Well, the previous agent, although getting viewings, has not managed
to sell my property after almost three months (by the time the 2-week
notice period is up). Connells are doing a "Six-Week Challenge" offer,
where they try their best to sell a property within six weeks.

By the way, Connells suggested that I use their solicitor/conveyancer,
but the local solicitor, who has been recommended to me, is far
cheaper.

Let's see what happens.

MM

In message , Mike Mitchell
writes
Well, the previous agent, although getting viewings, has not managed
to sell my property after almost three months (by the time the 2-week
notice period is up). Connells are doing a "Six-Week Challenge" offer,
where they try their best to sell a property within six weeks.

By the way, Connells suggested that I use their solicitor/conveyancer,
but the local solicitor, who has been recommended to me, is far
cheaper.

Let's see what happens.

MM

Mike,

Sounds like a done deal?

How many viewings have you had in the 3 month period?

What feedback did you get as to why individual viewers did not want to
buy? (Most wont give a truthful answer), but if you hear a similar
tangible thing 2 or 3 times, it can mean that there is something about
the house, rather than the agent.

It always amazes me when agents come up with campaigns like this -
Doesnt every agent try their best to sell all properties as quickly as
possible? The campaign name suggests that Connells usually dont try to
sell houses within 6 weeks g I have no doubt that the campaign will
attract lots of new properties for them to sell, just as the quiet time
of year is ending - very clever timing.

What do Connells offer if they dont sell your house within 6 weeks? Do
you have to sign a minimum agency period agreement?

One agent near us offered to sell houses for free - however, when the
documentation turned up, it actually said that if the house sold within
6 weeks, there would be no fee, after that the usual fee would apply.
How motivated the agents were to sell within 6 weeks, I cant imagine.
Lots of people were enticed to invite them in for a valuation, and the
numbers game meant they got a lot of houses to sell. Inertia then meant
that most of these houses stayed with them after the 6 weeks.

What will probably happen is that Connells will sell your house, and you
will think they are wonderful. However, you will never know if it was
because the market gets going in September after the holiday period,
when your previous agent may have found the same buyer, or if Connells
made an extra special effort.

Or Connells will not sell your house, and you may be attracted by
another inviting marketing campaign in a few months.

With some houses, I found that they did the rounds of all the local
agents, and it was luck of the draw as to which agent sold them.

One thing you must be careful of is that if the market has stabilised
around you, or is beginning to fall slightly, you could be left
following a falling market. I am sure that this will begin to happen in
some parts of the country over the foreseeable future.

--
Richard Faulkner

"Richard Faulkner" wrote in message
...
In message , Mike Mitchell
writes
Well, the previous agent, although getting viewings, has not managed
to sell my property after almost three months (by the time the 2-week
notice period is up). Connells are doing a "Six-Week Challenge" offer,
where they try their best to sell a property within six weeks.


snip loads of good stuff

With some houses, I found that they did the rounds of all the local
agents, and it was luck of the draw as to which agent sold them.


I agree, it is you who sell your house, not the agent. The agent simply
markets it and manages the completion.


One thing you must be careful of is that if the market has stabilised
around you, or is beginning to fall slightly, you could be left
following a falling market. I am sure that this will begin to happen in
some parts of the country over the foreseeable future.

--
Richard Faulkner

On Sat, 28 Aug 2004 03:24:19 +0100, Richard Faulkner
wrote:

In message , Mike Mitchell
writes
Well, the previous agent, although getting viewings, has not managed
to sell my property after almost three months (by the time the 2-week
notice period is up). Connells are doing a "Six-Week Challenge" offer,
where they try their best to sell a property within six weeks.

By the way, Connells suggested that I use their solicitor/conveyancer,
but the local solicitor, who has been recommended to me, is far
cheaper.

Let's see what happens.

MM

Mike,

Sounds like a done deal?

How many viewings have you had in the 3 month period?

23

What feedback did you get as to why individual viewers did not want to
buy?

