House still on market over 2 years later

[lonelysadfedup]

Hi our house has been up for sale for 2 years and 3 months. We had lots of viewings, no offers. My husband then reduced the price this year, more viewings and still no offers.
My name isn’t on the mortgage and deeds due to my bad credit rating.

mortgage in principle ran out ages ago so we don’t know how much my husband would be able to get a mortgage for and how much a month it would be. We have equity in this house. 22 year mortgage with 14 years left.

I’ve made different suggestions to my husband such as listing it as a 4 bed rather than a five with the bedrooms not been big. I’ve suggested decluttering to see if that helps. I’ve suggested going with a different estate agent and lowering the price. Then today I’ve tried to talk to him about it. Mentioned lowering the price and he just dismissed it.

im fed up of it all now and it’s not fair on our children. I’m now at a lost as what to do

I thought that too. A house that is still being lived in , especially with young children, is bound to have a bit of clutter. FWIW I think that's normal and I would be concerned that something more sinister is being hidden if there was no clutter at all.
Maybe use some small trays on the work surfaces for bottles, etc so that it looks a little tidier.
As for comments about replacing the fireplace, repainting etc, I would consider that to be a personal decision for whomever buys the house. I would only be repainting walls that were scuffed or stained, nothing else.🙂

You are coming across as very passive and your husband sounds like he's sabotaging the sale. The photos are bad but if you can't/won't tidy up and redo them then I'm not sure any advice will help much

There isn't a legal minimum bedroom size unless it's an HMO or new build.

I do however think it's the room sizes that are putting people off though. In my area, most housing stock have small box rooms and they are expected and don't put people off. None of these rooms are particularly big though and I think it just gives an overall appearance of lack of space.

There will be people that need the rooms but can't afford the usual 5 bed price tag so dropping the price would obviously help. I think dropping the husband would be a more productive first step though.

It looks like a rented house that is being sold from under the tenants. I.e the occupants have no vested interest in it selling.

Declutter by at least 50%. There’s way too much stuff.

Take off the market, get things tidied up, photos taken and relist just after Christmas when the market goes mad.

Do not do viewings yourself, it’s intimidating and irritating viewing a house with the current occupants there.

When we sold we did an open house type thing and essentially the EA booked back to back viewings over an afternoon. We went out for the whole time with the boot of the car stuffed with things like the washing basket and massive plastic toys! It meant the house didn’t need to be showhouse ready all the time.

Make sure all the conservatory blinds are totally open for the photos, at the moment it looks messy.

Relist as a 4 bed plus study.

Sorry but that's not a 5 bed house
It really grates me that HMO have min room sizes but private houses don't
From the room sizes given your smallest is 3.78m2 so in a HMO anything below 4.64 m2 can't be used for sleeping so that's an office or a wardrobe (and that's how I would view it as a buyer/mortgage provider)

The next bedroom is 5.27m2 so again only suitable for a child under 10 which is fine

Agree with others the clutter is poor especially all the cleaning products as it's basically screaming its not big enough and no '5' bed house should say that. You need to bung up some shelves/ cupboards in those areas.

I can see past kids clutter but the bedrooms look like they would need redecorating I think because of the colours clashing with the brown/beige carpet (which I appreciate it's just a photo so probably wrong- looks thin and might need replacing at significant cost)

To be honest your EPC certificate lists as D so suggests improvement to be made for efficiency again depending on what these are all more added costs to consider from a buyer.

