Thought raising kids was tough? Property is harder, says research…

A recent poll carried out by Which? mortgage advisors has found the house buying-and-selling process to be more stressful than getting sacked, getting married, or even raising a child.

For those who’ve been through the property mill before, the latest poll results are surely not too surprising. For those yet to experience the joys and trials of either procuring or marketing their homes, the Which? advice service discovered a rather bleak outlook on how the average person copes mentally with the strains and pressures of the property market.

The consumer service questioned 2000 people who had been through the process during the last five years and found the only experience considered more traumatic than selling your house was divorce, with buying a house a close third.

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Participants of the poll claimed there were several key factors that left a house seller/buyer in a constant state of unease:

• The chasing of estate agents and solicitors for regular updates
• The fear of a deal falling through at any moment and the additional fees it brings
• Having to keep the house in a constant state of cleanliness for short-notice viewings
• Enduring the cancellation of viewings (on average, a third of all viewings are cancelled)
• The fear of being gazumped at the last possible moment

These issues, combined with the constant disruption to everyday life, leave many feeling as if their lives have been put on hold for an extended period of time. Luckily, there are certain steps one can take to limit the stress suffered:

• Don’t hold back on the cost of a good solicitor/conveyancer – some may be cheap, but quality service and regular updates make the extra cost a no-brainer.
• Vet your buyers/sellers – the offers may sound great, the price might seem reasonable – but is the buyer coming out of a divorce? Are they desperate to sell? If so why? Potentially problematic buyers/sellers are common problems behind failed sales.
• Be organised – any paperwork, home improvements, or potential issues should be dealt with as early as possible. You don’t know how long these issues can take to rectify, and a last-minute delay at the end of a sale can convince a buyer or seller to go elsewhere.
• Where possible, avoid a chain – if a single sale flops, the schedule for completion can go out of the window.

Luckily, for those looking for a fast house sale, there are other ways to sell your home. One of these is to use a property purchasing company such as National Homebuyers, with a quick and easy process that helps a seller avoid additional maintenance fees, taxes and insurance while still enjoying first-class service.

If you’d like to sell your house quickly, ask National Homebuyers for advice, as we are UK property buyers who buy any properties. Call 08000 443 911 or request a call back to find out how much you could get for your property.