Bloody House Viewings!!!!!
 

Yet again had a viewing cancel at the last minute. This time they said they had just driven past and it was too busy (Then look before you book a viewing) I am sick to the back teeth of running around like a blue ar@!d fly getting the house right for the idiots to cancel at the last minute. The house has only been on a couple of months and ok we don't live in the best of areas but its a nice size house if I could just get them through the door. Had 3 viewings so far 1 couldn't afford it (so why look), another didn't like that it was on a main road, and another it was too big for them?? its only a 3 bed semi.

Sorry for the rant just needed to get it off my chest. I'm seriously considering dropping the price a few thousand as I don't care how much we get we will set up and budget accordingly we won't have a vast amount to take but enough. Just want to go assuming we get the visa that is! :)

Michelle :)

Need Karma to calm me!!

Re: Bloody House Viewings!!!!!
 

Stay chilled and keep thinking of the sunshine!!!!!!!!!!,
sending you some karma to keep you calm

Re: Bloody House Viewings!!!!!
 

We're also fed up with viewings. Had about 10 now and each takes about an evening to prepare the house (we have 3 young kids). So many are looking without even having theirs on the market. What a waste of time that is. We had 1 second viewing and the woman left saying to the agent that they woold definitly be making an offer on the Monday. Agent chased on Tuesday. Woman was very apologetic. Boyfriend has decided that it is too far from work. Friggin to*spot. It was the same distance when they did the first viewing. Had another viewing yesterday. As usual, dirty footprints up the cream stair carpet. gggrrr.

Going to ask the agent not to show anyone around that doesn't already have their house on the market. When we bought this house, there were 10 in the chain and it took about 8 months to complete. Not going through that again.

Actually, I'm going to do the conveyancing myself. Got the Which? guide to conveyancing (8.99), ordered all the forms I need from the law society over the internet (less than 20 quid), and that's it. For a sale, it is very straightforward. The solicitors wanted between 700-800+vat. All in all there are 4 forms to fill in. Think I'll manage.

Re: Bloody House Viewings!!!!!
 

Leave a mess. Sod's law says they'll all turn up

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Sent you some K

Re: Bloody House Viewings!!!!!
 

hi we know how you feel ours has been on the market for six months
about ten have come to view but only two offers really under the price by miles they was just trying it on and the others just time wasters
changed the estate agents twice. im sure they pay people just to have a look just to keep you happy and make them look like there trying
keep your chin up sent u some karma hope all goes well for you

Re: Bloody House Viewings!!!!!
 

Hi Michelle,
sent you some relaxing karma, so annoying that people can do that. We have only just put ours on the market, trying to keep it tidy, waiting for the one phone call that might change our lives!

Just one buyer is all that is needed!!!!

Good luck Chris

Re: Bloody House Viewings!!!!!
 

In a similar situ. House was on the market for the past 2 weeks, and yet no wievings. I have allready got the air ticket for the 20th of April to Sydney & my new job in sydney commence on the 2nd of May.

Need to sell my property ASAP.

Good luck to all

Re: Bloody House Viewings!!!!!
 

Hi guys

we are in same boat - house been on market since January, only half a dozen viewings - fell out with agent Saturday, when we discovered an identical house in our road had 11 viewings in two weeks with another agent. We are £2K cheaper than other house (and i put an extention on the back 4 years ago).

I know it's difficult at the moment for us all and we are looking to go to Perth a the beginning of August and we are getting worried.

I hope all of us sell in good time.

I'm finding it more stessful than the migration aplication and process before visa was issued.

chin up

Gaz

Re: Bloody House Viewings!!!!!
 

I have only 3 wks remaining, therefore, may rent my property to the council for gaurnteed rent for 5 yrs.

Re: Bloody House Viewings!!!!!
 

Thanks for the support Guys I know we are all in the same boat but it is just so maddening when youv'e got 2 boys 3 & 5 and all I feel i'm doing is telling them off for getting toys out. Poor things only want to play but the dragon won't let them get anything out. Hope things will pick up soon!

Sending you all some Karma too we've just got to keep going. Waiting for the visa grant is driving me mad too it should be any day now.

Michelle :)

Re: Bloody House Viewings!!!!!
 

Hi Michelle,

I think it is harder when you haven't got your visa grant yet. (We're in the same boat). It just adds to the pressure as you don't know for 100% whether it's all going ahead or not.

I just noticed that the edge of our flat roof needs repairing, so I need to get that sorted now as well. Don't want any reason for a survey to fail. Not that we have a buyer yet mind.

