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.

As countless others have already said, it's ALWAYS ultimately the price that's to blame for a property sitting on the market for months or years. If you were asking for £100k, it would be gone in an hour. If you asked for £1m, it would never ever sell. Somewhere between those two figures is a realistic price, at which buyers will be motivated to view and the property will sell in a reasonable time frame.
A house we were keeping an eye on lately was hanging around on the market for a long time (almost a year). The elderly "owner" had passed away and it turned out that they did not have the title absolute. You could argue that it was the risk and the fact that the property was un-mortgageable that caused it to hang around for months on end, but as soon as the family dropped the price significantly, it sold within 2 days. They were just asking too much, ultimately.
I do think that the pictures could be improved and this may help you to entice more viewers, but the price is clearly the main issue. The drone images, whilst obviously taken with the intention of highlighting the adjacent fields and semi-rural position, actually just make it look like a tiny box crammed in amongst hundreds of other tiny boxes. It looks suffocating (Google "Vivarium", the Jesse Eisenberg film).

The house we are in now is lovely, but I was reluctant to even view it initially because looking at the photos it just didn't appeal to me at all. I came to see it to stop my Husband going on about it, and I feel in love with it.

I think your photos need redoing and perhaps don't do your house it's full justice.

You have furniture in a couple of odd places I.e the drawers in front of the window in the sun lounge and the desk and drawers in front of the radiator in the study, it gives the impression there's not enough space for stuff and just looks odd, you'd be amazed how many people are put off by things like this, also the way they've got the shine on your kitchen worktops makes hem look like they haven't been wiped down when in all likelihood they will have been but it just looks that way.

Personally, when I look at it I'm thinking in my head it needs painting throughout and new carpets - lots of people want a walk in nowadays.

I can see past decor and carpets, etc. but many people can't because they lack imagination and/or think of all the extra money it costs.

Not everyone is keen to live by fields, from the development point of view, but also the crops.

Your price is a round figure, even dropping it to £349,995 from a psychological point of view is way less than £350k. I can't comment on price as don't know your area but a house is only ever worth what someone is prepared to pay for it.

In contrast to your house, the other house you linked, is bright, modern and looks airy throughout, the kitchen looks more modern and it has the feel of a family home - again, I think your photos are really letting you down here OP - I struggled even picking your house out for a minute from the aerial shots.

Your garden looks a bit in need of TLC, the grass is too long.

Overall, I think your house is looking a wee bit tired and in need of some TLC but I think if you had your photos redone and presented it a bit differently with some furniture moved around and a wee bit of colour pop here and there, you'd at the very least get more viewings.

People purchase with there eyes the practical stuff comes later

When you change some small things it gives a different look

I just don't understand how anyone can put a house on the market with all that tatty paintwork, cracks in the walls, a garden that's unloved, dated kitchen, etc etc and expect a good price.

I know you've had so much advice but immediate thoughts:
you've paired it down too much- there is no texture/warmth/heart to it.

Add a nice new kettle/toaster in cream to kitchen counter/some new nicely printed hand towels/oven gloves to give some warmth

The leather sofas need covering up with nice wool sofa throws then cushions- dark leather sofas are pretty outdated now and immediately make a room look older than it is

The front of house could do with some nice planters either side of the door either with 2 mini trees or overflowing with lovely flowers to brighten things up

I think people are being very harsh personally. If its guaranteed the land wont be developed- the garden/view onto those fields is stunning.

@PandemicAtTheDisco

I thought that use as a 'legal bedroom' was more related to getting extra housing benefit based on room size - rather than whether the bedroom could actually be used as a bedroom?

Can sellers be sued for mis selling if the room is too small?

I'm sure you're on pretty dodgy ground if you describe it as a bedroom when you can't even get a bed in there

I'm sure you're on pretty dodgy ground if you describe it as a bedroom when you can't even get a bed in there

The developer did...

