To be so frustrated selling house

[GSD20]

3 years we have been hoping to move.

3 years ago we first marketed. It took 2 agents and a lot of hassle (40 viewings) but eventually sold once which fell through thanks to the rubbish UK selling system just before exchange. We removed from the market and saved up more money over 18 months or so and tried again. Can’t sell. We are priced as low as we can afford too.

In this time we have seen 3 houses we loved and lost them all. Now I’ve stopped looking as houses are flying out the door and ours is stuck. Now there’s pretty much nothing to buy even if we did sell as we have dropped so low to sell we can’t afford to buy what we want.

Things that are putting people off are things we can’t change, downstairs bathroom and ex council mainly. The house is immaculate otherwise but we can’t afford to move bathrooms etc as we have barely any equity as it is.

We can’t stay here as we need to move for work and also our house is tiny, no garden space and there’s no room to extend anywhere so we can’t even make the best of a bad situation. We have no storage space, it’s a house designed for one person and there’s a family crushed into it, it’s suffocating.

I’m so fed up, it feels like it’s easy for everyone else but it’s been THREE YEARS since we originally decided to move and it’s driving me nuts.

I know there’s nothing can be done and it’s a very first world problem but I feel better getting it off my chest. Please someone give me some hope I won’t be stuck here forever

If you are crammed in viewers can see you are crammed in. Can you put stuff in storage?

A few things leap out at me... and we sold a property with dogs and a downstairs bathroom recently. Ours was a very rare find (city centre with a double garage and front and back gardens - all unheard of in this particular location at our price range - along with amazing schools, fab facilities within walking distance, great public transport nearby etc) and it was still hard work.

The downstairs bathroom is going to put people off - you’ll need that one buyer who can see past it. That was our significant stumbling block even though it wasn’t actually a problem for us in reality. Do you have a toilet upstairs or is that it ? If no upstairs loo, could you put one in (even one of those small Macerater (?) type ones)? We actually had done plans done to show where a bathroom could go to try to inspire buyers.

Your dogs will smell. I thoroughly aired out/sprayed the house, removed all evidence of them (garden cleaned, cages and beds in garage etc) and they were walked during each viewing - pain in the ass, but viewers will be put off if they know there’s a dog there. Even if they don’t smell (and all dogs do), it’s psychological.

The price is wrong. No buyer cares what you paid for it, what you’ve spent on it or what you need to get for your house. It is only worth what someone is willing to pay. If that’s not enough, rent it out and find somewhere to rent yourself - even if you have to pay a bigger damage deposit.

You need to make it look great on the photos as I was amazed speaking with friends how many discounted properties based on the web listing, only for the properties to be great when we looked. People can be lazy and unimaginative - you have to make it easy for them to see themselves in your house.

Sometimes these things take time - stop looking at houses if you are not proceedable. You are doing to others what is being done to you (ie wasting their time when you are not (currently) a serious buyer). It will also just upset you as you miss out on stuff.

Have an honest conversation with your agents. I know you like the decor/think it’s uncluttered etc... but is it really attractive to others ? We had over half our stuff in storage to de-clutter ours... there’s clutter and then there’s clutter.

I hate moving house - try to think about the points people are raising and see if you can try anything different. Otherwise, good luck.

I’ve an obsessive Rightmove browser (been looking on and off for years). Some of the photos that are up are shocking.

If it’s not selling them there’s a reason, are you getting people through the door? Or are you not getting the viewings? If it’s the lack of feet through the door then look at how it’s being marketed. Have you got a floor plan?! I’d really put off by houses without.

Have you decluttered completely? Got any dark rooms you could brighten up? A bit of wrap on some dark furniture could totally change the room. Spend a couple of hundred brightening up some rooms and you may be surprised.

Have you asked the estate agent for honest feedback? Are they actually getting feedback from
Viewers? we get attached to our homes but try look at it objectively. Any pets smells possible that could put people off?

I can only think that it is crammed with people and dogs, and that the viewers are sensing it. Maybe it isn’t as clean and clutter-free as you feel it is.

Those who are put off by a downstairs bathroom won’t view it in the first place. Likewise, those who eschew ex-council properties.

It has to be the “feel” or ambience of the place that’s the issue.

OP when my mums house couldn’t sell even when she’d ‘de cluttered’ it, I went where and declutterrd one room so she could see what decluttering really meant. You have to get rid of everything you don’t need on a daily basis, really you have no idea how much stuff you will have lying around that you don’t have to use every day. She did that, relisted it and sold within a week and she had a downstairs bathroom too

And yes agree that it probably does smell of animals too

Just wanted to echo what other posters have said, if you want to get good advice post the right move link, or at least share some cropped out images from the EA. There's been some great threads in the past with amazing advice once posters could see the house.

