Lancaster & Morecambe 01524 843322
Posted on Monday, August 22, 2016
Some clients have a time frame they need to work with. Other’s will tell us they are no rush. Every client is different as we discovered with the sale of this Halton property!
Address 12a Harrowdale Park, Halton
Price £170,000
Property Type 2 bed semi-detached bungalow
Time on market until sold 15 weeks
Number of viewings booked 17
Reason for sale Retirement. Their dreams being to travel the UK in a camper van for the next 3-5 years!
Mr and Mrs Lancaster were previous clients of JDG. They moved to this bungalow in 1999 and stopped in touch with us since, often popping into say hello when they were in town. Mr Lancaster had taken early retirement for health reasons. As a truck driver he had travelled the UK telling his wife of all the fabulous places he had seen. Mrs Lancaster now wanted to see these places for herself. Rather than rent the house out, they decided to sell the property in order to buy their camper van which would also have space for their two dogs.
The bungalow originally sold to the 3rd viewer in just 4 weeks of marketing. However not far from the completion date, the buyer was made redundant and so the house sale fell through. It was an upsetting time. Mrs Lancaster had given her job and a deposit had already been placed on their new mobile home. They had packed up many items. Worse still, there was three other bungalows now up for sale on the street. They home was not for sale in isolation. It had competition and the winter was approaching. Sales in villages are often more difficult in the winter months.
We went back to visit the Lancaster’s at their home to see what we were now facing now that many items had been boxed up. Whilst they felt it was an issue, for us it actually helped. The rooms felt bigger. We were able to advice them on how to dress the house better and make it feel brighter. We took a whole new set of photos. We made the house look different. We then used premium marketing on Rightmove, a feature in the local press and our team got on the telephones, talking to buyers and recommending that they see this home. Our marketing strategy was different, depending on who we were talking to. If it was a family looking for a home that could grow with them we spoke about the potential to add a dormer and create more bedroom space. If it was a semi retired person, we focused on the easy maintenance lifestyle.
We spoke with a couple who had originally wanted to view another Halton property with our company but felt it was too much work for them. When we suggested this one, they felt it was ideal for their needs. They viewed it early December at the time of the floods ( Halton was affected ) and immediately booked a 2nd viewing for 2 days later. A sales was agreed on December 12th. Who says houses in villages don’t sell in December? Who says homes don’t sell in bleak wet soggy weather!
We wish Mr and Mrs Lancaster all the best. It must be exciting to follow your dream in your retirement years. They called off to see us to express their thanks en route to picking up their camper van. Their first stop was Halifax. I wonder where they are now…..
Can we help you with bespoke moving plan? Call us on 01524 843322 or drop me an email at michelle@jdg.co.uk