Little to non-existent. Many viewers remain non-contactable, despite
messages being left for them. Others say they want a property with
"more character" (wouldn't we all?). Others say the area is not
suitable (so why not investigate the area first?) All viewers have
made favourable comments about the good presentational state of
property, the larger than average rooms, the off-road parking, and the
gardens, and no estate agent has suggested anything obvious that could
put people off.

I know the real reason. I know what the most obvious thing is that no
one wants to mention, like an old beloved granny prone to serial
farting. I know that the emperor isn't wearing any clothes. No one,
especially the yuppy sort coming out of Middlesex, wants to live on a
council estate! They don't say so in so many words, but you can tell
that they could never be seen dead in an ex-LA property. I might as
well paint a cross on the wall and stick up a sign saying "unclean".

But I bought an ex-council house; THIS one! It was all I could afford
at the time and I didn't (and still don't) give a toss whether it's on
a council estate or in a leafy suburb of Richmond or Harrogate. That's
the kind of person this property needs to be targeted at, and I don't
believe it has been happening. Hopefully, Connells, which seems to
specialise in the lower end of the market (I bought this very house
from Connells, in fact) have the downhome attitude that appeals to the
kind of buyer I need.

But I couldn't just sit around and wait for another 23 to come through
the door. I had to be proactive somehow, since in terms of price, any
viewer was free to make an offer. So my choice for being proactive was
to select a different agent. This is the third agent. If necessary, I
shall move to a fourth, fifth and sixth agent. I don't give a toss who
sells it. Also, Connells' commission for the six-week challenge is
1.75%, i.e. considerably higher than usual. I don't give a toss about
that either. If I can sell for around £200K, I'm not going to nit-pick
over 1,500 quid or so.

(Most wont give a truthful answer), but if you hear a similar
tangible thing 2 or 3 times, it can mean that there is something about
the house, rather than the agent.

It always amazes me when agents come up with campaigns like this -
Doesnt every agent try their best to sell all properties as quickly as
possible? The campaign name suggests that Connells usually dont try to
sell houses within 6 weeks g I have no doubt that the campaign will
attract lots of new properties for them to sell, just as the quiet time
of year is ending - very clever timing.

What do Connells offer if they dont sell your house within 6 weeks? Do
you have to sign a minimum agency period agreement?

It's up to me what happens after six weeks. At present I feel like
telling each agent, okay, you've got a week, then it's curtains. After
all, they always profess to have a large waiting list of applicants.


One agent near us offered to sell houses for free - however, when the
documentation turned up, it actually said that if the house sold within
6 weeks, there would be no fee, after that the usual fee would apply.
How motivated the agents were to sell within 6 weeks, I cant imagine.
Lots of people were enticed to invite them in for a valuation, and the
numbers game meant they got a lot of houses to sell. Inertia then meant
that most of these houses stayed with them after the 6 weeks.

What will probably happen is that Connells will sell your house, and you
will think they are wonderful.

That is the only thing I am interested in - a result.

However, you will never know if it was
because the market gets going in September after the holiday period,
when your previous agent may have found the same buyer, or if Connells
made an extra special effort.

Some say that the market is always dead in August, yet others say they
are still selling houses. How can you believe anything an estate agent
tells you? My proof is in the pudding, i.e. when one of them sells it!

Or Connells will not sell your house, and you may be attracted by
another inviting marketing campaign in a few months.

Fair enough.

With some houses, I found that they did the rounds of all the local
agents, and it was luck of the draw as to which agent sold them.

Again, fair enough. It's a dog-eat-dog world out here.

One thing you must be careful of is that if the market has stabilised
around you, or is beginning to fall slightly, you could be left
following a falling market. I am sure that this will begin to happen in
some parts of the country over the foreseeable future.

That doesn't matter in my case, since the properties in my preferred
target area (Lincolnshire, Norfolk) are becoming cheaper, too.

MM

In message , Mike Mitchell
writes
On Sat, 28 Aug 2004 03:24:19 +0100, Richard Faulkner
wrote:

In message , Mike Mitchell
writes
Well, the previous agent, although getting viewings, has not managed
to sell my property after almost three months (by the time the 2-week
notice period is up). Connells are doing a "Six-Week Challenge" offer,
where they try their best to sell a property within six weeks.

