by Hannah Curtis

Created on: May 16, 2009

When my grandmother sadly passed away December 2008, it was my mother's job as the eldest sibling to clear and sell her childhood home. It is a rambling three bedroom house, advantageously situated near local transport and the front garden overlooking an acre green, sporting eighty trees. In times past, indeed only a year ago, selling it for 220,000 would not have been an issue. However in this time of recession naturally my mother quaked at the thought of having it unsold for months, a year even, as has been the fate for many similar houses in our area.

My mother consulted with the estate agents, attaining the price estimation of my grandmother's house and noted the price of the rest of the unsold local houses on the market. As a result she settled on a price considerably lower than the competition and waited expectedly. Within a day a stream of interested parties began to ring in, and this was to continue, until we had the week booked full for visits. Early on two parties had expressed a clear interest in the house, both having visited other houses on the market within the area, and by the third day they were bidding against each other, well past our asking price. My mother accepted the highest bid, and was extremely happy that not only had an offer been made within five days of it going on the market, she had got more than we expected, and the young family were also very pleasant. Five months after my grandmother's death and the new family are settled in nicely.

Thus while it appeared to be a crazy move, to set the price under the house estimation, it turned out to be highly successful. The selling transition was fast and painless, which under the circumstances was a blessing considering my mother was faced with this difficult task in the midst of grieving. It does not appear to be worth the trouble in this time of recession to demand the price the house was worth even less than a year ago. Three houses in our area still remain unsold a year on, as the asking price has not lowered to meet the demands of today's buyers. Naturally lowering the price to the point of sell may not be practical in some situations, however if it is at all feasible, asking under the market price can help ensure a quicker sale.

Another factor which helped to sell the house when we really needed to concerned the presentation of the house. The garden was weeded, tided, lawns mowed, and the house cleared. It was hard, the whole family joined together to divide my grandmother's possessions and treasures, however finally it was done. My mother set to then with vigour, winter cleaning; hovering, washing windows and curtains, floors, walls and surfaces. The place gleamed from top to bottom and the perspective buyers were very appreciative. I have visited houses in the past with my parents where the rooms have been dark and dingy, with cobwebs and dust, especially if it is a deceased relative's house. This does not help to make a sell, for it distracts the viewer from the advantages of the rooms.

My mother also added another bonus which can sometimes help to make the property more attractive. She offered the perspective buyers, the oven, fridge freezer, washing machine, and any furniture they would wish to keep, included in the price of house. They were a young family and gratefully accepted the first three items. Thus if there are any appliances, curtains or furniture which cannot be taken to the new place, it may not hurt to offer them to the buyers as a further advantage.

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