I was in the middle of my Kitchen Tidy Up when the phone rang this morning, bright and early. My gut feeling said, "Estate Agent" and I was right - they were phoning to say that the people viewing today had cancelled, as they had offered on a house yesterday. Oh GOODY. Just what I wanted to hear. I felt gutted. Two in a row. Both cash buyers (having sold). We have worked so hard to have the garden looking lovely and everything outside just so, and today I was hard at work on the rooms you could see if you looked through the window or through the open doorway long the hall . . . Guess what, I even bought fresh flowers for the hall (or rather, Tam was sent to get some.) That obviously alerted the Powers That Be to put a spanner in the works . . . What IS it with people? Why do they leave it until the last moment to cancel a viewing? Is our house SO awful that it can be deleted from the viewing list at the drop of a hat? Yes, it IS by a farm, but that's better than being on a main road or by a power station or right by the Motorway. . .
After removing the pet travelling boxes that serve as cat beds over the winter months, I brushed every scrap of dirt and dust away and moved in the small planters which had been along the pathway. I don't know why I hadn't thought of doing this before. (BTW, the cat bowls go out of sight for viewings, as does half of the kitchen contents, right down to the washing up liquid!) Miffy is just plodding away, disgusted that the food bowls were empty.
Above and below: close-ups of the wee planters.
More moved planters, these ones from the patio. I have had to buy several trays of Marigolds to add colour to pots which had gone over with their original contents.
Right, we have another viewing on 1st August. Outside only. Perhaps if they can view interiors in England, folk are buying there instead rather than moving on to Wales, though they had booked to do so? Dunno. Just as well I suppose, there is b-all to buy right now (for us).
so sorry. All looks lovely. It will happen.
ReplyDeleteWe'll see. Not holding my breath.
DeleteHope the 1 August viewing goes well
ReplyDeleteI'll settle for them just turning up!
DeleteSo sorry about the viewings. I know how difficult it is, trying to sell a house that is not your normal, mass-produced model. It will come, probably when you are least expecting it!
ReplyDeleteTrouble is, it appeals to people who are selling a London flat and have no experience of country living . . . they get a shock when the countryside in Wales isn't as they expect it to be.
DeleteBuying and selling a house in this pandemic must be really difficult. It will happen for you.
ReplyDeleteHouses are flying out in England - where you can do the interior as well now, although some sell without ever being looked at inside - the bog standard ones. It wouldn't work for ours!
DeleteSo sorry that happened. I think your house is just lovely.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Thanks Jackie. We think it's lovely too, but we are a bit biased!
DeleteYour house is beautiful, hope the August people turn up.
ReplyDeleteThere are dozens more houses suddenly on the market here because of the removal of stamp duty.
We are now underpriced. Some folk up the valley have put theirs on for £75K more and have made it just what Londoners want - shabby chic, minimalist, no curtains, and trendy. None of which apply to our family home. So theirs will probably sell like a hot cake.
DeleteDon't give up hope. Ours took awhile to sell but it did in the end and we realised our dream. It only takes one...
ReplyDeleteWell, today hope is very distant, I have to say. I was so emotionally wrung out yesterday, that exhaustion hit and I had to go back to bed, though I couldn't sleep as it was the one busy day on the farm next door, as they were belatedly carrying silage all day. Just as well the people viewing DID cancel, as they would think it was noisy like that all the time, and it is the complete opposite - very peaceful.
DeleteHow exhausting for you. I am sure that selling a house is tiring enough without all the added worries that Covid-19 brings for you. I am so sorry to hear that you have had another viewing cancelled, hopefully the one on August 01 will be third time lucky?
ReplyDeleteI have to day, inviting complete strangers into our home to view it, when we can't even have our grown children at home, or hug them - is a bitter pill to swallow, but we must do that in due course. I wish people wouldn't treat this house as an "add-on" to their viewing list with no real intention of buying it.
DeletePlease don't be offended; if you don't like my unsolicited advice, ignore it. I've been reading about your efforts to clean up the gardens and tidy up the interior so I know how much work you've been putting in and have made great strides. But the pictures you share show your house still has a lot of "stuff" in it and seems imbued with your personality, which is lovely for you. That can make it difficult for buyers to imagine themselves living in "your" house. Perhaps, if what buyers want is minimal interiors, you could consider giving them just that? If you are serious about selling, it is a financial transaction, not an emotional one. You make a living selling stuff, no? You must know you have to give buyers what they want, you can't force them to put their hands in their pockets for something they don't want. Your dooryard looks lovely, but it's what you like. What you like is now irrelevant. You see lovely plants in several pots and even go out and buy more flowers to replenish the pots. I see clutter and distracting stuff that keeps me from looking at the bones of the house. I'd get rid of all those pots, the hanging objects, clip the weeds. Maybe one pot on each side of the door. In your hallway, you put in lovely flowers in a beautiful vase and have all that art on the wall that I'm sure you love. Your buyers don't care about the flowers, the vase, or the art. They want to see what the bare wall looks like. And you don't need an object in every corner. When you move, you will have to remove it all any way, why not take it all down now and store it. Again, please don't be offended, but I see how frustrated you are and are blaming a lot on the neighboring farm, which may well be true. But shat I see is that with all your decorating, you are only putting up obstacles for the buyer to see and appreciate your property. Wishing you well, and thanks so much for the blog. I enjoy it every day.
ReplyDeleteYes I had to do this when I sold and it makes a hugh difference. Also in viewing others houses it was very off putting to see all their personal object such as lots of family photos. It was very hard to do it for me, I had to totally let go of what was my dream house.
DeleteIt will happen when the right people come along. I almost gave up on selling our barn which was down a single track lane. It just needed the same kind of people as we were to see the beauty of it
ReplyDeleteI am so very sorry to hear of cancelled viewings - you must be devastated especially after all your hard work. I do hope that the next viewing goes ahead as planned. Thinking of you.
ReplyDelete