Getting disheartened

Six weeks is s very short time

Is it ? We have no idea what to expect

We are just about to start a similar process BBbevan so I feel your pain.

We are having an open day in 2 weeks so hope to get an(some) offers at that point . But have searched for our new house and made our offer and been disappointed by counter offers and the vendor seemingly happy to just see the price raised .

I can't blame them, we all want to make a price we feel is realistic but it's pretty stressful.

Have you 'dressed' your house for a sale? Our estate agent gave us a few pointers on making sure our house was the best it could be.

Good luck with the process ?

I agree with Annie, but if you are getting lots of viewings and no-one takes it any further, perhaps your asking price is too high?
I do think the longer the house is on the market, it may become more difficult to sell. People start wondering why it's still on the market, and what's wrong with it.
Ask your agent's advice, they know the area etc.

Not only is 6 weeks a very short time, but the summer holidays definitely slow house viewing down. We have recently sold after 27 years in the same house and found the whole experience a different ball game from our previous 4 sells.

Today buyers are much more wary of interest rates and the affordability of a house. It would seem that those looking for family houses are very fussy and want value for money, and who could blame them.

It costs more today to upgrade bathrooms, kitchens etc. than it did in the past when we did it. I don't know why! Maybe standards are higher!

It took us several months to sell a detached family house in a very desirable area. We had no negative feedback, but on reflection I think the higher the price of a house the longer it takes to sell. There are less buyers in that price bracket.
It will go, Autumn is a busy time, our sold twice in the Autumn. One fell through, but another buyer came within 24 hrs.

I would add get all you paperwork ready, guarantees for work done on the house etc.

Sorry to have been so long winded! Good luck!

We waited months for the right buyer to come along and then - Bingo - one arrived and offered the full asking price.

If a prospective buyer asks for a second viewing there's a high chance they will make an offer.

I went to a lot of trouble and made sure each room was clearly defined as to use. For example we had a dining room that was rarely used because the house had a big breakfast room. My grandchildren had toys in the room so I set the room out as a playroom.

Flowers are always a good idea and keep personal possessions to the minimum. Buyers don't like too much personal stuff about the place, although when I was a buyer I never minded it.

Six weeks is nothing! Although it may be if you hadn't had a single viewing, but you had a few.A house can sell the moment it comes onto the market or can take a year or more.Getting the price right is key, and making the house look attractive too.Good luck.?

Agree with others, too soon to worry. Have you checked for sale/sold prices of similar properties in your area? Your Agent should have done this already but sometimes they are a little over ambitious with price and a small tweak could make all the difference. It might be worth getting a friend to cast an eye over your home and say if anything could be presented differently, sometimes we aren't the best ones to dress our homes, understandably we like them as they are. I doubt you are doing anything wrong, it's time of year and pure luck comes into it. You only need one buyer, he or she is out there. Hang on in there.

Around here houses for sale sometimes have an open day when people who want to view make an appointment for that day along with other interested viewers. Not only could that get viewings over in one day but people tend to put offers in on the day. The house next door but 2 from us was recently sold for 20K over the asking price using that method. (House prices are astronomical around here).

That's the very reason we're having one Alima , and it means less ad hoc individual visitors which must be good.

I think pricing correctly is crucial , did you get more than one agent in for valuations BB ?

If you've had viewings, then I would ask the estate agent what feedback they got from potential buyers because sometimes they don't tell you unless you ask. It could help pinpoint a problem area and give you a chance to do something about it. Some estate agents will let a property stay on their books for a good while without contacting the seller to review the listing.

Keep your eye on the other properties in your area that sell and how quickly. In particular, make a note of the estate agent that sold the property. Some try harder than others.

Thanks everyone. Feedback has not highlighted any major problem. Estate agent says just things like, garden not large enough, too far to walk to station ( 10 mins )
Every thing is clean, tidy and the house smells nice . Garden looks lovely and DH would polish the lawn if he could. We can think of nothing else we can do. House price is consistent with others around the area and it is a Guide price , so offers are invited.
So there you are . I suppose it is just a waiting game.

BB if it's any consulation, the person who bought our house had seen 25 houses before seeing ours. She didn't look at ours at first because she thought it was the wrong era! She said knew it was the one as soon as she walked through the door.

Someone like this will view your house. As you say it's a waiting game, but it's a anxious time and you have to keep tidying!

Ds who lives next door had house up for one year without an offer.
He changed estate agent, made sure better photographs were taken and more of them. Also dropped price by 6k and house sold within two weeks.

I've moved often and sold many houses.

Firstly, don't believe what any viewer says. Usually they are just being polite and often say they'll make an offer, then you never hear from them.

Secondly, estate agents. Did you get several in to give you an honest valuation?

Yes, it's the school holidays and that can affect sakes, BUT if you're getting viewers and no much in the way of offers then take a good look at your home and see what the problem is. Is your kitchen up-to-date? What about your bathroom? Decor?

It's not just a matter of being clean. If it needs work doing then the price should reflect that. It's horrible selling your home and having people judge it.

