[musicbox]

Hello, we have been trying to sell our house in Central Brittany on the edge of a town. the location is good and everyone likes the house. We alas have reduced it as is the case on most homes here nowadays but still not much interest.

We are with Le Bon Coin and the notaires.

I am seriously thinking of a house Exchange as the market is not great here.

 

[musicbox]

Meant to say we are trying to sell our house in a good location in central brittany. The price has been reduced several times.

 

[unclematty]

How long have you been trying to sell it? Have you been getting a lot of viewings or just general lack of interest?

This site www.castorus.com is quite useful as it lets you see how long properties have been on the market and what price reductions they've had. It doesn't cover everything, but there's enough info on their to give a feel for what prices are realistic in a particular area - including seeing which houses have been on the market for a lot longer than average. (We're looking for property in a different part of France, and have found it useful.)

If you want other places to list directly (ie not through an agent) then I think IMMOBILIER - Annonces immobilières | De Particulier à Particulier - PAP also takes direct ads and gets a fair bit of traffic. Perhaps other people on the forum have recommendations about good estate agents in you area too.

The other thing we've found striking is how many houses in France are listed (including by agents) with small/blurry/badly-lit photos - or even just with not very many photos at all. It feels like, with a bit of effort on that front, you could have a listing that really stands out.

Good luck!

 

[DejW]

At the risk of stating the obvious - the French property market is very different from that in the UK.

I agree with the post above that agency photos are really terrible sometimes.

We sold last year, it took a long time and we had to lower the price considerably from the agent's initial guidance.

All I can say is look at some of the "how to sell your house" type sites on the internet (both French and UK). They give good advice about photos, key selling points and how to show people around. There do seem to cultural differences between the UK and FRance for selling. Several times the agent started the viewing process by showing the prospective clients the coat cupboard in the hall! I would have thought the kitchen or living room would be the first stop?

Have you tried advertising in the UK??...with Brexit it might be more difficult, but we still get Brits on this forum asking about their first purchase in France. The Sunday Times used to be good a few years ago, but I've lost touch now.

You can also look at the ads for similar properties in your area - not easy to compare, but perhaps you are over pricing your property. Try google "acheter maison X" where X is your town or département.

The last thing to say is that....deep breath....if it's not selling then the price is too high. I know only too well the difficulties in accepting this deep down. Basic economic theory, I'm afraid.

DejW

 

[Crabtree]

Personally you are wasting your time with notaires They do not need to sell houses to make a living
Personally I would get a couple of estate agents in get a proper valuation and be prepared for a financial hit You need to understand the type of customer that will be attracted to your house eg French other European nationals or Brits What you consider to be a good location may not be other peoples opinion Is the house and garden well presented with good photos? Remember many people do not have imagination and flair and that bright orange wall in the living room may be putting people off

 

[DejW]

Bright orange walls? Been there, done it when I was a student. Everyone thought it was really cool at the time. Now I just cringe at the thought, especially the matt black woodwork which *nicely* complemented the orange. Must have been hell afterwards to return the room to normal colours.

I'm glad I got it out of my system at a young age.

DejW

Personally you are wasting your time with notaires They do not need to sell houses to make a living
Personally I would get a couple of estate agents in get a proper valuation and be prepared for a financial hit You need to understand the type of customer that will be attracted to your house eg French other European nationals or Brits What you consider to be a good location may not be other peoples opinion Is the house and garden well presented with good photos? Remember many people do not have imagination and flair and that bright orange wall in the living room may be putting people off

 

[Clic Clac]

Hello, we have been trying to sell our house in Central Brittany on the edge of a town. the location is good and everyone likes the house. We alas have reduced it as is the case on most homes here nowadays but still not much interest.

We are with Le Bon Coin and the notaires.

I am seriously thinking of a house Exchange as the market is not great here.

'Everyone' as in you have had a lot of viewings?
Do you contact them for feedback after the viewing? There must be a reason that no-one has made an offer.

I'm not sure it will be any easier to find someone willing to exchange their house in a 'good' area, for yours which they are going to be stuck with.
Unless they have a very particular reason for being there, like family, work...

As mentioned it's all down to marketing it, and -as always- if you want it doing properly then DIY. I've just flicked on to LBC and there are 39,849 properties for sale in Brittany, so plenty of choice.

I'm looking at places at the moment. Hundreds of them & there's a very short window to get my attention. You need a set of quality photos with the advert. Not just clear quality, but with thought put into them.

Box-up and put way everything that you're not using & move excess furniture out of the room for the photos. You want to show the available space to its maximum.
It's surprising what will put off a potential buyer, even sub-consciously, like a cat curled up in the kitchen or a back garden full of rubbish.

Bon courage. :tea:

 

[Clic Clac]

Not just clear quality, but with thought put into them.

Box-up and put way everything that you're not using & move excess furniture out of the room for the photos. You want to show the available space to its maximum.
It's surprising what will put off a potential buyer, even sub-consciously, like a cat curled up in the kitchen or a back garden full of rubbish.

Bon courage. :tea:

And here is the perfect example.

Beware the stampede of potential buyers.

https://www.green-acres.fr/en/prope...France+EN&utm_source=criteo&utm_medium=banner

 

[Swerve]

I'm new to the France forum.
What do you mean by LBC

I've just flicked on to LBC and there are 39,849 properties

 

[Poloss]

And here is the perfect example.

Beware the stampede of potential buyers.

https://www.green-acres.fr/en/prope...France+EN&utm_source=criteo&utm_medium=banner

That's the kind of roofing which makes conversation difficult during heavy rain or hail.
A serious insurer will be indispensable; flying corrugated panels are deadly in high winds.

The agency had the decency to photoshop out the noose where the previous occupant put an end to it all.

I'm new to the France forum.
What do you mean by LBC

I've just flicked on to LBC and there are 39,849 properties

https://www.leboncoin.fr/ = LBC

 

[suein56]

I'm new to the France forum.
What do you mean by LBC

I've just flicked on to LBC and there are 39,849 properties

LBC - leboncoin.fr is a website a bit like eBay, but not much.
In France lbc is used by househunters as a main way to find and compare properties for sale; though it advertises just about anything else as well from cars to secondhand furniture, curtains to computers.

 

[Clic Clac]

I'm new to the France forum.
What do you mean by LBC

I've just flicked on to LBC and there are 39,849 properties

Sorry keep slipping into France-mode as my visit approaches. :typing:

 

[Swerve]

Thanks much appreciate your time to reply.