Help calm me. House buying and selling stress

Morning all, we had snow in the night. It's now melting and water is pouring down the outside walls, the gutters are blocked I haven't bought a new safer ladder yet so it'll have to wait.

Hope everyone has a good day

I am trying midgey, I do find it hard getting rid of familiar things and have stopped sorting the bric for the moment.

I've just unpacked all my bedding, I've kept far too many sheets, unfortunately I have a double and a king size bed and they've got mixed up, so I do need to size and sort them. I will have friends coming to stay so will choose the best ones and put the others up in the loft to use for decorating. Reminds me of when my husband died and I put his family up, I remember trying to get the three beds ready while I was still a shaking jelly.

I've just been looking through the house book and the seller used the very worst roofer around here - and it looks like she had to have his work redone. He came to the station to give me a quote, I wasn't warned about him until afterwards, luckily I didn't give him the work. He laid a barn roof for a friend of a friend - without securing the tiles. Whole lot blew off in the next storm! I haven't seen his van for a long time, I think he has left the area as too many people know he doesn't know what he's doing!

Shandy it sounds like you are beginning to settle into your new home, that is so good to hear. Amazing how much stuff we acquire and how much we discover we don’t really need any more!

Morning everyone, very sunny here but still spitting with snow, it's very strange. I think we are going to see more odd weather in the future.

I've just had my vaccination and feel great that in twelve weeks I'll have more freedom I was worried about a reaction after so much discussion and did wake up very cold in the night, and woke up feeling hungover but it's now passed. Good it is working.

I'm looking forward to visiting my daughter in Belfast, and am worried for her, the riots are only a ten minute drive away from where she is living.

Another day of decluttering for me, I have to let go of a lot more in order to live in this small space comfortably. I know the bric a brac lady at Oxfam, she's been there twenty years, she researches and washes everything and makes sure it's pristine for the shelves. I feel obliged to send it in dust free!

Have a good day

I didn't have a board up, didn't want all the neighbours and passers by saying Oh you moving, where to etc. etc.
I also had a stranger knock on the door to view, even though no board, I said no, you need to make an appointment, I thought she was strange!

I wouldn't have a board again if I was selling, it made me nervous with people slowing down as they went past, although I realise this happens as they can see it on RightMove.

I also wouldn't let anyone I know come for an informal look without booking through the agent, someone my husband knew came round on a Sunday and completely wasted my time and effort. He even asked to see the coal house but I had to refuse as the septic tank was misbehaving that day. So glad I don't have that to deal with anymore!

Thinking about it I came home twice to find people sitting in my drive - and also had people wandering around my garden according to my neighbour. I caught the last couple just leaving my garden and they were really offhand, I shouted 'can I help you' and they said 'oh, we didn't have time to book a viewing'. I was really angry and said I was off the market and it would have been polite to knock. I don't think they gave a hoot.

The auction house left their sign up when I was moving out in that eight weeks, and people were looting the garden, I Know I had some tin baths stolen. Very dubious people were stopping to take the things I couldn't take with me, rifling through as though it was a car boot sale. Gives me the shudders, argh!

I'm just back from the dentist and horrified to find I've got a lose tooth, feeling a bit sorry for myself today! Handbrake isn't working 100% either and my new drive is quite steep, hope it's safe in gear and won't roll back into the road.

Wishing everyone good news before the weekend if you are waiting.

I'm another one who had a brilliant agent and I don't think I would have managed the move without them. I also used the solicitors they recommended and they were equally good.
It was the other people in the chain who caused problems.

Be careful if selling your house yourself. DD2 had an Agents board outside of her home and she still had people knocking on her door asking to be shown around, some were quite aggressive and at all hours of the day and evenings. TBH she lived in a secluded lane in a tourist area, so most were just people out for a nose around.
Only show people around if there are 2 people in the house, never let anyone in after dark and hide your family jewels!
Plus how do you know that they are being honest and in a position to even buy?

Thank you so much everyone for your brilliant advice. I certainly won’t be using Purple Bricks. Gagagran, well done for selling houses yourself, I did think of that because houses in my area are quite sought after, good schools etc. I agree that EAs sometimes earn easy money. One agent who came round phoned me and said that he had a woman who wanted a house in my road, and I hadn’t even signed with him, I thought crickey that’s easy money. Franbern I hope I decide on an agent as brilliant as yours.

Would not have continued with selling my house without the very wonderful lady from my Estate Agents. It was she who consolled me (literally), as I cried on hers houlder when sale fell through at last moment, she who persuaded me to try again (and sold the hosue at a higher price within four days), she who spent virtually a whole day on the telephone trying to contact buyers further down the chain, who were holding up the exchange of contracts, she, who (on day of completion) kept in close contact with me by phone letting me know how th money was moving - and it was she, who informed me of final completion and able to colelct keys to my flat nearly four hours before my Solicitor did.

