The Unrivalled Agony of Selling Your House

Now, I am quite certain this miserable process would not be so profoundly excruciating if it weren’t so closely associated with estate agents. But alas. Not only are you paying them proportionately the most amount of money for the privilege of moving (excluding the government by way of tax, inevitably) you are also reliant upon their good word, their good deed and their aptitude. This is a vulnerable, frustrating and at times infuriating position to be in when there is so much on the line, and the company you have carefully chosen to do business with seem to embody few if any of these characteristics.

And so it has been for us. Even as we near (what we hope to be) completion of our sale and purchase, skeletons lurk in closets and agents seem incapable of confirming vital information, such as the completeness of the chain, weeks after reassuring us in writing the chain was both complete and proceedable.

When our home first went on the market, the agents felt an open day was a good way to allow potential buyers into the property in quick succession. In agreement, we made arrangements to be out for the day and spent time preparing the house for market, an activity akin to sweeping sand from a beach, with two young children and a Golden Retriever walking around the house behind us “helping.” We arrived home that evening to find that our external door had been left unlocked and despite repeated phone-calls on our part, never received any feedback. Nobody returned our calls and we were given no idea as to how the day had gone. Not well presumably. But presume was all we could do. It was then that we decided my husband would show any potential viewers around our home, which he clearly did with more enthusiasm than he has for his dear beloved family after work. Because he sold the house. And! No security or insurance policies were breached in the process.

Since accepting an offer on the house and having the offer accepted on the property we are buying (end of chain) we have discovered that the agent we were initially dealing with was very junior and simply did not have the requisite skills. He demonstrated little to no knowledge of who was in our chain and failed to return any of our phone-calls. He would make absolute promises based on pure fantasy and this initially led to significant stress. After going through the due process to make an official complaint, our case was handed to a senior manager and the process has been infinitely improved, on the days she is in the office - which are unpredictable and irregular! The usual stresses of non-disclosure of some key information remain, but in our experience of moving, this is par for the course.

Something of a revelation to us this time has been exchanging personal contact details with our purchasers and vendors. Via email and text we have been able to ask practical questions, circumnavigating the agents and expediting the process by some weeks. Whilst nothing we share or impart is legally binding, it has been infinitely practicable. For those with a level head and a pragmatic approach, I can’t see this being anything but helpful.

I will miss our house. Our new Cumbrian abode is a radically different offering to where we currently reside which will be an adjustment, and necessary tasks like selling our children’s beautiful wooden playhouse was a watershed moment; drawing a tangible line between this life and our next. This is where they were little, that’s where they will grow into adults. But it is also important to remember, it is just stuff. Life is about experiences and people. We are so lucky to have each other and to be moving to Cumbria together. As for selling houses, I said never again last time. And I’m pretty sure that had something to do with estate agents too.