Fresh start with new EA

I really hope it sells this time. Here in Scotland the custom is still for "Offers over" although plenty of people prefer fixed price. We bought this house which was offers over for a lower offer once we worked out how much we'd need to spend on it. 40yrs later we are still spending on it! I think ours was the only offer.
Previously we had lost several houses by being outbid when offers closed.

Hello all, hope you are having a good Friday.

I've just been to say goodbye to my EA, I took them a box of chox each and a florist bouquet in a box, with a card. I did take my cheque book and said I would like to reimburse her expenses, but she refused. We had a lovely chat and she hugged me when I left.

I walked across the road (I know, I went a roundabout way to do it!) and took the keys to the new EA. The house went live on RightMove yesterday, and the first viewing request came through this morning for 27 June.

My daughter leaves for London at 9 am tomorrow, and I'm going to spend the weekend cleaning!

I knew everything was going too well!

I've just had a letter from Network Rail - from 21 July to 18 October they are renewing the track most weekends from 2200 to 0600. Luckily not viewing times but my dog goes crackers when the men (sorry, I've never seen a lady although I'm sure there are some!) , I'll have to lock him in my bedroom and wear earplugs!

EA think I can go live tomorrow - I'm taking flowers and a card into my old EA and collecting the keys to hand on immediately.

Wish my daughter was here for a bit longer.

Hi Craftyone, thanks, I do feel more relaxed. They have stated in the description that the house needs renovation so I feel much better. I'm going to offer a precis of the survey to anyone really interested, just take extract relevant paragraphs and have it available in the house.

I'm not going near the annexe with this rain, we had a cowboy fix the roof in 2010 and I know it'll be leaking onto the conveniently placed towel tonight. I did invite someone for a quote and just for the single storey roof he said £25K. Found out afterwards this person has also done shoddy work for many local people and they've had to have the work redone. I have another highly recommended roofer coming to quote for both in the next few weeks, so I can give prospective buyers an accurate idea.

Hi loopyloo, we are on the live East Coast Main Line, fast trains run between London and Edinburgh via Peterborough, Doncaster, York, Darlington, Durham and Newcastle. Trains going south outside my kitchen window haven't reached full speed when they pass us as they've just left Alnmouth station, probably 100 mph. Coming from the north on the opposite track, the max speed is 125 mph. Both directions are noisy for about 20 seconds, and whistle as a warning for the level crossing. The chartered steam trains like the Flying Scotsman/Tornado are slower and very steamy! Only time they go past slowly is snow or leaves/overhead cable failure. It took about a week to get used to them, now I miss them when they stop due to problems. I used to have a friend in Richmond, Surrey, who lived near Richmond Station - that was extremely noisy! I think electrification has reduced the noise a lot.
We used to live near Heathrow on the flight path and had to stop talking when Concorde went over, I prefer the odd train! My son's first word was 'airprain'!

Curry was great, my daughter and I don't eat meat or fish and often have 'veg' curry. She has introduced me to an Indian cheese called 'paneer' - when we went to India we didn't have a chance to try it. Have been a bit worried about my 'fibre' intake after getting my 'bowel testing kit' as a surprise birthday gift on my 60ieth (! what a horrible experience for the lab technicians) I do recommend the brown rice with quinoa, seems far less chewy and dense when it's mixed.

So quiet day tomorrow, lucky I've got two coats, trying to dry today's and it's still very wet. Taking my daughter to the doc for her pill, beach with the dog, then taking her for her counselling session. Glad my son is also going now, it's difficult with Father's Day looming on Sunday.

Putting my ear plugs in for bed, can't bear that blocked gurgling gutter and plinky plonky chimney! Please stop raining!

Night night xx

How fast do the trains go by? Are they very noisy? Enjoy your curry.

ahh yes of course. Makes sense, the offers over 400 as 400 would be a limit for some and they would not look at say 425 on RM. Enjoy the meal, you sound a tad more relaxed tonight

Thank you all for your lovely comments about the house, I am sorry I can't invite you all for tea!

I really appreciate all of your help during this difficult time.

It's really raining here and the cast iron gutter I paid £250 to have fixed is leaking Listed buildings!!

After much thought, I have chosen the 'offers over' marketing strategy and signed up with the new EA today. Horrible big list of questions to accompany the contract, I did circle 'Don't know' a few times. Hopefully I haven't got Japanese Knotweed!

The EA has assured me that the sales team will be instructed to say that I will not take offers below this price.
I am desperate to leave here before the winter, and the advantage of listing it at this price is that I will come up in more searches.

I still need to see my previous EA with flowers and a card, I'm going on Friday. I feel sorry they worked so hard without a good ending, and it is so nice of her not to charge me a withdrawal fee either. The new EA said if their buyer comes back, they will send him to her and she will deal with the sale.

Off to eat a lovely curry cooked by my super jet lagged daughter! xx

Beautiful house - hope all goes well for you

£400,000!! If that house was near me (New Forest), it would be well over a million, nearer 2 probably. It's amazing, I love it.

Mosaic.
I LOVE YOUR HOUSE ???
It's got me written all over it. Only one problem ? Location.
Be no good for this southern softy.
Worth every penny your asking. Stick to your guns.

