Moving On - 5 - Buying & Selling.

Well it's 2 months since I last blogged about selling my house. In summary there has been loads of interest, 4 second viewings, & 3 offers. But the offers were £75,000 - £100,000 below the asking price, so I politely declined. Interestingly & counter intuitively the offers were not followed up by any negotiation. Theoretically there are people who viewed who still want to buy, but they can't sell their own property.

I have spoken to someone who knows, (not my agent), and apparently estate agents like Hamptons have footfall targets to fulfill. So they don't necessarily care if the viewings are by people who are in a position to offer. Hence you get people who haven't got their house on the market wasting everyones time.

I also gather that the average drop from asking price to actual selling price is about 7-8%. I can live with that. No one realistic expects to get their asking price in todays dreadful market. What I can't live with is people who simply try it on & come up with all sorts of rubbish excuses as to why they are making a frankly insulting offer. They can't afford the price range & they think sellers are so desperate they can take advantage. I also wonder if people think I am desperate to move because I'm a widow.

Everyone who has viewed seems genuinely nice. I try to be as honest & up front as I can. I know my house is expensive. Its in a superb location with staggering views over a lovely garden & the interior specification is exceptionally high. So it's a one off. There's a price attached to that.

I went into this knowing that it might be a difficult and lengthy process, but I was determined not to be stressed by it. By an large I have succeeded. I'm very lucky to live where I do, in a wow of a house with a wonderful outlook. It's serenely peaceful & I have super neighbours.

I had, finally, accepted that moving was the right thing to do. So I am disappointed not to have the opportunity for a fresh start with no memories & baggage attached. But life has it's own momentum. We mere mortals can't control it, only help it along & we have to accept that.