Currently buying/selling a house? How is it going? READ MOD NOTE POST #1

D n G · 11-03-2022 4:03pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118532620#Comment_118532620

Well, we're trying again and have put in an offer on another house which has been accepted. Off now to phone the surveyor and get that part off the ground. Afraid to even get too excited after the last time.

ionapaul · 11-03-2022 9:28pm

Finally, almost 13 months after starting the process of putting our house on the market in order to trade up in South Dublin, we sold our first house on Thursday morning and closed on our new house late that afternoon. Unbelievably stressful last week, moved out on Wednesday but due to an error with the transfer of our buyer's funds, closing was not possible on both transactions until Thursday. Am so run down that I'm a bit sick, and the place we moved into is lovely but the heating system needs to be serviced, is freezing! Never plan on moving again, the entire process is just too complicated, time-consuming and above all stressful.

Brock Turnpike · 11-03-2022 10:41pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118770235#Comment_118770235

Congratulations.

Glaceon · 12-03-2022 3:36pm

We're into the closing stages now, have been told end of April and will be contacted about snagging shortly. We need to provide flooring, how would I go about this? Could I contact a flooring company now based on this, or should I wait until I have an actual date?

Brego888 · 12-03-2022 6:25pm

Went sale agreed yesterday evening on my apartment. Neither of us in a chain so hoping the process is straightforward enough.

joeguevara · 13-03-2022 6:51am

Finally went sale agreed to sell my house , the Friday before last. Must admit it took a lot longer than hoped. This was for three main reasons I reckon, firstly listing it at the end of November in the lead up to Christmas limited the number of people arranging viewings. Secondly I’m not sure if the Estate agent really was as good as expected, after an initial flurry of viewings they only seemed to organise them on a Friday afternoon which meant either didn’t show up or cancelled. And finally the omicron debacle caused a lot of viewings in January to be cancelled.

one thing that was annoying the vast amount of people who booked to view were single professional women who more often than not saying that they wanted showroom new decor. Mine is a 1930 red brick Victorian literally in the centre of Dun LaoghIre,and the video recording gave exactly the look and feel of the house. Not sure why they thought there would be a complete showhouse makeover as they arrived. The lack of builders and the increase in materials certainly made the price out of reach for a proportion.

I had enough of it about 2 weeks ago and read the estate agent the riot act and seemed to do the trick as 3 days later I had 4 bids. Accepted for a lovely first time buyer who you could see was so happy. And that makes me happy.

Last couple of days have been getting the LPT logs for the house to be sent to the solicitor, the NPPR exemption applied for, the survey is on Monday and have packed up everything,

the plan was to retire and live beside the sea in Donegal but have Judy signed a contract to move to Bermuda in about 3 months.

Ilongga · 13-03-2022 9:23am

Very best of luck. I hope all goes well with the sale. lived in Bermuda before and I still think it’s a magical place with its pink beaches, colourful sunsets and very friendly locals.

Jmc25 · 13-03-2022 12:34pm

That's interesting to hear about the EA from the sellers perspective. The last year or so I've noticed many many estate agents doing literally nothing other than opening the door for buyers, and 90 per cent of the time, they get away with it due to the desperation out there.

And fair enough, they're selling the house for a good price. But what are they actually doing to earn their thousands of euro in commission? Seems the only selling their doing is selling themselves to the vendor as part of the initial valuation.

Angelica24 · 13-03-2022 5:21pm

I agree that the estate agents do not have to do very much at all at the moment. They didn't even have to hold viewings for the houses they were selling during lockdown and our agent didn't even set foot in the house during the viewings. I have noticed they don't even make follow up calls like they used to as they probably don't have to. I'm a bit bitter by now after months of house hunting and trying to sell ours but I feel like they just want to close the sale ASAP and push for contracts to be signed and it's easy money for them if the sale does close. In fairness, a lot of them don't now with nowhere to trade up/down too and sales falling through but I think they have a fairly half assed approach as a result and they really push for sale agreed maybe before they should as they just want to get paid. They don't care what the selling price is really, they just want a fast, easy sale with the minimum effort.

JimmyVik · 14-03-2022 9:40am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118777993#Comment_118777993

Its worse. I have friends who recently traded up.

