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Original poster

House selling

104 replies

acleland · 14/06/2019 09:16

We have a stunning 5 bed house in a family village in Hampshire on the south coast. It has lots of character built in 1900 and all upgraded with modern fixtures and fittings. Aga, wood burning stove, granite worktops, underfloor heating, detached, big garden, drive and close to schools, shops and transport! and an annex that we rent out! It’s been on the market for two years now and we have since dropped the price from £575k to offers over £500k. Which is a bargain !!!! The market is dead ! We have no viewings this weekend . Last week we had an offer of £470k ! What an insult . Last year we had full asking but they couldn’t sell. There are characterless new builds up the road going for more. What I’m asking is would it be worth contacting a London agent ? Are there families looking to move out of the big smoke that would be interested in our house? If so, what agent could I use? If anyone could help I’d be very very grateful :)

OP posts:
Oneminuteandthenallgone · 14/06/2019 12:24

If it has building regs then it can be described as 5 bed. If it doesn't then using loft room is the term- meaning you can us sit but it can't be sold as a bedroom. It needs pictures if it is a legal bedroom and the term changing to bedroom or master suite etc

The annexe was built as a garage ? Could it be restored? Did you get planning to change it? If it can be easily put back to garage then say so- some people won't look at a house without a garage.

You need more pictures of the interior and better pictures.

Is it painted brick? How much would it cost to properly render and paint? Can you make the front garden more attractive?

Was it always a house? or a pub originally?

Oneminuteandthenallgone · 14/06/2019 12:29

Having someone living in a tiny (and it is tiny) garage in your garden at worst suggests that it is a HMO area, people living in sheds etc and at best suggests that your house is too small and you have to live in the garden,

Couldn't you turn it into a fabulous home office- that would be a selling point. Lots of people who relocate like an office out of the house.

Original poster
acleland · 14/06/2019 12:30

Hi the annex doesn’t look over the garden

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Property
Oneminuteandthenallgone · 14/06/2019 12:32

The pictures in that old listing are much better. The bathroom looks cream and 1980s in the new pictures but it looks modern and clean in the old set.

Oneminuteandthenallgone · 14/06/2019 12:35

The loft room doesn't look like a proper room in behold photos, is the ceiling board hanging down? The walls are not plastered.

PostNotInHaste · 14/06/2019 12:36

Agree that if you can afford to ditch lodger and get it set up as home office would be good. Also think you could think about rearranging furniture in the dining area bit of your kitchen. I know you’ve got the separate dining room but the table by kitchen looks a bit shoved to one side. Maybe put it more in the centre of the space and move the arm chairs a bit. It doesn’t look very big like that, as if yo7 didn’t have space so had to shove the table to one side.

PostNotInHaste · 14/06/2019 12:40

Oh, just seen the loft room on the old details, that’s not really a very functional bedroom. The kitchen and garden pictures are much better on there than the current ones though.

Hmmmbop · 14/06/2019 12:44

Take it off the market. Needs to be off 12 weeks I think before Rightmove consider it a new listing.

Needs new photos - one of every room and 2 of the kitchen (showing hob and oven).

Needs a floorplan.

Needs a new agent. It's badly marketed, looks like a lazy job by the agent.

Oneminuteandthenallgone · 14/06/2019 12:49

Is the loft room l shaped or just the size of a bed? What are the stairs like to get up to it- pictures needed.

I would maybe fit cupboards down each size of the loft (can be basic painted mdf fronts)everyone likes storage- and set it up as a fantastic playroom- plaster the walls , change the carpet. Make it look as lovely as the rest. Get the description to say- owners previously used this as a guest suite etc.

RebootYourEngine · 14/06/2019 12:54

I am assuming that it is the house linked. It is a beautiful house but a few things would put me off. The annexe for a start. I would not spend half a million pounds on a house that came with a tennant.

Bluntness100 · 14/06/2019 12:57

I'd agree the previous pics were better, I'm not sure if they were misleading and that's why you've changed them? In the current listing the rooms look much smaller, and the bathroom looks like it needs updating.

The annexe is a bit creepy in my opinion, to have someone hidden away living in that little space on their own in your garden. You'd feel watched. I think I'd turn that into a home office or something.

PragmaticWench · 14/06/2019 12:58

The pictures on the latest listing are awful compared to the old listing! Somehow they make the rooms look smaller, darker and less attractive. The only positive is having a full shot of the back of the house showing the seating area to the side.

I'd ditch the latest pictures and use the old ones.

ThePhoenixRises · 14/06/2019 13:01

Prefer old pictures

Nearlyadoctor · 14/06/2019 13:16

Agree with PP’s old photos are better especially of the kitchen and bathroom. Unfortunately I don’t think it has much character at all and the loft ‘ conversion’ looks very bodgit and scarper. It would make me wonder if the electrics etc were up to scratch - also no way would’ve I consider a property with a lodger in the garden.

BlueSkiesLies · 14/06/2019 13:35

Prefer the old listing photos

The downstairs layout is fab and the kitchen, diner, living space really nice.

That’s never proper bedroom in the loft!

The garden is smaller than I’d want in a countryside property but that’s just me.

I don’t find the lodger annex thing creepy. Annex would be a useful space for lots of things - office, au pair, storage!

BlueSkiesLies · 14/06/2019 13:37

I actually really like the property and do not think it looks over priced - you’ve got such fab living space with so much light

Original poster
acleland · 14/06/2019 13:40

Yes that’s the one .... what’s wrong with it ????

OP posts:
Original poster
acleland · 14/06/2019 13:44

Thank you ..... good advice 👍🏻

OP posts:
longtompot · 14/06/2019 13:45

Just looked at the map view, and if it is your house thats next to the flats, that will also be putting a lot of people off. I would be inclined to take the offer you've received and move on, or take it off the market for a while.

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 14/06/2019 14:03

You say you are selling to move up the property ladder, but you are already in a 5bed detached. What do you want from your next house? Would a sideways move (to another 5bed detached) work?

ilovecatsabittoomuch · 14/06/2019 14:06

The market is totally stagnant at the moment. Do you need to sell now or can you take it off the market and re-list in a few years time when things may have picked up a bit? I would say that an offer of 470k for a 500k place is a good offer in the current climate.
As a benchmark, we just agreed to sell our flat in a very popular area of central London for 860k when next door (exactly the same spec) sold for 1150k in 2015.

SweetLathyrus · 14/06/2019 15:03

OP if the Fair Oak house is yours, 'near the coast' is a little optomistic. It's lovely, but that road wouldn't be top of my list, and because of the bloody awful housing policy of the Lib Dem council, the area is drowning under the weight of new houses in that price bracket; yes given the choice I'd rather have yours, but you aren't offering developers incentives and building guarantees. I have a friend with a very beautiful house just down the road, at a similar price but slightly lower, NO interest.

I'm afraid that 470k is about right, wait much longer and the roposed development at Chalcroft farm will make the market even more saturated.

SweetLathyrus · 14/06/2019 15:04

'proposed' !

SweetLathyrus · 14/06/2019 15:10

Oh and for the area, Stanford, and White and Guard seem to sell best. Particularly W&G in your price range.

ilovecatsabittoomuch · 14/06/2019 15:21

Agree with @SweetLathyrus 470k is a fair price for your house having looked through the photos. I know it's difficult when offers come in below and let's face it we are always biased when it's our own homes as we have so many precious memories there!
We listed ours for 900k and accepted 860k, which I think is still good. It's unfortunately the market we are in at the moment.