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Advice on selling please


Loire
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Hi all

I’d like some advice please from you kind, helpful people

about selling my house in France.  My

apologies for the long essay!

I returned to the uk over two yrs ago due to a very

close family member here being ill. who died a few weeks after my return. Hence

my lack of thank you posts to all you kind people who helped me so much for my

return, bringing cat back etc, for which I apologise and owe you a huge debt of

gratitude. I’ve been trying to sell by various methods ever since. Some people

I know in the village, whom I shall call A,  have the keys and are showing people around as

I have long-standing illness and am unable to go there.

I’ve been trying to sell on Leboncoin for a few weeks.

Near 6,000 have viewed the ad and a number of people have messaged me. Some people

have asked numerous questions and eg asked for photos of the basements and

attics, and although I have answered (truthfully!) with what they would seem to

wish the answer to be, such as are you on mains drainage, answer yes, and also

where appropriate sent further fuller info on the house to that in the advert,

either I don’t hear for them again or they come up with more increasingly

bizarre requests for info or they visit and complain that there is work to be

done, which is clearly specified in the ad and fully explained in the info I

send them. Few people give their name or any other details, though some have written

simply asking me to phone them on a mobile number, no name. One even messaged

me saying she wanted to see the house in two days at a certain time, then wrote

again almost immediately saying she had meant the day after at a different time

and to phone her and when she was phoned denied that she had stated times and said

she was too far away to view the house at short notice and terminated the

conversation. Some replies seem to me to be from scammers.

I have had an ad on pap for around 6 mnths and the

only responses on that have been a very few emails to which I have responded

but never hear again, tho again seem to have given them the answer they were seeking,

or numerous calls from estate agents  who

pretend not to be,  but it emerges that they

are later in the conversation. The ad tells estate agents not to contact me.

I’ve been trying to sell since leaving France. One person

after another in the village where the house is has led me to believe they wanted

to buy it but after long delays proved to be time wasters with no intention of

doing so. A notaire gave me an estimation before I left, at a ridiculously low

price, and 40,000 euros less than a much smaller house on his website that

needed lots of work, so I didn’t engage his services. I had an estate agent at

one time but that went very badly with the sale, for a ridiculously low price, falling

through after the compromis was signed.

Some months ago I contacted agents in three towns nearest

the house and only one replied – by email, just about three words, almost

illiterate, ignoring questions I’d asked, just saying he wanted to visit the

house to do an estimation. I then decided to take matters into my own hands and

went with pap, advised by a very helpful man there, who also set the price,

which I have since reduced by 40,000 euros, just to sell, which is way below other

houses for sale in the area, even smaller ones. As pap didn’t bear fruit, a few

weeks ago I did the ad with Leboncoin, with the results above. For obvious

reasons I haven’t put in the ad that I’m no longer living in the house.

Due to my experiences with messages on Leboncoin I am

naturally wary of people who message me with no name etc given and ask for my

phone no. Today I had a message on Leboncoin from someone who gave no name,

asking numerous questions incl how high is the livingroom ceiling, could be run

a business from there, and asking for my phone no, and when I replied as best I

could, apologised that I couldn’t provide all the info he needed and asking for

his name, I had a very abusive reply, saying in effect that he thinks I’m a scammer.

I shan’t reply. That comes in a week when I had water pouring into the bedroom

of the house I’ve not long bought, the next day a burglary and this evening the

security light going on again. I have a very debilitating and tiring illness

and am spending all my time replying to Leboncoin and pap messages and calls, to

no avail.

I’m now thinking of  putting an ad on ebay uk, which has a section

for French houses, and listing it as a classified ad, cos I can’t find definitive

info on listing any other way and don’t want to run the risk if it inadvertently

going as a bids ad and selling for £1!

I know the French don’t like doing work on a house,

but why are they looking at mine which is about 300 yrs old and I have clearly

stated the work needed (though much has been done and by French artisans to the

norms, new roof, rewiring incl, tho I don’t expect to anything like get my

money back) if they don’t want to do work? I can only put it down to curiosity.

“A” being involved isn’t ideal, tho I have little alternative, particularly as,

eg, he said I should reduce the price to an incredibly low price as another

house in the village has sold recently as the vendor reduced the price to next

to nothing. I suspect that his attitude might be colouring viewings, tho I have

told all potential buyers that all questions must be directed to me.

Where do I go from here? Anyone else had similar

experiences with pap and Leboncoin? Anyone used ebay uk? I know that houses in

France take a long time to sell and that the current circumstances and uncertainty

obviously aren’t helping, but I must at least keep trying and do seem to have

had an inordinate number of timewasters.

