traciridgwell

How are all you guys managing to sell your homes to get out to New Zealnd?? We are desperate to get out there, but can't move forward until the house sells! Surely most people are in the same boat as us and just can't sell?? Please say you are!! Or is it just us..........

debj

Its not just you

Instructed 2nd estate agent today, now keeping all crossed.

Hoping for a surge in interest in 3 bed detacheds in Derbyshire.

Good luck!!

fitzandindiana

How soon would you recommend putting the house up for sale, we were thinking around Febuary and maybe coming out to NZ in Sept, is this about the right time or should we sell early and then rent until Sept?
Good luck with your house sales.

wimpy

Put our house on the market in March, we had 3 viewings in 3 months. So we have changed Agents and have had 4 in the past 2 weeks. Nothing concrete though and its getting very depressing.
Even dropped the asking price by £10,000 but we will not take an offer now, has too be the full asking price

over50

Our house has been on the market since March Beg April and we havent had even one viewing ... market is so down at the minute. We are waiting to hear yeah or ney for the PR then we may have to drop the price or consider renting it out till the market picks up again. We have a detached 3 beds on Northants.. and we will loose quite a bit off our house aswell with the slump like everyone else wanting to sell up now..
So please dont feel down the majority of us are all in the same boat, not only with waiting to hear if PR granted but also on the house sales..... chin up folks come on dont let it get you down too much, I know it is important but not worth ricking your health with the worrying......... hugs all round...
Steve and Dee

Charlie Paynter

I will briefly share with you all my own [professional] opinion about the housing market here in the UK and also some advice.

Having been professionally involved in the property industry for over 25 years, and having several investor clients (in both commercial and domestic), the housing market is only just at the start of what will be a very deep and long dowturn - do not take notice of any politicians!

My recommendation is that value the house you wish to sell at today's market rate, then drop by a further 5%. You may think that this is b******s, but believe you me, the end of next year the same house will be worth considerbly less that the 5% less of today's value.

Do not buy though for the next couple of years, even in NZ, as your money today will go a lot further in the future.

But keep smiling !

wimpy

If I take another drop then we will not be able to go, its that simple

nena11

We are on the same situation dropped the price but cannot afford to go if we drop it any further..... our house has been on the market since April and although we have had a couple of viewings the only offer we have had was 30K below the asking price and my estate agent was pushing us to accept it he couldn't understand why I told him that it was a ridiculous offer

As we are still waiting for a decision with our PR application and I guess we will just have to wait, which is something I am not really good at, in the mean time I may try a differen EA

Good luck to everybody selling their house

Charlie Paynter

Wimpy, I fully understand where you are coming from. But bear in mind that even from the crash of the late 80's / early 90's, it took until 1996 for the values of houses to recover to their peak levels of 1989 - 7 bloody years - and I predict it will be at least just a severe now. Good luck to all.

allyanddan

There must be some scope for house exchanges between the people who can't sell in NZ and the ones who can't sell in the UK - might be complicated but maybe it is possible - are house prices falling in NZ too?

Charlie Paynter

House prices are indeed falling in NZ - and I think you have made an excellent suggestion re house swop.

traciridgwell

I have thought about house-swapping...does anyone legally know how this can be done?? Have even got the house on the Ex-Pats classifieds!!!! Our mortgage is too high to even rent the house out. We've been on the market since 16th Feb and have had NO viewings at all!! Think we must be in the wrong price bracket - have dropped £15K but we are still above the £250K stamp duty threshold - now 3% not 1%. Even said we would pay 50% of the stamp duty! Just so desperate to sell........Hubby is getting so many requests in NZ for his CV...........thanks for all your support - at least I know its not just us!

piersdad

House prices in NZ start at nz$180,000 for a wooden 80 year old villa.

10,000 pounds or nz$30,000 would get a deposit.

interest rates are around 8% + _ so unless you have a good job lined up and secure then please think again.

however i am in christchurch and the last time i saw an ant was 3 years ago and all the other annoying insects never seem to appear.
when it rains it is like a scotch mist ( well some times it actually rains for aday or so)
snows once every 2 years (about 1 inch) and every 10 years a real 4 inches
its mid winter here now and always cloudy and 10 to 16 degrees C this week.

house prices are dropping here as well but not so much in auckland
so a drop at home will counter with a drop here

so good luck with your sale.

Fooferfish

Having been through negitve equity in Uk in late 80s and losing around 15k, we got some back ina new property and sold in Poole, Feb 05, i think thats when things were just about starting to slow down a wee bit.

But dont think NZ is going to any different, the housing market is slowing down, a buyers market at the mo, NZ usualy does the 5 year cycle thing, goes flat , then goes up, if you do sell and get out here this year then you will be in a good position IMO to buy a decent house, every thing here is $$$$ speak, you can offer what you want on just about anything, we bargain for any thing we buy, with in reason,the house buying process is far easier and quicker here in NZ and once you have made an offer, you can be in within days if you want, not all that drag it out bull**** in UK.

People here are offering holidays to Fiji to try and sale their houses, i saw one the other day who was offering to pay one months mortgage and fire wood for winter, i think the UK needs to step up a gear and offer some incentives to buyers ,w e had a period where it went stale, so we and the other lady in the chain offered to pay the rent for another in the chain to break their lease, it achieved the desired effect.

Some people we know in Poole have been on the market for over a year, and offered to pay all legal fees and one months mortgage, put abig ad in local paper as well and got a deal signed within a week, anything is worth a try, to get to this wonderful place called NZ.

Nige over 3 years in Dunedin

Am Loolah

If I can add to that too, trades are more and more common in the current tighter market. Here in NZ you can chuck a boat/car/other property/trade dollars pretty much anything (Husbands?) at a vendor to try and secure a deal. You can opt for the vendor leaving money in, a delayed settlement, renting the property prior to settlement etc.

We have a current vendor feeling the pinch who'se now thrown in a new audi with each apartment sold! Previously we've seen vendors offer holidays, as Nige mentioned, and even a new Merc in the garage! Oh to be wealthy ...