Re: Bloody House Viewings!!!!!
 

Gaz,
Know how you feel, we were only saying same at the weekend, selling the house is becoming far more stressful than getting the visa.
We've had house on market since last August, had 7 viewings, 2 are interested but can't sell their own properties.

Lisa

Re: Bloody House Viewings!!!!!
 

Know how you feel, we've been on the market just over 6 weeks (I know not that long really) and we've had 2 viewings, the 1st said it was a lovely house but the garden was too small?? and they didn't like the positioning?? the 2nd liked it very much but they are mulling it over as they are interested in another 2 properties, arrggh it's so frustrating why can't they just say yes or no!
I also feel like I'm nagging the girls to keep the house tidy, the 1 girl loves to be creative so lots of bits of paper everywhere and the other is a teenager....need i say more.
K sent :D

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Hang in there.
We were in the similar situation as you 2 kids (one 2yrs other 7 months old).
Trying to keep house tidy and the obligatory blitz before a viewing.
I used to have to take one of them out in the pram whilst people were viewing and return after the all clear to limit the mayhem.
We managed to sell and complete and have spent the first week in our rented house.
We had one buyer pull out quite late on and were given no reason what so ever, demolishing our plans.
We are renting my sister in laws house as they have just gone to Perth.
They were waiting for us to sell before they went adding to the pressure.
In the end we got a cash buyer just in time, putting the nail biting frustration behind us.
I'm sure it will come good for you though it's difficult to see that now.

Fingers crossed for you.

Re: Bloody House Viewings!!!!!
 

bloody carpet traders i know how you feel
karma sent

Re: Bloody House Viewings!!!!!
 

wow, can't believe nobody else has commented on this stunning move for the common man! i've heard of people doing their own conveyancing before and have had my suspicions its another one of those things that joe public has been conned into believing can only be done by a somebody earning 7 times the average wage. we have our house on the market privately but i had thought that was going far enough. now i'm reconsidering. i know there are firms who charge a set fee of about 300 round here. they get a student to do it i reckon. traditional solicitors hate them. i would say that would be the only stumbling block; if you come up against a purchaser's solicitor who won't play ball.

best of luck with the viewing. i actually love it because i love my house and like showing it to people. even cleaning it is a bit of a novelty at the moment and living in a show home is great. no kids see.

all the best to fellow house purveyors.

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I think I have forgotten what viewers are :(

Think everyone and their grannies viewed our house before Christmas and has been spreading malicious lies ever since. It's a nice house honest!

Will spread some house viewing karma and sure as hell need some ourselves.

Binbird (down in the dumps, not the bins today!)

Re: Bloody House Viewings!!!!!
 

Oh honey so know that feeling!!!! We've had about 10 viewings too, one offer (who then pulled out as he hadn't actually got the money)! They're sending round people who aren't serious, haven't looked at the house from the road or the area and generally wasting our time. Fed up of it now! Love my house so like ahoy I like showing it off, but the novelty is wearing off. Feel its a weight around our necks and want rid of it!

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Hi Neil,
Ask them to take there shoes off, we do we've got very pale cream carper throughout, if they dont like that tuff, we've got to live with it plus you want it nice and clean for the next viewer.
paula.

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Its no fun is it, this selling houses lark.

We have had our 3 bed bungalow on the market now for about 7-8 weeks. Not a single viewing. Plenty of drive by staring though.

As others, constantly telling the kids "you're not getting that out" and "don't make a big mess" etc etc.

Woman down the road, also with a 3 bed bunglow, although not as nice as mine has dropped the price of hers £35,000.00. It's not fair we have dropped ours a few thousand but that just blows us out the water.

Very peed off now. Also the cat has been really poorly and we have had huge unexpected vets bills. So at the moment - we could do with a :beer:


Best all luck to all those selling.

Shelley x

Re: Bloody House Viewings!!!!!
 

I mean best of look to all those selling and no not had a :beer: yet.

Re: Bloody House Viewings!!!!!
 

Hi Guys

Well i've tried to send some Karma but it won't let said I've got to wait till tomorrow :rolleyes:

Well I've been speaking to one of my neighbours today and they have said that 2 houses down the road have just sold similar price bracket to ours so fingerscrossed you never know!

I must say I've had enough of our house and have wanted to move for the past 7 years but i still like it to look right when we have viewers.

Keep going everyone, we will get there in the end.

Michelle :)

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Keeping our fingers crossed for you for a quick sale!!!

We have got this all to come and we are in the middle of an extension.

