, surviving storms, tempests and WW2 then it isn't going anywhere.

If there was any doubt as to the integrity of the house then a structural survey and an environmental search would have highlighted any potential issues. The price could have then been renegotiated if necessary.

When I mentored or trained newbies I always taught them never to try and bluff their way through a situation when they were out of their comfort zone. It isn't professional and it only makes them look foolish.

Good luck, whatever you decide. Hope it goes well. .

We have recently had a valuation and will make a decision in the next month to stay or sell.
We negotiated fee to full payment if we sell within 5% if the asking price in 3 months it then reduces on a sliding scale.

Oops wrong "there". Bloody predictive text. Lol

Wahoo......💃. Someone else praising their EA. Thanks Skydancer.

Yes there are incompetent EAs and their are some downright rogues. But they are not all bad. Honest.

A good one is worth their weight in gold.

mabon1 Any buyer can do those jobs themselves" Am I being unreasonable?

No, You're not unreasonable.

I do note, when looking to purchase near our home, many people very easily paint the entire interior cream, kitchen included - rather makes it all appear clean and sparkly (if windows sparkle as well).

We have had 2 excellent experiences with EAs. The last one, through her highly experienced manner and professional negotiations, got us a far better price than we could have dreamed of. However a rather junior person who was dealing with the sale of my late Mother's old cottage told me I needed to accept a low offer as a similarly-built one in the local area had recently collapsed!! (Mum's had been standing for over 150 years). Ridiculous and very immature I thought. There is a huge difference but I have faith in most of the ones where I live. I would never dream of selling a house without the advice of an estate agent even though I would set the price.

Franbern. How lovely to hear someone actually praise their EA. We are a much hated and maligned species up there with tax collectors and traffic wardens.

I too have provided tea and sympathy (and chocolate biscuits). It goes with the job. Lol. I have also jumped in the car and acted as a courier when necessary.

Anything to keep a sale on track.......😁

Just for fun...

Sold a house last year. Had 4 valuations. 3 for around £240k, 1 for £270k. Initially I thought the valuer was a tad optimistic but when I looked closely at the competition and market conditions I realised she was probably right,

Their fee was 1%. The other agents fees were 0.75%.

I went for the more expensive agent. I sold at full asking price. Fee was £2700, plus vat. If I had sold at £240k with a 075% commission I would have paid a fee of £1800, plus VAT. For the sake of an extra £900 in fees, I made an extra £30k.

The EA knew their stuff, knew the market and were prepared to put in the effort. They didn't take the easy route of a lower asking price for an easy sale and offering a low commission rate to secure my business.

One of my better decisions.......lol.

When I moved back in 2019, it would never have taken place but for the perseverance, and professionlism of a lady working at the EA;s I used. I cannot praise her enough. From the time the house went on t he market she was the one who carried out all the viewings. When offers came in she was the one who advised me.
When the potential buyers pulled out almost at the end of the process, she actually came round to give me the bad news ( not just a phone call), I cried on her shoulders!!! At the point I wantede out completely, but she persauded me to give her four more weeks, and YES within four days she had two more offiers, both above what the previous buyer had been paying!!!

It was she who spent a whole workingday on the phone trying to track down the legal team for the people at the bottom of the chain who wwr holding up the exchange of contracts. And, it was she who kept me closely informed on the day of completions, as to how the monies were progressing. So, informed us that my flat could have keys collected to allow furniture removal people to start unloading nearly three hours before Solicitors got round to informing me of this!!!
Highly professional throughout.

If only we could!

We are looking to move again before long. You don’t need to guess who we will approach!

GSM. We all make mistakes. Just don't fall into the trap of making the same mistake twice.

Yes there are different types of agents for different types of properties.

What the industry refer to as premium properties require specialist agents. For example large country properties or high end properties in London will not be sold by the middle of the road agents. You do need the international big boys for those.

If you want a £10 m flat in Knightsbridge or a Manor House in the Cotswolds then you don't shop at Purple Bricks. Lol.

Many of the top properties don't even need to be advertised, you just instruct the agent who will have their "little black book" of potential clients raring to go.

Like the top end galleries and museums these premium agents have a very selective hiring policy. Attractive posh boys and gels, usually from top public schools. Why ......because they have the right connections and can bring in a lot of business through those connections.

As I said before I see the EA's primary function as an introducer, the "average" end of the market rely on marketing and advertising, the upper reaches use their connections and networks.

Many years ago I met a very fancy high priced New York lawyer. When she found out what I did for a living she said you really ought to try the New York real estate market. They would just love your accent, you would make a killing.

I was pregnant at the time so never did get round to trying it. Pity, but you can't have it all. 😂🤣.

You write very well DerbyshireLass and there should be no doubt here as to your abilities and professionalism. I couldn’t agree more that experience is worth paying for.

When we sold our last house we initially used a local firm of EAs as we knew one of the partners. Big mistake. Worse than useless. We were selling a country house with several acres. We then brought in one of the well-known national firms, which we should have done in the first place. A higher rate of commission but they already had potential buyers and the house was sold inside a week. As a retired solicitor I’m always saying you get what you pay for - I should have practised what I preach!

As a new build negotiator I witnessed loads of buyers rip out their kitchens within the first 12 months of ownership. Mind it has to be said builder grade kitchens aren't always that great. Lol.

Sorry had to sign off because battery was running out.

I think you will find that most EAs worthy of their salt would be delighted to see some form of professional qualifications. I know I would. It would help sort out the wheat from the chaff and help assuage the clients doubts and fears that they were receiving the "best advice"for their circumstances. It would perhaps help polish up what is sometimes seen as a tarnished image.

The sad fact is sales professionals (of all kinds) are not given enough respect or recognition for their skills. All business rely on sales, no sales, no income, the business goes bankrupt.

I stand by my comment about learning in the job and gaining practical hands in experience, in all kinds of markets, whether buoyant or sluggish.

No disrespect to the most recent newcomers to estate agency but if they have only been in the business during the last few years they will not have any experience of difficult market conditions. They simply wont have the knowledge or experience, they will need training and mentoring to cope.

Thank you for your kind comments Doodlebug and Germanshepherdsmum. One does one's best to remain gracious and dignified. 😁.

For the doubters of my professional standing and the value of advice I have given, here is brief resume of qualifications and experience.

BA degree in art and design with a special interest in architectural design.

Professional qualifications as a Mortgage Advisor. Professional qualifications as a Debt Counsellor.

Over 30 years working as a senior negotiator and ultimately sales trainer both in EA high street offices and on new build developments. Also owning and operating my own overseas property company. (Spain).

2 years as an independent mortgage advisor, two years specialising in mortgage arrears for a building society.

Plus of course practical experience acquired through buying, renovating and selling for profit a number of residential properties.

I give advice that I am qualified and experienced to do so. I never give advice on commercial properties because that is outside my remit.

My advice was given freely in the spirit of trying to help people overcome the pitfalls of a falling market.

Anyone can sell a property when times are good. It's times like these that sort out the boys and girls from the men and women.

One final word about pricing. The EA does not set the price, the vendor does. The EA can only advise.

As for commissions.....I would rather pay a higher commission fee and get a higher price for my property than go for a cheaper agent and get a lower price.

Same with solicitors, accountants, mortgage advisors. You get what you pay for.

When I was in my teens my parents spent a lot of money on a brand new kitchen. Months later they had to sell up to move for my father's job. The new owners immediately ripped out the brand new kitchen. Unless you can absolutely guarantee to know a prospective buyer's taste (which you obviously can't) as long as the price reflects work needing doing, then you will be fine. The estate agent sounds inexperienced.

I thought so too.