By the way, Connells suggested that I use their solicitor/conveyancer,
but the local solicitor, who has been recommended to me, is far
cheaper.

Let's see what happens.

MM

Mike,

Sounds like a done deal?

How many viewings have you had in the 3 month period?

23

What feedback did you get as to why individual viewers did not want to
buy?

Little to non-existent. Many viewers remain non-contactable, despite
messages being left for them. Others say they want a property with
"more character" (wouldn't we all?). Others say the area is not
suitable (so why not investigate the area first?) All viewers have
made favourable comments about the good presentational state of
property, the larger than average rooms, the off-road parking, and the
gardens, and no estate agent has suggested anything obvious that could
put people off.


23 viewings in 3 months over summer is good in terms of volume. So
something is obviously wrong - type of viewer, condition of house,
price, immediate locale, etc. .... (just thinking aloud).

I know the real reason. I know what the most obvious thing is that no
one wants to mention, like an old beloved granny prone to serial
farting. I know that the emperor isn't wearing any clothes. No one,
especially the yuppy sort coming out of Middlesex, wants to live on a
council estate! They don't say so in so many words, but you can tell
that they could never be seen dead in an ex-LA property. I might as
well paint a cross on the wall and stick up a sign saying "unclean".


Then why not "paint a cross on the house and say unclean"? As you
suggest, there is no point in attracting people to look at the house if
there is no way they are going to even think about it. Make it clear in
the brochure, window display, and advertising, that it is an ex council
house on the "such and such" estate - this can be done in a very
positive way. It is possible that the agents have built the house up to
be something it is not, which only results in disappointment when people
arrive - a complete waste of everybodys time. (You may already be doing
this).

But I bought an ex-council house; THIS one! It was all I could afford
at the time and I didn't (and still don't) give a toss whether it's on
a council estate or in a leafy suburb of Richmond or Harrogate. That's
the kind of person this property needs to be targeted at, and I don't
believe it has been happening. Hopefully, Connells, which seems to
specialise in the lower end of the market (I bought this very house
from Connells, in fact) have the downhome attitude that appeals to the
kind of buyer I need.


OK. I dont think even you have mentioned previously that it is an ex LA
house.

One of the things I used to ask sellers was what attracted them to their
home when they bought it:

Comments could range from:

"I just had to have a house of this style, in this location, and it
didnt really matter what it cost, or how much work needed doing to it"

to

"It was all that I could afford".

But I couldn't just sit around and wait for another 23 to come through
the door. I had to be proactive somehow, since in terms of price, any
viewer was free to make an offer. So my choice for being proactive was
to select a different agent. This is the third agent. If necessary, I
shall move to a fourth, fifth and sixth agent. I don't give a toss who
sells it. Also, Connells' commission for the six-week challenge is
1.75%, i.e. considerably higher than usual. I don't give a toss about
that either. If I can sell for around £200K, I'm not going to nit-pick
over 1,500 quid or so.

Agreed. Given that you have a house in a location where it is possible
that nobody will want it unless it is all that they can afford, is it
priced so that it is all that some buyers can afford?

I.e. what is your competition at around your asking price. In my area,
most people would rather buy older terraced houses with a bit of
character than the council houses around the corner, so the terraces are
the immediate competition. At the moment, a reasonable 3 bed terrace
with a small garden and yard is around £140K - £150K, and a reasonable
ex council 3 bed semi with gardens and drive is around £115K - 125K, or
16% to 20% cheaper.

Can you do the same analogy around your home?

You might reach the conclusion that you may need to be more competitive.
It is possible that you may have to be prepared to nit pick over £20,000
or so.

Whilst any viewer is free to make an offer, there are many who do not
for fear of being thought cheeky, so you may need to tell them what you
will accept. It's all very well asking more because people will always
offer less, but there is also a price at which asking less will
encourage people to offer more.



(Most wont give a truthful answer), but if you hear a similar
tangible thing 2 or 3 times, it can mean that there is something about
the house, rather than the agent.

