Re: Open House in the UK
 

and its not your problem regarding if the buyer can afford to buy or not :curse:

They should only look at what they can afford, that is silly of the agent to talk them into viewing :curse:

Re: Open House in the UK
 

Hi Gill

we got 4 different estate agents to come along and tell us within their experience how much we should be able to get for the house, they all came back with approx the same price. Two were are higher but looking at Rightmove and what other houses in the area had gone for we took the safe option.

Re: Open House in the UK
 

The viewer had been in the shop, a few times and told them how she loved the house etc. I'm more concerned with what he said about the surveyor, surely it has to be an independent, linked to the mortgage company?

Re: Open House in the UK
 

When we bought ours with marsden it was via the morgage company, but i do think they all use the same ;)

Ring another agent and ask, i can ask ours for u if you want :blink:

Re: Open House in the UK
 

Please dont take this the wrong way but I think you're insane! Do you want to move to Canada or not? Either except it or attempt to meet them half way and get the thing over and done with. You are lucky to have a potential buyer it would seem the way the property market is at the moment.

Aren't you seeing all the things in the news about a house price crash? If you can sell now at a 6k discount you will probably escape the much larger drop in prices that is on the horizon. Of course there are still some analysts saying "we expect prices to remain flat rather than fall" but seriously, what financial market do you know of that does that? Prices either go up or they go down - they don't stabalise. The minute that confidence is lost about prices continuing to rise they start going down. In the case of housing markets the downward trend usually lasts 3-4 years.

I know it probably isn't an easy one to swallow - specially when you are in the middle of the negotiation and you feel like someone is trying to screw you but console yourself with the fact that you will probably be pocketing a good price at the peak of the market and leaving your buyers to soak-up a loss over the next few years whilst you meanwhile enjoy your new life in Canada.

Re: Open House in the UK
 

Hi Paul
I hear exactly what you are saying and I did offer to meet them part way accepting 4k under asking, thats when I got the sob story re: them not being able to keep up mortgage payments.
Really my rant was about my estate agent who I feel is working for "friends of the family, his not mine" when I'm paying his bill.
There's also the thought that a 6k reduction to somebody sitting in a 250k house doesn't have potentially the same impact as for somebody in a house of 100k.:(

Re: Open House in the UK
 

the friends of the family thing isn't good - we had exactly the same problem. One prospective buyer was the agents brother (who couldnt sell their own house)! Curriously the agents didn't seem interested in finding us any other buyers after that! We had to sack them and get new agents who did manage to find us another buyer. Something you should seriously consider if you feel the agents are "saving" your house for someone they know.

Why not agree to give them the further 2k as a cash-back on completion providing they complete within a specified time limit? Make sure it is written into the sale agreement as a cash-back though and not just the price adjusted to reflect it.

Re: Open House in the UK
 

Hi NSPaul - I totally get what you're saying - we ourselves took the "suck it up" attitude when we moved out. Our house had offer - accepted - when we left the country. As soon as we left, the buyers started to moan about all sorts of little stuff, and asked for a significant reduction. It was obvious they were just trying it on cos of our situation. We ended up agreeing to a totally unreasonable reduction just to get the deed done. It meant we could move on and start our new life.

However, I think this case is different.

RodRos&Co - From what you've written my suspicion radar is beeping big-time! I think your estate agent is taking you for a ride, along with this buyer (probably with the encouragement of the ES I might add). She obviously does not have the funds to buy your home, it also sounds that buying with her brother was an after thought rather than a well-considered plan. There is a long time before accepting offer and closing in the UK - at any point she could wake up and realise that she just can't afford this - I would bet any money you like, that before completion she jumps ship. Just my hunch I know.

I think you're right to question the relationship between surveyor, ES and buyer. I would feel very unhappy about proceeding in these circumstances.

When our house was on the market, we first had it on with one agent. Unbeknown to us, his colleague viewed the property and wanted to buy it herself, but she had a house to sell with no offer. We had a stream of unsuitable viewers for the first week on the market - then silence. When we questioned the ES after a few weeks about lack of viewings, he "confessed" that he had been holding it back, waiting for his colleague to be ready to buy! His contract was torn up and shoved through his letter box the next day - and we signed on with another agent...

