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Why won't my house sell

999 replies

StopSearching · 05/03/2021 13:57

My house has been on the market for nearly two years. Recently we took it off and remarketed with new agents. No viewings. We've been so patient for two years but it's getting me down now.

I just want to move on. Nothing wrong with where we live, it's a lovely little town but we have plans and this is all that stopping us. I've stopped looking for houses to buy as they are sold before we even get viewings.

Anyone else having similar problems? It's so frustrating.

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Stovetopespresso · 05/03/2021 17:46

buy some different furniture to take with and a new carpet here and there, lick of paint, cover damp patches, anything to get it out of the fixer-upper category imo. whip it off the market for a month so it can reappear looking gorgeous for April. Once drice cleaned some nice potted plants outside the front door, you can take with when you move?

Flibbitygibbit · 05/03/2021 17:47

Looks like your airing cupboard has a leak into your lounge?

Howzaboutye · 05/03/2021 17:47

Op kudos to you for taking all this on the chin!

I would add- the price bracket your house shows up in. Which price bracket is it in? If it is 'too expensive' compared to other houses in the search then buyers won't even consider it.

You need to drop the price so buyers in the bracket below see it and place an offer, even if it's below asking.

Most people search on Rightmove app now, so these brackets are really important.

And maybe employ the mumsnetter who is an actual house stager. And just do what she says!

I think the dodgy ceilings are putting people off. No way would a buyer believe you that the issue has been fixed. No way. Equals no viewings and no offers.

You will sell at the price your house is worth. Sorry to be harsh.

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midgedude · 05/03/2021 17:48

If part of the price is meant to reflect how close it v is to the town centre, well unless you knew that by magic the photos make it look very rural ?

PandemicAtTheDisco · 05/03/2021 17:48

It's a house that has limited appeal to many buyers.

You are not showing your house off at it's best with how it's arranged but the obvious repairs that need doing will seriously put buyers off. There is almost something in every room. It hasn't been professionally painted or it's been painted very badly.

A potential buyer will look at it and immediately start figuring out how much the repairs will cost and many people don't want to move and redecorate at the same time.

The front has no kirb appeal. It's just parking space.

The back garden has nothing of interest. Show photos that make use of the round patio. Put garden table and chairs out etc. Spruce it up a bit.

The outside office could look better. It looks functional.

Your conservatory furniture is oddly arranged.

Dining room ceiling looks as if it needs repairing. Door frame has cracks running down.

Kitchen functional.

Laundry room - why does washer stick out? Line on ceiling.

Lounge ceiling is appalling.

Hall and landing walls looks as if they need repainting.

Back bedroom has marks on ceiling, underneath of wall cupboards are badly painted.

Front double bedroom poorly finished painting edges.

Can a single bed fit in smallest room? show it used as bedroom.

Ceiling in shower room looks crap. Water tank cover looks crap and poorly finished.

AnotherKrampus · 05/03/2021 17:50

The photos are sad and it looks like a place that sucked out all joy of life. If this house were a pair of trousers, it would be worn, cack-brown corduroy…

FTEngineerM · 05/03/2021 17:50

@StopSearching

That's just a shelf that dh took off a wall and stored there to the side of the wardrobe. Not sure why he stored it there as we have a perfectly good garage to put it in but also not sure what you think this photo shows?
I said in the post what the photo shows Smile but I’ll repeat.. Bowing plasterboard. Cracked plaster. It’s a bad job at a loft conversion that isn’t even old. There are many places around the house that look like this, it looks old and unloved. We are actively looking to buy but not in that area. I wouldn’t view this. For the reasons I gave in the PP.
halcyondays · 05/03/2021 17:51

@StopSearching

That's just a shelf that dh took off a wall and stored there to the side of the wardrobe. Not sure why he stored it there as we have a perfectly good garage to put it in but also not sure what you think this photo shows?
I thought the wardrobe was falling apart! I’d not have this it being a random shelf as the house is quite tidy and uncluttered in general.
StanfordPines · 05/03/2021 17:52

@midgedude

If part of the price is meant to reflect how close it v is to the town centre, well unless you knew that by magic the photos make it look very rural ?
Well there’s a map..
halcyondays · 05/03/2021 17:52

Should say I’d not have thought of this as being a random shelf.

halcyondays · 05/03/2021 17:54

The bathroom is the best room and they haven’t even put up a photo of it.

mathanxiety · 05/03/2021 17:55

...

AtseneGatnalp · 05/03/2021 17:56

Loads of excellent advice here, OP.

