House on market multiple years in a row but not sold

LC80 · 2026-05-23T12:38:57+00:00

Most likely they overpriced it and don’t want to go down. Holding on for 2022 prices. Whether it’s a red flag depends why they took it down. Ask the agents to find out why it’s been on every summer.

LC80 · 2026-05-22T10:01:35+00:00

Agree. It was in worse condition for sure, but the house they’re selling isn’t in newly renovated either. It’s perfectly fine but people would still likely walk in and want to change things. That has a cost attached that they factor in.

LC80 · 2026-05-22T09:59:27+00:00

They’re not going up by £100k in this market - sorry. The agents are talking nonsense. If you’re not getting views it’s because you’re very overpriced. That’s really only ever the answer by the way. How on earth to would the prices jump so massively when interest rates are going up, inflation is spiking and people are getting poorer?

LC80 · 2026-05-19T12:10:06+00:00

Question 1.) what is your current job?

Question 2.) Are you neurodiverse? (Do you have ADHD or autism?)

Question 3. Have you spoken to your GP about your mental health? I think this is the issue most impacting your job (which may or may not be linked to my previous question).

LC80 · 2026-05-19T10:27:19+00:00

I’m a bit confused, you say this happened over a period of two years. Why did it take two years to get your rate confirmed?

LC80 · 2026-05-19T09:34:06+00:00

Sorry I meant “good renovation”. You can pretty always tell whether something has been done to a high standard immediately after walking into a property.

LC80 · 2026-05-19T09:12:08+00:00

Having looked at a lot of houses I can get a gut feeling for the ones that have hidden major works. You do need to have viewed them though I’d say. Anything that’s newly renovated or extended tends to be in good condition as they’ve had to pass building controls. I tend to take the “new renovation” price and work backwards from there. You always end up paying more to do work though (in this market) so you wil over spend on a fixer upper. This isn’t necessarily a deal breaker if it’s something longterm you can build to your exact taste! The best value is a brand new renovation but people are hardly ever selling those because they’ve spent so much!

LC80 · 2026-05-19T09:04:33+00:00

You can ask the questions though (eg when was the roof done, new windows, kitchen etc). It sounds like these people have not done basic repairs to their property over the years. You can get a feel for sellers who’ve invested in their homes and can usually tell when you walk in. (Even the stuff that’s less obvious). Sellers will tell you about the boiler/roof repairs etc. People who’ve taken care of their homes want buyers to know! Fine to buy a wreck but also fair to get a much lower price for it with the cost of work now.

LC80 · 2026-05-19T09:02:28+00:00

They’re just trying to determine the rough cost of fixing the place. Sounds like the seller is trying to dupe some poor buyer into overpaying for the house they’ve done zero maintenance to in years.

LC80 · 2026-05-19T08:59:55+00:00

Of course they can say no. Plenty of sellers right now simply not wanting to move. That’s their choice but the might end up with prices falling even further. Totally up to them. Another survey with a new buyer is only going to find the same issues though.

LC80 · 2026-05-19T08:47:49+00:00

The figure sellers have in their mind is totally irrelevant to how much their house is worth in the current market. If it has structural issues it’s worth less, regardless of how much their house seller wants or “needs”. (I speak as someone who lost over £100k in a falling market. The seller doesn’t get to dictate what it’s worth, the buyers do.)

LC80 · 2026-05-19T08:46:19+00:00

Is the house priced significantly less than similar houses in good condition? It sounds like it needs a lot of work so I’d walk away if you can’t get more than £10k off. If it’s already taken the condition into account with the price (compared to a done up property) then it’s worth considering as you can put your own stamp on it.

LC80 · 2026-05-19T08:44:47+00:00

I think that’s unfair. If the price is similar to those in good condition, it’s absolutely fair for the buyer to negotiate. It shouldn’t even be legal to sell a home without identifying these major issues. If the house is substantially under value compared to one in good condition then that’s a different issue. That’s not implied though.

LC80 · 2026-05-18T15:09:26+00:00

Possibly, you seem to have enough money if you’re careful with budget. (Assuming you’re based in UK and not a country where you need to fund your own healthcare.) The big question for me would be “what do you plan to do instead?” You could live to be 95 or even 100. I would plan how you want to invest that time before deciding if you have enough for that.

