House on the market ....

Dalrymple, as an only child I inherited a lot of things that I couldn’t bear to dispose of. My son is also an only child and though interested in the family history, there’s a limit to what he could take on. Luckily I had a large loft, but then came the time to downsize. A lot went to charity (British Heart Foundation were excellent, collected so much and even told us from time to time what things had sold for. Also they claimed Gift Aid on sales proceeds so seemed to be very well organised.) A lot of furniture, silver, pictures and two Victorian teasets were purchased and collected by a local second hand furniture dealer. I have kept just a few meaningful items which take up very little space and are on show, not in the loft. We did get a local auctioneer round to look at the things which eventually went to the dealer, but as we would have had to arrange transport to the auction house and collect what didn’t sell we decided against that. Obviously worth doing if you have valuable items that are likely to sell though. Good luck!

Good suggestions from HazelGreen, we have used auction houses with mixed results. When we moved from Bedfordshire to Shropshire in the 1980s we sent a lot of stuff to an auction house because we were renting for a while and we were amazed that everything sold and also at how much it went for. The last time was when we downsized about 12 years ago and again we sent a lot to an auction room but some things didn’t sell and we had to arrange and pay to have them brought back, consequently we made nothing and had to dispose of the stuff that didn’t sell.

dalrymple23

I would suggest tackling a little every day if you can.
Clearing out the easy stuff first gives encouragement ie today we tackled a cupboard which had shelves of stuff we kept 'just in case' but nothing of much value ie a printer and inks, nearly new lampshades, lamps, toys etc. If they haven't been needed/played with in the last 12 months then they're going.

Things of potential value need a bit more thought.

The shredder has been busy too as DH seems to keep a lot of unnecessary paperwork.

Mummer

Ds bought apartment 2 beds in 2007.... exactly. They allowed him to buy interest only without any means of repaying (endowment policy etc) scoot forward to 2022.? Stuck on negative equity apartment only one not for rent in area. Stuck seemingly forevermore and will hav to sell probably at a loss to repay when mortgage finishes.! Been for sale for 12yes12 years!!! Lovely and clean /tidy well maintained BUT overpriced by Barratt when he bought and cannot cover what he owes!! So! Short of do in g a runner or declaring h I'm myself bankrupt? In the north West of England this sad sorry tale is oh so common, and I'm sick to the back teeth of everyone saying how property markets are booming! Not here they're not

I guess it depends where you are in the North West. My daughter’s 2 bed terraced house, on a very busy road in Atherton, near Wigan, with no off street parking sold this week for £150,000 - she paid £98,000 less than three years ago! There are hundreds of similar houses in the area and they sell very well to first time buyers and buy to let investments.

It is tough when a new build property is over priced initially and ends up in negative equity, 14/5 years is a long time not to get some increase in value, it must be soul destroying for your son.

Whereabouts in the North West is he?

Mortgages linked to endowment policies are a thing of the past as the after the global financial crash policies didn't yield enough to pay off the mortgage. The price of your son's flat satisfied the valuer who would have considered it on behalf of the mortgage lender Mummer, or they wouldn't have given him a mortgage. Before I retired I was a solicitor acting for big property developer and it wasn't uncommon for a lender's valuer to downvalue a property, resulting in renegotiation of the price. It's no good blaming the lender if the valuer considered the flat was then worth the asking price, nor for granting an interest-only mortgage. Possibly the mortgage was for upwards of 100% of the price? Buyers thought that prices would always go upwards but depending on what and where the property is, that isn't so. There is a big over-supply of flats in some areas and in those areas people just aren't buying them other than for letting. Going bankrupt would prevent him get a mortgage anywhere else for a long time so isn't really an option.

I sold up and moved house in 2019 ... and I too made my house spotless. Well, you do don't you.

What I didn't like was when they got their mobile phones out and took pictures of the inside.
Perhaps that's the way it is now but I'm afraid I didn't like it and asked them, politely, if they would stop. One of them got a little uppity and just walked off without a by your leave.

I agree with all the comments, it does pay to have a gleaming house. Also a very tidy house. Always let the viewer go into the room first is a good trick, looks larger!. I put cottage on market on Friday, six viewings Saturday and it went to highest and final offer today out of four offers on Saturday. Now to Suffolk or Norfolk to buy hopefully a new build. If anybody has moved to those areas recently, tips would be welcome on areas ?

What's the problem with people taking photos, perhaps to refresh their minds later or for family discussion? Surely the estate agent had taken photos but they wouldn't have been 'warts and all'. It's so easy to lose a potential buyer by objecting. We had so many visits from our buyer and numerous members of their family after accepting the offer I wish they had taken photos to share!

ShazzaKanazza

When we sold our house in 95 it had been on the market a year without luck but this one day a couple knocked on the door and said they were passing could they look at the house.
I said ‘well you can but it’s a bit of a mess’ . We’d just come in from the seaside with kids buckets spades and sand everywhere but I had put a joint of pork in the oven. I’m sure that’s what sold it. They loved it and said it was homely and bought it.

When we sold in 1990, DH had just left taking a school trip to Switzerland and all 3 DC were in bed asleep when the doorbell went. The viewers had to peak quietly into the bedrooms. By the time DH returned it was sold to the viewers. They still live there.