They left a phone in the kitchen on record to see what people were saying about the house to see if they could improve anything for viewers in the future.

He played one of the recordings back to me and the estate agent was listing off all the bad things about the house. I couldnt believe what I was hearing.

The couple were clearly excited about the house and were very interested and then theres the estate agent saying this (paraphrase but close enough)

"yes its a lovely house and you would be very lucky to own it - if you can get your head around

the tall trees in the neighbors garden which mean no sun after about midday any time of year.
The rotting decking
The boiler is about to die.
The leaking shower.
The travelers that moved into a house about 2km down the road.
The very bad bus service.

But I think you guys can make it work, you seem like you have the energy required to make this house work that so many other viewers seemed to lack.

Give me a call on Friday if you are interested in bidding."

Well you could hear the interest leaving their voices.

Needless to say they changed agent and were sale agreed within 2 weeks. And that one was one of the big franchises too.

Dodge · 14-03-2022 12:25pm

Very weird behaviour recording people without their permission

JimmyVik · 14-03-2022 12:54pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118782683#Comment_118782683

Wouldnt be a fan of it. But they are lucky they did. So the ends justify the means I guess.

bigslick · 14-03-2022 4:41pm

Went sale agreed with our first house just recently after years of searching an being outbid!! Our solicitor has informed us that the property is not registered and that would be part of their services to undertake. I know there is a land registry fee, but is there much work for the solicitor to undertake to complete this, as their proposed fees seem to have come back higher than anticipated and I wonder if that 'complication' may be part of it? I have reached out to them on it, but just wanted to understand general experience.

ittakestwo · 15-03-2022 11:43am

Getting the keys this afternoon. Sale closed yesterday.

So I went to view it in November. It was first property I put bid and was accepted in December (could not believe luck) Was not highest bidder but still 10k over asking. Seller went with me as I was a cash buyer. I think the two higher bids were in chains and the seller just want a clean quick sale. Something other cash buys may consider that they don't necessarily have to be highest bid to get accepted.

Now I will be very busy for next few days moving.

Heart Break Kid · 15-03-2022 10:27pm

Going through the process.

Second time buyers trading up and moving back to local area. Slightly concerned EA is favoriting other bidder despite being a lower bid. We'd be quiet far a long on selling our own house where it won't cause a delay in buying new one.

AnnieinDundrum · 16-03-2022 11:04am

We have a ring doorbell so we’ve overheard a few conversations but luckily they were all pretty positive. I think our EA has worked hard but it’s an easy sell for them I think. But we haven’t found anything to buy so it might all go horribly wrong yet…,

we are trying to trade down so you’d think that would be easier but we have lost out twice to cash buyers who are ready to complete very quickly. Now that we’ve a buyer there’s suddenly feic all on the market

iColdFusion · 16-03-2022 11:50am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118781984#Comment_118781984

To be honest id be more inclined to buy from an EA that was straightforward and honest, if the EA had said that to me when viewing id hope they had been as clear with the seller about all the things they need to sort while the house is up for sale to make sure the sale goes through quickly.

Some of the places ive gone to see have had ridiculous hidden things that could hold up a sale for months like buried ESB MV lines running through the back garden, clear unresolved boundary and planning retention issues, very likely probate issues as the person owning the house had died two weeks before, structural cracks on the gable walls, previous flood damage, etc

I mean f#ck me im not an expert but it took 20mins online to request that info for a house and a 30minute viewing to see the other things so don't tell me an estate agent doing it their whole life didn't know all that stuff could be an issue but still they are all advertised as "Fantastic opportunity with magical scope to be a dream forever home for one lucky family" kinda shite and it all kicks off when you try to get a mortgage on it!

JimmyVik · 16-03-2022 11:56am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118792659#Comment_118792659

You forget who the EA works for.

But to answer your question. There was one mildly rotten decking plank. The shower did have a leak but was fixed between when the agent valued the house and when the house was put on sale. The boiler is 10 years old and ive seen boiler last 3 times as long as this ones age. Yes there were tall trees, but plain to see for anyone. and so on.