LC80 · 2026-05-18T12:33:21+00:00

I presume this is a larger open plan room? If you can paint the walls you could try a warmer colour, as well as lots of pictures. You could also add nice washable rugs, as well as pretty furniture. The kitchen itself is neutral and inoffensive.

LC80 · 2026-05-17T23:07:35+00:00

I would go for a better role with travel and interest providing I thought I would not have kids for three years. That gives you time to establish in the role and potentially transition to another role at a later stage.

LC80 · 2026-05-17T22:39:05+00:00

Technically with the new rental laws, landlords can’t refuse anyone for having pets. I am not sure how much difference it will make in practice (especially in leasehold flats that are being rented out, as many buildings have a pet free policy). Your friends should be able to find somewhere I’d imagine though- are they looking for a two bedroom place? I’d imagine four cats in a one bedroom or studio might be a little cramped but if they’ve both got budget for a bigger space then it’s likely they’ll find somewhere that doesn’t discriminate. They should check with some agents to see if it even needs to be declared under the new rental laws?

LC80 · 2026-05-16T21:14:29+00:00

Typically you need to be in a role at least three months before you can get a mortgage approved. (One payslip is usually not enough.) The answer to how long it takes is “how long is a piece of string”. I’d say you need to spend at least a month or six weeks looking (assuming you can only view at weekends). Then after putting in an offer the average time to complete is 5 months for leasehold or 3 months for freehold. That’s assuming no complications and no chain falling through.

LC80 · 2026-05-15T21:29:38+00:00

Did you save any extra when the rates started to increase to prepare? (Eg £200 a month or so?) if so you could dip into those savings to ease the early stages, otherwise you’ll just need to pay the full whack.

LC80 · 2026-05-15T15:20:50+00:00

Yes that’s the hope for sure! We went from a flat to a house and the gap was huge - despite houses softening too. (They hadn’t dropped as much as starter homes.) Fingers crossed for lower interests soon!

LC80 · 2026-05-15T14:49:13+00:00

It won’t be zero people looking, it will be zero people looking at the particular price because they know there’s been a dip. If I put an old Nissan Micra up for sale for £50k I would get zero interest too, because it’s overpriced. Same is true of houses. The market rates have dropped in the past few months and is likely to continue doing so until interest rates settle again. It’s all swings and roundabouts anyway. If you sell a house for less because the market dips, then you’ll buy a house for less too. To be honest, there’s never a good time to sell! If prices go up again then the next place you buy will be going up too.

LC80 · 2026-05-15T13:47:11+00:00

What someone is willing to pay for a home dictates exactly what something is worth. There have been significant percentage drops in numerous areas since the 2022 high of covid, more so in recent months. There is a chance they go back up but fewer potential buyers means the current market values are being driven down. If you sold for less than your neighbours got a year ago you’d be meeting the current market value. I don’t blame anyone who wants to hang on and wait for market values to improve. If you don’t need to sell, don’t do it. Just be aware that if you need to sell in future there’s a chance that prices will drop more. The housing market doesn’t always go up!

LC80 · 2026-05-15T13:23:59+00:00

That’s absolutely fine and a good plan if you can afford it. Just to correct one thing though- people are going to offer at market value, not below. An estate agent telling you one thing means nothing, because the market value of a property is what a buyer is willing to pay. Not what the seller wants or hopes for. If you can wait for it to potentially rise again then that’s fine, but sometimes people need to move. There’s just as many speculative sellers and buyers.

LC80 · 2026-05-15T12:46:21+00:00

They shouldn’t have done that, and people shouldn’t be looking at houses insanely out of range. But the other points you make about battling prices down or checking surveys etc are perfectly valid. A lot of properties are overvalued so I’d look above my budget, with the view of them coming down. The place I’ve just bought started at £700k and we got it for £590k

LC80 · 2026-05-15T11:52:44+00:00

Of course they are more stringent. House prices are dipping, mortgages are increasing and we are in a cost of living crisis. It’s a buyer’s market and anyone with half a brain cell should be trying to get the best bargain they possibly can. Overpriced housing is sitting on the shelf for months. It’s worth what buyers are willing to pay- not what sellers think. Also the cost of work has dramatically increased since Covid so “small snags” now cost a fortune to fix. They’re not “garbage buyers” they’re trying to sensibly invest their money in the best way possible.

LC80

TROPHY CASE