To ask for your opinions on my house?

[StylishMummy]

We're in the stressful and expensive process of moving house, next door have just sold for £170,000. We're on for less and have slightly less space and less than all agents suggested (165-170). But we're not selling!

Collective brain of the vipers nest is my next place for feedback - be as brutal as you like!

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-70481371.html

Inside is much nicer than I expected from the outside. Love the stag wallpaper but not sure it matches the sofas but anyone buying a house surely looks at is as how will my furniture etc fit in here?
I think it would add a lot more value having the outside painted or something done as it looks really bad, sorry.

Have you actually seen how next doors is presented? I can’t imagine yours selling for anywhere near, I’m sorry :( xx
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-79673354.html

I haven't read the thread but the things that stand out for me are the stag wall paper, the conservatory and the exterior. If you can do anything about the front of the house that will make the biggest difference. Would it be possible to paint the brown window frames and or the pebble dashing? The rest all looks pretty good.

Maybe more needs to be said about potential for loft extension?

It’s got a velux up there?

If so why does the agent state that this is just a rumour.

They need to find out for sure and lost it as such.

I love the house and if it was in our area the type of thing we'd be interested in.
However, just personal preference I don't like stairs going from a major room, for me it spoils the room.
That's only me and there's not much you can do about that.
I think your home is lovely

I would be listing with Allsop who sold next door as they might have people who lost out on next door but might be interested in a similar house they can do up

The decor wouldn't put me off as I'd be decorating anyway. The conservatory looks cold and leaky (not sure if it is but a lot of people don't view, they dismiss online), a rug might help, also disguises the floor that looks like a patio. I'd want to knock out the fireplace at it's very dated, and wouldn't be keen on the pebble dash and dark brown Windows on that kind of house. The kitchen and bathroom both need updating. It would be enough to put me off or expect a substantial discount, I'd see it as a fixer upper, which is fine if it's priced as that for your local market, I live in the southeast so if think I was dreaming if I found a house for that price, but have no idea about Nuneaton. I think your general decor is fine, wallpaper etc, soft furnishings would make it cosier looking. I'm someone who bought a project that needed a lot more work than yours, but got it for a price to reflect that in our local market.

Kudos to you OP for taking the criticism on the chin - I wouldn’t be brave enough. Good luck with your sale.

Out of curiosity OP why are you moving ?

It’s got great bones and potential and if you’ve lived there a while could stay out and fix the few things that’s aren’t working for you, rather than spending out on stamp duty for another house.

You’d increase its value too.

It’s already end of terrace and that’s a bonus against your neighbours

Seriously .. it looks fine.
If I was you I’d tidy the garden up, potted flowers. Just brighten it up.
When I looked at my house I was looking at the area and the potential. Not the fucking wallpaper!

Sorry scrolled back down - I genuinely think the list of proposed changes you have made in your last post could all be replaced to greater effect by just painting or changing the exterior somehow.

Have the bedroom and the bathroom been swapped over at some point? The 3rd room is a little strange.

I would assume that it was a two bed with an added stud wall to make it a three or they have swapped the bath and bedrooms over

I really like it, and it seems a lot of house for the money, but I'm not familiar with the Nuneaton property market, and haven't read the full thread, so apologise if I'm repeating suggestions from other commenters.

As far as decor goes, it is fairly neutral, and TBH most people want to do their own thing, so it doesn't seem worth the hassle of re-doing something which is never going to appeal to everyone.

Looking at other comments, I agree that the conservatory could do with jazzing up, and wonder if you know anyone with a couple of nice big potted palms you could borrow to put in there. Enough to show it off, but not so big as to hide the generous room size.

Likewise in the garden, people will have their own desires for the space, so I'd just give it a lift with a few strategically placed planters - primroses and spring bulbs are pretty cheap to get hold of right now, and offer lovely bright colours.

Re the door into the other bedroom, perhaps that's about marketing it either as a great nursery or potential dressing room. As it is there are options, if someone doesn't want the additional door they can always lock/block it.

The coffee table in front of the burner is awkward, and you could brighten the decor with a nice rug in it's place.

That's all I've got because I rather like it, and it only takes that one person to feel the same way. I hope you find a buyer soon.

The decor wouldn't put me off as I'd be decorating anyway

Totally agree with this, I see a lot of potential in your house OP & if we bought it I’d put my own stamp on it anyway. Also you are brave putting this on AIBU - I definetely wouldn’t be able to take the criticism as you have!

Fingers crossed for you!

To me it looks like all the furniture is clutching the wall - and there is no space between items. Maybe remove a few pieces and take some more pictures. Maybe try the sofa in the centre at right angles rather than on the wall. It also looks really bare rather than tidy - I have just been updating my rental house with decor today so I know how it feels!

I would have thought that all 3 bedrooms have windows looking at the floorplan layout.

I don't think they do. Bedroom 3 is on the wall adjoining the next door house, so can't have a window. It would have to be looking out to one side, and there is no window visible on the end wall. If it has got one, this needs to be shown on the floorplan.

To me, it is currently a 2 bed as Bed 3 is windowless. The bathroom is in the wrong room. I suspected it was previously in Bed 3 and accessible from both landing and Bed 1.

