Beebop

That really looks good!

I can't suggest anything you need to do re the presentation. Good pictures.

Only other thing is to check the valuation but I would give this a go first!

the_tones_guy

it's very frustraiting, due to how the house is laid out, you either love it or hate it, although it needs nothing at all doing to it, it has loads of potential, but our problem has been getting foot fall through the door.

We were very down coming up to Christmas when people were just NOT looking at houses.

For the size of the place, there is nothing on the market at this price, in this area, that's why I am really really surprised it has not sold.

boxerdog03

Cool, let us know how you get on, we're in the same position. I'm also going to check out the housing association too.

Sharon

Beebop

It's the time of year, when I was selling this time 2 years ago it picked up at the end of Jan. There is much more of a selling season now than there used to be (March-June) and it's compounded this year by all the economic news. Once the banking crisis calms down, it should be better.

Tangram

No tips but my sympathies, been there done that for 5 months this year.

Elizabeth I

This might sound weird, but maybe you could make some good leaflets and post them up all over the place, on supermarket 'for sale' board and do a leaflet drop or something, just to generate a bit of awareness for your place.

Here in NZ they have real estate boards even in the supermarkets, so when one is doing ones shopping one can even browse the board for a house.

Where do you think buyers would be coming from for your place, where do buyers usually come from in your area? Maybe your estate agent could give you some info about that. Oftentimes people come locally and are looking to upsize or down size or whatever, so your buyer could be closer than you think, you just need to find them....maybe get creative....

Atlantic Xpat

Chris, I was only thinking to myself 'I wonder how they're getting on selling their house' earlier today. You have my sympathies mate, it took me 12 months to sell my place a few years ago and it damn near broke me financially. So whatever you do, I'd recommend against coming here and buying a house & then having two mortgages to service. Don't think thats an option anyway.

You are doing some good things to promote it I think. Keep the pressure on the Estate Agents and if they are not pulling their weight find another. They should all be hungry now!

It is a bad time of year to sell but things should pick up from here on in. Fundamentally though you might have to take a hit on price to move it. Houses will sell but not neccessarily at the price you think they will.

Keep everything crossed!

AX

daft batty

OK, here are my comments on the photos, its only my opinion FWIW, I hope I dont offend with any of my comments, I dont mean to.

The outside isnt very inviting at all and doesnt make me want to look inside. Can you get another photo done? Maybe not of the side with all that expanse of brick, and move the car out of the way? Also the wheelie bins need to be out of the photo. I would try and get some colour in the picture, buy some planters of winter flowering pansies and greenery, and get those arranged around the side of the house. Take a photo of the back of the house too as well as the garden,

Is it a pretty street? Maybe take a photo of that too showing the house has "nice" neighbours.

For the inside I would try to get more colour in, again pot plants are good for this, maybe a throw over the back of the sofa.
Lovely fireplace, make a feature of that. The TV is too big for the room, can you sell that early and borrow a smaller one until you go? A rug on the floor in front of the fire will make it look cosy. Will the couch move round to face the fireplace??

Your kitchen looks very good too, but its cluttered at the far end. I would ditch the microwave and any other appliances you can manage without using.

Just some quick thoughts.

YYZlover

Are you in a student area or near university/college with good transportation to it? Could you do a student let through an estate agent? If the demand is high you could end up covering your mortgage and then some.

TiggyP

Let us know how your eBay sale gets on! I've bought a motorcycle via eBay, that was scary enough, but a house!
I had no idea house sales were so popular - coulda picked up a trailer in Marbella for £15,000...

Snave

We were desperate to sell too when we moved to Canada. We rented it out for six months - then the house stood empty for a further six months - during which time we had a flood. When all the repairs were completed we just wanted it sold - so we went to National Home Buyers: http://www.nationalhomebuyers.co.uk/ We got about £1000 more than we paid for it 2.5 years earlier - but it was sold.
Beware - as we found - that any household insurance won't cover you after it's been empty for 90+ days.
Good luck with the sale!

cockney

Dan's idea here sounds favorite to me, but it depends on your personal circumstances and personalities to deal with that. I've been through it too, and ended up renting it for 2 years but wouldn't recommend that!
As far as the house goes, it looks like a good deal. Only thing I might suggest is maybe toning down the bedroom colours to more neutral pastel colours. The idea being that the house needs to look like a blank canvass for someone buying it, so anything to de-personailise it is to the good. I'd also take down the trampoline to make the garden as big as possible. Make sure it looks fresh and clean, particularly the entrance, inside and out. Buy some shrubs or flowers if necessary for it. Keep hasseling the agents too, and ask them to be frank about anything problems they see that could be improved on. Best of luck with everything, and let us know how things are going.

Danny B

I would not tell people that you are moving to Canada as they make take advantage of that fact.
Mention there is no upper chain, but say you are going into rented accomodation if asked.

ann m

Wot she said ....