Roll on June!!!!!!!!!!!!

Trish and Rob

Re: Bloody House Viewings!!!!!
 

WE have also had our house on the market since Oct had about 10 viewings now. Have dropped 35K in total. Have gone dual agents. Had a viewing on Saturday feed back that they really love your house but it is a toss up between yours and another one. :eek: They are 1st time buyer as well no chain.. Have another viewing tomorrow. Still waiting to here abour visas any day now. I keep saying to hubbie this is so stressful that we need a holiday, we will need a holiday before we go. Would like to be gone before Sept no cancel that I will be gone before Sept. Hubbie has said if it comes to it he will come back to sell the house so at least me and the kids can move on.
Good luck everyone at least we are in this together and it WILL be worth it.

Pauline

Re: Bloody House Viewings!!!!!
 

We've been up for sale 4wks, just the 2 viewers so far, just hope the market will pick up ASAP, we need every penny we can can from the sale of the house, so we are going to leave it another couple of mths before we drop the price, the estage agent said on Friday that the "housing market is picking up now", said "around easter is always quiet cause folk think about holidays more".

Paula
Cheshire.
Brisbane soon if we sell the ruddy house.......

Re: Bloody House Viewings!!!!!
 

Just received a call from another estate agents asking us to put house on market with them too? They said their more proactive than the ones we're currently using. Should I? Sounds like a marketing ploy to drum up custom. Mind you, the ones we're using have been useless from day one!

Re: Bloody House Viewings!!!!!
 

Our estate agent said this too. She said that folk either go on holiday which I suppose we did, went to Oz over easter last year, or they think the agents aren't open and therefore they don't ring up to arrange a viewing.

We will be Brisbane bound too, once the house has gone. Need to sell the house to pay the bond first though. Urrrrghhhh.

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Hi Fozzie,

Can you tell the agent you can only do viewings on Wednesdays and Saturdays? That way you have a few days off for certain and know when you may have to prepare in advance and arrange kids' schedules around that. It may make your house look more exclusive and get rid of some of the time wasters too.

I totally sympathise with your situation. The selling was pure stress last time we sold, but even after we sold the buyers kept wanting to pop in to measure something up etc. Luckily I seemed to develop an uncanny sense of when they would ring and the house would be perfect when they came 10 minutes later. The husband commented on it once and the wife looked daggers at him. Little did they know what a tip we normally live in. Ha Ha ha, at least someone in the world thinks I am a good house keeper.


It will all be over soon for you I hope.

Queenie

Re: Bloody House Viewings!!!!!
 

Thanks thats a good idea, normally they ring and the viewers want to come that day or the next and I always thought that it might put them off if I don't sort it asap. But I might try that.

Michelle :)

Re: Bloody House Viewings!!!!!
 

Well, we had to prepare the house by candlelight last night. Put the kids to bed and started cleaning only to get a power cut along with about 5 other large villages in a 10 mile radius of us. Phoned the electricity company (installed normal phone this time as last power cut left us with no phones because the base for the cordless phones need to be plugged in) only to be told it should be sorted by midnight. In the end it only took them 4 hours to sort it out. Great work guys. Glad you didn't rush eh?

Re: Bloody House Viewings!!!!!
 

I sympathise with all of you, I don't know why it is such hard work selling a house in the UK. I waited till I had my visa before putting it on the market in July 2003 and by the time it actually sold I was starting to contemplate taking a look at what fire cover I had in my insurance and burning the place down.

I got a buyer in 3 months, great, I thought, I'm on the way. A couple of days before we were due to exchange contracts the buyer's solicitor started stalling, eventually we found the next buyer down had pulled out, my buyer still wanted my place and he found another buyer about a month later. Then the new buyer ran into money problems etc etc and it dragged on for another 10 weeks keeping on sending out letters from the bank saying funds were to be available 'soon'. In the end I lost it and put it back on the market in Feb 2004.

As before the viewers flocked through the door and I got all the stupid idiots you guys seem to be getting. Advertised as a kitchen diner - comment 'Oh we wanted a separate dining room' - wasn't shown as having one on the agent's details so why waste my time grrrrr. One couple asked if I would knock £15k off the price as it didn't have a conservatory and they couldn't manage without one - er NO b**ger off! (They were quite offended by my rudeness apparently!)

