House on market and I'm a bit lost

Onwards and upwards Mosaic - The Aldi Chocolate is one of my favs and hopefully your taste buds will return soon. I find Olbas oil good and shifting the goo! All the best!

You have done really good today mosaics, you picked yourself up by the bootstraps when you could have gone into a decline. Very well done, factor in the treats and leave it to the new EA to do all the viewings and donkeywork

Take care, Mosaic, get yourself some nice goodies from Aldi. A nice hot chocolate or cocoa later, and then hopefully you will get a good night's sleep. You have certainly done all you can for today. Great that you've got the ball rolling with a visit from a reputable agent on Tuesday.

I have got the valuer coming from a large and well established agent on Tuesday. I printed out the email saying I was released, just in case.

Thank you for all your good wishes, it's been a horrid experience, I've learnt a lot from it.

Off to Aldi now - because of my cold hadn't noticed the milk was sour!

You have done the right thing. There is still a good window of time this year to get your house sold. As others have said, with good photographs, a realistic price and being on Rightmove you will expose your house to the maximum audience. Be wary about what commission you accept - our agents charged 1% and were so worth it. Being professional they kept up the momentum and established a great relationship with our buyer - we sold our very non-standard period house with a large garden in three months. Our price was realistic and compared well with other stuff on the market in our area. While it may seem daunting to start again, you can do it and with the right professionals for support, it should make it easier and less stressful next time. Good luck Mosaic, house buying and selling is a nightmare - but you will get there in the end, I'm sure.

The professionals are used to clients. They won't be losing any sleep over you moving on. They haven't managed to sell your house which is what they're supposed to do.
Right Move is the go to site. Starting again will be okay. Stay strong!
My DiL's widowed DM (are you keeping up at the back) changed agents as her huge house had languished for 6months unsold. With fresh photos and renewed energy she sold quickly and found another house which she loves.
I hope you are as lucky. You deserve to be.

I've just realised I'll have to see them again to get the keys back.

They've released me from the two week's notice, which is nice of them.

Don't feel to bad mosaicwarts, you have got people to talk to now. I have been watching your thread since the beginning and you are working through things as best you can - that's all any of us can do?

I do agree with getting the new agent in asap. You can explain the situation - they will have come across it before. Good luck with the new start.

And the new agents too. You could end up paying double. Be careful!

I'm feeling very low, thanks for writing craftyone. Steve always did this horrible stuff and I'm not up to it really. Monday's viewing is obviously 'off' as she said good bye and good luck to me in the email. I have made a list of the viewer's names and am about to send it to her, she did say if the buyer who offered views again through the new agent the commission is hers.

You could do with involving the new EA now mosaicwarts, they can get the photos and description done and write the contracts. It takes about 2 weeks to be up and running anyway and tbh you don`t want to waste that 14 days. Just be sure that they don`t bring viewers to the house in that time. It will give the new EA a nice chunk of time to be contacting people already on their books, all unofficially of course

Just emailed and have given fourteen days notice of termination. I said I had taken her comments about the house continuing to deteriorate with the passing of time and losing value, and felt I should be on Rightmove. As she didn't offer advertising on there, plus didn't want to do joint agency, I reluctantly offered notice.

Several people had said I need to be on Rightmove, but I thought I should give this EA a chance as she only takes 20 houses at a time and advertises on On The Market and Zoopla. I can't believe I'm back at the beginning again

Looking at what I've written, she wouldn't want me to go to an agent as joint that does advertise on Rightmove, as they would stand a better chance of selling.

What a mess. I'll be a lot more stoic when I engage the new EA, try and take everything in my stride, try to be stonger.

Lor Mosaic you do need to be on Rightmove....for better or worse its the first thing most people do go to. We used a local branch of a quite 'posh' EA with the initial S&P. Yes their charges are not the lowest but they do seem to attract good staff. We could not fault the service they gave us in the Herefordshire area.
If you do leave your EA do make sure you have it all done officially there have been a few nightmare scenarios in press where people have thought they have ended the contract but found out later that their previous EA had a legal right to a cut of the commission when they eventually sold through another EA.

I spoke to an old friend late last night, she has worked for the same EA for 20 years. She also said I hadn't lost the buyer for the £5K, there must be another reason. She said I must go to an agent who offers marketing on Rightmove.

So this morning I wrote to my EA and said I would like to engage an additional agent .... she wrote back to say she is too small, and it is against her policy. At the end of the email she said she thought I was looking to change agent, so she has opened the conversation.

I am going to give her notice. I was humiliated she conveyed my private thoughts to the buyer, what else has she told him?