I assume it's meant to appeal to a family or a buy to let landlord - with 2 ensuite and a further bathroom you could imagine it would be good for a professional house share - what type of people have been looking I'm from the south so it's seems really cheap to me for a detached home but obviously not working for you guys

You obviously need to do something but unless you physically can you're stuck with your.... partner and his lack of oomph

Maybe set up some cameras in rooms and capture peoples reactions? No idea if this is legal / ethical but you might get some honest feedback. Perhaps if you can convince him to do some freshening up and sorting just do set viewing days and ask for sealed bids

I personally wouldn't buy a house listed for 2 years sorry OP. It needs to come off be decluttered and then put back on a few months from now. With all the obstacles your DH is putting in the way I doubt he really wants sell it tbh

Definitely far too much clutter and could do with better photos, especially of the garden. You need to sell the dream - calm and clear surfaces and floors, with a few nice accessories so people “feel” “it’s their dream home”. Most people do not have the imagination to see beyond the clutter, and might view this house as a “doer-upper” even though it might be in good condition and cosmetically decent. A house that is perceived as a doer-upper would drop the price a huge amount. EA needs to do viewings. No idea about house prices in your area though.

I agree with the PP's about the clutter and photos. As often said on MN I think you have a DH problem more than a house one. He sounds like a knob who isn't bothered about moving.

I'm thinking it's something your DH is saying or not saying.

Have you seen him in action?

You're getting viewings. Which means either a) people are interested and something puts them off when they come to visit, b) they're nosey or some just want to compare to see if the place they really like is a good buy or c) the estate agent is giving them some patter that doesn't match what they see.

I've never used an estate agent when I've sold for viewings apart from once, when I sold my flat. They managed to tell one would be buyer that the garage was rented (it wasn't - it belonged to the flat) and let a person view it who wanted to sublet - the lease had a condition that didn't permit subletting. They came back for a second viewing and were not best pleased when they found out the lease wouldn't allow them to sublet. I took over from there on in. Never had a problem selling but then I don't follow the buyers all over the house, I show them the rooms, explain things like new boiler or new roof etc., then back off and let them wander on their own.

You have to sell the things they can't see though, things that make the house special. What's wonderful about the house? Our current house has beautiful sunsets in the early evening at the back of the house (lovely sitting in the garden in the summer), we have pheasants and ducks and a resident woodpecker that visit our garden, the boiler is a year old and it's lovely and warm in the winter but the big patio doors let a lot of breeze in during the summer. Neighbours are great, we leave our key with them when we're away as they're totally trustworthy. That sort of thing.

Is DH doing what one man did when we were looking? He said 'the place has been on the market for a few months so I don't want time wasters. If you want it, put in a reasonable offer otherwise just let me know you're not interested'. Or the woman who, when we asked why she was moving, said she needed bigger bedrooms as there wasn't enough storage space for the kids toys! As we had a young DS at the time, that one went right off the list!

I too think it's a DH problem...

If that what it boils down to.... having had a look it's incredibly cluttered and unappealing as is the back garden. You can say use your imagination but umpteen buyers and no offers suggests that it might be part of the problem.

Its really not that bad but your definitely not showing your home at it’s true potential. It just looks a little unloved.

You don’t need to spend a fortune to help it to sell, stage the home with accessories you can take to your next home. You could do this on a mega budget and still transform your home.

living room, clear all nic nacks from fireplace and replace with 2 of something taller, (candlesticks?) buy a huge plant for corner (ikea do reasonable ones) get a nice orchid or flowers for coffee table. Maybe some new cushions.

washing area/toilet - clear all the bottles and cleaning stuff. Put in cupboards or buy a storage box with lid. A nice plant in toilet, and all surfaces clear.

kitchen - flowers in vase on table, maybe some placemats and matching tea towels on display.

conservatory - storage is the main thing you need in here. Buy a nice big ottoman or a big chest for the toys. Put all the blinds at matching heights. Nice big plant in corner. Clear all toys.

bedrooms - all just need a bit of tlc, neater bedding and cushions.

asda, primark home, ikea, all do cheap home accessories. Buy some new towels, bedding cushions and try to stage each room.

The market has been a disaster since Liz Truss budget 2 years ago. However for the last six weeks it has been starting to pick up so someone could appear. If you can wait however I would relist in the spring for more competition. Try an agent that has lots of sold signs locally.