This went on and I was dropping my price in line with other houses in the area, finally another bite in August 2004, a couple who had pulled out of a house sale when the survey discovered previous flooding and needed to find somewhere quickly to keep their chain intact. Seemed too good to be true and with lots of cajoling (well daily phone calls) the solicitors sorted all the paperwork out in record time. They came back twice to measure up for stuff, met the neighbours etc, finally contract exchange day arrived, an hour before the contracts were due to be exchanged the agent rang, they had pulled out as the wife had met a friend for a coffee who had produced newspaper articles relating to some trouble on a chav estate over three miles away!!!! I went ballistic at the agent who had made no effort to persuade them to carry on.

Luckily a workmate's wife who worked at another smaller estate agent had been marketing my place 'under the table' to avoid a dual agent fee so I pulled it off the market with the first agent (of course they reminded me of the clause in their very small print that if I sold it through another agent within 8 weeks I would be liable for fees to them!!! I won't put what I told them here but I think it made the point that I wouldn't be taking any notice of this!)

The new agent found a buyer within days and again we were in the hands of solicitors, my buyers had a holiday booked and due to some 'minor' paperwork delays went off on holiday with solicitors promising to exchange within a few days. The completion date was agreed, container booked etc etc still no exchange, all of a sudden their solicitor started telling us that she had spoken to the buyers on holiday, they weren't happy with the completion date and wanted it brought forward to the day after they came back off holiday, removals were fully booked and couldn't bring it forward so had to cancel the container (John Mason were great the whole way, dealing with date changes brilliantly). Another two weeks later and my buyers came back off holiday turned out they hadn't heard anything whilst on holiday and their solicitor was just stalling due to having too much work on!!! Of course by then Masons were booked up again and completion moved back another couple of weeks, we finally exchanged contracts 5 days before the truck rolled up and we completed.

What really annoys me about the whole process is the ridiculous money the solicitors and agents charge for doing sweet fa. Estate agents especially, after all you pay them thousands for putting a picture of your house in the paper and sending people round leaving you to supervise viewings. As for doubling their fee for dual agency that is just absurd, if they were that good they would sell your place quickly and not need to be in competition so if anything their fees should halve for dual agency.

The solicitors aren't much better, they charge you another set of fees if the buyers pull out, and what for, changing a name in MS Word and pressing print!
By the time I sold my solicitors bill was £1500 (and they had the cheek to tell me they had knocked some money off!) They will only contact the next solicitor in the chain and I lost count of the number of times I had to leave work early to rush around with paperwork for them.

There definitely needs to be a law introduced in the UK that anyone who puts in an offer and then pulls out is liable for the sellers legal fees, might concentrate a few people's minds.

One thing my friend's wife told me is becoming prevalent in the UK is being stiffed by property developers/speculators. They will put in offers on half a dozen or more houses, get contract exchange for all of them arranged for same day and then just before exchange tell the seller they want £10-20-30k or more off the price or they are pulling out. Someone will nearly always crack and everyone else finds themselves back at square one.

Anyway, rant over, fingers crossed for everyone that you all find buyers soon. Look on the positive side, once you do sell you're on your way!!

Oh and just to put it in perspective that estate agents are ripoff artists everywhere, did you know that when selling in Aus you have to pay for advertising!!! A friend of mine in Sydney had been on the market for a month, only had one viewing and when they swapped agents they had to cough up A$3000 for the agent's advertising costs!!!!!

Re: Bloody House Viewings!!!!!
 

You usually only pay for advertising here if you're going to auction. Costs vary according to how big a spread you want in the local paper (full page colour photos vs half an inch of black and white print). With private treaty (non auction) sales the agent pays the advertising costs.

Also, ALL houses here (unless the owners are mad) have 'open for inspection' times twice a week where you go out and every man and his dog - plus all the neighbours - troop in. Viewings by appointment only are extremely unusual, usually only happens if the house you're selling is in the ultra-expensive price range and you don't want the hoi-polloi seeing your family photos.

To have only one viewing in month, just sounds very odd to me.

Re: Bloody House Viewings!!!!!
 

yipeeeeee....... the estate agent must be right she's just called to say someone wants to view our property this saturday fingers crossed,maybe 3rd time lucky, one can only dream, maybe the housing market is slowly picking up after easter, at least if we get viewer's we can do the rest,

Good luck everyone hope we all get a couple of viewers this week.

paula.
going 2 brisbane when we sell the ruddy house. :scared:

Re: Bloody House Viewings!!!!!
 

Good luck, lets hope we start to see an upturn in the market, but I just keep thinking who will want to live here. Just because I can't stand it anymore. :(

Michelle :)

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Nothing worse than time-wasters Michelle :mad:

Some people are either very nosey or just plain stupid and dont know what they want!!