Brock Turnpike · 16-03-2022 12:12pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118781984#Comment_118781984

Jimmy, I'm sorry but I have to ask this, how many friends do you have selling houses? Seems you have a different friend selling houses every week. Are all your friends on the move? Or are you working in a particular industry that means you encounter lots of people selling houses?

Shelga · 16-03-2022 12:31pm

I'm very close to closing, still feeling very tense and stressed. I won't relax until I have those keys.

What is the point at which your solicitor asks the bank to release the funds, and how long does it usually take for them to be transferred into your solicitor's account? Does it depend on the bank? I'm going with Haven.

I have my mortgage protection and home insurance policies in place, I've signed the contract. The sellers are breathing down my neck wanting their money, and yet I don't think they've fully signed yet.

And the 4 day weekend, while great and all, doesn't help with the stress levels at a time like this!

JimmyVik · 16-03-2022 1:27pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118792758#Comment_118792758

Two couples couples who have sold and bought recently. Two friends still looking to trade up and have been for over a year (including one posting their experience in this very thread). Two landlords dying to sell for years. Several landlords who have sold in the last 3 or 4 years. And a heap of friends looking to buy their first home.

Oh and myself and my brothers on the lookout for another doer upper we can flip but having no success.

I bought and sold recently myself too, but am out of the market now.

Hope thats all OK with you.

I do have a lot of friends to be fair. Lots more acquaintances too. And a lot of colleagues. All of whom the topic of conversation usually gets around to rent and purchasing.

Dodge · 16-03-2022 1:36pm

Can depend on a few factors but in my chain in January, PTSB released funds late on Wednesday afternoon (near 5pm as advised by our broker). Solicitor had them in his account by Thursday morning (day we were due to complete). Our house was officially sold by 1:30 (solicitor advised agent to release keys). Just after four we received word our purchase was complete and we picked up the keys at 5:30 (agent was at a showing so slight delay here). Our solicitor was very much on the ball

iColdFusion · 16-03-2022 1:36pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118792691#Comment_118792691

I get who they work for but im far more likely to buy from an EA I can trust, we all know the shenanigans they get up to so if they aren't honest about clear issues with the house how can I be confident the bid process isn't rigged too? Caveat emptor isn't really good enough for such a major buy and other countries do the process far better.

An honest EA will attract more bids, likely a higher sale price and much less likely for someone to pull out at sale agreed when the hidden issues raise their head creating more issues for the seller.

JimmyVik · 16-03-2022 1:40pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118793170#Comment_118793170

You certainly cant trust an EA who acted like this for their client. I heard the recording. Wouldnt surprise me if the sleezebag had a someone they knew bidding on it, he was that bad.

No second hand house is going to be free off issues that a new buyer will want to correct.

Estate agents can point out things that need seeing to while telling the buyer that its a great house when you sort those things but go into it knowing these issues are present, but this guy was actively trying his best to put them off it when they were signalling an intent to bid.

Barnaboy · 16-03-2022 7:16pm

Recently joined this crazy world of house purchasing. In some ways we are absolutely crazy. Live in a lovely 4 bed semi in the Midlands. Bought it in 2003. Mortgage now fully paid off. This meant we could save fairly easily. At first we decided to modernise the house. Put in new bathrooms and flooring. Painted house from top to bottom. Looking fantastic now.

Problem for us was always nagging away in the background. 20 years of living in a place with no roots there. Most of family and friends in Dublin area. Both have Dublin based jobs we like. Constantly in the car for everything. Finally decided to focus on the important things. So we decided to sell up, get a new mortgage and get back closer to everything.

We sold our own house remarkably quickly. Got 10k over the asking. But it is in an area where prices are relatively low. To buy a similar house where we want to go would cost nearly 3 times the price. So we will be downsizing with a bigger mortgage than our original one.

Been looking now for around 6 weeks. You don't understand how utterly broken the market is until you are in it. First house we were really interested in ended up in a bidding war and sold for nearly 100k over asking. Thankfully didn't get involved.

Then finally found one at a reasonable price. Listed at 385, needed a lot of work. Put in a bid of 378 but they wouldn't accept it as we were not sale agreed on our place. We went sale agreed on our own home around a week later. Rang back to see what the story was. They got a bid of 360 from a first time buyer and accepted it. We viewed the property twice and tried to make an offer nearly 20k more. The EA never rang us to see if we were nearly SA. A single phone call could have earned her client at least 20k. Unbelievably poor work on behalf of the seller.

