Please judge this house!?

[cookielove]

Hello, my mum is trying to sell her house please give honest feedback on the house and the photos.

What can we do to sell this house???

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/133383485?utm_campaign=property-details&utm_content=buying&utm_medium=sharing&utm_source=copytoclipboard#/&channel=RES_BUY

Swap photo 1 and 4, photo 1 isn’t clear what you are buying.

agree too many outdoors photos, and if you are having that many outdoors photos, rack up the leaves.

a photo of the family bathroom and correct the listing of 1 bathroom.

Just to add I would take off market for a while and either go on with another agent or wait until it will appear as a new listing with the same agent and also reduce the price as that must be the reason it’s not going / you have an agent that’s not working hard enough - the market is very tricky right now - this needs to appear as a new listing as anyone can see it’s been on a while, reduced in April etc and that’s not a great look. Good luck, it’s got many lovely aspects!

A very large Indian boho type rug in the lounge which incorporates the dark green plus some other colours to make the space less bland. Same in bedroom.

I know the area. Your main problem is the train line right next door but being unable to actually walk to the station.

It’s also a family house and essentially in the catchment for STAGS and Sandringham but anyone with kids is going to have to drive everywhere. People looking for a rural family property won’t want to be right next to the busy train lines.

The drive is the only thing that looks a bit scruffy but I honestly wouldn’t change anything. People can see it needs a little updating but it’s been well looked after and perfectly liveable for someone who wanted to take their time renovating it.

It will sell. Will just take time.

I'm not from the area but I'd guess doing a quick search of nearby properties the price is on the high side.

You've got to class it as a 3/4 bedroom and really price it closer to a 3 bedroom.

There doesn't much on the market, but the nearest 3 large bedroom equivalent is on at an offers over 850,000 with no railway line.

You need to price to take into account the railway line and rather ugly bridge being literally next door
(Sorry)

I like the house, OP. I esp like the plot size and double garage!

The train line is higher off the ground, so I'm hoping the noise isn't quite so loud. My brother lives next to a train line, and his cuckoo clock bothers me more than trains do!

I don't know the area either, so I don't know if that's good value - the economic climate is a bit pants for house buyers at the mo.

The pics of the garden look distinctly autumnal so people are going to think it has been unsold for ages. That will make them wonder why, and could be enough to put them off even viewing.

Also, the aerial view concentrates on the garden of the property next door, which isn't at all encouraging.

I know the area reasonably well, so the price is a tad over the top, you can get really large 4-bed detached houses with big gardens for less than that.

Can you can some better photos that are in focus? Can you give it a bit more kerb appeal, on the photo at the front my eyes are drawn to the uneven drive? This time of year is a great time to take photos of gardens as there should be lots of colour.

Is it well priced considering the proximity to a rail line? I’m guessing it’s a busy line.

Gosh I don't know, seems really good condition for the price and location.

What's the situation with viewings so far? Can't get anyone through? Any feedback?

I'm someone who can look past the decor too, so that wouldn't put me off. Nor would the trainline - lived near once and absolutely loved it.

If I were looking for a 2-3 bed house, it would be fine, but as PP said, it's not four bedrooms if one is downstairs. That's essentially a kids' room for playing in or games/homework depending on how old they are.

It's one bathroom upstairs, isn't it? That wouldn't necessarily put me off, but two would be better. Don't know about prices, but if it's priced as a four bedroomed house, maybe that makes it too expensive?

My 2p:

Kitchen is quite small for the size of the house
Downstairs bedroom could be a classed as a study rather than bedroom, but then it's a lot for a 3bed semi
I'd be put off by the fact it's a semi.
Lovely big garden
Odd black shower screen - thought it was a stand up sunbed at first
Lots of flat roofs could be a pain in later life
The first photo just looks odd, not something that would encourage me to click on it. She'd be better off using photo 4
Decoration is nice and neutral

Remove half the chairs.

Feels like the main focal point of half of those photos is a seat.

I think the photos let it down. Odd angles. Looks like fisheye lens for a lot of them.

This is really good value for the size and location - St Albans is extortionate

Yeah exactly. The best way to sell is deceit.

I would insist that the agent re-took the entire set of photos now that it isn't Autumn.

Don't have a dead tree stump as the highlight of picture 2? It's not great in 14, either (or is that a different dead tree?).

I wouldn't be chuffed by the neighbour's balcony(?) overlooking the garden TBH. Can you rearrange the back so that the seating isn't overlooked?

I would also price on the basis that it needs a rewire and get a surveyor to look closely at the extensions.

Some parts are really dark and gloomy like the kitchen worktops, shower cubicle and study chair and shelving. There's no colour or nice features shown. The spotty duvet cover is awful. The kitchen cupboards aren't very nice, perhaps they could be covered or painted nicely in a tasteful colour. The brown looks gloomy and dated.

I'd give the grounds/garden a good tidy up and get rid of the painted name on the front then retake the photos on a sunny day.

Too much emphasis on outside. There just aren’t enough photos for the inside

I think I'd get the photos retaken so it's much clearer which part of the building is for sale.

It's a lovely sized plot - but for me it would be a no based on the following.

The kitchen is very small. It looks quite narrow, but that could be the angle of the photo? It also looks like if you're in the Kitchen you'd be away from everyone else. Not ideal if you have a young family.

The decor on the whole is quite dated, the light fittings etc.

And for me personally, I hate visible lintels in a ceiling. Even the most amazing house would be a no from me if it had those.

What's with the lovingly-taken photos of the green shack and the tree stump?

When I saw the front photo I thought it was the little brick part attached to a pub. It’s not until the diagram outlining the plot that I realised it’s larger and semi detached and half the white bit belongs to the brick bit, if you see what I mean. I wouldn’t have scrolled on.

having said that, if you are getting viewings then it’s clear to everyone else! If you aren’t getting viewings then perhaps that’s why?

These threads are always mad, who has ever viewed/discounted a house based on the owner's duvet cover? If it's not selling it's not going to be fixed by moving furniture around - it's the price and in this case it is priced as a 4 bed but is really only a 3 bed.

The garden is lovely but to me (and I doubt you can change this) there isn’t much period charm inside. Fingers crossed for you though.

Exactly what I was thinking! Who even considers the colour/pattern of a duvet cover when they’re potentially about to spend more than £800k?!

Well you could always try posting a thread about it on mumsnet and see if you can find a buyer that way ....

I agree with others, you need better photos. I’d be put off by the 4th bedroom being downstairs, and the fact that there appears to be a huge expanse of flat roof but there’s always a buyer if the price is right.