When to Sell, When to Buy?

At this time of spring chickens and Easter eggs, when it comes to moving house the perennial question is: ‘do I sell my current home or find the next one first’?

The fear of some sellers who have yet to have another property in mind is that they will sell their present property before they are ready and come under pressure to buy another one that is not ideal or end up doing a double move by going into temporary accommodation.

The flip side is that if a buyer finds and falls in love with their dream home but is not in a position to proceed, their interest will not be taken seriously and are likely to lose out to a better placed rival.

There is no perfect right or wrong answer and personal circumstances such as work, finances, health or family matters may determine when to start marketing. An agent is always delighted when a vendor client says they are prepared to rent as it helps speed the sale process along. It also means that the seller can take their time searching and puts them in a stronger buying position but this is not always a practical proposition.

Having made the decision to move, what most people do is to commence a property search and marketing campaign at the same time in the hope of dovetailing the two.

Property Chains

Life becomes more complicated when one’s own buyer is dependent on selling a property or the vendor of the house one wants needs to buy one themselves leading to a ‘chain’ situation. The shorter this is, the better as the fewer number of related sales in it reduces the risk of everything collapsing.

With chains of related sales or purchases, it is vital that honest and regular communication is spread up and down its length via the agents so that everyone involved has a true idea as to how things are progressing and expectations can be managed accordingly. In most cases, both exchange of contracts and completion of the sale have to fit in with everyone else so all parties may need to compromise on timing.

The Spring Housing Market

Despite the economic uncertainty caused by domestic and World events in recent months, the local property market has remained remarkably resilient. Indeed, we at Rural View have just had a particularly successful winter, usually a dormant period in the property year.

There are good numbers of people looking for homes at the moment but there are not many actually available. This is being exacerbated by some prospective vendors holding back on putting their houses on the market for fear of not finding another one leading to a self-perpetuating chicken & egg conundrum. To reverse this trend, we need a few brave sellers to take the plunge as it would encourage others to do the same. Happy Easter!

Rural View has had lots of positive feedback for its website over the last couple of years but we’ve now got an even better one!
In the ever evolving digital World we now live in, we trust you’ll find our new site has an even brighter, more stylish, interactive and user friendly feel. There are plenty of interesting articles and photographs about the housing market and country living. We also believe that it shows off our clients’ properties for sale or let to even better effect.
Please enjoy exploring it and we would love to receive your comments and suggestions!

If you want to add that bit of wow factor to your house you only have to look as far as the kitchen. Of course the style and decor of other rooms is important, bathrooms can be fitted to exacting standards and gardens can be just so, but the kitchen is really where it’s at and kitchens sell houses. This is the one space where you can truly impress and invariably see a better return than in any other home improvement.

Do kitchens really sell a country property?

Kitchens nowadays are the hub of the house, where families spend time together and around which socialising revolves. To have a kitchen large enough for a spectacular working end, open plan to sofas, tv, woodburner and bi-fold doors spilling onto a terrace is a dream for many and it is no surprise that the majority of house extensions incorporate such an ideal. This, with a large master suite on the first floor above it is the wow factor that turns an often modest home into a very desirable package. Conservatories or oak framed extensions are also often utilised, where a smallish kitchen can be opened up into a stunning space filled with light and linking the outside.

Preparing your kitchen for sale?

From underfloor heating to funky lighting, and everything in between, whether bespoke handcrafted units or flatpack installations, owners can have fun fulfilling their aspirations and a good designer will listen to priorities while not forgetting aesthetics. You have to be careful with the budget, of course; a top notch kitchen will set you back as much as a sleek German coupe, but it’s often best to list the wants and then pear back to affordable levels. There are many gismos that can be added to turn a standard design into a spectacular finish, you just have to know what to compromise on.

There is one bit of crucial advice, however: Do it for yourself. We are often asked whether a kitchen should be replaced before putting a property on the market and the answer is generally no. Kitchens are very personal designs and they are the first thing that buyers would normally rip out and replace. It is heart-breaking to see a relatively new kitchen sitting in the skip, but it does happen, purely because buyers want to be able to inject their own tastes into the most important room in the house and enjoy it for themselves.

The idea of owning an eco-friendly home was perhaps at one time considered a nice but unrealistic idea, perhaps even a little left-field or hippy but increasingly over the years they have become more mainstream and indeed, are now extremely desirable.

What makes a ‘green’ rural property?

Alternative Energy for Rural Properties

Eco friendly Cottage for sale near Tisbury Wiltshire

Rural View hope that you all had a very Happy Christmas & Prosperous New Year to all of our clients, customers, followers and business connections!