Good luck and I hope someone makes a reasonable offer soon.

It's interesting to know what makes a buyer "fall in love" with a particular property.

In our case our last house needed a lot of work doing but the buyer loved it because he wanted to restore a Victorian Property and we had lots of period features.

The last time I sold a house I was quite recently widowed and my son was living with me who was in bad health. The Estate Agents were wonderful and worked like trojans to get the full asking price which I really needed.

Previous Estate Agents under different circumstances were not so helpful.

With one property in the past we did have to lower the asking price and then it sold immediately. This was hard to do but the house had been on the market for months with no interest in it whatsoever.

Don't be disheartened BBbevan. You are doing all the right things.

We did have a buyer that ' fell in love' with our house.They offered full asking price if we took ours off the market whist they sold their's. We refused to do that. They say they are still interested but now have employment difficulties. Hey Ho

BB had a couple of those types over the years and felt sorry for them. Harden your heart.

A quick question. Are you doing the viewings yourself? We always did, and soon learned to suss out a bit about the potential buyers.

Young family with school-aged children. Read up the OFSTED reports for closest school. Young professionals? Best local restaurants, coffee houses, best shops, rail links, etc. Friendly looking types, point out how nice but undemanding the nieghbours are. Fitness freaks, local gym down the road and good parks for walking, running. Dog lovers, lovely wooded area just a few minutes walk away? DIYers? Explain how next door extended their bathroom into a spa complete with sauna and swimming pool!

OK maybe a bit OTT, but it does pay to suss out your viewers

A cautionary tale.
A friend has been trying to sell her Victorian cottage for nearly a year. It has been beautifully restored and is a gem, but is on 3 floors with steep stairs, is terraced with no real parking space (village lane, so parking is OK still but on-road) , has a long thin garden which can only be accessed through the house or via a right of way across her next door neighbour's garden, basically not ideal for a young family, anyone getting on a bit or anybody with a swanky car who wants off road parking. Oh and it is virtually opposite the village pub which might be ideal for some, but wouldn't suit everybody. So not easy to sell. Because she hadn't found a house to buy she was very relaxed about it, chose a cheap agent (useless) moved to a more upmarket agent as soon as she was free to and the house was very well marketed.
She had a firm offer 6 months ago but because she hadn't found a house in her new area, shilly-shallied(IMO) and telling me she knew what she was doing, having "moved 4 times in 15 years" , blah, blah, ignoring my cynical advice to accept, sell, put her furniture into store and rent in the area where' she is looking. Her buyers were prepared to wait, but being teachers moving into the area, really wanted to be in during the summer holidays. Then about 6 weeks ago one of the neighbouring cottages, which was rather run down was sold at a knock down price,, scaffolding went up and work has started on the exterior. Apparently without planning permission or building regs, it has stopped and started, Windows have been left boarded up, the noise when they are working is unbearable and unsurprisingly her buyers have disappeared over the horizon.
She has tried dropping the price, but nobody wants to know when they realise the wrangling that is going on over planning permission, when they see the state of next door and realise what they might be in for.
Being kind (?) I have zipped my lip, but so often thought "I told you so".

Are there other houses for sale in your area similar to yours? If yes, get a viewing and see what they're offering.

I agree it's a short time. It's not a brilliant time to sell, and some people are apparently twitchy post-brexit.

I used to work in an Estate Agency and there was one particular house that refused to sell. It was immaculate and in a good area. It had great feedback too. It sold eventually.

Anything will sell at the right price. It's about supply and demand. Some house buyers are both extremely fussy and lacking in imagination. You show them something that fits their criteria, and it's"just not them". You show them something that they can put their stamp on and "it needs too much work".

Have you analysed your local market? It's easy to do on Rightmove or Zoopla. And make sure your house is presented and "dressed" well-it's a cliché, but people DO fall for it.

Hang on in there. It's frustrating and sometimes even hurtful to have your much-loved home picked over by others. And make sure your agent is honest with you.

Btw it's possible to sell online now, through Purple Bricks or Tepilo.

Noticed your comment about refusing to take yours off the market after receiving a full price offer BB .

I have to say we would ask that too. I don't think its unreasonable if you are making a good offer and are a 'serious' buyer. I really don't want to get into a bidding war and so think that as long as a timescale is set , say 6 weeks for the deal to move forward I don't think its unreasonable.

We are people of our word, but not everyone is as straightforward and the thought of losing a house by being gazumped further down the line is horrible.

But as you say , they now have employment difficulties they may not be in a position now to move forward anyway.

The request that you take your house off the market while a potential buyer sells theirs is I think unreasonable.

The whole thing might fall through and you will have lost other potential buyers.

I wonder what advice your Estate Agent gave you and are they working hard enough on your behalf.

During one house sale we had more than one Estate Agent and two signs in our front garden. I enjoyed watching the two Estate Agents having a heated discussion outside my front gate.

Don't forget there are people who think that the housing market is going to plummet, so they're holding back on buying.