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Selling my house


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Thank you all for the good words.

RH, I do see what you mean about odours; my dogs dont half pong sometimes!

As to the reasons for the move, well, partly I am tired of the Vendee, partly my kids want me nearer to them, so, I suspect, I can be a cheap babysitter, which is OK by me so long as it doesnt go too far.

As they are both in Belgium, it will be somewhere in northern France, about four hours from Brussels, probably in the Baie de Somme, Dieppe area.

But I intend to rent for a year or so first to be sure it is right.
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  • 2 months later...
Just caught up with this thread. We are finally ready to sell our old house (OH has had health probs so we only just got round to tarting it up) I would also like to know about online agents.

Also, if we go with the unimpressive local agents, could we still have our own ad on the house? Next door sold that way 3 years ago. Obviously we wouldn't have the agent's board on the house in that case.

Third thing: I know of a couple of agents who don't have an agency, seem to work for agencies. One of them found a buyer for a friend's house - in one day! Probably a fluke, but I don't understand how these people operate and find buyers and sellers.
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Our next door neighbour is trying to sell his house via 'leboncoin.fr'. If/when he does manage it we are thinking about a leaving party for him before he goes. HE WILL NOT BE INVITED and it will be a celebration to see the back of the git! [:-))][:-))]

I will let you know how effective 'leboncoin' is at selling houses? Please let it be good [6]

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Ha ha! Make sure you make lots of noise at that party. But how can you be sure when he is going? A couple of friends have recently sold their houses, only to find the buyer dropped out at the last minute , well in one case an hour before the Acte de Vente.
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[quote user="Mrs Trellis"]Ha ha! Make sure you make lots of noise at that party. But how can you be sure when he is going? A couple of friends have recently sold their houses, only to find the buyer dropped out at the last minute , well in one case an hour before the Acte de Vente.[/quote]

Don't they lose their deposit in this case?
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That's true, maybe it was just the compromis. In one case the buyer said they'd decided it was too expensive to employ people to work on the house, (and only realised an hour before signing?) and in the other it was later discovered these buyers (Brits!) have let people down before.

I asked an estate agent to come and look at our house; they make a charge for doing that but only if we don't go with them. So different from UK where I asked three agents to visit and give a free estimate, and went with the one who charged 1%.

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[quote user="WJT"]Yes of course if there were clauses. I took it that they pulled out an hour ahead assuming that if this was a surprise the clauses were met.[/quote]

Sometimes, it's cheaper in the long run to lose your deposit than to be saddled with a house that you know (by completion date) will be the wrong choice for you.

This is one area in which I think English and Welsh conveyancing is the absolute pits.  That people could mess you about, promising to buy, even paying a (returnable) deposit and, at the very last minute, can refuse to complete with impunity[+o(]

Edit, I beg your pardon, WJT, I have quoted the wrong post.  I meant to refer to your post re losing the deposit.  Couldn't be bothered to go back and re-post with the correct quote as I never know with the new software that I wouldn't just lose the whole of my own reply!

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We've been trying to sell our maison secondaire for nearly three years. I now have it with three different agents.

One large, one small individual and one an English lady who is an agent for a French agent plus she has her own website.  We've had little interest - 3 viewings only this year. 

We've done all the normal things - de-cluttered, toned down colours. Moved all the dog beds to the barn etc. Some of the comments made after the viewings make me cross. I'm sure the last couple were ' professionaal' house viewers.  Complete waste of time.

My next venture - to try online agencies.  However, we may have a problem with this because we only use the house for the summer.

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I think that I have mentioned it earlier, but one of our neighbours is trying to sell his house on  www.leboncoin.fr .I have no idea if they are any good or what they charge. It's been there since June and we, all the other neighbours, hope that he sells it quickly[:-)) Not the best neighbour we have ever had, but that's a different story!!

If he sold the 4 houses in 5 years before he moved here at the beginning of last year with them then they may be OK??

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Leboncoin doesn't charge anything if you stick to the 3 photos they do for free.  However, if you need to change any of the text, for example, after you have had the diagnostics done, then there is a small charge.

I elected for their optional pack of, I think, 8 or 10 photos, can't now remember, and paid a small sum of under 10 euros.  Also, I renewed the photo pack, having found better ones, before the 2 months was up and paid up again.

As I sold in 36 days, I could have really saved the second lot of 10 euros but as, Pommier said to me at the time, I am just such a spendthrift.

Friends in our present village have also just sold via leboncoin, took them a bit longer, about 2 months, I think[:)]

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Well! That sounds promising!! I hope that our neighbour has the same luck [:-))]

It must have cost him that 10€ as well, 'cause he has dropped the price. He seems to have had such bad luck with his neighbours what with his having to move those 4 times due to neighbour problems [8-)] Oh dear,what a shame, never mind eh, bye bye to him[:@]!!!