It's worth a shot if you're desperate, then ask MN to delete if it's too outing.

You say it's been up again since the start of the year, but not had any viewings, I would think there's something wrong with the pictures, or the house in the pictures. Like others have said, does it look too cluttered?

How many people exactly live there op? You say it's immaculate, but with four pets and a family of an unknown number are you sure it's not cluttered and not so immaculate?

The fact it’s on and off the market won’t help looks like something is wrong and people keep moving in and out or that there must be something very wrong that it hasn’t sold in so long.

Your agent should be following up viewings and getting feedback for you. They won't tell you if your home has been completely slated but they will tell you what was said but reworded. Think about what you've been told by them. Also properties overpriced do tend to sell if they're appealing to the buyer! Look at the advert the estate has for it, who are they aiming it at? Sounds like an ideal FTB or investor property to me.

You should rehome your pets or put them into foster care and go and rent in the new area. As much as you love your pets, you can't have your life dictated to by them and that's what's happening now. Once the house is stripped of all your stuff it'll sell. Pretty sure this won't be popular advice but it is honest advice.

It's probably because, however tidy and clutter free you think it is, with four pets and a family in a 2-bed, it doesn't feel neutral enough. I'd move out completely. Put furniture in storage, steam clean the carpets, paint it neutral colours and put it back on the market for the price your neighbours had it on for, with a different agent. Like a PP, I think houses can be underpriced. I've sold two houses for full asking price, going with the EA who offered the highest evaluation. If it's on for £95 and people think houses like yours sell for around £115k they may be look on Right Move at anything over £100k, so yours won't even show up in the search.

It is so stressful buying and selling property OP, you have my sympathy.

It took years to sell our last house, a couple of sales fell through and then we rented it out for a bit. It seems to be constantly hanging over you or in the background!

Has the current EA given you any ideas, are there any other agents locally that you could put it on with?

OP please don’t consider re-homing your pets etc for the sake of selling.
You could have someone look after them and host an open day - make your house as clutter free as you can as pp’s have said, open windows, have soft pleasant lighting, home made buns etc.
Lots of plants..
I’m about to face the same issue re downstairs bathroom BUT it hadn’t put me off. After all, I as a SAHM am happy the loo is downstairs all day do I don’t have to run up and down the (Victorian) stairs and leave myDC unattended..
there will be virtues to every house.
And I agree...don’t undersell it!

It's a shame you won't post a link OP or at least photos as then people could really help you.......

My first thought was "does it smell doggy?"

When I was house hunting, it didn't matter how clean and tidy they were, you can always smell dogs. And it's off putting.

Four dogs in a little two bed? It will stink. This plus the awkward drive and the smaller garden will be enough to make it worth less than your neighbours. I would move in with your mum, put all your furniture in storage deep clean and paint everything cream - I bet it goes.

Sorry but you can't always smell dogs - depends on breed and how well they are kept. OP says she doesn't have carpets in the rooms they use and has asked family already. Some buyers will have a dog of their own so won't have an issue with home being pet-friendly.

I agree with the poster who suggested moving out. I would do the same. Paint it. Declutter it. Clean it.
Could it be put up for sale at auction with a reserve price nearer to the higher valuation.
Good Luck

So many people selling houses think that because they like it, everyone else will and simply cannot see any problems. For example, when we bought 4 years ago, we viewed a house with the owner, he took us around telling us how wonderful it all was, although in his words, it's a bit cramped right now as we've had our daughter move back in with us. The fact that there wasn't room to swing a cat was secondary to the fact that the place was an absolute shit tip!! It was disgustingly filthy, with a bathroom which obviously hadn't been cleaned in years, never mind months, and when he took us in the conservatory and shut the door so the kittens couldn't get out, I almost vomited, the stink was horrendous!! We made our excuses and left, and then the following day I emailed the agent telling them exactly how disgusted we were with the property, and voicing all the problems.

The agent then rang me, and asked if it was really as bad as I'd said, I told her that if anything it was actually worse!! Having been an estate agent myself previously, I knew that the only way they were ever going to sell that house was if she told them the truth. So having discussed it with me, she rang the vendor and asked them to call into the office. As it turned out, only the lady came in, and the first thing she said was, 'I knew I shouldn't have let him show them around!' as if it was his sales technique and not the disgusting state that the house was in, that had put us off. So the agent took a very brave step and showed her my email. She was shocked, but took it on board and the next day I received a call from the agent asking if we'd be interested if they took £50,000 off the price - I responded, they'd have to give me £50k to take it off their hands - that's how bad it was, and the vendor just couldn't see it.