Sorry that the purchaser has now withdrawn, although doubt if it was much to do with the 5k difference.
Problem is, even if they had accepted, nothing to stop them waiting to nearer completion time, before coming in with a much lower offer.
That is why the law on this needs tightening up to make up similar to that already in place in Scotland.
My house went on the market at beginning of July last year - very few viewings - which, at the time I put down to the extremely hot weather last summer. Now I realise that is a bad time for house viewings.
Also the EA I used, vastly over-valued the house and, although I pushed down a bit, I still felt it was too expensive. So, after six weeks (and as many viewings) they suggested a reduction - even then to more than I felt was correct.
When I am looking at properties on Rightmove, I am a little suspicious of those that have been there for some time and then reduce. So, when they then suggested a second reduction (nearer to the price I had originally suggested), I just pulled the plug on the whole thing.
Went with different EA's when I put it back on market in Spring this year, and they also came very close to my estimate of price - and we have had lots of viewings, and several offers.
It was unfortunate that the Lady who really wanted it , had her own purchaser withdraw, so her property is back on market - and I have now been persuaded to accept an offer (slightly above hers) from someone different.
Marketing it at a genuine price for what it is and where it is has made so much difference - although still have had several 'silly' offers.
Give it a couple of more months, but in the meantime, sort out some of the major problems and be prepared to spend the winter there. Then next March put it back on the market with lots more details to hand (re costs of work needed), and use a different EA and a realistic price.
As I have said previously, work out how much you will need to move on.
Good Luck to you and to me, and all of us in the horrible process.

I see there are websites specialising in selling railway stations. You need one person for whom it is the ideal place. Do invest in a gardener to get the land looking tidy. If I win the lottery I will be in touch.

The relentless, never-ending grinding down as though real people are just pawns. That has made me angry and sad.

Get well mosaics, be rested and be ruthless with your new estate agent. In the meantime, perhaps prep ahead to the big `what if` of spending winter in your home. Perhaps prep 2 of the nicest cosiest rooms, make them into some sort of nest for yourself where you can hunker down, if there is a failure to sell this year, be ready for a starting post sprint in february. Your garden will still be in its winter state

Your AC, instead of offering you easy advice re the offers, perhaps they can come down and give you some actual physical help instead ie a couple of rooms each, to bottom, freshen and clear ready for viewings. Then shut the door on those rooms. Maybe see if any volutanry bodies will help with the garden, maybe the rotary club

Get some much-needed peace now

I don't ever have bonfires quizqueen, this was a desperate measure I was contemplating as the young gardener had left me in such a mess.

My railway station has a very large garden and I don't have any neighbours close enough to affect them, I am lucky to have such privacy.

As I have arthritis in my hands I was reluctant to cut them up as some were so thick, but did persevere and did five trips to the dump - or maybe it was seven.

Feeling a lot better tonight after a chat with my friend.

I am going to engage another EA, and get quotes for the roofs and windows so I have something to show viewers. All these figures for renovation are exaggerated and I'm going to find out the facts. She also said I wouldn't have lost the buyer for the £5K, it must have been another reason.

Thanks for all of your support, I really appreciate it.

I won't be on here again for a while, I feel so exhausted.

'Unfortunately the cuttings are still too green to burn' ..........
I bet your neighbours will be pleased when you do sell up if you have bonfires of garden waste regularly. Why not take them to your local dump and they will make and sell on as compost- more eco friendly all round.

P.S. I'm afraid to say I am not sure your EA is really up to this delicate situation - sounds as if she needs a lesson in tact. She is employed to work on your behalf, she should be following your instructions and always presenting you in the best light.

If that's all it took to loose him....you asking for the chance to have a little bit more money....then I am sure he would have messed you about at some other time. Better now than once you have got your heart set on a property.
It was perfectly acceptable for you to counteract his initial (low) offer - its how house are sold. We went back and forth 3 or 4 times with both our prospective buyers. No one lost their tempers or got sniffy....they both used the phrase...'final and last offer'....and its at that point we stopped and accepted what was on the table.

Sorry to hear that. It wasn't meant to be. I still think your house is so unusual and wonderful, more people should know about it.
If it was in the south of England it would be commanding a huge price. You get a lot for your money in the north.

Thanks Craftyone. How stupid of me to write to her this morning and ask if there was any room for negotiation.

I entitled my email 'in strictest confidence, for your eyes only' which normally means do not share the information.

I specifically said in the email 'obviously I do not want to lose the buyer, and do not wish you to approach him I would just like to hear your thoughts''. She also told him I was offended at the offer!

I give up. Viewing on Monday, god help me but the good news is my daughter is back from her three month of travels.

I think she has made the buyer speak what was in their mind. Buyer must have been dithering and would have given you many sleepless nights. Mosaics this one wasn`t meant to be and I am so very sorry