House on market and I'm a bit lost

Good luck.

Thanks for the good luck. I'm still dithering. My son did think they loved it, but do they love it enough to pay another £5K, and is it worth losing the sale for such a small amount.

Mosaics, 5k, you would give them that if you thought they were pulling out and you had no other offers. That 5k will make them extra keen and yes in the scheme of things, it is a very small amount.

Have just looked at a bungalow in Bournemouth - it's got a tree house in the garden! £300K. Shall I offer £240 ;)

I meant to add that when I googled 'low offers', there is a disgusting site where horrid people discuss how they 'played' sellers to get them to accept ridiculous sums. Pretending they only had two hours for the seller to decide as they were flying out of the country, etc. Society has really changed.

do you really think that a seller marketing their property at £300,000 would even consider something like £240,000? I found it very annoying that people viewing my property seemed to ignore the asking price and put in their own sill offers. So, my house being marketed at £450,000 - I had people offering £420,000.
Had a very good EA, and she knew that the lowest I would even consider would be £440,000. Did not even bother to pass on those silly so-called offers to me.
In fact, one family messed about so much with their offers, that I actually told the EA that even if they offered above the asking price I would not be willing to accept them, as I did not trust them.
If you are genuinely interested in that bungalow then the least you could offer would be in the region of £275,000 and be prepared to go up to £290,000.
Check how long it has been on the market, and also what similar properties in the area have sold at over the last year or so.
Will the sale of your house (with the current offer in place) give you enough money to buy this bungalow - taking into account, stamp duty on that purchase, solicitors fees and removal expenses - all added onto the costs of your sale - do remember your EA's fee which also has added on VAT.

I agree Franbern with your comments about silly offers, except where people have wildly overestimated what their house is worth.

I moved into an estate of new houses and in two years my neighbour replaced the kitchen, bathrooms, doors, flooring, radiators and some other stuff. Then they put the house on the market at what other new houses on the estate were selling for plus the cost of all their “improvements”. Another £100,000 for fundamentally the same house. They were very indignant when they had no offers.

On the other hand a relative thought she would get more for her house than she did because she just couldn’t see all the updating that was needed.

If Mosaics bungalow in Bournemouth has been on the market since Xmas £270 might be a reasonable offer. But I think she was being ironic?

Or £240 even.

yes society has changed and my word is my bond has no meaning for many. Its good to practise with offers, mentally at least and I started at 8% lower with one house, settling at 4% lower until I did the survey, it was immediate and I pulled out pdq.

So 8% below 300 is 276 and people would not be insulted at that, 275 is a good negotiating base

I never offered on my home, I loved it so much that I paid the full asking price and so did my neighbour

Franbern, it was just a silly attempt at humour, I did put a wink to imply I wasn't serious. My buyer has offered £60K less.

I think you have to be very confident to stand very firmly but your sale price in todays market. Its all well and good on a housing estate of very similar properties for sale (that ARE selling) to be so intransigent but when the one you are selling is very individual and will only appeal to a very small group of people then I do think you have to view any offers as a starting point. There is no point taking offense too early, people will always try to pay a lesser amount if they can.
We accepted an offer just shy of 8% on a chain that was well advanced and felt we could not have done better without waiting another 6 months and we just could not take the risk for several reasons.

We are in june and there is only 3 weeks until the housing markey dies and will be dead for months. Not many people go house hunting in september/october and then it dies again. The window for selling is quite small

Craftyone, I was surprised when you told me of this. I did think I'd have viewings throughout July and August - is it because of the school holidays? The EA has also said 'we are entering autumn' and didn't think I'd want to wait so long.

I emailed her today in confidence, and asked if she thought there was any room for negotiation at all, to £400K. I said if she thought not, would she consider reducing her commission.

Haven't heard back! And my friend hasn't had a chance to ring me either!

No biscuits so I've just had more bread and butter, I think the butter has gone off as I've left it out.

This cold is making me feel absolutely awful.

I moved fairly recently. One of the many viewers came three times and seemed very keen. I was pleased until their offer arrived - it was 25% below the asking price! That is really offensive as the house was in good condition.

I've lost the buyer. I wrote to the EA asking if she thought there was any room for negotiation, not expecting her to phone him and ask.

He has withdrawn.

I can't believe she's done this.

What a lot of angst for nothing

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

'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.

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.

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 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.

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.