Can't sell home. Anyone sold to we buy and home type places?

[Rainingdogsandcats]

We want to sell our house. We've tried to sell previously and had an offer but the wife changed her mind.

We have 2 problems that we can't change.

Our house is on a dual carriageway, fairly close to the road.
There is a barn conversation across our drive that's not finished. It's been in its current u finished state for the whole 7 years that we've lived here. Chap comes a couple of times a year and maybe does a bit of painting. The garden is a mess and not fenced off and building materials are at the top of his drive. It looks a mess.

Our house is large, 5 bed, 2 ensuites, extra loos and bathrooms, 3 receptions. An acre of garden. It needs some cosmetic work, not too much though.

Every one has said the same thing. Too close to the road. Don't like the barn.

We've approached WBAH and they've offered us somewhere between 325 and 350. They don't buy it off us themselves but use a different website to find a buyer. They reckon 30 days max.

This house had been on the market 3 years when we bought it. We didn't know that. Bought in a hurry, didn't check properly as we were relocating quickly.

I'm torn. An agent said he could get 400 for it but obviously we don't know how long that will take.

I just feel 325 is a piss take.

Thanks if you got this far.

The statue of St Joseph is a Catholic thing.

I remember your thread from when we were getting our last house ready to sell. We've been in this one 2 years!

I honestly think this next year is a particularly rotten time to sell. Any chance of holding on slightly longer? There may be other perfect houses.

There was a derelict house opposite this one, when we bought it. Someone bought it and it's scrubbing up very well.

Before going to wbah I would just try a different agent to last time, it really does make a difference. We had ours with an agent and got no interest. Changed agents including new pics and write up and had multiple offers in a matter of weeks! Someone will want it I’m sure, it seems a lovely home! (I want your kitchen!!) maybe ask the new agent not to write it’s right near the toll? Minimising the road for first impressions at least will generate more interest :) good luck!!

It sounds like the improvement in your life by moving is worth taking a hit. If you can get the house for say £350; sell yours for that and then you’ll just have fees and an easier life.

Even go down to £325, one of life’s experiences, it just sounds like you overpaid unfortunately.

Could you try the agent that’s selling the house you want to buy? Might be a good way to incentivise the agent to find something that meets in the middle for sale and purchase price.

The house is lovely. How much traffic noise do you hear inside? Would triple glazing help? Maybe when people are viewing they notice the traffic noise more than you, if you are used to it.

I couldn't see anything like a barn or any building materials in the photos, so I'm a bit unsure as to how much of an eyesore that may be causing. You mention that the building work is across/near your drive - is the neighbour actually encroaching on your property? If so, there should be a way of making him remove any rubble or equipment that is on your side of the boundary. Is it possible to put a decent fence up on the boundary to screen off the eyesore? Or planting some attractive trees/shrubs as a screen?

You have an acre of ground but it just looks like a massive lawn - a keen gardener could transform it for you. I would love that much land, and feel amazed that people are so put off by the road and a nearby building project. At the end of the day, it's still a lovely detached house with plenty of green space on at least 2 sides of it and masses of potential - some people just want everything perfect.

Better pics of the outside, your kitchen/dinning looks lovely so a better and/or more pics of that are needed. Living room and I assume master bedroom also look great so perhaps a few different angles shown. I don't think the photos of the bathrooms and other rooms are very good because they don't capture the size of the rooms very well which judging by the floor plan are decent sizes. Basically the buyer you are looking for is someone who needs/wants a large house who can't afford one in prime location. Use this to your advantage, drop the price slightly so they will overlook the road in favour of feeling like they've got a big house and garden for a bargain.

I think that if you can get anyone to pay enough for you to be able to move into the house/area you want then you should do it.
4 years is a he'll of a long time.

This is the view from my ( master) bedroom every morning. These are not exited pics. The view is stunning.

That link says no longer on the market.

Anyone looking may well get confused and cross it off their list.

It's gorgeous. No advice, sorry, as I would never buy on a busy road, but best of luck.

MrsMozartMll it's not on the market at the moment. Hasn't been for the last couple of years. We're trying to decide how best to sell it at the moment.

