What is it with the upwardly mobile young looking for a property in the country? I personally feel like thumping them, and pushing them up against the wall and giving them chapter and verse of a reality check.
They prance along for a property viewing, love the house, but at the same time pull it to pieces, then put in offers, sometimes nearly half the asking price, and then express surprise that the offer is unacceptable. Or - they come out two, three, four, five, six times over a period of about 8 months, and then disappear. Just what is their problem? Basically, their aspirations are way beyond their pockets, or they fancy themselves as entrepreneurs out to shaft me over the price. Are you listening out there, grow up, and bugger off.
The one really unpleasant attribute to have surfaced over the last 10 - 15 years with regard to the young in the property market is 'entitlement'. 'I aspire to something I simply cannot afford because I am entitled'. Achieving this entitlement in one's thirties means that there is not much else to aspire to for the rest of one's life. Thus perpetuating this sense of entitlement. What a pathetic state of affairs.
It is such bad manners to discuss completely destroying the owner's much loved home, when presumably, it is the current status quo that has attracted them in the first place. In the words of my estate agent, these people are aspiring to a life style, often one that many of them cannot afford. In and out drives, imposing porticos and uninterrupted vistas come with a price tag £500,000 over the price of my home. They need to compromise. A harsh assessment, but true.
I am weary of the whole business - this assumption that I am going to allow myself a) to be stitched up so they may acquire my much loved home at a bargain price or b) find it rejected because it does not deliver features unavailable at the price Heigh Ho.
More and more I long for my youthful early working life, where one understood that the good things in life came through hard work, and thus, were appreciated, and were not the product of that dreadful sense of entitlement. After all, courtesy of Animal Farm, 'All pigs are equal but some pigs ARE more equal than others" Very apposite.
Yes,I am a grumpy old woman, and quite right too.
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5 days ago
16 comments:
These prospective no-hopers sound truly appalling and their manners...well...what can one say, an indictment on modern Britain I suppose. But the ideal buyer will, one of these days, drift along (hopefully sooner than later). Dont let yourself get too annoyed with them, they cant help it!
Oh how disheartening. I think your experience is echoed throughout the western world, although I appreciate that is no consolation; more an indictment.
And I agree. It is bad manners, bad form, badly done.
I do hope the right buyer finds you soon.
I just love reading your blog. I don't remember how I found you, but when I did, I read every single posting and was disappointed when there were no more to read.......and then all of the sudden......there you were again. Hello, my name is Betsy.
I totally agree with what you have written. I used to work in the local Estate Agent, yes I was one of them!
We used to have people who seemed to enjoy spending their free time just being plain nosey by booking into peoples homes for something to do on the weekend. Have you thought about
going out and leaving it to the Estate Agent to do the viewings?
Kinds Regards Em x
Hey - I must be a grumpy old bat too as I found myself agreeing!
Pleased you are blogging again, have often checked, as always enjoyed reading your posts.
you really are too nice. have some fun with them. agree to the low offer, let them get excited,and then some days/weeks later inform them that you've had an offer that matches your original asking price - can they match this? No, oh sorry, no sale then.
A Life Reclaimed! I stop by occassionaly just to see if you may have started writing again-imagine my surprise and delight when I saw that, yes! you were back! Happy New Year to you and I hope that 2011 brings you well deserved peace and happiness.
welcome back to blogging- and sorry youre having to deal w such people- there is someone out there who will deserve your home and nurture it. hopeing 2011 is a better year for you. x shayma
You're right - many people do have a sense of entitlement and it can be downright ugly. People also can behave in particular ways, based on TV programmes, thinking this is the way to get a bargain. A former colleague made me chuckle after she bought her Clapham flat - asking us if repainting a few rooms a similar colour would have increased its value by £5000.
I totally agree with you. When we were selling our house in the country I felt as if I should vet the people even before they came to view my home. It's all very upsetting. I hope it gets easier for you.
Helena xx
Aurora, I can't help feeling that you are judging the buyers unfairly... after all didn't you feel 'entitled' when you were looking to buy this same property? I have tried to see this from all positions and am naturally inclined to see your point of view because I feel like I know you from reading you for so long-but please realize that life moves forward and your good could very well be ahead when you release what you are holding onto so tightly. Best regards.
Firstly your house looking completely beautiful and I can't imagine why anyone would want to change it at all. I think with old houses you are a kind of custodian of them and that they deserve to have their features worked around and am not a big fan of all this gutting and constant re working.
I am just in my thirties. If I had the good fortune to be able to afford such a lovely house I would be very grateful.
The whole question of the way houses are sold in this country constantly bothers me. Houses are usually our best asset financially but also have huge emotional value. Why then we put the selling of them in the hands of cow boys who tell lies for a living I do not know.
I know my parents found selling our family home very stressful and upsetting.
It is true about entitlement, I see it among my own friends and if I were well off I wonder if I would see it in me. Obviously some have earned their money but many think their parents should be buying them houses and even ask their parents to guarantee mortgages when they are just coming up to retirement which I think is hard, I can see parents want to but I wouldn't want to put that extra pressure on.
tres interessant, merci
Glad to see you are back, really feel for you in regards to the house. I have the same to come in the coming weeks, I am absolutely dreading it. I hate people coming and walking around my much loved home that I don't want to sell. Fingers crossed yours gets whipped up soon. x
How hideous. You are quite rightly furious. I know you will find someone that will fall in love at first sight.
x
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