It always amazes me when agents come up with campaigns like this -
Doesnt every agent try their best to sell all properties as quickly as
possible? The campaign name suggests that Connells usually dont try to
sell houses within 6 weeks g I have no doubt that the campaign will
attract lots of new properties for them to sell, just as the quiet time
of year is ending - very clever timing.

What do Connells offer if they dont sell your house within 6 weeks? Do
you have to sign a minimum agency period agreement?

It's up to me what happens after six weeks. At present I feel like
telling each agent, okay, you've got a week, then it's curtains. After
all, they always profess to have a large waiting list of applicants.


One agent near us offered to sell houses for free - however, when the
documentation turned up, it actually said that if the house sold within
6 weeks, there would be no fee, after that the usual fee would apply.
How motivated the agents were to sell within 6 weeks, I cant imagine.
Lots of people were enticed to invite them in for a valuation, and the
numbers game meant they got a lot of houses to sell. Inertia then meant
that most of these houses stayed with them after the 6 weeks.

What will probably happen is that Connells will sell your house, and you
will think they are wonderful.

That is the only thing I am interested in - a result.

However, you will never know if it was
because the market gets going in September after the holiday period,
when your previous agent may have found the same buyer, or if Connells
made an extra special effort.

Some say that the market is always dead in August, yet others say they
are still selling houses. How can you believe anything an estate agent
tells you? My proof is in the pudding, i.e. when one of them sells it!

Neither is really lying. It's just how they dress it up. Your previous
agent probably told you that the market is dead, and Connells and others
probably tell you that they are still selling houses. We always sold
houses in the summer, but nowhere near as many as we did in the Spring &
Autumn. You would probably have found that Connells would have been
telling you that the market was dead if you had been on the market with
them and not sold.

Having said that, I agree that it is extremely difficult to sort out the
sausage from the sizzle when listening to estate agents, (or any other
type of salesperson selling an intangible service).


Or Connells will not sell your house, and you may be attracted by
another inviting marketing campaign in a few months.

Fair enough.

With some houses, I found that they did the rounds of all the local
agents, and it was luck of the draw as to which agent sold them.

Again, fair enough. It's a dog-eat-dog world out here.

What I was trying to say was that market conditions and asking price
tended to dictate when a house would sell, and not which agent was
selling it.

E.g. In a rising market, a house too highly priced in January might sell
in say, August, when the market has risen to match the asking price. If
the seller is impatient, he may have used 3/4 agents in this time, but
the first agent would have sold it at the same time, possibly to the
same person.


One thing you must be careful of is that if the market has stabilised
around you, or is beginning to fall slightly, you could be left
following a falling market. I am sure that this will begin to happen in
some parts of the country over the foreseeable future.

That doesn't matter in my case, since the properties in my preferred
target area (Lincolnshire, Norfolk) are becoming cheaper, too.


Dont forget that I dont know you, your house, your area, or the estate
agents, so the above are fairly rash generalisations.

If you want, you could give me your postcode, or something, and a
description of your house, and I'll have a look at the internet sites to
see how it looks in comparison with your competition. (Do this by e.mail
if you like)

MM

--
Richard Faulkner

On Sun, 29 Aug 2004 14:23:28 +0100, Richard Faulkner
wrote:

In message , Mike Mitchell
writes
On Sat, 28 Aug 2004 03:24:19 +0100, Richard Faulkner
wrote:

In message , Mike Mitchell
writes
Well, the previous agent, although getting viewings, has not managed
to sell my property after almost three months (by the time the 2-week
notice period is up). Connells are doing a "Six-Week Challenge" offer,
where they try their best to sell a property within six weeks.

By the way, Connells suggested that I use their solicitor/conveyancer,
but the local solicitor, who has been recommended to me, is far
cheaper.

Let's see what happens.

MM

Mike,

Sounds like a done deal?

How many viewings have you had in the 3 month period?

23

What feedback did you get as to why individual viewers did not want to
buy?

Little to non-existent. Many viewers remain non-contactable, despite
messages being left for them. Others say they want a property with
"more character" (wouldn't we all?). Others say the area is not
suitable (so why not investigate the area first?) All viewers have
made favourable comments about the good presentational state of
property, the larger than average rooms, the off-road parking, and the
gardens, and no estate agent has suggested anything obvious that could
put people off.