To me, it looks tired and dated. I don't like the downstairs layout being in one long line and I hate open staircases like that, especially from a sitting room. We lived in a house like that, and it was my red line for buying, as I found it dangerous and had awful sound transfer between floors.

All the outside area looks shabby and neglected. And 'deceptively large' is EA speak for small and pokey.

For me, it is not a case of staging. I look at it and see a house that needs some serious TLC and reconfiguring.

Sorry, think I am just nowhere near the target market, so it has no appeal to me whatsoever

I agree with pp that said the write up paragraph needs work and you should try another agent. I also agree that the ones who sold next door would be a good bet.

Is there a photo of the small third bedroom? The first thing I'd like to know is how that works with the two different doorways. Can you take a picture showing it as a viable bedroom? I'm assuming the pictures you hhave are of bedrooms 1 and 2?

Sorry, forgot the front / back - the woodwork in pic 10 could do with repainting - people might worry that if that's neglected, what else might come to light.

As far as the front goes, it is what it is - I've seen worse, but it could be that a brightly planted box would be enough to give it a lift above the lounge window.

Definitely retake your photos on a sunny day. We re-took ours ourselves as the EAs ones were crap and just emailed them to them requesting they amend the listing, which they did and we immediately started getting viewings! Next door being STC might help too. See if you can source a big rug for the conservatory cheaply, and move the coffee table in there to fill the space up a bit more. Agree that decor is neither here nor there, but thinking about how buyers will want to use the space and arranging accordingly - we had a 2nd bed that we used as a study/dumping ground so we borrowed a bed from a friend and stuck the bookcases & desk in storage so that we could make it up as a bedroom while selling.

Things which would completely kill it for me:

Render on exterior walls
No hallway - front door leads straight into family room
Lack of window in 3rd "bedroom"
Conservatory - especially the floor

The rest could be done fairly easily, but I'm sorry ... apart from the nice bathroom it just looks like an uncared-for rental property to me. Weeds even at the front wall, peeling paint, scruffy rear garden, ill fitting curtains ... it all needs a LOT of care to make it appealing to a buyer

If cash and time aren't an issue I would:

Paint the outside white or cream to cover up the pebble dash.

Turn the conservatory into 'rustic/farmhouse style' dining room to make the flagstone flooring not seem out of place - get rid of all the other furniture in there and get some artwork on the walls.

Retake the picture of the back garden on a nicer day once the bins and the rubbish have been removed. Put the rabbit hutch on the grass and some potted plants on the patio around the garden furniture.

I see nothing wrong with the interior.

Don't be afraid to change estate agents if you think they're doing enough to help sell the house. Best of luck.

Price
You need to sit at a price point - your property will be visible to 30% more buyers (according to official Rightmove stats).

At 160k you're visible to everyone looking up to, from and every where inbetween £160k - at £162k you're loosing out on those looking upto £160 who in reality if they found their dream home may be able to beg borrow or steal the extra few grand or negotiate with you and you do so onwards to achieve a sale.
It's also proven that people assume prices which are so specific down to the hundreds of pounds are less likely to be negotiable or assume the vendors are less flexible.
The key is getting people through the door and knocking off that extra 2.5k would really help.

Advert quality
Your outside shot is shit. It might not be the most attractive house in the world but that photo isn't good at all. Bad angle and looks grey and miserable. Has there honestly not been a single sunny couple of hours where your agent could whiz round and take a new outside shot? All the money you'll be paying them you'd think they'd make the effort, or at least use Elements Property Services or similar to drop in a blue sky and straighten up the photo.

You've also got your lights on in all the photos which is an automatic red flag for buyers as suggests the house is dark and doesn't benefit from natural lighting.

Bins in the garden, again lazy agent, it's the #1 rule when taking photos to move the bins!!!

They've also not bothered naming the photos which again just screams lazy. They can't be bothered to do the little extras for you but are happy to take your money.

The more than meets the eye tag line is not the first thing they should be shouting at to grab people's attention. What does that even mean? Yes the photos are crap and dark and dingey but pop on by for a viewing anyway? And then they actually say at the end "all in all, worth a look"..

The floor plan is missing the full detailed measurements.

I think your house looks great. Neutral and spacious. Someone else will see this hopefully and buy it, fingers crossed for you. I must ask, where did you get your beige coloured couch from? I love it and love the cushions

Can I ask where you sit down and eat? I always like to see a nice table and chairs when I'm house hunting. Sitting down to eat together is important to us. Maybe set up the conservatory to be a "dining room".
I'd also dress the garden a bit more. I know it's a rubbish time of year but buy some pots and planters to cheer it up outside and you can always take them with you.
It's about selling a lifestyle x

I would make one of the rooms into a dining room. Where do you eat now? Get a big rug to cover some of the conservatory floor cause that is ugly and makes it look unfinished.
I would also question the marketing of it as a 3 bed when one room doesn't have a window. I've just bought a 3 bed house and I wouldn't have gone to look at a house in which the 3rd bedroom had no window.
Get some plants for outside just make it look a bit more homely and colourful.
Selling houses sucks but I think your house has a lot of potential for the right people, you just have to market it towards them.