It all worked out in the end, and will for you too - just hold on in there... :)

Re: Open House in the UK
 

I think your idea is something I will seriously consider,
TBH, I'm at the end of my tether I've had enough of it all.

Re: Open House in the UK
 

Cheers LM, I've just had a bad week, too many ups and downs, kids getting me down, OH working away and feeling like my ES is taking the mickey:mad:

Rosie

Re: Open House in the UK
 

I didn't know all the ins and outs of your situation but if LM is right and these buyers are "tire-kickers" (as they call them here) then you have nothing to loose. Sack your agent straight away and put it on with someone else. If these buyers are really still interested they will get in touch with the new agents and still be in the running. But they key us that you need to find another buyer so you have a backup and if your current agents are in cahoots with this current buyer they will never find you that second buyer that you desperately need. If you only have the one you have no bargaining power at all - you need to get someone else interested. If it was me I would price it at a level that I knew I was guarenteed to get interest from more than one person and when there is more than one potential buyer nobody starts asking for discounts off the asking price - they might even go over it a little.

Re: Open House in the UK
 

We have been on the market for 4 months now and we have not had 1 offer, as time is NOT our friend now, bearing in mind we are looking to fly the 1st week of January.

i have read this entire thread and have just phoned our agent, they are up for arranging on open house for us in a couple of weeks.

(although i have not told the Mrs yet), BUT....as mentioned above, we just want to get sold to acheive our dream and if that means we struggle for 6 months on arrival, then so be it.

Not sure what we will do if no one buys from the open house, we had a leaflet through the door from one of those 'NEED TO MOVE QUICKLY - we buy your house for cash', companys, and you know what.

If it gets to December and we have not had a sniff, we'll sell it to them.

great great idea though open house, we'll give it a go and report back in a few weeks.

Chris.

Re: Open House in the UK
 

I have every sympathy with you - the house selling saga is a NIGHTMARE:eek:

It almost drove me round the bend:frown:

The only consolation I can offer is that it DOES end eventually - and as soon as you are in Canada you won't even give it a thought :thumbsup:

Have sent you some house selling karma (and the house selling dancers!)

Jo

Re: Open House in the UK
 

Rosie

If he hasnt sorted the open house out, then im afraid that it wont be in the express this weekend, there cut off line is today for friday print :unsure:

Honestly speak with keilly (I think thats how u spell her name) or even bairstow
just done the search and its showing open house on there website with free cheese and wine ;)
but when you click on the link to your details nothing advising of open house :huh:

Will check the express from ourside on friday for you, fingers crossed, will he be there or is it someone else from the agents coming (as he knows me :ohmy: )

gill

Re: Open House in the UK
 

I've spoke to ES again, the open house will be in the local paper on Friday, which hopefully will give us other potential buyers.
I will hold out until Monday and see where we stand, I think what Paul said re the potential buyer if they are keen, then it doesn't matter which estate agent is involved, they'll still want the house.

LM I feel thats the problem I don't trust either the buyer or my agent, she can only get a mortgage offer of 60k, then suddenly her younger brother is involved and they will get a mortgage of 50% each. Neither of them can get the deposit together so together they need a 100% mortgage, My ES is complaining because I'm still going ahead with the open house, he incidentally was quite derogatory about it, when the house has been on his books for 7 weeks and I think we've had 5 maybe 6 viewings.

At the moment I think it is H that will be here on Sunday, although I may be telling him to stay away :curse: but I'll find out for definite on Friday and will let you know Gill.

Chris, be careful with the companies that are willing to make a quick purchase. I understand what you're saying but try an open house first, I'll report back on Monday about ours.

Thanks for the karma Jo, I think I had a mini breakdown earlier;).

If we don't sell and exchange by the end of November my OH has to start his job which means he has to go to NS himself leaving me here.:(

Its half term, our 16 yr old lad is grounded for at least at month, due to getting extremely drunk on Saturday and giving both of us a load of abuse, and is now not speaking to us, but as I'm the one at home, I'm the one feeling it.