23 viewings in 3 months over summer is good in terms of volume. So
something is obviously wrong - type of viewer, condition of house,
price, immediate locale, etc. .... (just thinking aloud).

The condition of the property is fine, in fact, with every room
redecorated in a neutral colour (and not just slapped on either),
doors and frames freshly painted, window frames thoroughly taken back
(where necessary) to bare wood and refinished, or, on two windows,
completely replaced, and the front and back gardens nicely
established, the property, I have been told, and not just by estate
agents, is totally ideal for, say, a first-time buyer, or for a
widower or widow needing or wanting to downsize from the family home.
I think it's a combination of the wrong type of buyer for the council
estate locale (even though many of the houses have been owner-occupied
for yonks).

I know the real reason. I know what the most obvious thing is that no
one wants to mention, like an old beloved granny prone to serial
farting. I know that the emperor isn't wearing any clothes. No one,
especially the yuppy sort coming out of Middlesex, wants to live on a
council estate! They don't say so in so many words, but you can tell
that they could never be seen dead in an ex-LA property. I might as
well paint a cross on the wall and stick up a sign saying "unclean".


Then why not "paint a cross on the house and say unclean"? As you
suggest, there is no point in attracting people to look at the house if
there is no way they are going to even think about it. Make it clear in
the brochure, window display, and advertising, that it is an ex council
house on the "such and such" estate - this can be done in a very
positive way. It is possible that the agents have built the house up to
be something it is not, which only results in disappointment when people
arrive - a complete waste of everybodys time. (You may already be doing
this).

There has been no mention of "ex-LA" in any of the advertising so far,
although I have been told that viewers are made aware of this when
they first contact the agent for an appointment. But this is the case
with other ex-LA properties with other agents, i.e. no one wants to
menton it, hoping people won't notice as neighbouring houses have long
since been bought. Sadly, as you and I well know, the typical English
council estate has "council estate" stamped all over it. In fact, the
councils must have gone to special lengths to give them that 'look' in
order to goad tenants into bettering themselves and moving on.

I also have some direct evidence. I placed a few cards in newsagents
windows, to help things along a bit (I wasn't trying to cheat the
agent out of his commission as I marked the cards that this was not a
private sale). I received practically no interest whatsoever, but on
one of the three occasions when someone rang up and asked which road
it was on, and I told them, they said, "Oh, I see. Thanks." And rang
off, as if I could hear them shrieking across the room: "Untouchable!
Untouchable!" On another the reaction was very similar. And on the
third the lady said she'd talk it over with her hubby, but nothing
came of it. However, I can assure you that this estate is NOT run
down, NOT plagued with crime or roaming juveniles. It is, though,
pretty obviously a council estate, and I have known people for years
who would rather stick pins in their eyes than live on one. Even my
own late father was aghast that I would even consider a "council
house", whereupon I told him that it was just a house, a solidly built
house, and one that I could afford, end of story. There is an awful
lot of snobbery associated with houses, you know.

HOWEVER, when people come round I am as nice as pie and totally
noncommittal. If they ask about the neighbours (good), noise (none),
the boiler (regularly serviced), shops (ten-minute' walk), schools
(favoured catchment area), and anything else, I don't try to dress it
up or play it down. They are usually surprised enough on their own by
the largeness of the rooms without my needing to point it out. Several
separate viewers have applauded the solid internal walls upstairs and
down.

But I bought an ex-council house; THIS one! It was all I could afford
at the time and I didn't (and still don't) give a toss whether it's on
a council estate or in a leafy suburb of Richmond or Harrogate. That's
the kind of person this property needs to be targeted at, and I don't
believe it has been happening. Hopefully, Connells, which seems to
specialise in the lower end of the market (I bought this very house
from Connells, in fact) have the downhome attitude that appeals to the
kind of buyer I need.


OK. I dont think even you have mentioned previously that it is an ex LA
house.

I have done in different threads, but no, not in this one, so far. You
see, even I am getting that I don't like to mention it! This is how
the stigma is promulgated.