I'm not sure about allowing viewers to take photos. My reasoning would be that the agent had actually selected the best shots which should be the ones you want the prospective buyers to keep in their minds. You actually need a wide angled lens to create the best effect, not an image on a phone.
As an example, this was our hallway in London. It isn't quite as wide as it looks in the photo, so any viewers looking at the agent's photo would think it was like that.

I forgot about having to get a local removal man to take stuff to the auction room. But in our case unsold items were put up the following month with a lower estimate. If still unsold we have the option of taking item back or they will dispose of same to a nearly charity. I was involved in another house clearance. This time the auctioneer guy took a look at the furniture and had little interest in same but asked to look over the rest of the house. He took two other items that fetched the best prices. The prices fetched are miserable though, the bid price has up to 20% taken by the auction house and they also surcharge the buyer another whack.

But when they visited they realised that the agent had rather misrepresented the situation?

From the sale of the house on the Island (2021) we bought two houses, one for ourselves and the other for our daughter. I shall be buying another later this year too.

Germanshepherdsmum

But when they visited they realised that the agent had rather misrepresented the situation?

I don't think so because they physically stood in the space, waved their arms about and commented on how spacious it was. Don't forget, the room plans have all the measurements, and anyway isn't there always some "get out" clause at the bottom of estate agent's blurb about accuracy?

Josieann

I'm not sure about allowing viewers to take photos. My reasoning would be that the agent had actually selected the best shots which should be the ones you want the prospective buyers to keep in their minds. You actually need a wide angled lens to create the best effect, not an image on a phone.
As an example, this was our hallway in London. It isn't quite as wide as it looks in the photo, so any viewers looking at the agent's photo would think it was like that.

It's very tidy!!! ?

We once viewed a house which had been lived in by students. It's was the untidiest and dirtiest home I've ever seen. The rooms were so full of things that I had to ask what room we were in and it was the kitchen - not even an oven or fridge visible under the detritus.

We didn't buy it.

I had a dreadful viewer with her elderly mother. The daughter was literally running with her phone in front of her, videoing my house.

We viewed a house on behalf of my sister in law last month. They had gone off to complete the sale of their house in Spain, believing that the house they had offered on was nearing completion. Then the vendors' sale fell through (for the third time!) and they were left without a house to move to. She saw the property on Rightmove and asked us to view it. The estate agent gave us a tour and then I connected with her on WhatsApp and gave her a video tour.
They (very bravely!) made an offer on the back of this viewing. They are now back in the UK, have seen the house and it is all going through - at least I hope it is, as they and their two dogs are staying with us til they can move in!

Yes, GrandmaKT our son had an immediate full asking price offer on his townhouse before the viewers could get to visit. They had seen the house next door, but preferred the location of his in the crescent.
You did a good job filming for your sister. You might get some commission!

Yes Hazel23. Up at the crack of dawn running around like a headless chicken. My DH thinks I’m crazy. Like others, I’ve done it so many times.

I'd be cleaning and my husband would be helping. Do I have the world's only helpful husband?

Oh dear....brings back some memories of those dreadful viewing times. I can so well remember one dreadful day, my house was going to be viewed (EA bringing people). I was going out. House neat and tidy - had a garage/ very large storage shed at back of garden. It was reasonably cleared out - do not know what made me go up there that morning before I went out, but lucky I did - as there on the floor in centre was a dead rat!!!!!

I did have a couple of those plug in things to deter vermin, so I suppose that had effected this one (did also have a couple of poison dishes down). Loads of newspaper and plastic bags later, I had disposed of it. Can just imagine how it would have been if it had still been there when the EA took the prospective purchasers in there!!!!

The worst viewers I had was a second viewing - evening of the original one. That had been a pleasant young couple of Indian background. They turned up with both sets of elderly parents, who spoke little English. I was by myself. One of the Mothers almost stuck herself to me repeating a price well below my asking price, over and over again. The rest of them toured my house chattering to themselves. It was horrific. I told the EA the following day, that no matter WHAT offer they put in I would refuse it!!!! Never did ANY viewing after that without EA being there.

How awful for you. When I was on my own and selling I had one couple who really, really wanted my place. They couldn’t afford it, retired and couldn’t get a mortgage in those days, but were so persistent, even suggesting a part exchange with their house nearby which I did not want. They were extolling its virtues (so why move?). How to tell them politely that I didn’t want or like their house when they were so persistent wasn’t easy. In the end I had to get the EA to get rid of them. He didn’t find it easy either.

ha ha Franbern, poor ratty, that's worse than my overflowing septic tank drain the day before a viewing!

I didn't feel at all comfortable with one viewer. We had engaged a local about ten years before to build our pagoda and he disappeared off to Oz half way through doing it.

He turned up one Sunday unannounced - my daughter was away at Uni. My late husband had played darts with his Dad, so I felt obliged to let him in. I did let the EA know, and he came the following Sunday with his wife - who was there obviously very reluctantly - and their two children, who kept saying the house was haunted. He asked to see the coal house and I had to explain about the septic tank overflow, not great. Was just being a nosey parker, another Fat Controller.

I am not particularly happy living here, but don't think I could go through the selling process again unless the system changes.

All this is putting me off trying to downsize!!
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