 

Kindest regards

 

Loire

 

 

   

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LeBoncoin, I placed an ad with a photo for a Blue leather Chesterfied a while ago and someone messaged me asking what colour it was????? I can assure you my photography skills aren't that bad. A very strange place Lbc, be aware, lots of scammers, some from as far away as Africa.
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After over two years of trying routes similar to yours we have just sold our house. We tried exactly the same methods as you, PAP and LeBoncoin, with equally bizzare visits (we were still living in the house so met all the people). We sold after taking 25% off the initial valuation. In the end we put the house in the hands of one local agent (French). They actualy contacted us and asked if the could market the house. The second agents were an international one (L*gg*tts, don't know if I can say their names in full). They sold the house.
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Hi NickP

Thanks very much. Exactly my experience of leboncoin, tho the experiences have been many and varied. An eg, similar to yours, message  simply asking how much my house is when it's clearly stated in the ad, another - does it have outbuildings when the ad states that it has. Don't hear again after my very polite restrained reply. Defo scammers too.

Phew, feel better after your post!  Think it's ebay for me now and if that doesn't work, horror of horrors, might have to be a local

agent as no alternatives left and would at least remove the very

negative "A" from the equation. Any info on best way to go about ebay from anyone on here  v gratefully received, or indeed any other advice on selling. There is however one Brit potential buyer who is talking sense, seems genuine and probably wants to see it in March. Hope that comes to something.

Kind regards

loire

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Hi Lehaut

Thank you too for that very helpful info. "A" had been implying, tho carefully not saying, that the faults all lay at my door and that I was deluded to expect to sell a house that needed some work (tho mostly done and to a very high standard) for anything over about 20k and that the lack of interest from viewers reinforced that as they were all very gentils!. Had been beginning to wear me down.  As ever with the input from you lovely fellow members I am revived, restored and can shake off the negativity that has been thrust upon me!

Sorry Lehaut, am I right in my understanding that it was Leggs that sold your house? Was the local agent any good?

Thanks very much to all the people on here who advised me on bringing my beloved cat back to the uk with me. Could never have managed it without you. Horrid time at port when none of the chip readers would read and she looked ready to escape, but eventually worked. The cat, who didn't even like being in carrier for 5 mins vet trips didn't make a peep in 15 hr journey and loves it here! 

Kind regards

Loire

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Hi

Thanks very much Thieire and Patf. Have tried the property avenue you suggest Thieire, plus an exhibition, unfortunately only one reply and that was an agent, trying to pretend she wasn't.

I'll also try posting ads around here in shops etc as well as orher avenues. Lots of people here have second homes abroad, and hopefully more looking!

Kind regards

Eleanor

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I agree with NickP about strange people replying to ads on LBC, although I have bought quite a lot, and also sold some things, to quite normal people through the site.

I have an electric lawn mower on there for a token 30€ or offer, to get rid of it.

I received this message : -
BJR JE DSIRE ACHET2 VOTRE TONDEUSE ELECTRIQUEET JE PAS LE PËRMI DE CONDUIRE ET VOUS LA LIVERAI A LEZIGNAN COTBIERES

I replied : -  Je regrette que je ne peux pas le livrer.

and received back : -

ET BON JOUR JE DESIRAI ACHET2 VOTRE TODEUSE MAI J4AI PAS LE PERMIVOUS POUR ME L4APORTE JE SUIS SUR LESZIGNAN CORBIERES 11200

So I sent : -
Je peux l'emballer et l'envoyer par Mondial Relay pour €25 si vous m'envoyez €30 + €25, c'est €55. Pour ça j'ai besoin de votre adresse, email, et numéro portable.

To which I received : - desoller trop cher.

Seemed to me they wanted me to drag it there and then argue over the price.

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Patf wrote: Another suggestion - a property auction.

You probably wouldn't get much that way. I would guess most buyers at auctions are investors.

Now a question from me: In an auction in France does the seller have the option of fixing a reserve price?
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Thanks nomoss. Love it!

Used to advertise my mobile home in France for rental on lbc, campsite only allowed a few wks rental in summer. Inundated with people clamouring to rent it, and was soon full and deleted ad. Had calls from very indignant people trying to insist that I let it to them for the wks for which someone else was booked in, incl a lady to whom I had let it for the first wk who wanted to return for another.  Did they expect me to cram them all in or evict someone? Maybe could have fitted a few more on the wooden terrace, sure the ones in the mob home souldn't have minded - missed opportunity!

