House on market and I'm a bit lost

mosaicWhen you have had a viewing do you ring the Agent and ask them what the feedback from the viewers was,what they liked or disliked etc,they should do this automatically if they are a reputable Agency.
I would advise trying as best you can to get rid of the garden waste and keep the lawn as tidy as possible,the same with the front of the house.Now the weather is nice you may get an offer on your property,property always looks better when the sun's shining doesn't it.

Mosaic warts, Hello. My sympathies for your situation. I recall going through exactly the same as you some years ago. It's so unsettling and you just want to move forward. Firstly, have you got help, assistance, friends maybe to pop round and offer moral support during this time? (As everything in life it will end but it's getting through it that such a proverbial pain!). Can you put boxes stacked somewhere out of your sight perhaps? Garage temporarily? As for garden rubbish, I think you might have to consider getting a man with a van and large bags to get rid of it as it will bother you, or explain to buyers your intention and ask them to kindly overlook it during viewings. Very hard if you like things just so, I know, I'm one of those, and especially since you have made such a good job of presenting your home. In my case I had two very young children and trying to keep the house tidy became a military operation when a viewing was suddenly arranged! It took me months and you are going through the same scenario it seems, but you will do it, just keep in mind your new home you're going to and this will be worth it in the end. Keep us informed of progress.

How many viewings have you had in 7 months?
Is property at a similar price to yours selling in your area?
I would definitely ask the EA what the feedback was.

mosaicwarts, I hope your agent is ringing you after she has feedback on every single viewing. All the feedbacks helped me a little bit, psychologically. I would not worry about the packed boxes, just stay clean, the windows, showers, kitchen. Packed boxes were fine when I had viewings. It might be easier for you if you could dedicate a complete bedroom to your packing, put everything in there. Boxes in a room would not put off any serious viewer

I liked 3 days notice for a viewing just because I could do the sparkle clean at my own pace and me too, I hopped from viewing to viewing. The EA did all the viewings, I went out and had a small meal, making it a treat to come back to a very clean house and then I waited, for the phone call from the EA, then I went back to normal living, until the next viewing. It was a horrible time overall, life stands still

Re the garden rubbish, doing what you are doing will help. Try and keep it contained in a corner if possible

Moving house and divorce are the two most stressful things in life. I've been through both and I know which I prefer.......

Thank you for all your interesting replies.

I always get feedback and most people love it but don't want to buy it because it's too big/too far from the village/the trains/the listing and the work that needs doing/annexe is too small for their parents to live in.

The bigger houses here aren't selling at the moment. I think I might have a break and go to see my aunt on the Isle of Wight for a few days.

I've bought myself a huge half price easter egg and am looking forward to game of thrones tonight!

xx

Mosaicwarts
Would finances allow you to drop the price?
It's surprising to see how people see things in a different light when the price is right

It has only been for sale for about 7 months and during the Winter when property sales are a bit stagnant, so I wouldn't worry too much.
Obviously, the right person has not come along yet and you have the whole of Summer in front of you, the best time to sell.
I would do as others have mentioned and get help to put all the boxes in one room or a garage if possible. Pay for a man to come and move the garden waste or hire a skip.
Make sure your house is absolutely clutter free, if possible have nothing on surfaces, apart from maybe a bowl of fruit, move any photos and push your furniture back to make your rooms appear bigger.
No clutter in bathroom or bedrooms.
Open windows before viewing for ten minutes.
Fresh flowers, if possible.
It will sell but you have to make it as appealing as possible.

I was an estate agent for 30 years. This might sound a bit harsh but if you haven't had an offer in 7 months the price is too high.

I would now be considering changing agents and dropping the price. No matter how good the agent after 7 months they will be losing heart and properties that are newer on the market will be getting more of their attention.

