We can only sell to one person!

June 21, 2015 by Rob Kahl

I was struggling this week to think of a subject for my latest blog and then we took on 2 new instructions for sale and it was easy to tell you the perils of selling property in Leigh at the moment.

We have taken on 2 completely different properties and they have both gone crazy with potential purchasers wishing to view. It was a 2 bedroom ground floor flat in Leigh Hall Road that came on to the market late Tuesday evening for £235,000 and a 3 bedroom semi detached house in Olivia Drive that came on at the same time for £349,995.

The flat in Leigh Hall Road went crazy first with people ringing to view immediately. We booked in 2 viewings for Wednesday lunchtime, 2 more for Thursday and 6 for Saturday all in the space of about an hour.

It is clear that there is no let up in the popularity for property in Leigh at the moment.

The property in Olivia Drive was no different with 2 viewings booked in for Thursday, 2 for Friday, 5 for Saturday and 4 for Sunday.

Now this all sounds fantastic and is obviously great news for people who are thinking of selling in Leigh, but spare a thought for us poor estate agents.

The inevitable happened! The second person that viewed Leigh Hall Road agreed to buy it at the full asking price and was in a position to move quickly and the first couple who viewed Olivia Drive fell in love with and another sale was agreed. Both properties were on the market for no more than half a day each.

The new purchasers were over the moon to secure their dream properties and both vendors were obviously pleased to have sold quickly. It was now my job to call all of the people who wanted to view the properties to explain that they had already sold before they’d even had a chance to view the properties themselves.

At this point, it is obvious that emotions run high. Some people are resigned to the fact that the market is moving so quickly and if there circumstances meant that they couldn’t view the properties for a few days, then there was always going to be the chance that someone pipped them to the post.

Some people were extremely angry, explaining that this had happened to them 3 or 4 times already and that they should have been given a chance to view the property. I can understand the thinking with these guys and sympathise, but when we receive an offer, we are duty bound to put it forward to the vendors immediately . It is then their decision if they accept it or not and from there, if they would like to continue marketing or withdraw the property for sale.

Other people were actually upset and it is important for us as agents to appreciate how difficult these type of market conditions can be. If you have agreed a sale on your own home and are under pressure to find a property but don’t seem to be seeing anything you like, if you are in rented accommodation with a deadline to move out and have missed out on a number of properties or, as in the case of one of our purchasers, you have sold your property and moved in with the in-laws it can be an extremely stressful time.

It is wise to try and be philosophical about these things. If you have missed out on a house because you didn’t offer enough or it sold so quickly you didn’t get a chance to look at it them it may just be that it was not meant to be. Something else will turn up that could be even better. And do not be afraid to make a nuisance of yourself (in a nice way obviously). Visit all of us estate agents in the Broadway every week so that you are always at the forefront of our minds when we go out and see them.

You want to be informed that a property is coming on the market before it goes on to the internet or in the newspaper and if this means that you have to visit or call us on a regular basis then so be it. It may be that an agent will give you first refusal on the next one that comes available just to get rid of you, but will you care about that in a years time when you have settled in to your new home? I don’t think so.

And remember whatever you do, do not give up, there is something out there for you and it will turn up.

This article is by Rob at Scott & Stapleton
Tel: 01702 471155