How can I make this house more appealing

[HelpMeSell]

Name changed for obvious reasons.
I’m trying to sell my house and after getting very close to completion our sale fell through. I would like to know what I can to do make the house more appealing. Obviously I can’t change that it’s on road parking etc but is there anything inside I could change?
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-85986997.html

A lovely, clean, well presented house.

Just a couple of things - you have an empty hanging basket in the garden, you could get a cheap ready filled one and some brightly coloured pots to jazz up the garden. Many plants are dull this time of year so bright pots will brighten the garden up!

The living room looks very cramped but I think that's also because of the furniture is large too. Can you switch the living room with the dining room? They look to be the same size but the doors in different places. Or you could put the sofas opposite each other against the walls either side of the fireplace, and the tv cabinet inbetween the two doors?

Fingers crossed for you!

The third bedroom would be an ideal walk in wardrobe with shower room at the end.

Alternatively another house in that area has flipped the stairs. It's not a cheap job, but means that a corridor can run along the side of Bed2 to give access to bed3.

I like it, nothing to change and could move in and start living as opposed to having to change things.
But...I’ve no idea what the area is like and what’s in the area that would put people off. Sadly those are things out of your control. Do you have a very busy road etc?

I think the interior looks great but agree you could smarten up the rear garden a bit to make it look less of a playground as I wouldn’t really see it as a family house. I’d want to convert the third bedroom into an en suite/dressing room. Good luck with a sale, I don’t think that anything about your presentation is a problem, but imagine it’s not the best time to sell at the moment so probably a case of sitting tight till the right buyer comes along.

It's lovely, and the warm, airy pastels make the most out of modest-sized rooms.

The bathroom is quite cold, maybe a house plant on each window sill to warm it up and a warmer colour of towels.

Cleaning the paving, rearrange the play equipment and a few pots will jazz it up.
(Get a large-ish pot, put a feature plant like a small phormium in the middle then surround with crocuses/ snowdrops and winter pansies. Cheap and cheerful way to add interest and colour)

There's no point in redecorating. Everyone has their own taste, and I'd rather start again and replace something that is tired than have to either endure something new that is not my taste or waste something that isn't fundamentally worn out. We bought our house despite the deplorable brown patterned wallpaper- just made it a priority to redo the lounge within months.

It looks pleasantly lived in and neat. I'm suspicious of the show home style which shows no hint of occupancy as it makes it difficult to judge the potential to actually fit in life stuff.

Plants plants plants! If you’re not a gardener you can buy ready planted pots at your local garden centre filled with seasonal colour - cyclamen, violas, hellebores etc. You need some on the hard landscaping in the back garden, and some at the front. Replace the plastic balls hanging at the front with real hanging baskets and put something in the empty hanging basket at the rear. Dot a few houseplants around the house.

It makes a huge difference!

And as everyone else has said, get rid of the tatty pink sandpit.

If you've had a sale get that far, it's not a problem with the house, unless you've missed something out of your op. Sales fall through all the time. The market here is still buoyant, it's accurately priced and well presented and you just need the right buyer. The right buyer doesn't give a shit about your board games and pot plants.

Don't go painting things lime or navy and putting down turf. It's a waste of your money.

It's so lovely, that in pic 16, next door's door looks jealous 🙂

It looks great to me. A well cared for family home that is a blank canvas to redecorate if I wanted.

The only things that stand out are the shower curtain where I would prefer a screen and the pipes on show on the bathroom that would look better boxed in. However those things alone wouldn't put me off buying a house.

Fingers crossed you get a sale soon.

I agree with the others. Exterior picture first - ALWAYS. The smarten up the garden. Jet wash the patio area, move anything that isn't attractive and get some pots planted up with winter bedding.

OP I have seen quite a few houses with this layout. It's definitely the style of the county. I would say the only thing you can really change is the second double room. Change the bed to a double to show it fits a double bed comfortably and remove the office. The reality is that it would make an excellent starter home for someone and they would likely change the third bedroom to an office. There's really nothing more you could do with the layout unless you took the wall out between the lounge and diner which I've seen before but they are quite small houses. I think you e actually made the house look really bright and spacious considering what I know of these homes. My brother lived in one like this back in the 90's and they had red walls! I don't miss that era of decorating!!