If you don't want to do that at least get some new outside photos. Good luck.

my photos sold my house, they were taken by a professional phogographer employed by the EA and I agree with Framilode. A new enthusiastic EA but be very fussy about the photos, many EAs have rubbish photos. The property needs to be re-marketed by a better EA and the time is right now, so as not to miss the boat this year. Your present EA is not working hard enough. Mine actually had contacts going into London as well as all over my rural county.

The property being sold my mosaicwarts is lovely and very unusual and will definitely attract someone who wants to develop it into a stunning country home or bijou BnB or even as a holiday home. Find an EA with wide ranging contacts and bite the bullet. It could be sold by summer and you could be moved by winter

Have you a link mosaic - we could have a look and offer kind constructive help but no need if you wouldn't feel comfortable in doing so.

Get some of the large thick blue laundry bags from poundland, and cut the garden waste to fit. Either take to the tip yourself, or ask someone else to.

I am in the same boat as you, mosaic (sorry, don't like your name!) property on the market since August. its beautiful but so far no offers, only know 3 people want it but haven't sold their own yet, The price has been reduced 3 times and I will not take anything very low or I will not be able to get the house I want. which has been on the market for about as long as mine and has also been reduced. People say its because of Brexit. Good luck!!

Not read all your replies but you seem along time up for sale? Is the price right?
Another thing is smell !! Get some Zoflora find a smell or two you love they also do a pet fresh one, dilute a bit in water add to spray bottles go around spray curtains carpets etc etc
Even if you don't sell your home, least it will smell delicious ?

I also put my house up for sale at the same time as you, we had loads of viewings, loads liked it, did all the things they advise to do, as you have. It was spotless, smelt lovely, well maintained, good decorative order etc etc. It wore me down and in January I got depression. I noticed on Right Move , properties WERE selling, even horrible properties! It was down to price, eventually we decided we either keep going, living in limbo 'hoping' someone will pay top dollar, or drop to a realistic selling price. The market has changed in the last 5 yrs, I have sold/moved 3 times in the last 5 yrs, and this has been a whole new ball game thanks to brexit compared to my last couple of sales/moves. If your house is priced right it will sell, it just depends how long you want to drag it out for. Something is only worth what people will pay. It is all relevant, whatever you buy will also have dropped price. So it all boils down to whether you have had enough living in limbo, in a show home and wish to move things forward. We dropped price and sold our house within one week. I am feeling more optimistic again about our fresh start, I just could not keep going living with uncertainty, unable to make plans for the future. Hope you sell soon!

My house sat for 5 years. In the end I lowered the price and bought neutral bedding .I hope you have planned what to do when it sells for my buyers wanted in almost straight away.

People rarely tell the truth as to why they don’t like a house.
Serious buyers will have done the research on the Internet beforehand and will know exactly the distance from stations et cetera.
The floor plan will also give the exact dimensions of the property.
I suggest you get your most honest friend to appraise your home, sometimes simple things can make all the difference for example felling trees to allow more light or a serious de- clutter.
Make sure the agents are aware of any good schools in the catchment area and transport links, it is surprising very often how little an agent may know about a particular village or area.
Look at reducing the price and if you change agent reduce the fees on a sliding scale to focus the agent.

Hi, are you sure it’s on the market at the right price? We had a house a few years ago and when we put it on the market the agent explained that it was priced , by the other agents, at the wrong price Too expensive for some, too cheap for others. New agent promptly put it on the market for£20, 000 more and it sold within a week. The people who bought it thought that had a bargain! I hope you have a buyer soon.

mosaicwarts, I too was an estate agent and worked in New Homes too. If you wouldn’t mind putting a link to your house on here perhaps we could give you some help to sell your home?

We moved 7 years ago and it was a long process. We often just sat in the car during Agent viewings, if they left in under 15 minutes we knew they didn't like the house! A lot of buyers didn't like our downstairs bathroom (it was the only option unless you sacrificed a bedroom), others wanted to extend or make alterations and expected us to lower the price so they could afford them! Thankfully we only did a few viewings ourselves as I found it impossible not to show my annoyance if they criticised my home of nearly 30 years. We took our own photos as the agents photos were abysmal, he even asked if I would take photos of another house for him.