Sorry Mosaic, just another thought. You are absolutely right about getting the estate agents to do the viewings. This will depersonalise the whole thing, I would also insist that the estate agents do not divulge that you are a lady on your own. This will reduce the possibility of any chancers thinking they can manipulate a much lower price than the market value. I think once your beautiful property goes on Rightmove you will get your buyer as it will be viewed by people from all over the country. We are in a rural area and sold to people from the Home Counties - that's often how it works. Chin up, Mosaic, you can do this - and do it well!!!!

Mosaic, your house is absolutely stunning. My husband loves it, too. Northumberland is so beautiful, and a great holiday destination. I would have thought it would make a great business option, with your self contained annexe. I don't know the property prices in your area, but I still stand by my suggestion of using a guide price - maybe guide price £425k to give yourself leeway, if you need £400k. Sorry you're struggling Mosaic, but that's a seriously high quality property you've got there - be very proud of it. It's beautiful.

PS he would love the trains too.

Your house is absolutely gorgeous! It's just as well we don't have that sort of money because my husband would be viewing and making an offer in about 2 minutes! Hope all goes well for you.

A lovely house mosaicwarts. Lots of character!

It looks like a lot of beautiful house for the price but I don't know the area. Am I right in thinking the trains run right past the house? That will have a significant impact on not only the price but the number of people will to consider it. It doesn't look as if it needs a lot of work though.

Ask the agent who your target market is? You mentioned a builder, do you know what he intended to do with it?
Goof luck

Beautiful house. Be funny if you sell it through Gransnet. Looks like a wonderful place for £425K. Must buy lottery tickets for tonight.

offers over is like displaying all your cards at once, not good

From what you said then 425 sounds about right, not 400 because as you said, increasing the price mid-stream would not be good. 425 with a potential drop to 400 through an offer would mean a happy buyer but even 405 would help you and buyer would still be happy. Psychology at play

Thanks Franbern. Touch wood it's really safe here, to my knowledge no-one in the few houses near me have ever been burgled. I do lock my gates to stop any passing chancers stealing my dog, but never leave him in the garden unnattended. He's my little mate and I'd be lost without him.

The trains don't run all the time, and it's really private and quiet here with lots of wildlife. I'm not overlooked by anyone. I was really pleased to find a hedgehog on the platform the other night My neighbours in the attached porter's cottage are really quiet as they are both professionals, one of them is my solicitor. They bought at the same time as us, twenty years ago. The beach is only a ten minute drive away, as is the train station. The village with its castle and lovely river walks is a five minute drive. I'd not like to live in the village, so popular with visitors and day trippers from Newcastle/Gateshead, locals can't park.

I tended to mention my late husband too often when I did the viewings, and would prefer the EA to do them. One of the people doing the viewings is an acquaintance from the past and I know he is a very tidy man, I'll have to make an extra effort when he's doing the viewings! His wife joked once that she left some veg scattered on the worktop when she went to work, knowing that 'the mess' would irritate him .... when she returned he'd made a lovely stew!

Must get dressed and take my dog out, it's not getting any less rainy or light out there!

Mosaicwarts, that is a beautiful house! If I was looking for a house in your area I would be offering! I am sure the right buyer is out there.

Thank you Franbern, that is also my daughter's view, the £400K could attract lower offers even though it is the 'lowest' price I want to consider. If I market at this price I won't be able to increase it.

I've just emailed the EA and asked if I can discuss the two options of offers over/guide price again before I commit.

The builder who offered £60K below the £450K asking price is the only offer I've received. I discovered he is selling his house for £750K, lucky man!

I'm putting off taking my very patient sheltie to the beach, it's so grotty out there!

WOW! That looks to be a great property. It looks wonderful in those photos. Such large rooms. I have no idea of property prices up in Northumberland, but for someone that must be a really good buy.
Do hope it goes well this time, and you can move back down South.
I preferred my EA's to do my viewings, which they did, whether I as at home or not. I was happy to do second viewings, when I did let people just wander around on their own and was there to answer questions.
Must say that when I am viewing a property, I much prefer being taken there by EA's. Always feel slightly uncomfortable if owner is there.

My house was first put on the market with OIE of £450,000. Not a single offer came in above that, but had several below it.
When it went back on the market (after purchaser lost her purchaser), it was just at that price. All the offers were below that - virtually the same as previously.
Think most would-be buyers just see the figure it is being advertised for (totally ignore any other wording - In Excess of, In the region of) and just make lower offers than that figure.
So, if the property shows £400,000 - then the offers will probably come in between £375,000 to £390,000.
You must decide the very lowest price you would consider, let the EA's know and stick to it.

Thank you for all your comments, it's so nice of you to write.

I've woken up feeling deflated, full of cold, and the weather is absolutely dreadful. Rain plonks down the chimney in my bedroom so I'm up a lot earlier than I wanted to be!

We went to see the 'big screen' Romeo and Juliet ballet in the bailey of Alnwick Castle last night and left at the interval, it was so cold even with hats/scarves/blankets.

I'm going to ring the EA and discuss the pros and cons of the 'offers above' and 'guide price this morning.

She said that the house will be worth £600K fully renovated. It is such an usual house, and needs so much renovation, it is difficult to price.

I've still got the link with a few photos here - the new EA has already sent the contract.

www.railwaystationcottages.co.uk/railway-properties-for-sale/station-house-warkworth-morpeth-northumberland-ne65-0yh/

I do feel so confused about it all, this cold doesn't seem to be shifting, I'm exhausted.