We have never ever sold using an estate agent . From 1968 to 2012 we have sold 8 houses - all privately. We have saved all those agents fees and had no difficulties selling any of them. We always prefer to show prospective purchasers round ourselves as we (well me really!) can answer questions and have knowledge of the areas we have sold in.

For some sales we just stuck a big "FOR SALE" sign in the front garden and for others it was by word of mouth to friends and neighbours that we were going to be moving and wanted to sell.

It's certainly worth a try if you feel confident enough. I think estate agents fees are a rip off, personally, and you still have to chase solicitors whichever way you sell.

It's easy enough to estimate the value of your property if you check on Zoopla sold prices. You can just put in your street and or town/area for recent info.

I think a good agent is worth their weight in gold, many people on here including craftyone had marvellous EA's. My first agent was marvellous but a sole agency, and she couldn't afford to advertise on RightMove - I was very sorry to leave her. She certainly sorted out the wheat from the chaff as far as viewers went.

I've got bungalowitis, I'm having another rest from unpacking things I can't keep . The joy of living here is walking out the front door on a dog walk, and seeing people. I've spent many, many lonely hours walking my dog, it is good to chat.

I was wondering if anyone had heard from Luckygirl? I realise she may have left the site now she is settled, but would like to know how she got on.

Spitting with snow again here.

So you are better of paying a higher agents fee with a regular agent and get more for your house, than purple bricks lower fee but lower market price for your house.

ajswan

Oops £35,000 less

Purple bricks always give a low valuation to get it sold with them quickly. Problem is if you haven't sold with them after a certain time [9mnths] then you still have to pay them. They continue marketing your house though, but if you go with another estate agent & sell with them, you have to pay them as well as having already paid purple bricks, so it's a gamble!

Did not use them myself, but one of my chain was using them, and they caused a lot of the delays towards the end. If their estimation of the worth of your property is so much less than local agents (Even accepting the fact that they may be over-estimating in order to try to get you to sign up with them), it shows little or no local knowlege.

I was looking to buy in Devon, 380 miles away from me, and became very frustrated with the viewings I tried to arrange through Purple Bricks. They didn't know the area, didn't know much about the property - it was all very frustrating and I avoided properties they were marketing.

A lot of people will not view properties on with Purple Bricks. If you sell through them, they do not do all the follow up that a traditional agent will do such as negotiating issues around surveys and chasing people for exchange dates etc.

Oops £35,000 less

Hi has anyone sold through Purple Bricks. I am selling my house and have no chain, (I am moving into my Partners house). I have had four Estate Agents in and they all gave valuations of roughly the same, but Purple Bricks were £35,00 less. I have to weigh up that Purple Bricks fee and the solicitors fee recommended by them came to less than the lowest commission fee from the lowest agent’s percentage. But will they strive to get the highest price for me or because they are getting a set fee will they not offer a personal service.

Bet your solid washing is lovely and white!

Fantastic Spice101, wish I could say the same! I know where everything is now, and am just thinking hard about storage so I can unpack it.

Glad you had an Indian summer. We have had snow here in Northumberland. I am sleeping in the back bedroom which is part of the extension (flat bitumen roof) and thought I could hear heavy rain in the night, but it was snow! I left my washing out and my sheets are solid!

It's done! The last of the boxes unpacked and put away. Four big boxes of things to go to the charity shop and fortunately they will come and collect them next week. There will be a bit of rearranging of things to do when we get some new furniture but most is now where it will stay. I do need to sort out where the pictures will go and hang them but that is not a huge job.

We've had beautiful weather over Easter, an Indian Summer with temperatures into the 30's on Friday and Saturday and high 20's yesterday and today. We can apparently expect mid 20's for the rest of the week.

Hopefully the electrician will be back tomorrow and get the job finished before he decides to leave it for another job again. That will be something else that can be crossed off the list.

Oh heavens Shandy! The good side to melting the cupboard is that at least it’s yours and no landlord is involved.....small mercies!

Nature is cruel isn't it. What is more cruel is that every neighbour opposite plus people walking past must have seen this bird during the afternoon, and decided to do nothing about it. I was sorry to take him to the vets to end his life, but death by a predator would not have been as painless.

I've just melted the bottom of the kitchen cupboard with the toaster The cupboards aren't painted wood, it's like a thick plastic coating, lesson learnt!

Hope everyone has a good easter, cold or not!

Rotten story about the birds Shandy. Hope you enjoyed your bath.

A few years back I was watching a family of sparrows with their newly hatched young, when a Magpie swapped in and took one of the baby birds! Then last year I watched a couple of pigeons building their nest in my tree, lay their eggs, only for about 3 Magpies to come and not only eat the eggs but take their nest too! I then saw the poor pigeons walking on my lawn looking very depressed!

I always feel upset when watching the lovely nature programmes, only to see same type species eat each other, like lioness eating a new born leopard etc.