Putting my house on the market

My friend is in the same position. She's alone and wants to sell her large house. The estate agent recommended getting a person who declutters in to help. He had a number of these people on his books. Yes you pay them but they are so helpful.

We sold our house after 30years and it was quite an experience finding another and organising the move.
One thing we became aware of, is you will never find the ‘perfect’ house. There will always be something you’ll have to be prepared to compromise on.
Be aware of which direction the sun will be during the day. Most would prefer not to have a North facing rear garden.
Check the neighbouring properties for signs of things that may cause you an issue.

We really did a good declutter and had piles for selling (we sold on FB marketplace),
Charity shop, tip and Keeping.

When you pack up, label every box with thick black felt tip pen and write the room on the box. Easy to sort at the other end.

Pack a separate box for kettle, cups, tea,
Coffee, etc so you can lay your hands on it immediately and include a set of bed linen - add things you’ll need on arrival day.

Selling/viewing: really declutter hard. Remove all the bits and bobs and personal items. Add some fresh flowers, puff the cushions, make sure everything is clean and gleaming and if its a cold day, make sure ita warm. If its gloomy, put some lamps on for a cosy feel.
If you are showing the house, talk it up, what you’ve loved about living there.
Good luck.

Grammaretto we have told our (prospective) agent that if person X buys the house we want the sale to be outside their contract.
They are happy to do this.
I'd ask for your prospective buyer to sit outside their fees.
Our agent just wanted their name and address and said they would simply add it to the contract.

I would say sell before you make an offer too. Some sellers are interested in an offer from people who are not in a postion to move ("proceedable") but most are not. I'd also say not to go house hunting yourself until you have a proceedable offer, it is so upsetting to lose a house you really wanted, and too easy to be tempted into getting a bridging loan which is often ridiculously expensive and open-ended. You can spend a fortune that way.

Fallingstar

In England you can’t offer on a property unless your property has an offer too and in some cases vendors can refuse a viewing unless house owners have an offer. Make sure your estate agent prices your property realistically, when my DD and SiL sold their’s last year it stuck for ages until they reduced it quite a bit because the agent had over priced it.
We are decluttering but not moving, just sick of stuff everywhere. For the small stuff, bric a brac etc., ring round local charity shops and try to get them to pick it up if is tricky for you to drop it off, otherwise just do the rounds to your fav charities.
Remind yourself that if something isn’t overwhelmingly sentimental and has been in a drawer or cupboard for many years and close family don’t want it, then it has to go.
Is hard.

In the UK you can definitely put an offer on a house when you don't yet have an offer on your own home although if there is a lot of interest in a house then they may decide to filter the prospective buyers and only have those with an offer etc to view.
If you don't already have an offer on your own property it's a question of the owner and estate agent deciding whether they have a better prospect on the table ie a cash offer etc. Could be there is an offer on a home but the chain falls through or a better monetary offer from a person who doesn't yet have an offer on their own home and sellers are prepared to wait in the hopes of the higher price.

This isn’t accurate, my daughter moved very recently, they put on an offer on the house they now own before their house had recd any offers, the situation was made clear to the owner Jan 26, he was happy to wait, their house had an offer three weeks later, despite being in a four house chain it shuffled along culminating in them completing and moving last weekend.

You do need to sell before you buy. Once there is an agreement, in Scotland, there is very little wiggle room without it costing you money. Yes you can pull out but the seller can claim for expenses and loss of other interested parties. You will be aware usual sales are completed in 6 weeks unless agreed by all parties involved. With decluttering, I have just done a bit myself trying to sort out what I think family would be interested in, very little afraid. If yoh have a property in mind try making a plan of what can go where and then reduce all you have included, its usually too much. Moved 6 times and had to be ruthless the last time as was downsizing to new build, much smaller than older properties. It's hard but basically have to view the exercise as starting out to your first home when everything was probably sparse. Good luck.

I agree 4allweknow I am trying to go back to absolute basics.
Knowing how easy it will be to buy good 2nd hand stuff if necessary.

However I'm still a long way off.
2 out of 5 pieces of furniture left in a van to the auction house today. 2 men were apologetic but there just wasn't room so they will come back for the rest.

Once they'd left I took yet another car load to the tip.
I have sold quite a lot on market place and gumtree. More to do

The window cleaner is coming on Monday morning. ☺️

We were told it had been the busiest Jan/February for 10 years.

Maybe not March though?

You do sound like you are making very good progress Grammaretto.

knspol

‘ In the UK you can definitely put an offer on a house when you don't yet have an offer on your own home’

That was not our DDs experience, estate agents in her area told them they could not offer on a property until they had an offer on their’s, perhaps other areas are different, they live in the south east.

I think you're doing great! Moving house after such a long time is no mean undertaking- so well done for how much you've done so far.

I'm not sure gimmicks like fresh flowers or baking smells cut it anymore in the market we have now.

Just do your normal cleaning and tidying- whoever is buying will know what they are looking for and whether the house will meet their needs.

I know nothing about buying and selling north of the border but just wish you the best of luck in your down sizing.

As someone else said, staging is really important. It should look like a show home, if possible. Nothing on show in the bathroom like toothbrushes, towels etc. Kitchen worktops clear. Make-up/clutter taken off dressing tables. We've just put ours on the market and had a big box in each room in which to stash personal items that weren't to be in the photos. Amazing how much you then DON'T put back - that goes a little way to showing how much you don't need! Good luck!

NotSpaghetti

We were told it had been the busiest Jan/February for 10 years.