One of the things I used to ask sellers was what attracted them to their
home when they bought it:

Comments could range from:

"I just had to have a house of this style, in this location, and it
didnt really matter what it cost, or how much work needed doing to it"

to

"It was all that I could afford".

But I couldn't just sit around and wait for another 23 to come through
the door. I had to be proactive somehow, since in terms of price, any
viewer was free to make an offer. So my choice for being proactive was
to select a different agent. This is the third agent. If necessary, I
shall move to a fourth, fifth and sixth agent. I don't give a toss who
sells it. Also, Connells' commission for the six-week challenge is
1.75%, i.e. considerably higher than usual. I don't give a toss about
that either. If I can sell for around £200K, I'm not going to nit-pick
over 1,500 quid or so.

Agreed. Given that you have a house in a location where it is possible
that nobody will want it unless it is all that they can afford, is it
priced so that it is all that some buyers can afford?

Absolutely it is. It is, bar a couple of flats, the cheapest property
in the village. Only a few weeks ago two three-bed semis on a very
busy main road where residents' parked cars are always getting their
door mirrors whacked, sold for around £250K. Needless to say, those
properties are NOT on the council estate and are Victorian, i.e.
supposedly have "character". Personally, as I lived in one of them for
a short while, I think they are eyesores, the bathrooms have been
added on behind the kitchens, the properties are very dark inside, and
I wouldn't buy one if you paid me. And I have off-street parking for
three cars as well!

I.e. what is your competition at around your asking price. In my area,
most people would rather buy older terraced houses with a bit of
character than the council houses around the corner, so the terraces are
the immediate competition. At the moment, a reasonable 3 bed terrace
with a small garden and yard is around £140K - £150K, and a reasonable
ex council 3 bed semi with gardens and drive is around £115K - 125K, or
16% to 20% cheaper.

Can you do the same analogy around your home?

You might reach the conclusion that you may need to be more competitive.
It is possible that you may have to be prepared to nit pick over £20,000
or so.

If Connells have no success, then yes, there will be no choice other
than to reduce the price again. (It has been reduced twice already.)

Whilst any viewer is free to make an offer, there are many who do not
for fear of being thought cheeky, so you may need to tell them what you
will accept. It's all very well asking more because people will always
offer less, but there is also a price at which asking less will
encourage people to offer more.

Over the last few viewings I have intimated to the viewers that the
current asking price should be looked at as a ballpark figure - so
that they go out of the door thinking that they can indeed be a little
bit cheeky. So far, no dice.


(Most wont give a truthful answer), but if you hear a similar
tangible thing 2 or 3 times, it can mean that there is something about
the house, rather than the agent.

It always amazes me when agents come up with campaigns like this -
Doesnt every agent try their best to sell all properties as quickly as
possible? The campaign name suggests that Connells usually dont try to
sell houses within 6 weeks g I have no doubt that the campaign will
attract lots of new properties for them to sell, just as the quiet time
of year is ending - very clever timing.

What do Connells offer if they dont sell your house within 6 weeks? Do
you have to sign a minimum agency period agreement?

It's up to me what happens after six weeks. At present I feel like
telling each agent, okay, you've got a week, then it's curtains. After
all, they always profess to have a large waiting list of applicants.


One agent near us offered to sell houses for free - however, when the
documentation turned up, it actually said that if the house sold within
6 weeks, there would be no fee, after that the usual fee would apply.
How motivated the agents were to sell within 6 weeks, I cant imagine.
Lots of people were enticed to invite them in for a valuation, and the
numbers game meant they got a lot of houses to sell. Inertia then meant
that most of these houses stayed with them after the 6 weeks.

What will probably happen is that Connells will sell your house, and you
will think they are wonderful.

That is the only thing I am interested in - a result.

However, you will never know if it was
because the market gets going in September after the holiday period,
when your previous agent may have found the same buyer, or if Connells
made an extra special effort.

Some say that the market is always dead in August, yet others say they
are still selling houses. How can you believe anything an estate agent
tells you? My proof is in the pudding, i.e. when one of them sells it!