But for every house there is a buyer out there somewhere, you just have to hang in there, and make sure that your agent is really working as hard as he should be for you. There's a lot of helpful advice here from GNetters. If you are unable to clear the garden rubbish yourself perhaps the agent could arrange its removal, it's in his interests too that the house and garden should look its best. You will be paying him a lot of money, make him work for it. Good luck, stay optimistic.

I’ve been a buyer for the last 9 months and only looked at properties that ticked my boxes, so every viewing was a potential sale for the vendors, though I accept some people are just time wasters.

These are the things that put me off:

Inaccurate floor plans. Like the bungalow that was actually on three levels with steps from room to room. Or the garage that had been shortened to make the utility room.

Poor maintenance. All the little jobs that the owner has just learned to live with but that I would want put right like the radiator that doesn’t turn on or off or the cracked tiles in the bathroom. Old dirty carpets, redecoration needed in every room.

Smell. I actually couldn’t go any further than the hall in one house. If I say why I’ll get shouted at. Other people might be more polite than me but think it all the same.

Big expenditure. The crumbling conservatory or garage. The rotting window frames. The holed and sinking driveway.

Clutter. I’m pretty good at seeing past that but it makes a house so depressing. It gives it a general uncared for feel.

Price. None of the above things will matter to some buyers if the price is right. Buyers will buy the best thing they can get for their money. Any property is always competing with what else is(or might be) on the market.

Photos. Photos. Photos. As others have said, poor ones can wreck your chances. My DH took the photos of a flat we own when we rented it out because the ones the agents took were so poor. Made it look dark and pokey and it isn't.

And try not to despair. The housing market has been in the doldrums for a variety of reasons and it still hasn't picked up. So I think this rests on how desperate you are to sell.

I would go multi agency. And tell the other agents you are going multi agency. Nothing like a bit of competition between them to give them a kick start if they've gone a bit stale.

If you are desperate and can afford to drop that is the best thing to do. I would also advise taking it off, then putting it back on at the lower price. I think it's off putting if a property has been on the market for a long time and you read reduced. First thought is 'What's wrong with it?'.

If you can't afford to drop, bide your time but rest it now and again for your selling chances and your sanity. Try not to go running around tidying up for viewers that either don't turn up or if they do, they will look past the odd thing (as long as it's not a complete tip).

Try to relax. Breathe, take a step back, and realise in the overall scheme of things, it's just a house move and you are more important.

Good luck.

Have you a friend or neighbour who has a trailer and is willing to cart your garden rubbish to the nearest dump or recycling plant?

Getting rid of it is a must, otherwise you will feel embarrassed when people come to view and they will take one look at the piles and think, "No way, this garden is too much work."

How many boxes do you have standing about? If less than ten, put them all in one room and say, "The spare bedroom (or wherever) is a mess as this is where I am packing boxes". If there are so many that they make it difficult for viewers to judge the rooms, look into storing them in a container or storage facility until the house is sold.

Most people cannot look at a cluttered room and judge its potential, they only see the clutter.

Making your house look easy to run, should encourage buyers.

Don`t be there when the viewers come, you are paying good money and many viewers did not want the owner there. Yes scent and freshness are very important, I made sure there was a lovely scent, even if just some lemon oil dropped on a cloth in a slightly open drawer. I used a little zoflora in water several hours before a viewing, down any drain, bath, sinks etc and someone has mentioned neutral bedding, I did that, bought a cheap pack from qvc, the fabric I would never sleep in but it gave the bedroom a sumptious look

What put me off most was a dirty shower and animal scents

What did eventually sell my house was the price drop, first 6% then 5%. I had many viewers and several offers at the higher price but the political situation made the market dire, so I had to bite the bullet. I feel for you MW I really do