House Sale

[Bee35]

My house has been on the market for about 4 weeks. i have had three people to view in that time and the general feedback seems to be that they are not prepared to do any work, and I have had no offers. It is a4-bed house ,built mid-fifties with a reasonably long garden. The house is decorated to a v good standard, new bath/kitchen etc, but parts of garden fencing have fallen into disrepair, and although we constructed a driveway for off-road parking, this and the fences could not be finished as husband and I separated and I have no money to complete these jobs. It seems that people cannot see past the fact that there is not a ready-made drive (although on-road parking is not a problem in our road) , and do not seem willing to replace some fence panels. When we bought the house, there were issues with the fencing but I was willing to knuckle down and do it myself.(Sadly couldn't). We even negotiated the price a bit lower because of the exterior work. Do people really expect 'perfection' nowadays, or am i just being sensitive?

[boxtops]

Kerbside appeal is - unfortunately - pretty important, people will go past if a place looks a bit unkempt or unloved. You need to get them through the front door,,,

[ummmm]

It's only been 4 weeks and only 3 people.

[lardhelmet]

OMG yes - Anne (meeerrr) Maurice bangs on about kerb appeal all the time. Not sure what sort of issues fencing have, but if you can'r do it yourself, get a man in (not a cowboy) to do it

[Bee35]

Thank you Boxtops. The difficulties are with the back garden, but obviously the drive is at the front. The most recent viewer did spot that the drive had been built,(only needs levelling and finishing off) but obviously later found somewhere ready made. lol

[Vagrant]

You're not the problem, they are. Most people ( but not all) cannot see further than the end of their nose - i.e. past the superficial, cosmetic aspects of a house. Fortunately, as I said, this problem is confined to the majority - don't despair - don't give up hope - 4 weeks is a very short time - last house I sold took 14 months. Eventually, you'll find a buyer who can see beyond broken fences, etc - in the mean time, make sure that when people come to view the house is absolutely immaculate - as clean. tidy and uncluttered as you can manage.

[Bee35]

I would like to get some help to do it but funds do not allow as I have to plumb everything I have into sale. my point really was that I think after several years of property progs, people now seem to expect everything ready-made and perfect. When this house was bought 4 years ago, a lot we saw did not have proper heating, double glazing etc even in a more prosperous market. Perhaps it's just me, but I would have been happy to do a bit of tidying up if it meant a lower price to start with. Thanks all :)

[Eve]

Have you checked out the valuation to make sure that people can't get something with them ready done for the same or not much more than yours is on the market for? If so then there may not be much incentive to go for yours and do the work themselves.

It may be a good thing they are coming to look though and either not knowing about the issues from the agents or particulars so you are maybe getting more, if not necessarily suitable, viewings that way.

[Bee35]

Thanks Vagrant. My two (adult) boys are relieved when the viewers go because they can make some mess again. ;) Yes, we do try and maintain a show-house. ;(
Think I was just brought up to strive for what you want, and some peoples' attitude is that they deserve it all at once. (Sorry if that sounds like a moan) :(

[Bee35]

Thank you Jenna1978. There are some lower priced houses in or area, but it varies greatly as to where you are as to what parking, garden size you have. (They are ex-council props), so good size inside, but not necessarily built for traffic/cars. Roads are quite narrow. i cannot drop price much further as need every penny of equity so will need to hang in there. thanks again - sound advice. :)

[Wak]

You say "adult boys" so I assume they are late teens or early twenties??
Why not put your foot down and get them to do a bit around the house to help you?
They should be helping you in this situation and not just making a mess.
There are plenty of websites which tell you how to do these jobs so it shouldn't take too much brawn or brains to finish the drive or garden fence.
Crack the whip, Bee, or let them starve.

[Bee35]

Lol. Thanks Wak. They are in that age group, but despite how my earlier comment reads, they are v helpful to me. We just don't like living in a clinical show-home. So we say that we'll make some mess when the viewers have gone. But cracking a whip may help when it comes to picking up the dirty washing...lol. Ta :)

[woofgang]

You have my sympathy! The trouble is from a buyer's POV , its not just the cost, its the added hassle of completing the jobs on top of the hassle of moving..so in my mind I would not just be thinking "oh the fence need replacing that will cost x" but "the fence needs replacing I have to find someone to do it...deal with the fact that i haven't got a safe fence in the meantime...oh its just too much hassle for the price." blow it I'll look elsewhere. Yes market expectations certainly have changed IMO. Unless you are buying a fixer upper at a fixer upper price, people do expect to move in and live there without picking up repairs or half finished jobs....none of which helps you to feel better, sorry :-(