Christ on a bike I love it! OMG I wish I could move to Gorleston on sea, we live in the South East I have to stay to be near family - I think.

What's Gorleston on Sea like? I've been to Great Yarmouth on holiday once but I cant really judge based on that ... advice please:

Lovely house.
I think you could make more of the garden. Take away the vile green plastic balls, go to your local garden centre and buy a couple of evergreen shrubs that can live in in pots, pittosporum are good, Avery small tree for the bed and some cyclamens and pansies. Buy the nicest pots you can find and plant them up, you can take them with you when you move.
Your lawn needs some attention, look up autumn lawn care, Mow it, take up the thatch with a rake, and using a garden fork, prick it all over, it’s good exercise.
None of this is absolutely necessary, I am sure that anyone looking for a house in your area would be thrilled to find yours.

If I bought that house, I'd keep a downstairs loo and shower room, then make the 3rd bedroom thing an ensuite, so in effect lose a bedroom. Just my preference though. Oh and I might put the wall back by the front door so as to make the sitting room enclosed - would lose space I know but that's what I'd like to do. If I could move to Gorleston on Sea.

It looks lovely. Always put the exterior house pic first and in your case the outside is attractive!

For viewings make sure it is warm but not boiling and feels cosy, lamps being lit help there.

I think things have come off the boil for house sales unfortunately after the surge in the summer

Yes, I agree it’s slowing down. I’ve just reduced the asking price of the flat I’m selling.

I’m a similar situation. I sold my house in 8 days. We got strung along for 8 weeks and then they dropped out with no explanation And we’ve had no interest since. Annoying as I feel like we missed out on lots of potential buyers.

@dishingoutdone watch Yesterday, most of that was shot in Gorleston. It's a lovely area, great sandy beach, low crime. The downside, like most places in Norfolk and Suffolk is that transport links aren't great, made worse in Summer because of holiday makers it can take an hour to get to Great Yarmouth, out of season I can do the journey in less than 10 mins (Dds clubs are in GY so have to travel there regularly), and you tend to have to travel a bit for work. Norwich is 35 mins car journey and is a beautiful city.

The downstairs bathroom would be a dealbreaker for me, but it looks clean and nice from the photos. Not sure I would want a pink room upstairs but probably wouldn't bother everyone.

@DishingOutDone

Christ on a bike I love it! OMG I wish I could move to Gorleston on sea, we live in the South East I have to stay to be near family - I think.

What's Gorleston on Sea like? I've been to Great Yarmouth on holiday once but I cant really judge based on that ... advice please:

I know.

These threads always make me consider moving! (SE as well, obviously!) the only thing for sale at that price within 15 miles is a garage - and that's falling down!)

Friends, family, job, DP (though noting that order, maybe DP, shouldn't be DP 😫) all keeping me here, but I dream of moving back to the coast.

Like you, I've only been there on holiday, but would like to know what it's like to live there!

@HPandTheNeverEndingBedtime. Thanks for that. I'll have to watch 'Yesterday' again, no hardship!!

@DishingOutDone

If I bought that house, I'd keep a downstairs loo and shower room, then make the 3rd bedroom thing an ensuite, so in effect lose a bedroom. Just my preference though. Oh and I might put the wall back by the front door so as to make the sitting room enclosed - would lose space I know but that's what I'd like to do. If I could move to Gorleston on Sea.

Me too! I'd change the downstairs bathroom into a shower room/toilet & utility room. The 3rd bedroom is above it, so changing that into an ensuite shouldn't be too difficult - hopefully.

So much I could do if I moved away from here!!

It's nice but maybe a little bland. Maybe a rug in the living room and another rug under the dining table and chairs to visually 'lift' and focus that area? A couple of nice towels in the bathroom. Garden: hedge looks like it needs trimming and you need some colour, plants in pots etc. The front outside pics are lovely, I'd definitely have them first to draw people in for a look at the listing. Good luck!

Your house is lovely .
The only thing that would put me off is your garden .
Give it a mow and sprinkle some grass seed .
It will come up a treat with all this rain .
Good luck .

@HPandTheNeverEndingBedtime!! It sounds ideal! But I’d never convince my two late teen DDs. Fed up now.