Selling house in the UK - when to sell?

[Laz]

Hi...we are moving to Perth after Xmas (in time for school to start Feb 2015) and we are tossing up on when we should sell our house. I am in favour of selling in June when the market is usually good, whilst my husband wants to sell later in the year (September/October). His reasoning is that if we sell sooner then don't buy in Perth for a few months after we get there, then we'll have been off the property ladder for a year. I have read a checklist on moving to Australia published in The Times and it suggests selling your house 10 months before you leave. What have other people done?

[elfie]

Firstly do you have your visa? If so why not put it on the market asap if it sells and rent that means when your ready to come over then you have nothing to hold you back. Regarding not being on the property ladder it does not matter you start with a clean slate once you arrive. If you have a top credit rating in the UK it means nothing here you have to start from scratch. One thing though keep your mortgage statements to bring with you when you arrive.

[Laz]

Thanks. Yes we have visas. When I said we wouldn't be on the property ladder I meant that if prices rise we can afford less in today's terms.

[Druid]

Hi...we are moving to Perth after Xmas (in time for school to start Feb 2015) and we are tossing up on when we should sell our house. I am in favour of selling in June when the market is usually good, whilst my husband wants to sell later in the year (September/October). His reasoning is that if we sell sooner then don't buy in Perth for a few months after we get there, then we'll have been off the property ladder for a year. I have read a checklist on moving to Australia published in The Times and it suggests selling your house 10 months before you leave. What have other people done?

 

We tried to sell our house 6 months before we left the UK for Perth in December 2011, it didn't sell, so fortunately a very good friend of ours who was renting at the time agreed to rent it, initially for 6 months, but he ended up staying for two years, he moved out in November 2012, we have had our house in the market ever since with little to no interest, we keep reading about the 'booming' house market in the UK, we just need it to reach the North West, we have even reduced it by 30k, still no one interested, if you want my advice, sell sooner rather than later, not selling puts a serious strain on finances when you are trying to make a new life down under, we had to rent for two years and save like mad to get a minimum deposit together, it like being 20 years old and trying to afford to buy your first house again, it's ridiculous, we are still renting until the end of the year when our house is finally built, I sincerely hope the UK house sells before then, otherwise we will have two mortgages to worry about, the Aussie one being rather large.

[verystormy]

It depends on peoples financial situation. Being off the ladder for at least 6 months is normal - it takes a while to decide where you want to live and banks wont give a mortgage until you have been here and have at least 3 months of pay slips

[Laz]

Thanks for the replies. That's a really difficult situation Druid. Hopefully our house won't take too long to sell - the property market is going crazy again where we are, supposedly. (We live in a property bubble which doesn't experience the same lows as the rest of the UK...touch wood.).

[Raychelsb]

Hi Laz, I would put it up for sale ASAP, we are struggling selling ours, and worried it will push back our move out to Perth. I would rather have to move in with my parents or rent for a time than still have our house to sell and can't move because of it. Good luck, I hope yours go quickly and smoothly x

[Deb]

We left our house on market still trying to sell it, so we have rent here and mortgage back in England.

 

Deb

[SaffanZimbo]

We had estate agents in to value our house for sale and also rental (the sale agent told off the us to rent vs sell and wait 2-3 years for the predicted boom in our area - which has already started).

 

We have decided to rent for 2 years until we have spent time in Perth and get a feel of where we want to buy (SOR/NOR).

 

The agents said for sale the best time is summer and the lead up to the new school year when houses and gardens look their best.

 

Hopefully with Crossrail going in etc our house sale will be a quick one. We are also lucky to be in the catchment for an excellent in demand school which should make both selling and renting easier (we hope!!).

 

Good luck with the sale!

[Rossmoyne]

Just because you put your house on the market it doesn't mean that it will sell quickly..... And even if you get a buyer straight away, you could end up at the end of a long chain that collapses.... my view is that if you want to get to Oz, put your house on the market asap....my view only but based on personal experience.

[Laz]

Thanks for the replies. We are aiming for end of June to get it on the market, which is just before the summer holidays (we finish about 4th July) which isn't ideal but that's the best we can do and hopefully families moving into the area will be looking. We are in aberdeen, by the way. We dont have chains when selling, and supposedly the market is very buoyant at the moment. We had considered renting the house out but it's a good time to sell here, and the house will look it's best when we're in it - also, have rented it out before and after two years the house needed total redecorating and the removal guys had made a mess of the carpets.

[aligard]

Thanks for the replies. We are aiming for end of June to get it on the market, which is just before the summer holidays (we finish about 4th July) which isn't ideal but that's the best we can do and hopefully families moving into the area will be looking. We are in aberdeen, by the way. We dont have chains when selling, and supposedly the market is very buoyant at the moment. We had considered renting the house out but it's a good time to sell here, and the house will look it's best when we're in it - also, have rented it out before and after two years the house needed total redecorating and the removal guys had made a mess of the carpets.

hi, I, I would recommend putting on the market ASAP. We have had 4 months of stress! We put ours up at the end of jan, sold within a week but then the buyers messed us around and we had to pull out. Since then we have had 3 silly offers, and lots of viewings. Know I sound negative but we have been messed around so much with buyers saying yes, love it, want it but can 't afford it! Lots of people looking at houses they can't afford and messing people around. We've had at least 4 people having 4 'second' viewings on our house and then put an offer 30,000 less than the asking price. May be worth not telling people you're emigrating! Good luck!

[Guest Guest6235]

Had ours on market originally in 2009 for over a year with no interest as originally emigrating to NZ as wife had job offer, had to turn it down as not sold house. Took it off market then put it up for sale again in March 2012 and eventually sold in June 2013. We've been renting since in readiness for move. I would get it on ASAP if you plan to be in oz late 2014 early 2015 but no doubt you'll do it your way.

[bugsyburrell]

From experience, we put ours in at the end of October with our estate agent bragging how the market was booming and he was averaging 7.5 sales a week, then ours went on the market and cursed him down to less than one a week through Nov to Feb. Thank the heavens above, we have finally received a offer last week:) So like others have said and in my opinion, if you have your visas get it on as early as poss.

[Laz]

Thanks, as I said above we've decided to put it on the market as soon as we can after reading all your comments. June is the earliest we can do it as we're waiting on a tradesman to do some essential work (have been trying to get it done for months but been messed around). Thanks everyone! And good luck with your sales, moves etc. I'll update once we are on the market - fingers crossed we sell with no hassle.

[aligard]

Thanks, fingers crossed for you! QUOTE=Laz;99798]Thanks, as I said above we've decided to put it on the market as soon as we can after reading all your comments. June is the earliest we can do it as we're waiting on a tradesman to do some essential work (have been trying to get it done for months but been messed around). Thanks everyone! And good luck with your sales, moves etc. I'll update once we are on the market - fingers crossed we sell with no hassle.