@ivykaty44

People purchase with there eyes the practical stuff comes later

When you change some small things it gives a different look

I prefer the dark garage door. Is that meant to be the update?

I'd be tempted to put the dining table into the sunroom. Then move the office space down into where the dining table currently is. Turn bed4 into a single bedroom.

I did actually see a student house where the understairs cupboard was rented out as a bedroom. It had a small pallet made bed set up in it but it did have a small window!

Of those in you posted in the 3 bedroom list, this appears most similar to yours in terms of space, they have a much more modern kitchen space, a much higher spec for decor and a proper en-suite, Ithink you’d have to spend quite a bit on yours to get here.

I would think you would need to match the aspirational elements of this one, to achieve the sort of price it’s marketed for. This is 25k less than yours

Sorry, I should have said that if you can achieve this spec the, your rooms are more generous and then that 25k gap makes sense.

I don’t think the tiny “bedroom”can have been that small when the house was built.
You wouldn’t have had one so small in an 80s detached house with garage. I think it’s lost a chunk off it to make space for the loft conversion.

@FTEngineerM

I'm sure you're on pretty dodgy ground if you describe it as a bedroom when you can't even get a bed in there

The developer did...

Whoever put the loft room in would have taken some room from the bedroom for the staircase maybe.

Op it’s over priced, and unloved. Tbh new sofas and throws aren’t going to cut it. You will
Need to get to looking amazing if you want to sell for near the list price. I’d just take 25k off the list price and see what happens.

I’m curious though your Garden room/conservatory surely it’s needs original external wall in between the room and dinning area to hold the weight. Otherwise it’s an extension.
Do you have build regs for it. Or is it an proper extension with foundations?

@FTEngineerM

I'm sure you're on pretty dodgy ground if you describe it as a bedroom when you can't even get a bed in there

The developer did...

But OP didn't buy it from the developer. She's only been living there for 13 years and said the previous occupants did work to the property (and added the loft space) before she bought it.

We also don't know whether it was advertised as a 3 or 4 bed when she bought it.

Either way it's pretty irrelevant now. She's trying to sell that room as a bedroom but she doesn't even know if it can fit a single bed in it!

I’ve just done the tour and I think you have more problems than I initially thought, the whole house needs modernisation and I think the downstairs layout needs rethinking altogether. I would see this house as a large project and expect to buy it cheap to be honest.

I know you hate it and haven’t enjoyed living there

No, we absolutely love it here!

We are compiling a list of works and deciding how far to go with spending on this house versus dropping the price.

@Freddiefox you’re right, looking at floor plan it would have been bigger before stairs. Ted line on where door probably was.

Oops.

I retract my comment

[quote FTEngineerM]@Freddiefox you’re right, looking at floor plan it would have been bigger before stairs. Ted line on where door probably was.

Oops.

I retract my comment [/quote]
I’m still curious though about how they have got around the extension/garden room issues.

I would instruct new EA to be honest, and take it off the market now. Think re launch in May /June. Being on the market for 2 years causes it's own issues.

I can't find your house on Rightmove op but looking at some of the pics others have shared I would pull it off the market, some paint, new carpets and some cushions and throws with a couple of plants and try selling with a new agent just before summer.

Yes, take it off and re-market with a new agent.

The ground plan shows a great ground floor - lots of good connecting spaces and goo sized rooms, but the photos make it look small and narrow, which it isn't, especially.

Personally I would want a loo and shower in the loft conversion so if I was buying I would factor in the cost of having that put in.

Should have added, your EA is a disgrace. Making factual misrepresentations re your property could come back and bite you on the bum, as they are your agents and you are liable for this ultimately. Also it means your EA are unprofessional, and sloppy at best. Which is clear from the photos to be fair. All that reflects on your property.
I recently sold a property, in very difficult personal circumstances. I always thought EA were paid money for nothing. But mine were very professional and ethical, so the buyers trusted them and it made all the difference. It really matters, but especially with a tricky property or situation.