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.

The first photo makes it look squeezed into a small plot.
Is the big round thing in the garden a trampoline?
A fence or something around the drive would make it look prettier, as would some plants.

Open field at the back looks like it would be developed on.

The loft conversion would put some off as would the conservatory. The fact that it has been extended might put some off.

Inside is nice and neat but not very homely and a bit dated. The downstairs looks tiny and not well laid out in the video. The 'kitchen units' cupboards in the bedroom would bug me although they are probably great for storage.

The one on for the same price looks more appealing even though it doesn't have a garage.

I think it looks nice and quite a lot of good points but the listing doesn't sell it.

Our house is 5 years older and while we have the same unattractive artex ceilings we don’t have any damp, stained patches, cracks in walls, mould issues etc.
It is certainly ‘in need of modernisation’ as they say in estate agent speak, but the price doesn’t reflect that.
I can overlook decor, but not thinks like mould and leaks. It means the properly hasn’t been adequately cared for.
Also the green carpet is off putting. I’d be buying knowing that I’d be paying to replace straight alway. Along with the kitchen. The price needs to reflect that.
Could you paint the banister rails white? The orangey wood is very dated.

I've sold a few difficult houses over the years. I would get some new duvets and bedding and cushions and dress the bedrooms. Put curtains up. Nice cushions in living room, flowers, get rid of the table cloth. Make the kitchen look lived in, bread bin, storage jars, flowers. Go and look at the show homes.Can be done quite reasonably at asda and wilko.
Make the garden and drive more appealing. The shed is nice.
Much better photos needed, get a professional photographer rather than the agent.Make sure they are in a logical order and include photos of the bathroom and en suite. No photos and people assume they need replacing. If the they do need replacing you will have to knock that off the asking price.
New housing developments do affect the sales of older homes. If you are not desperate to sell, take it off wait until the new ones have sold and try again.
If you really want to sell take £20k but as you are not getting anyone through the door tackle that problem as well. Good luck

No front lawn? Oversized furniture makes the house seem cramped. No backyard landscaping. Terrible photos of the room give the appearance of no light and no height and narrow. Why do all the rooms seem so narrow?

[quote Oneapennytwoapenny]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#/[/quote]
I think that house has a nice garden but the fence to the left is against the same field as ours, or adjoining one, owned by the same farmer as as likely to be developed.

They don't have a garage and only room to park 1 car off road, whereas we can park 3. Their kitchen is lovely and they do have 4 decent bedroom. Also the decor is lovely.

I would suspect that you are suffering from it being a 'second hand new build' iyswim. Brand new houses are available with all 20 year warranties in place, cash discounts from the developer etc etc.

Also - terrible pics. Your house is great, backing onto land rather than other gardens, but the aerial shots simply emphasise the fact that it is an estate. The dining room looks narrow and cramped because of the angle of the pic. etc etc.

Sheer competition? Do lots of houses in the immediate area come up for sale?

Wood burners are a thing in the other houses.

The pics need to emphasise space and usability.

Have you given a new agent a shot at it?

I would pull it off the market for a month and re-launch with a new agent.

Looking at the roofline view, is the 4th bedroom an extension with an overhanging window tagged onto the back of the house? Does it have a flat rood extension?

Sorry but the 4th bedroom is not attractive. It's a waste of space other than as an office or a play room IMO.
It looks ugly from outside.

But the main thing is the situation - it's cramped and tucked into a tiny corner.

Disregard all the other stuff that can be changed.

1 Poor placement on estate
2 Odd 4th bedroom
3 In need to replacement kitchen/ diner, removal of artexing, overall revamp.

I just watched the video too, it's very dated which doesn't bother me as I like a project however the price does not reflect that.

It's not a 4 bed, its 3. That would put me off straight away

[quote StanfordPines]5 miles away you can buy this house, which is actually the same age, for a similar price.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-75048840.html[/quote]
What a beautiful house!

[quote tonytiy]This sold in Dec for 283k in the same postcode. What's the location like compared

www.rightmove.co.uk/house-prices/detailMatching.html?prop=84597535&sale=92053953&country=england[/quote]
That's a 3 bed terrace 4 miles out of town. There is a premium being within walking distance of town.