I think it would sell if you adopt some of these - and you needn't spend a fortune.

Otherwise, every house has its price. I got mine for £70k below the asking price, as it had been for sale for 18 months and had 'stuck' on the market. Very different kind of house (200 yrs old, and in need of comprehensive renovation). What it boiled down to was that the vendors wanted to sell it and I wanted to buy it - and a whopping discount was the only way either of those things was going to happen.

Bluntness100 · 05/03/2021 17:57

Op, I’m curious. This pic is really unusually placed. Is it hiding something? I can’t think of any other reason someone would put a picture there.

Why won't my house sell
mathanxiety · 05/03/2021 17:57

...

Fedupofhomeschooling2021 · 05/03/2021 17:57

IMO the photos make all the downstairs rooms look long and thin which the floor plan would indicate isn't the case. I would be put off by that as I would think I didn't have passing space. From the floor plan the utility looks like a really usable space but on the photograph it looks like a narrow claustrophobic corridor .

I'm not put off by open fields it would be a selling point to me.

midgedude · 05/03/2021 17:58

I was reporting how I would act

You look at the photo it looks rural and expensive, you move on , not waste time looking at a map on the off chance that it is not where it appears to be

LocalHobo · 05/03/2021 17:58

The photos are sad and it looks like a place that sucked out all joy of life. If this house were a pair of trousers, it would be worn, cack-brown corduroy

A bit unfair as even worn, cack-brown corduroy can give a feeling that the wearer may have time spent enjoying life...this house does not look like it has ever hosted joy.

AtseneGatnalp · 05/03/2021 18:00

ALso meant to say, OP, that the photos are not great. I've worked with various estate agents, and there are two companies where I live which can make fantastic photos out of very ordinary houses. They will move furniture round etc to make it look better - quite apart from having the photographic skills. Obviously there's the risk that viewers will be disappointed by the house in real life, if the photos are so fabulous - but it does at least get people through the door. And sometimes that's just what it takes - people can discount something that would actually work for them, just because they overlook it due to mediocre photos.

huuuuunnnndderrricks · 05/03/2021 18:01

Is that a good price for the area? I don't like the driveway , I could foresee issues with overlapping . The houses also look very squashed in ! The decor isn't one thing or another either . It's just meh .. sorry

StopSearching · 05/03/2021 18:02

@FoolsAssassin

Oh you are the people with the great sunsets - I am your target market and was looking at your house on Rightmove this morning in anticipation of putting ours up for sale as agent who came to do valuation said to think about what comes next 😀

It’s on the edge of our search area but I looked at it thinking It is the kind of thing that could work for us . We are looking to downsize as DD at Uni and only comes to visit , DS will be following. I was thinking that we could look at knocking kitchen and dining room together, DS could have upstairs and the 4th bedroom would make a good office, leaving the other bedroom for guests with us in bed 1.

Things that put me off are how close the houses are together and I was thinking about the dining room being open to conservatory and wondering how that works with building regs. The garden is probably too small for me as a keen gardener. I do like the fields but would worry about being built on and rape fields wouldn’t work as would be sneezing and wheezing.

The work aspect wouldn’t put me off as I love nothing more than a project. I do like the fact you can access the garage from the house. That probably doesn’t help much but there might be something helpful in my ramblings in some small way !

We hear noise when people are in their garden in the summer but nothing through the walls like you would with a semi-detached. Neighbours are lovely but obviously that can change.

It does look stunning out the back sometimes, but would definitely make you sneeze Grin

Why won't my house sell
Why won't my house sell
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bilbodog · 05/03/2021 18:02

OP as others have said, get repairs done and fresh paint where its needed. As well as the damp patches and peeling wallpaper mentioned before there seem to be a number of places where the artex is missing on some of the ceilings, unless its the light during the video so indicates further problems in the past?

Also, when you have tarted it up i would move the dining table into the conservatory and buy some plants to put on the window cill to create a ‘garden feel’ as well as doing nice pots for both the front and back gardens to dress it. You can take all these with you.

Make the current dining area into a snug.

Failing this, lower the price substantially and sell as ‘needing work’

Good luck.

huuuuunnnndderrricks · 05/03/2021 18:02

The second house you linked is much much nicer but it's also £50k more so not really comparable .

Bluntness100 · 05/03/2021 18:02

Actually in comparison to the video the pics are excellent, you’d never know the real condition.

StopSearching · 05/03/2021 18:04

Oh, and here are the promised sunsets Grin

Why won't my house sell
Why won't my house sell
Why won't my house sell
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