This is the barn across the drive.

I remember you posting before. It sits pretty much right on the dual carriageway doesn’t it? I’d take the money and run from we buy any house if it materialises.

Aloe6 it does yes.

Don’t waste ur life away in a house you are not happy in. I would contact the agents of the house I r interested in. They will go full steam ahead if they think they will get two sales out of it. I would drop house to 375. See what happens. Good luck

Photos are not great but I love your kitchen/dining area OP

Its a nice house

If you're very unhappy there, cut your losses and move.

At end of day it's only money and the joy of opening a front door of a house you love will soon wipe out the hurt of perceived financial loss...

It's probably someone's dream home and by fixating on a certain price you might be depriving them of eternal happiness...

The continued stress of living unhappily will be adding grey hairs and wrinkles...

... Basically, change the way your looking at the sale and instead view it as a positive opportunity. Obv this might mean changing the idea of the house/ location you want to move too.

Oh and use those stunning sun rise pictures in the sales particulars!

Good luck!

TBH the location is awful. The noise must be horrendous, I would imagine it's impossible to use the outside space in any way because of this.

The barn next to you really does look like part of your property, and it also looks as if you are running some sort of construction business and storing rubble on your land

Also the shared drive would be no go for most people I think. Too much hassle and what if you fell out with your neighbours?

Personally I wouldn't touch a property like yours. I'm saying this to be realistic.

The house was on the market for three years before you bought it.

The previous owners lost money on it when they sold it to you.

Be honest, you bought a lemon, it's now damage limitation. Accept you're going to take a huge hit to get rid of the property, shit I know, but just make the best of it and move on.

I think even at 325k you would struggle.

Perhaps an auction with a 300k reserve?

I'm unfamiliar with the area, but I'd personally list at 400 and see what your first month of viewings is like.

Get your photos redone, they should be brighter and better staged, i.e no car in the front of house shot.

After a month lower the price to fit within the next price bracket down on Rightmove (they usually drop in 25k increments). You'll get a whole host of new viewers who are only searching for properties up to 375k.

Worth a punt to try it this way before going the wbah route, IMO.

I don't think improving the photos will help at all in this situation. People have liked the photos/house it's the location/neighbours they don't like. Making it look better on Rightmove (and it looks a lot better than most already IMO) may increase viewings but it won't make those issues go away, will just mean more disappointed people when they find out what the situation really is.

It's a lovely house but most people looking for seclusion wouldn't want to be on a busy road. It needs to be priced at a level where people who "love the house" wouldn't be able to afford anything similar in a better location, so will make the compromise. Possibly why you bought it in the first place OP?

It seems this will be less than the £400k you paid but may not be as low as WBAH .

That said, if you can afford it and have already seen something affordable you'd love to live in, I'd be inclined to take the hit to get it done.

It's not that noisy to be honest living on this road. The main living areas are towards the back of the house and in the front it really isn't that bad. Weekends are quieter as it's a commuter road.

We've had some great events in the garden and it doesn't make it unusable at all. We've erected the summer house in a secluded spot behind the garage to make use of the noise shield if you like.

There is a bit of the drive that is shared in the middle but most of it is ours and it's in the plans and all signed off so not a big deal imo but obviously might be off putting for some although loads of places have shared drive.

I'm so torn at losing so much money but we do know we bought a lemon as pp said 😩.

Sorry OP, forgot to add. That road is national speed limit. Yoi have 40 tonne HGVs passing literally 10 feet from your front door, with no barrier of any kind. Nobody with kids would consider your house.

Have you thought of building a wall to the front, it wouldn't mitigate the issue of an HGV crashing through your front room, but it would go a long way towards the aesthetic appeal and at least kids wouldn't be able to just run headlong into the traffic.

You might find it's easier to sell with a front wall.

Just a thought .

If you can afford to take the hit, honestly I would. Negotiate a bit harder with WBAH but your quality of life is being affected and that is the important thing. Property values are not absolute, it's what someone will pay. Also yours should be a stress free transaction, no shilly shallying about with broken chains.

Obviously it's easy to say that when it's not my money but that's what I'd do. Life's too short.