I don't know if they ever managed to sell it, but the point I'm making is that the vendors couldn't see what a mess the property was in, and the estate agents up to that point (they'd been through every agent in town), had never told them the truth about why it wasn't selling.

So, I think in this instance you need to go to your agent and ask for honest feedback, ASK if you need to get rid of stuff, ASK if it's clean enough, ASK if you need to paint anything, ASK if the pets are the problem, and give them the opportunity to respond to these questions, as they may not have been brave enough to tell you that viewers had actually come away with flea bites, or whatever, and then really listen to what they tell you, and if they can't give you a reason, ditch them, as they're obviously not up to the job.

The smell of animals in a house is really off putting to me. I would immediately be turned off and want to get out as soon as possible. People without pets will definitely notice it more than people with, in my opinion. Is there slobber on the windows/doors or anything? Pet hair? I really recommend pet febreeze as it’s super strong.

It seems odd that you’ve had zero interest this time round. I would have thought you would have at least had some people through the door.

As others have said though, it doesn’t matter what you’ve spent on the property or what you can afford to accept. At the moment, based on your feedback from the market, it isn’t as desirable a purchase as you think it is. Post some pictures and people will be honest.

Even if it feels harsh, it will likely help you.

4 pets in a house "designed for one person" would be VERY off putting. You should definitely consider somewhere else for pets until your house is sold.

"new roof on, new flooring throughout" doesn't increase value as they are both structural. Fencing the property and tidying the garden doesn't increase the value either.

It sounds like you bought it for to much, sorry. Moving in with MIL sounds like the best option until you can afford to buy where you need to.

What a shame, personally I love a downstairs bathroom, there is more room upstairs and it's handy if for whatever reason you can't get upstairs.
I'd have to see it to work out why it isn't selling though.

1. Check where your estate agent has your house listed. Is it coming up in Rightmove/Zoopla searches?
2. When people are looking for houses like yours, are they putting "100,000" in the "minimum price" box (therefore your £95,000 house isn't coming up)? I would increase the price over £100,000 and see what happens. There's a lot of sloshy crap houses in the under £100,000 bargain bucket. Serious buyers tend not to look down there. Since your NDN's house sold, I would suspect this is your issue. No one can see your house because it's not coming up in search results because it's too cheap.
3. Look at your photos. Are they bright? Are the camera angles good? Do you lead with a picture of the front of the house? You'd be amazed how many people start with a picture of a living room, which makes people think there's something you're hiding by not showing the front of the house as the leading picture.
4. Check if off-street parking is specifically mentioned in the listing. It seems stupid, but if your parking is unusual/tricky to access, people might assume the house doesn't have parking unless it's stated.
5. Really though, find out which estate agent NDN sold through and go with them. Especially because I'm raising an eyebrow at the fact you've had to pay upfront to get your house listed. Twice. We just paid a small deposit and the rest gets paid if/when the house sells.
6. Make sure all the renovation work is stated in the property description. Things like recent new roof etc gives buyers confidence that your house is problem free and top-notch.
7. If your house's exterior is painted, does it need redoing or cleaning up? Our house had been for sale for almost 2 years when we bought it because no one could see that the staining on the exterior literally just needed a lick of paint.

I worked for an EA & our bread & butter were 2bed terraces, often with downstairs bathrooms. When people view are the dogs milling around? That's going to make it feel small. Are their dog food bowls out? (looks messy). Is there a dog smell. (get a none dog owner to visit or honest friend as you'll be immune) . . Kitchen work surfaces need to to be clear with just kettle & tea/coffee storage out. Toys need to be all tidied away & all bed's made . Any dark old fashioned mahogany wood either strip & wax or, paint white. Any dark furniture needs a light coloured throw. Dark means dingy & unappealing in small spaces. Without pictures it's hard to give useful advice. Also is the outside appealing? Tidy front garden, fresh painted door & window frames etc.

We've just sold our 2 bed terrace with downstairs toilet. We had it on the market 2 years ago and had little interest, we did sell it in that time but the buyers kept negotiating more and more money off and finally pulled out. We also lowered the price a few times in that time. In the end we found it too stressful so took it off the market for 6 months. Our agents told us that people are generally looking for either total doer uppers or ones in really good condition in our area. Not sure if that's right but we spent some money on doing the bathroom and getting a new door and windows that made it more presentable from the outside. Also got rid of a bit of furniture to make it less cluttered. We then put it back on and sold it to our first viewers for full asking price which was more than it had been before the work so we didn't lose money. I do have a feeling some of it is luck though. You just need to find the buyer who loves it enough to pay and fortunately we eventually did! Good luck.