Bloody annoying.

We have just sold, but I know what you mean about getting the house looking really good every minute of the day, and having to put your life on hold for people who dont turn up :scared:

Good Luck

Bill :)

Re: Bloody House Viewings!!!!!
 

What really annoys me about the whole process is the ridiculous money the solicitors and agents charge for doing sweet fa. Estate agents especially, after all you pay them thousands for putting a picture of your house in the paper and sending people round leaving you to supervise viewings. As for doubling their fee for dual agency that is just absurd, if they were that good they would sell your place quickly and not need to be in competition so if anything their fees should halve for dual agency.

The solicitors aren't much better, they charge you another set of fees if the buyers pull out, and what for, changing a name in MS Word and pressing print!
By the time I sold my solicitors bill was £1500 (and they had the cheek to tell me they had knocked some money off!) They will only contact the next solicitor in the chain and I lost count of the number of times I had to leave work early to rush around with paperwork for them.

There definitely needs to be a law introduced in the UK that anyone who puts in an offer and then pulls out is liable for the sellers legal fees, might concentrate a few people's minds.

One thing my friend's wife told me is becoming prevalent in the UK is being stiffed by property developers/speculators. They will put in offers on half a dozen or more houses, get contract exchange for all of them arranged for same day and then just before exchange tell the seller they want £10-20-30k or more off the price or they are pulling out. Someone will nearly always crack and everyone else finds themselves back at square one.

Anyway, rant over, fingers crossed for everyone that you all find buyers soon. Look on the positive side, once you do sell you're on your way!!

Oh and just to put it in perspective that estate agents are ripoff artists everywhere, did you know that when selling in Aus you have to pay for advertising!!! A friend of mine in Sydney had been on the market for a month, only had one viewing and when they swapped agents they had to cough up A$3000 for the agent's advertising costs!!!!![/QUOTE]


i think property owners in the uk need to stand up to estate agents and start advertising privately on line. if we all got used to the idea that if you're looking for property you go on line, we could soon cut out the estate agents. and for those of you that have not had your property advertised much by your agents; you could advertise every week for several months privately for what you will eventually pay an agent. its a bit of a gamble i know. i am keeping my fingers very crossed that it will pay off for me. i have so far spent a couple of hundred advertising every week in two different papers for 4 weeks plus 140 for an internet site which is not limited by time, includes a free for sale board. so far we have had 10 viewings and the internet site has definately picked up this week; 3 enquiries and one booking to view. didn't advetise last weekend as we were away but most expensive add so far in this weekend; total of 70 for both papers. i am holding my breath. first one appears tomorrow.

good luck again to all those i the same posiiton. you would think we could get together and form our own 'property for sale with no chain' website!

AND earlier in this thread, or at least i think it was this one, some bright spark mentioned the 'which guide to conveyancing'...........

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Bright Spark eh? I like that. Thanks Ahoy. That was me! :)

Doing it myself. No time for solicitors when they charge those amounts. Conveyancers are more reasonable at 300 and some even don't charge if you don't get to exchange, but the chances of finding one of those people nearby is quite slim. There is only one way I know the buyers solicitor will get the info he needs when he needs it is to cut out the middleman and do it yourself. I reckon in total it will cost around 30 quid including the law society legal forms.

One person has already PM'd me to get the info, so even if I've tempted one person to look into it, I feel quite happy. :)

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Better still, we got an offer yesterday, so that was handy. Going to negotiate it up a bit, and they aren't viable (estate agency speak - impressed eh?) as they haven't got their property on the market at the moment. Agent recommends agreeing an offer, but keeping the property on the market. He reckons this tells people looking around that there is nothing wrong with the house, as there is already on offer on it. All seems a little pointless, but with the ridiculous laws at the moment, that's the way it goes.

We have someone else viewing this afternoon, so I may drag out my decision until then.

Sounds like we've been lucky. Had about 14 viewings since January. So many haven't got their own properties on the market though. Seems pointless looking in those circumstances. Our intention was to move out into rented for 6 months before going to Oz on Nov (dependant on visa being granted obviously), but if we have to wait for an entire chain to form, maybe it will be better to stick in the house until we leave in Nov. decisions decisions.

Hopefuly someone currently living in rented will come along and just buy for cash... What? It could happen!

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Still waiting for first viewer!!!!!!

feeling very impatient, fed up of cleaning, perhaps if I let thr kids do their worse someone will want to come. lol

Good luck everyone!

chris