Why won't my house sell

[StopSearching]

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.

Firstly, those pictures - picture 1, which is your house? Picture 2 - is yours the one with the awful garden? (it isn't, but you don't know that until picture 5. No inside pictures until pic 7? Why? Seems utterly bonkers and I suspect you've lost people's interest at that point. How did the last agent market it?

Internally it's fine, boring and a bit dated but uncluttered, clean and inoffensive.

I've looked on streetview and the close looks really cute where as your photos make it look cold and uninviting. I suspect people are put off by the fact you are down a little siding off the close, and I guess that could get blocked in.

Price in comparison to the area seems reasonable but I'd almost always say the issue is price.

Have you really not had any viewings? If that's the case, then its definitely the listing putting people off.

The downstairs layout is a nightmare, as are the bedrooms. The fourth room doesn’t seem big enough for a bed, the master is in the attic.

It looks tired on the inside and the photos are terrible, get new ones after softening the house up a bit.

@JensonsAcolyte

I would immediately think of new houses build right behind.

I don’t like the conservatory leading straight off the house, I’d want a door between for insulation.

Is the en-suite shower a freestanding shower in the bedroom? That would be a nope for me.

You need much less emphasis on the surroundings and exterior and better photos of the interior.

It's not actually a conservatory, it has a proper roof and is more of just a big dining room. It never gets too hot or cold but I appreciate your comments as that might not be clear from the photo.

The en suite shower is literally that. It's not in the bedroom, it's a little room off the bedroom.

Infortunately it falls in a gap. If estate is fine with a buyer and they’re not big in character, they would be more likely to pick something brand new—will be incentives, they get the kitchen they want, everything is brand new. But you’re also not old enough to have lovely bedded gardens or an established looking community.

This is a big issue that might be affecting price, and might mean price is not realistic?

But yes, the kitchen is small for a family

Is your new agent allowing viewings of people who haven't sold? We moved not so long ago and found with Covid some agents were being very restrictive and qualifying buyers before viewings were allowed (by qualified I mean that you had to have sold your own house subject to completion).

A factor for me would be location. I would be nervous about buying on the edge of a development because I'd worry that the view would be factored into the price and then it would be built on, with all the noise and disruption that would entail. Even if it weren't developed on I'm a bit wary of living so close to working arable fields given the spraying of pesticides and fertiliser (I think I'm probably a bit weird on that though!).

Have you had any offers under the asking price? Would renting it out be an option to free you up to move?

You linked to another house but maybe that price is also high, what are selling prices like in that area.

Looking at Rightmove the last property to sell where you are in 2016 was a 4 bed detached for 285k. Is that a similar property to yours? Have values gone up by that much? I cant see how it can be anything other than price since it's been 2 yrs.

The pictures are poor, zero kerb appeal, it’s says it’s four bedrooms but it’s really three and the kitchen is too small for a family home.

Your house is fine but I agree with others that it looks unloved or rented. Has the 4th bedroom have room for a single bed? If it does dress the room as a bedroom not a study. If it isn't then it's a 3 bedroomed house and the price should be lower. I would be thinking it needs a new kitchen so would be taking that into account.

Maybe get the drive jet washed and put some tall potted plants down the bit that adjoins it to next door - then get a close up of the front taken on a sunny day and send it to the agent to put as Pic1. Try not to have too much of the other houses in the pic.

To be very frank, the estate really lacks strong charm or a homely feel, made worse by the fact that the front is just dumped straight on parking. There is no kerb appeal and it looks strictly functional. There’s not a huge lot you can do to change that but you need to realise this will make people less likely to want to view.

I can’t see an en-suite on the floor plan, this makes it look like you have a cupboard and then a shower next to it.

First picture is confusing.
1 bathroom
Kitchen is tiny for a 4 bed. People will look at it and think work needs doing.
Bedrooms are very stark.

@BarbaraofSeville

Are other properties in the area selling and how does your price compare to those?

No horrors in the area like change of use on the field you back on to rumoured in the area?

What else can you get for £350k in the area? I have no idea, but it does seem quite small and crammed in with the other houses for a detached - 3 bed semi space for 4 bed detached money? Sorry if that sounds rude.

Not rude. I agree. But again, surely the price reflects that? It would have been 3 beds originally. The previous owners put a 4th room in the loft.

Honestly? It looks unloved, there are no personal items, not even a coat on the hooks etc.
The aerial shots, whilst great to have, are not what I want when looking for a house - they're just confusing, I want to know which house is for sale with a nice front on view.
And the photos are pretty awful.
I would "stage" the rooms and get the photos retaken.

First aerial shot- I understand why they’ve done that but it immediately makes me claustrophobic and consider parking issues.

House needs dressed for sale. Currently very beige and not homely.

The kitchen is the opposite of what people go for today—wood and dark countertops, plus layout. If you were buying a new build now this wouldn’t be what you would see. So there probably needs to be a discount for this.

If you're getting no interest it might be the price?

Or you haven't presented it in a way that commands the price you want.

It does look a bit unloved, but I’m not sure to an extent it won’t sell, it’s just a bit bland. The price, was it on for 350 for the last two years?

Agree with staging the rooms. It looks like you've already moved out!

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz

People seem to prefer a social kitchen these days - so they may look and mentally add on the price of knocking through the back rooms to create one large kitchen diner. Add in putting a downstairs loo on too (another common need these days) and it takes it from reasonably priced to expensive.

If you really want rid, knock 50k off.

There is a downstairs loo. In total, there are 2 toilets, 2 showers and one bath.

Also from the floor plan it appears the biggest bedroom doesn’t have a bathroom on the floor, is that correct? I think a lot of people would instantly discount on that alone. The lack of bathrooms for number of rooms is an issue for a family.

The kitchen is very small for a family home, although a buyer could easily knock through to make a kitchen-diner. The bedroom layout would also put me off; two bedrooms, a box room and a loft room.

I prefer this one which is under offer in the same street, and cheaper. www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/71884494#/

Remove first two photos, the angles make the cul-de-sac look very claustrophobic

If spending a small amount on paint and soft furnishings makes your house sell then it’s surely worth the expense?