Now have a bid pending. Currently highest bidder. 4 bed needs a fair bit of work and is much more expensive. Very close to top of our budget. They turned down an offer 15k under asking from someone else. We went in at 7k under. Original bidder back in at 2k under. Decided to go 'all in' at 5k over. Not prepared to go any higher. Great if we get it but expecting to lose out.

The market is awful. Another property we looked at just listed last Friday. Nice house, but again needed a lot of modernisation. It was already 5k over when we viewed on Monday. Yesterday lunchtime got an email from EA saying current bid is 30k over! It only listed on Friday ffs. Not getting dragged into it.

I have a bad feeling that this is going to be a real slog. When we bought back in 2003 we swore we would never do this again!

There is a lovely young couple with 2 kids waiting to move into our house. EA told us they had a rough enough time getting out bid several times. Hate to think that we could wreck their dreams if we can't get somewhere soon....

I think I'll post here as a form of therapy as we work through it.

Shelga · 17-03-2022 10:10am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118794897#Comment_118794897

It's just so awful for everyone. Interesting to read your story so thanks. If it makes you feel any better, nearly a year ago I, as a single buyer, went sale agreed on what I thought was my dream home. Agreed to wait for the seller to find another place. 5 months passed and she couldn't find anywhere, and the sale fell through. I was very disappointed at the time but now I have found a place that long-term, is better for me.

It's just an extremely difficult market and it's definitely nice that you're thinking about your buyers, but on the other hand there's so much outside your control. Maybe give regular updates on how your own search is going? I would have preferred this, instead of having to ask about once a month how it was going, eventually wising up to the fact that the sale clearly wasn't going to happen.

bigboss1986 · 18-03-2022 10:02pm

Hi all.

Firstly I would like to thx anyone posting here .I have not post much but im frequent reader :)

We started saving in 2018 for our 1st house hopefully to buy in 2020...

Well C19 changed a lot .

Our good friend is a mortgage broker and another good friend very well known EA in the area.

We applied for mortgage in Jan 2022 looking to borrow 225k-250k.I changed job in August 2021 so banks did not take to account my commission so we only got 200k mortgage.Not a big deal as we saved enough to cover dep. and fees.

We have seen about 5 houses in our price range.

House we really wanted (3 bed semi d. co.Galway) was sale agreed for cash buyer so we were outbid straight away,up until cash buyer changed their mind :)

EA agent rang us 3 weeks after we have seen the house informed us about it so we made an offer for 225 (asking 240).

Sale agreed next day as vendor wanted trade asap.

This house is 3min walk from where we renting so we know those houses well.

After reading horror stories how long does it tak to get keys i was not realy exited until solicitor rang me on wed saying she wants to close sale on 25th march :)

Today with massive hangover went with herself to pick up new appliances and new floor for living room :)

So from making an offer to (hopefully) getting keys it only took 7 weeks.

I must say our broker and solicitor was very quick with everything and i must say im exited now and cant wait to leave this house.

Only issue i might have is with landlord getting our deposit back as she already started crying she doesnt have money to pay us back( rent 1400!!!) ,but I couldnt care less.

Good luck to everyone looking for house hopefully you will get one in no time.

Enjoy BH.

Big Boss

houseyhouse · 19-03-2022 4:53pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118803625#Comment_118803625

If you’ve given proper notice she’ll have to give you the deposit back. You can take a case to rtb otherwise. LL should always have the deposit ring-fenced - is not really their money so it shouldn’t even arise that they don’t have it.

definitedragon · 19-03-2022 11:23pm

Anyone else stuck in probate at the moment? It's been 4 months at this point, for a Dublin property.

bigboss1986 · 20-03-2022 10:20am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118806101#Comment_118806101

Just checked RTB site.We signed contract on 23/09/2021 so im going to give her 35 days notice on same day we will get keys.That should be until next rent is due(1st every month)

Currently buying/selling a house? How is it going? READ MOD NOTE POST #1

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