For buyers from the south it's unbelievably cheap. Is it anywhere near a railway station for commuters? If so you might want an agent with countrywide presence

Ok, so the "rooms are too small"

1. get the floorplan redone with measurements
2. clear as much as possible - you want to show maximum floor space - hide stuff in a shed or boot of your car for photos/viewings if you have to.

I'd probably relist as a 4 bedroom with an upstairs study, and stage it as such. I would expect someone needing a 5 bedroom home would expect/want more downstairs space or the opportunity to extend.

I do think you need to speak properly with your husband though. Do you really need/want to move? The money you'd spend on moving, you could spend on decorating your house to freshen it up.

I'd consider it if I had the money and wanted to move to the area. I'm not massively keen on newer builds but I also can't see anything massively wrong with it for it not to sell. I'd say pricing for area to check as I don't know the area.

I am sorry, your EA should have helped you 'stage' your house before taking photos.

Look at other houses on RightMove to see how clutter free they are. Do a big declutter both inside and outside the property, and get new photos.

There are toys everywhere. You need a ruthless declutterring

@lonelysadfedup No pic of dining room. the beds dont look made properly. buy some fresh bedlinen and just put it on for viewings and pics. do not sleep in the new linen. why is bed not facing the window and tv in the single room. definitely clear away cleaning stuff in toilet and utility. affix the curtain which is hanging off the curtain rail in a bedroom. remove excess bedlinen? on bed in blue room. think I would get rid of the peach in the toilet/shower room. house in general looks pretty unloved. did you know when the photographer was coming>

What are the catchment schools like? Has there been a recent poor ofsted? This is a family home so schools will be high up your potential buyers priorities.

Are they asking dh 'do you have a home to move to' if he is telling them no, they may be concerned that you aren't serious and they don't want to be part of a chain which isn't serious. We needed to move fairly quickly so looked for chain free buyer for our house and chain free selle4, and even then it took over 3 months

Have you looked at the photo of the scruffy bed 😱
It’s just not an attractive house.

Clutter, curtains or scruffy beds are not why it hasn't sold.

We bought recently. And our place took about 18 months to sell. Mostly thanks to the Liz Truss Effect. My advice: Take it off the market for two months, so it stops showing up in searches. Put it on with a new estate agent (check your contract with the first agent before doing this). Declutter: That utility room is screaming for a tidy up. Get the new estate agent's advice, and get them to do the viewings. You need a reset. New photos, new effort, and a new valuation. Your current estate agent doesn't think it's working, and can't be arsed- so they're doing nothing for you. With a reset our place sold in a week! Nothing much was done TBH, just better efforts. Good luck.

Paint all rooms white (the lavender and blue are dated). De-clutter. Raise all blinds in the conservatory for viewings. List as 4 bedrooms plus study. Make study actually look like a study.

House looks great already from the outside.

TBH although there is a fair amount of clutter and the photos aren't the best, neither is that bad. OP is getting viewings, just no offers.

So either it's something not obvious from the photos, or the price.

What are the neighbours like? The road? Is the conservatory obviously too hot/cold? The big conservatory and small garden will put off some. Maybe the size of the rooms isn't clear until you're there. Any smell from pets?

Re price: you're asking £290 when you bought in 2016 for £190. That's quite an increase.

Exactly.
We bought a house from a couple who had two toddlers. There was stuff everywhere, every surface, even hanging off the bannister. I couldn't tell you what their tea towels were like, or if the bed linen was smooth.
You know what? They took everything with them.
We bought it because it was in the right location, and the right price.

Haha. I know that area so well. I grew up three villages over and although I live at the other side of the country now I still visit a few times a year.

As an outsider my observation is as follows.

1. You are in a bloody isolated village with no real transport other than car or bus.
2. Houses in those pit villages do sit on the market for ages, especially the bigger ones. My uncle has tried and given up twice. His house is lovely. It’s just nobody want to pay £400k to live in Kinsley.
3. They are building thousands of houses in Wakefield. You have stiff competition from newer sparkly houses.

Im not sure what the solution is but I’d start with getting rid of the clutter and tidying the back garden.