@Guylan

This 4 bed is on the same street as you and has been sold subject to contract with a guide price of £335,000. www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/71884494#/

Layout looks more spacious.

Ooh that's lovely!

Just looking at the virtual tour... you need a new hall and stair carpet. And paint the hand rail white. It's very dated.

And yes the water mark on the hall ceiling throws up huge questions about what's caused it.

Looking at the tour, WHY isn't there a picture of your bathroom at the top of the stairs? It's great! Modern, functional, spotless.

The small bedroom at the front of hte house - we had one like that too. Great as a nursery with a toddler bed in it, but too small as a bedroom really.

Love your patchwork quilt on the bed in the loft room.

Sherbourne has always struck me as a nice place to live, but this is why I would hesitate to bother viewing:

I'd be worried about daylight (particularly if there are going to be houses built in the west-facing field). Ditch the aerial photo (or find one from the summer) because most of the garden is in shadow and the entire close seems to have moss growing on their roofs. I'd be worried about insulation/build quality on the 2nd floor as the en suite looked damp to me. Presumably the dining room rarely gets natural light?

Then the view of the front also looks as if it has a green driveway. It you can fit a car in the garage, I would get them to take a photo of it in.

As far as I can tell from the plans, there isn't really a hallway and you have to walk through the lounge and dining room to get to the kitchen. That isn't great for a 4 bedroom house and might be what is deterring families. It also looks as if the neighbour's conservatory overlooks most of your garden and straight into your extension?

I'm not good at dating modern builds, but it looks at least 30 years old to me. It immediately struck me that I'd need to plan for a new boiler, rewiring to get enough sockets and probably new bathroom fittings. It looks more like an HMO rental than a family home.

The estate agents write up also suggests that the first thing to do is to rip out the kitchen and completely remodel the ground floor.

I would have thought that families are hoping to move out to Sherbourne (especially after this past year). I suspect you need to drop the price and accept that buyers will want it as a project.

And yes the water mark on the hall ceiling throws up huge questions about what's caused it.

I expected to find a bathroom or en suite above it, but nothing. makes it more alarming!

That's a 3 bed terrace 4 miles out of town. There is a premium being within walking distance of town.

Not that much of a premium OP! It's ten times nicer than your house, 4 miles or not.

Yeah, the walkthrough thing presents quite a different picture. I think it will put a lot of people off viewing TBH.

dot ... I’m not sure why you’ve referred your comments to my post ...

If I had the choice between that one and the OPs I'd choose that one. Because the downstairs "bedroom" could be used as extra living space/ playroom etc. and the kitchen diner is much more family friendly.

Again, that's a garage converted into a room. Would you be ok with no garage? Where do you keep all your crap?

@dotdashdashdash

And yes the water mark on the hall ceiling throws up huge questions about what's caused it.

I expected to find a bathroom or en suite above it, but nothing. makes it more alarming!

I think it's the hot water tank in a cupboard on the landing.

I think @StanfordPines has nailed it. If you were considering moving to Sherborne (and we might, but not quite yet), it's not the sort of house you (I) have in mind. Plus the field has development potential engraved deeply across it, and the risk of being swallowed up into acres of suburban new builds would be a deal stopper. I would also be looking at knocking some walls around on the ground floor to achieve a decent size kitchen and better flow. The rooms are on the small side. I think some paint and some plant pots could help you dress it better fairly cheaply, and you could take the plant pots with you.

I'd say photos aren't great, and neither is your kerb appeal. The photo of the front, it looks like it's empty. Also, is that a damp patch on the front left corner. Oh and straighten up your washer and dryer and take another photo of the utility.

I agree with other posters that having looked at the video tour, the house is in need of much more work than what the photos first imply. I can smell the dampness from that shower in the loft conversion!

There's so much money needs spending on it. Kitchen and dining room knocked into one, a proper en suite on the top floor, the artex ceilings need skimming, just for starters. If you really want to move, do a part exchange on a new build, which will be easier to sell on because they are of a standard that people expect. I don't think your house, which is over developed for the size, will ever get you more than a PE price.

What is the leak on the living room ceiling OP? Have you thought about getting the ceiling sorted?
Essentially it’s a doer upper but that’s not reflected in the price.