Neither is really lying. It's just how they dress it up. Your previous
agent probably told you that the market is dead, and Connells and others
probably tell you that they are still selling houses. We always sold
houses in the summer, but nowhere near as many as we did in the Spring &
Autumn. You would probably have found that Connells would have been
telling you that the market was dead if you had been on the market with
them and not sold.

Having said that, I agree that it is extremely difficult to sort out the
sausage from the sizzle when listening to estate agents, (or any other
type of salesperson selling an intangible service).


Or Connells will not sell your house, and you may be attracted by
another inviting marketing campaign in a few months.

Fair enough.

With some houses, I found that they did the rounds of all the local
agents, and it was luck of the draw as to which agent sold them.

Again, fair enough. It's a dog-eat-dog world out here.

What I was trying to say was that market conditions and asking price
tended to dictate when a house would sell, and not which agent was
selling it.

E.g. In a rising market, a house too highly priced in January might sell
in say, August, when the market has risen to match the asking price. If
the seller is impatient, he may have used 3/4 agents in this time, but
the first agent would have sold it at the same time, possibly to the
same person.


One thing you must be careful of is that if the market has stabilised
around you, or is beginning to fall slightly, you could be left
following a falling market. I am sure that this will begin to happen in
some parts of the country over the foreseeable future.

That doesn't matter in my case, since the properties in my preferred
target area (Lincolnshire, Norfolk) are becoming cheaper, too.


Dont forget that I dont know you, your house, your area, or the estate
agents, so the above are fairly rash generalisations.

If you want, you could give me your postcode, or something, and a
description of your house, and I'll have a look at the internet sites to
see how it looks in comparison with your competition. (Do this by e.mail
if you like)

MM

On Sun, 29 Aug 2004 20:25:28 +0100, Janet Baraclough..
wrote:

The message
from Mike Mitchell contains these words:

I have been told, and not just by estate
agents, is totally ideal for, say, a first-time buyer, or for a
widower or widow needing or wanting to downsize from the family home.

Isn't a house with garden at £200K, beyond the reach and ambition of of
many average-income "first time buyers"? If it was ideal for them, they
would have snapped it up.

Widowed downsizers are not usually seeking the bottom rung of the
property ladder that appeals to first time buyers. Most downsizers,
people manipulating their assets to their best advantage, learned a bit
about property sales on their way up the ladder. They may later rely on
selling the last-buy to fund nursing-home care, so ONE of their
downsizing stipulations is a property which they are confident will sell
fast. Yours evidently isn't in that category.

And a Happy Christmas to you, too!

MM

I have been told, and not just by estate
agents, is totally ideal for, say, a first-time buyer, or for a
widower or widow needing or wanting to downsize from the family home.

Isn't a house with garden at £200K, beyond the reach and ambition of of
many average-income "first time buyers"? If it was ideal for them, they
would have snapped it up.

Its just what the couple across the road from me are looking for. They
have a new baby and their one and a half bedroom Victorian cottage is
too cramped but they dont have loads of money to pay for extra space
cos Jenny isn't working

Pity they don't live near you :-(

Anna
~~ Anna Kettle, Suffolk, England
|""""| ~ Lime plaster repairs
/ ^^ \ // Freehand modelling in lime: overmantels, pargeting etc
|____| www.kettlenet.co.uk 01359 230642

On Mon, 30 Aug 2004 16:12:50 GMT, (Anna Kettle)
wrote:

I have been told, and not just by estate
agents, is totally ideal for, say, a first-time buyer, or for a
widower or widow needing or wanting to downsize from the family home.

Isn't a house with garden at £200K, beyond the reach and ambition of of
many average-income "first time buyers"? If it was ideal for them, they
would have snapped it up.

Its just what the couple across the road from me are looking for. They
have a new baby and their one and a half bedroom Victorian cottage is
too cramped but they dont have loads of money to pay for extra space
cos Jenny isn't working

Pity they don't live near you :-(

Anna
~~ Anna Kettle, Suffolk, England
|""""| ~ Lime plaster repairs
/ ^^ \ // Freehand modelling in lime: overmantels, pargeting etc
|____| www.kettlenet.co.uk 01359 230642


Ah, a positive note on which to end the day! Thanks, Anna!

MM