And him ....

And him ....

Good luck ....

Paradisefound

I am an Interior Designer and Feng Shui Consultant and against all my advise on purchasing a particular property my partner did it anyway( I got paid for my advise on purchasing properties). The owner fell in love with his property that had great Feng Shui, but had had her property with bad FS on the market for 3 months. He decided to part exchange and take the money plus her property at market value.

The property was in a very good area and in good order, just out of date kitchen and bath. After renovating and landscaping and building a new garage to add value, it was dressed up and put up for sale. Noone was living in the property to mess it up. After taking advise on price from 3 agents. He carefully researched estate agents for that area and type of property and went with the best!

After 4 agents numerous price changes (usually lower) and a couple of stints on EBAY, the property was still empty 2 years later. No income from rent because best to keep it all new for the buyers!!

Feng Shui is about the building within it's surroundings, the direction it faces and the year it was built and if the building supports the inhabitants according to their Chinese Astrology. Taking these factors into account the property would not support my partners chart but deplete it. He would be the one supporting the house, especially financially. The previous owner recognized the difference in the one she left and the one she now owned. The house she purchased had been originally purchased for it's good FS and this had only been improved on. Her life and finances would improve tremendously in her new home. She kept in touch after the purchase and loved to report on how her life was moving in many new directions.

Finally 2 years on he agreed to allow me to deal with selling the property. I researched the market in that area and looked into online marketing agents in the UK. I flew over to the UK for 3 months, telling my partner I would be back with the money. I called in all the estate agents in the area and after 2 days and numerous advise, all agreed that they could not understand why it had not sold, but to give it to them and they would be able to sell it straight away. The agents that had had it previously (all 4) had no good excuses.

I made the decision to sell it myself and therefore have more flexibility in the negotiations. It worked really well without a middleman and being able to ask people directly what they thought. I networked with everyone I knew in the area, placed ads in stores and all over the internet. I gave myself a month to find a buyer (best dates chosen) and that would leave 2 months for the purchase to go through. Within a few days the phone was ringing with viewings. I was looking for someone that the house would be good for and they would see it too. When I first met the buyer I just knew this was the person and they had no property to sell. They loved the house and I had to help them purchase it. I offered a £1,000 cash back if the contracts were signed in 8 weeks and any furniture and window dressings at great prices. We had agreed on a price higher than it had been up for at anytime before, but what we both thought was a good deal, considering properties in the area were now selling for more.

Three months later I was back in Nova Scotia and the money came through a week later. It was March 2007 and I had missed all the freezing cold and gorgeous sunshine, but I had been reminded about the DAMP,GREY,COLD and FLOODS of a UK winter.

I have a few comments about your ad on ebay.

Wording - looking like desperate to sell, buyer will wonder why it has not sold and if there is something wrong with it?? Not I can grab a bargain.The £20,000 reduction will not make that much difference if getting mortgage. Maybe offer to pay stamp duty/ solicitors fees instead. Something that they will see in their pockets straight away.

Dressing - I totally agree with the removal of the car and bins ( bins close to the door mean you are attracting rubbish) and the angle and amount of outside photos. The dining room table is too close to the wall and there are things on the floor.Children's chair and any items of clutter around needs removing even for photos. Take up all mats and towels off side off bath. Put all lamps on for the photos, the light reflected will give a feeling of warmth. The flowers are great. No soft toys in masterbedroom. Will the TV go on the bare wall in the lounge? It spoils the sysymmetry of the room and the alcoves. The back garden would look much bigger without the trampoline.

Brief Feng Shui analysis.
It looks like the property faces SW under the influence of Earth. Any metal objects like the car will drain the energy. Fire supports this direction so something red outside by the front door will help. Are there any objects corners of buildings, walls pointing at the front door? Which door is used? They both face the same direction so one needs to be kept closed. The dining room one will allow the energies to flow in faster than the front door. So if you need to get things moving in the house use that door and if you need to slow things down use the other door. You also need the energy to flow around the house and then out again through the back door. If you can have the patio doors open now and then to help with the energy flow. This will prevent stagnation and also get things moving. Check all your borders outside especially at the back, is any of your energy escaping to the neighborsThe property to the right (dragon side) looking towards the house if bigger or the same size will help support yours. You look to be in a cul-de-sac so things move slower than on a straight road. You could place some signs/arrows indicating a property is for sale off the straight road.

If I had the year the property was built and the direction (to the degree) it faces, I could look at the flying stars for the next few months to see what is going on with the house. If I had your DOB I could see how the house effects you.

Be confident that the your property is good value, it looks great! Take a deep breath and relax. BELIEVE that you can sell it in the time frame you want and that there is someone out there that would just love to own your property. Do not let any negative thoughts enter your mind and think only positively about the property and the fact that you (and your family) now want to let it go.

I hope some of this will be of help and I send you positive thoughts.