Loire

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Just had a message from the one who proposed 2 rdvs then said on phone couldn't do, asking for a rdv this wk, and  v long one one from the nasty one yest telling me a bit of her life story, the Mistral's getting to her,  and telling me how to live mine, sell my house, for next to nowt, and tell A that he must take the photos she wants and measure the height of the sittingroom ceiling, even tho they are no longer interested oin my house. Funnily enough, shan't be wasting my time answering!

Loire

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https://www.frenchentree.com/french-property/property-auctions-in-france/
Scroll down a bit - it seems the seller can stipulate a reserve price.
The only auction I've known of was a beautiful large place with pool etc which belonged to our english neighbour who went bankrupt. A tragedy for him, and his family. Very sad. It went for about a third of what he was originally asking to a local farming family.

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I know agents aren’t in fashion but I’ve seen three sales go through them recently. My nearest British neighbours sold just over a year ago and I acted as keyholder, the agents were always positive that the house would sell, showed a lot of people around and it sold. Last summer two couples I’ve known for over 30 years both put their houses on the market through Lege*****s, both with high asking prices and both sold within weeks. Agents seem to have their place and act as a cr@p filter as well.
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Thanks very much BritinBretagne. That's very helpful and hopeful. I've seen recently just how much cr@p the agents must head off at the pass. Been like a full-time job for me and would love to pass the honour of doing that on to someone else! I think it's been as difficult dealing with A as the enquirers. Viewing yesterday morning and not a dickie bird from him yet, about par for the course!

Regards

Eleanor

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Its simple, you state clearly on the advert that interested parties should phone you and that you will not respond to e-mails, LBC messages or textos, that time wasting types that send the sort of messages you have been recieving will be filtered out because many of them cannot string a coherent sentence together or make themselves understood on the phone even if they are sober.

 

I learned the hard way, I do still get the occasional idiot but you can just hang up on them, block the number if need be, its much better to get a good idea of who you are dealing with before giving out an address for a RDV which they probably wont keep.

 

You must also do your utmost to not give any indication that the house is unoccupied unless you want squatters, they may well claim they had a RDV, you let them in and did a cash deal with them.

 

I would be wary of Fessbook for the same reasons unless you can insist only on contact by telephone.

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Sterling and very helpful advice thank you Chancer. Am currently considering all options. Very full week ahead with having to get more security installed here asap as well as a number of other urgent  matters to deal with, but shall surge forward  as soon as I can. No more new lbc-ers so far today but probably snoringly siesting at the mo and will leap into action later this eve as usual after a few bevvies, tho I now have the tools and knowledge to deal with it better - mostly ignore!

Regards

Loire

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I had the opposite experience to Chancer, and now do not accept phone calls from my LBC ads.

Maybe it's to do with the region we live in, but when my phone number was available I received calls at all sorts of inconvenient times, some with background noise making it impossible to understand, and others from people who mumbled incoherently or couldn't even string their words together in a coherent manner.

Since the conversation I mentioned above, I only reply to sensible messages, and continue to use messages to elaborate on descriptions, discuss prices, and arrange payment etc..

I give my phone number only to make detailed arrangements for viewings, collection, shipping and payment, after I have their fixed phone number and have verified it.

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[quote user="Loire"]
Thanks nomoss. Looking increasingly as tho all forms of contact with lbc users is to be avoided! Doesn't seem to be leading to anything positive re house sale.

Regards

Eleanor

[/quote]

Not at all.

In the last couple of years I managed to sell a Classic RHD car for very close to the fairly optimistic price at which I listed it, and later on, all the spare parts for it which I had accumulated over the years, which I didn't want to scrap, but which were taking up space, for another €1800.

I have also bought two excellent cars, bicycles, hard-to-find remote TV and aircon controls, tools, and many items of furniture,all at bargain prices.

I think items have to be advertised at a realistic price to get  responses from serious buyers who don't want to miss out.

EDIT: I think it's worth considering that Ebay set up a small ads section in France a few years ago, but gave up when they found it couldn't compete with Le Bon Coin.
Maybe advertise the house for "Offers in excess of X,000€"

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Took us 6 years to sell our first house.  On lots of internet property sites, one agent who tried for about 6 months then we heard no more, though it was on their books all that time, several others, including Leggatts who all lost interest once they'd had it about 6 months, and then I gave it to a Rotary colleague, also an estate agent (he wasn't in the business when we started), who was also good at marketing, and wanted to sell it and not only because we are friends.

Can't remember just how long he had it for, less than a year, I think, but we had more viewings via him, and yes, he sold it.

So find someone who not only can do the job but wants to sell, it, and proves it too (in other words, they get viewers, and they keep in contact too. 

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