Maybe not March though?

Rightmove have more hits on their site on Boxing Day and New Year's day than any other time, I gather.

“In the UK you can definitely put an offer on a house when you don't yet have an offer on your own home” knspol

This is definitely true, my friend bought her current house 9 months before she sold the previous one. She had to pay extra stamp duty, but the extra was refunded as soon as the previous house was sold.
The issue about viewings and offers only when the prospective buyer has their house on the market or an offer, is purely the decision of the vendor. A poor one in my opinion, we are looking to buy a new house, but don’t need to sell our current one immediately. I am disinclined to view anything where restrictions are in place.

Progress Grammaretto! Do a bit every day.

My massive downsize was helped by employing an acquaintance to take things to the charity shop, the local tip, to sell. She also made me focus. We took only those things we really loved and needed or it would be divorce not to take. No chipped crockery, mouldy books, endless Knick knacks, no to dozens of glasses and mugs and not needed sets of spare bedding, spare towels etc. we were ruthless. The best thing we had already done was file away all the paperwork on any changes in the house over the years we lived there.

You already understand that decluttering is an essential first step. I did this ruthlessly over a period of a month, with regular trips to the charity shop, recycling centre and a storage unit I rented (unless you have a garage). I collected and purchased strong cardboard boxes from eBay, bought one of those tape guns and spent a few hours every day packing up my books, photo frames, ornaments, kitchen equipment, seasonal clothing,shoes/boots, spare coats etc. If you are having viewings your house needs to look roomy, airy and with rooms the viewers can contemplate living in. Boxing things up also takes the pressure off when you do finally move, as half the work has been done. I would only allow viewings on one weekday evening and the following weekend day, as I didn't want to give over my life to preparing for the agent. I was never present for a viewing, and never showed the property myself, why pay them unless they are doing the work! By the way you can put in an offer without having an offer on your house, the person who said that was wrong. However, I instructed my agent to only show my house to viewers who had sold, I refuse to be in a long chain. As your house is big too, you will find that unless you snaffle a cash buyer there will be a chain. Because of my previous experiences, I am always prepared to sell without another property to immediately move into. I put all my belongings into storage and rent a furnished flat, unless it is just a few weeks then I move into a hotel. The stress of collapsing chains in England are too much for me! My last and final move, six years ago, went swimmingly well, and although I did declutter I am still taking boxes to the local charity shop - you can never be too ruthless.

Good luck

Declutter yes, but do not leave it bare. One or 2 personal photos are ideal - you do want them to think of themselves at home there. Pale off-white walls are very popular still - add colour only with bed covers, cushions.

Positive smells are vanilla and coffee.

Kerb appeal -I am told that the colour of your front door is important, but opinions vary as to what that is. I like wedgewood blue and sage green. As it is Spring, investment in some bedding plants is usually a good idea.

Look at other similar properties for sale to see what they look like. If you go onto RightMove an search your area, an click the include under offer, you will see what sells.

Vet the agent's pictures and description - do not put up with bog standard.

Yes, the Scottish system is different to anywhere else - you set what you expect to get and they bid that or more. Once an offer is received and accepted you are complete. I think you have to put a pack together - but an estate agent will talk you through all that. If you are buying too you put a note of interest in,subject to your own sale.

Any potential property you are interested in, check out the neighbours

But then what happens if you haven’t managed to find a place by the time of your buyer’s completion date… At least if you make an offer on a property first and then put your own place on the market, they could wait for your place to sell

My house has gone from £260,000 three years' ago to £245,000 and have been told that properties are staying on the market a lot longer.

I would make sure the house is clutter free, smells nice and fires and lights are on. I usually put biscuits or something in the oven just to make it feel warm and inviting.

Thank you so much for all your advice although I don't agree with all of it. 😉

I viewed a flat last week where I was put off by the showroom perfection of everything.
The seller had proudly spent thousands, she told me, on a brand new kitchen with integrated appliances and a bathroom. The stark decor was off putting and when I wanted to see the outside communal space she said she didn't have the key. To be fair she'd probably realised by that time that I wasn't going to buy it.

I am still viewing places that appeal on Rightmove to get the feeling of living there, general layout, the views, the distance from bus stops, proximity of neighbours, shops etc. I am not to be lured by coffee or newly baked bread and might suspect it was to cover up a sewage leak or worse.

Declutter, yes. Spruced kerb appeal, yes
The house I'm selling is one of a kind so no real comparison. It will need to be rewired and probably new windows to meet the energy conservation standards by whoever buys it.

I am delighted that somebody wants it but is taking a very long time raising the funds to buy and restore it into his dream of a music and arts centre. I've had 2 birthdays since he suggested it Hence I have decided to put it on the open market.

Meanwhile another potential buyer has approached me with her plans to transform it into a development for old folk.

My DC and my solicitor think this the only way I can move.

I think it's not necessarily true that you have to have sold before making an offer, though preferable. I was refused a viewing of a property recently because there were several notes of interest from cash buyers.

I am still holding out for the one I like but bridging loans are not an option so it'll have to be a case of it was meant to be or not.

Sounds like your property is unique.
And your taste is not a modern, new build type place.

You will find the right property for you, I am pretty sure.

Grammaretto, for your own peace of mind, frequently remind yourself of what fun it will be when all your unwanted stuff is gone, and you are happily making the new place your own.

I expect that in Scotland as elsewhere, buyers like a place with no upward chain, so be prepared to move into rented accommodation or live with a relative or friend for a short time----this too could be a quite pleasant adventure.