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[quote user="JeanS"] Some of the comments made after the viewings make me cross. I'm sure the last couple were ' professionaal' house viewers.  Complete waste of time.

[/quote]Sorry to hear about your problems in selling. However there are always two sides to every conflict and having spent a lot of time looking at houses to buy in Normandy it is not always the viewers that are the time wasters. We have looked at a great number of properties where reality and the published details did not exactly match. Others were considerably overpriced for what they were. In one case we made an offer at about 70% of the asking price which provoked a long tirade on another forum about time wasters and insulting offers.  About 18 months later I saw it it advertised on the web for less than we had offered marked as sold subject to contract.  In that period the pound had gone up against the euro so they had lost out as they were selling to return to the UK. It appeared they had also spent a bit of money doing some much needed refurbishment.

As has been stated often on this forum property will sell if you price it realistically but not if you base your price on a combination of your purchase price and restoration costs.

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The problem is some peoples idea of 'reasonable' is not in tune with the market. Not that I am saying any here is asking an unreasonable price as I have no idea of property values at present.

 

One very funny thing I came across was a house that was over priced and an agent who refused to take it at the price the owner wanted. It was not that much over priced, probably about €40k. Said agent had their property up for sale which apart from having a pool was not that much better. They are asking €100k more than the people wanted to sell their 'overpriced' house for.

 

English guests often ask, quite rudely I think, how much my house is worth to which I reply "nothing" because it is not for sale. I then say to them, pointing at the river Aude that touches two sides of my garden and the Pyrenees that are within half a km away and the magnificent views from our terrace what price they would put on it. My attitude being that if they offered some outrageously high price they can have it. Knowbody has of course, they are simply being nosey.

 

 

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We've sold a couple of houses through Leboncoin, and I think that the important thing is to not be greedy and only advertise it at the price the agents are suggesting as 'net vendeur'. We've also always been straight with agents and told them that we'll be trying to sell privately as well as with them.

Regarding 'time wasters' I don't see any viewers as that. When we've had a house for sale we put in a lot of effort to make sure that the house and gardens are as pristine as humanly possible at all times, so I'm glad to show it off to anyone. It's all good practice at doing the viewings and getting in all the positive points.

Mint, you know that you don't need to pay to change the text of your ad............?
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[quote user="Pommier"]

Mint, you know that you don't need to pay to change the text of your ad............?[/quote]

Huh?  Have I got that wrong as well?  I really thought I paid a small sum, a couple of euros, after I got the results of the energy test and changed the text to include the results.

Still, I couldn't swear to that as my memory, together with other things, is fast heading south.

Our garden was far from "pristine" as we'd vacated the property some 3 years previously but, like you, I really enjoyed showing people round the house.  You never know, even if the viewers do not buy (for any number of reasons), they might well mention your house to other people.

Isn't that what is meant by "advertising", that you showcase what you are selling to all and sundry?  To as many people as you can reach?  You tell all the people you know, all the people you meet that you are selling![:)]  If you are open for business, then put out a great big sign to let people know.

Might be difficult if you aren't there all the time as you might be nervous about potential burglars.

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  • 3 weeks later...
Well done! Hope it all goes through OK.

I have found estate agents less than responsive. I emailed the nearest, they asked for phone number, a month ago. Another, recommended by a French neighbour, still hasn't replied. A third came and looked, didn't show any interest or ask any questions. She said a house along the road had just sold for what I think is a very low price. Ours is (we think!) nicer with bigger rooms and I know the other house had been for sale for four years. This agent took photos and said she would send a contract, 3 weeks ago. People say 'well, it's holiday time' but that is when our village is thronging with tourists, some of whom might be house hunting.

The best was the intermediary who lives in the village. When I phoned she came along within the hour, seemed to like the house and said nothing needs doing, suggested a higher price than the other agent and phoned about a viewing 2 hours later! I recognised the people and knew it would not suit them as we have steep steps to the garden) but they loved the house. This agent works for an agency a fair distance away, says 8% but it could be negotiable to clinch a sale.

I think we might try Leboncoin as well.

Before anyone says so, I know it's silly to go with an agent because they suggest a higher price; we have gone in between the two, assuming people will want a reduction anyway.
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[quote user="woolybanana"]Accepted offer via agent. Now we hold our breath for the paperwork and deposit. Price is bearable.[/quote]

 

But, but, but...... the man from Ebay said you would never sell and he is an expert it so how is this possible. [:'(]

 

Well done anyway and good luck moving on.

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