travelbug

Hi everyone. Thought i'd just let you know that i am now officially back among the "unsold" of you on this thread.
Buyers pulled out today - 7 week's after making their offer, 2 surveys later - they decided to knock £10,000 off of their original offer - for work that both us and the estate agent estimate would total no more than £2,000 (and that's being generous). Absolutely gutted that 2 years down the line, we are yet again no nearer to Australia. We were led to believe that all was fine till the 2nd survey was requested - and i'd therefore handed my notice in at work and booked temp accom for an arrival date in April. I have lost the deposit now for the accom - but thankfully have managed to retract my notice (i have to give my employers 8 weeks notice).
Still, we have learn't one lesson - DO NOT take your house off of the market when you get an offer - even if the buyers ask that you do so...Leave it on till that contract is exchanged! We have wasted 7 week's of this year assuming all was ok...

Anyway, enough of my doom and gloom. I hope you other guys have had some luck with your houses..
Cathy

JAK

Sorry to hear that Cathy. We had no luck with our last viewing, the feedback was it wasn't suitable. All we can do is keep hoping that a buyer will come along. Although I saw the exchange rate has got even worse today (at the moment it is at 1.705) so I know OH will be saying we can't afford to go at that rate. We had hoped to be mortgage free in Australia but that dream has all but disappeared.

Janet

travelbug

Hi Janet, thanks for that. Sorry to hear that you've had no luck with your recent viewing. I know we all have to try and remain positive - but it's bloody hard isn't it. We really thought it was our time this time. I hate having viewers round anyway - so the thought of having to start all that again just feels me with dread.
You're right about the rate - it's been fluctuating between 1.69 something to
1.71 or 1.72. We got quite excited the other week when it rose to 1.81 one day - but it soon dropped again.
I sometimes wonder if someone doesn't want us to go to Australia at all.
Good Luck for any viewings you might get though Janet.
Cathy

JAK

I know what you mean. Our only regret is we didn't put the house on the market as soon as we started our visa application, but we didn't want to in case we weren't successful with the visa. As luck would have it, it only took about 6 months for us to get the visa. We thought getting the visa would be the hard bit, not selling the house!

Good luck to you too, I hope things start picking up for us all soon.

Janet

paulry

Another tip is to keep schtoom to the buyers, estate agents, etc that you are emigrating

travelbug

We did try that the 1st few times that the house was up for sale, but we found it very difficult to lie face to face with viewers and the agent (not that they have trouble lying themselves mind you! LOL).
A few times buyers would ask where we were moving to - and we'd say a different area etc, but then a few times they'd ask more questions and it just seemed so wrong to keep lying (too honest for my own good!). So now we do tell people we're emigrating - but we also tell them that we have over 2 years left on our visa's - so that they dont think we're desperate to leave within the next few months.

paulry

I know what you mean. But you don't have to lie . Just say that you're moving South to a "previously purchased property" and quickly change the subject . The estate agent must earn their commission so make it a requirement that they show all prospective buyers around and keep all communications between the parties through the agent only. Keep a distance between you and the buyer because it's easy to talk them out of a deal. When I was house hunting last year on two occasions the sellers got too chatty and said things which put us right off their properties.

Additional comments: If you would feel more comfortable telling the EA your plans then insist that they don't pass that information on to the buyer. But make it clear to that if the buyers later attempt to reduce the agreed price that you will not consider it under any circumstances. This will help increase the likelyhood that the EA will keep the knowledge of your emigration plans to themselves. I do however see some merit in telling them because at least they'll know where you're coming from in terms of pushing things along if need be.

travelbug

Hi Paulry, sorry only just seen your post. I know what you're saying...is hard to know what to say sometimes. I must admit i leave the viewing side of things to my other half - and he is very professional - very good at showing people around - knows all the right stuff like letting them enter a room 1st so that it seems bigger! LOL He normally lets them look around on their own too - something i wouldn't do as i'm not as trusting!

Anyway, update on our situation, those blooming buyers left it all weekend after us refusing to drop £10,000 and then rang the agent at 4.40 last night to say they'd up the offer by £5000. We think perhaps they viewed other houses this weekend and realised that in our price range and area that our house is a good buy after all and perhaps they'd be foolish to lose the money they'd spent out on 2 surveys! Anyway, we're not going to be messed around, we have refused their new offer - and unless they come up with more money we're not interested. We have 5 viewings booked in for thurs/fri and sunday - so maybe there's another offer/buyer in amongst those people!
I'll keep you posted!

Anyone else got any updates ?

renth

You're insane, bite their hands off.

paulry

Well done for sticking to your guns . I'm not sure that I would be prepared to accept any exploitative reduction just out of principle - especially since its for something that you estimate will cost only £2000 to correct.

...Five viewings coming up! . Good luck karma given

travelbug

Three months ago we would have done ...but properties where i live have been snapped up since christmas. We have already dropped £30,000 since putting our house up and we did accept a lower offer from this couple to start with...so we're sticking to our guns this time. We have a copy of the surveyors report and believe me the stuff they were trying to justify the drop by is laughable! We need as much as we can get - especially due to the current rate of exchange! We've waited this long we can wait a little bit longer.....

paulry

I'd be temped to tell the buyers that since they are putting the agreed price back to negotiation and given that average asking prices are up in the south then an adjustment upwards is more appropriate

travelbug

One reason we're not dropping is that our agent feels that they were always intending to try and drop that much from the start...and to keep us hanging around wasting 7 weeks of our time goes to show that they thought they'd get us in a position where we wouldn't say no. and i'm a stubborn so and so. One of their survey's was over £700 so if they dont up their offer to what we want i'm kind of glad they've lost money too...(as i've lost my accomodation deposit now as well). Serves them right.
Thanks for the good luck with the viewers - i'll let you know how we get on.
Any booked in for you this week?
Cathy

Hino

+1

travelbug

funny you say that - as one of my work colleagues said the same thing last night! We're not even going to ask the agent if they've heard from them - playing hard to get now! LOL. I must say though even our agent was surprised to hear from them Monday - they were sooo adamant friday that they weren't interested when we said no to the £10,000 drop.
We'll just keep booking the viewers in and hope for the best now... At least we know what might come up on a survey now, so if anyone else comes up with an offer - has a survey and tries to pull a fast one we can prove ourselves that any work doesnt warrant a massive drop.
I must say i'll be in no rush to buy another house now....this whole experience the last 2 years has right put me off!