To think that it’s odd no one has come to look?

[Onwayto50]

I wasn’t sure how to title this - but we put our house on the market 3 weeks ago and have had utter tumbleweed. I’m including a link - am I missing something? I think it’s priced right for the market and I think the photos are lovely but maybe I’m too close to it?? AIBU to think we should have had a least a little interest? Or am I missing something glaring??

It's a bit all over the place.

Like you've tried to be an interior designer but missed the mark.

Garden is not great.

Not sure what's going on with the kitchen.

And the price.

This is a beautiful house in so many ways, but buyers aren’t very visual types and can’t see through someone else’s life. They don’t see potential, they see problems. It’s up to you to make it look like there are no problems and there’s a dreamy life waiting for you when you buy this house.

Also, there’s a mental addition of what it would cost to make it right for a boring everyday buyer:

New kitchen - it seems off-putting for 95% of potential buyers
New upstairs bathroom - that shower screen needs a clean and it looks dated
Fixing death stairs at the back of the house - no handrail and they look very steep.
Creating the basement room into a liveable space with fitted cupboards etc.
Creating the attic room into a liveable space aswel - where do you store Christmas decorations and camping equipment.

I’m already £40,000 in to mental renovations before I have even taken a closer look. And most buyers can’t be bothered with a project.

Estate Agents always overvalue a house at the beginning. Then they’ll drip feed the comments and you have to continue to drop.

Their job is to get people through the door so they’ll have to drop the price to do that!

Victorian and Edwardian houses command a premium.

Not in a town that’s stuffed to the gills with them.

Victorian and Edwardian houses command a premium.
If they have original features.

The 2018 photos are a better job than current photographer. The front house shot, garden/seating areas and kitchen especially. So that would be easy fix to get those shots taken again.

No idea of the area, I live in London so house prices are insane.

It does look a bit cluttered though - if we move I will be hiding all the 'crap'.

Yes. Am assuming it was jointly owned previously and that as part of the divorce settlement one party bought the other party out of their share for £50k and that this was registered along with the revised title at land registry.

Ie, the whole property was not sold at that price and the price was related to a divorce agreement not the value of the property.

Totally agree and very similar in size to OP's with a converted cellar too. I think the size /cellar conversion was felt to justify the high price in one of OP's responses.

OP has flounced as did not like the opinions..........

My understanding on 'converted' basement, is that they can ONLY be used as a bedroom if they meet strict fire regulations in terms of materials used (fire doors, intumuscent paint, insulating materials, air gaps fire could travel through), and most of all, direct access to a suitable outdoor space - all this to say that without that, it couldn't be classed or used as a bedroom.

Aside from that, if I was buying it, I'd really want to dig into whether it had just been tanked / replastered or also had studded HDPE membranes and a permanent pump connected to a drain fitted to ensure 100% that damp wouldn't reoccur.

I think saying the kitchen is a problem is a constructive critique. If the kitchen can’t be changed then I would at least add some things around it to make it look less science laboratory. (sorry).

What price did the estate agent advise you to put it on for? Lots of properties my way reduced recently as no buyers. Apparantly house prices fell last month. Only local professional can advise you

to the person who thought in the attic room there was only a tiny door - that is a cupboard!! The door is normal sized.

@Onwayto50
What the door on the right of photo with a stairgate on? The one the agent walked through to get into the room? That's what I meant - looks like the photo is stretched to make the room (and doorway) look wide therefore the door looked like it didn't fit as is normal size!

BTW I was so distracted by the xylophone playing on the video 😂

But to answer the original question - am I missing something? The kitchen. If a lot of people have said that, then it's likely a very niche style! Also I mentioned before I took one look at the garden photos and thought "money, time and hassle". I mean - you asked, we took the time... good luck anyway.

@CautiousLurker01 thank you so much for explaining that !

I hadn’t watched the video when I commented that the garden looks claustrophobic. But after watching the video, the garden really looks like both sides are almost folding into it and is even more claustrophobic, and although the rooms seem a fair size, the hallways/corridor and stairs made me feel like I couldn’t breathe, I also had the same feeling with the basement room and attic. Everything feels too narrow and like I would feel trapped in it.

Disagree that @Zov was being ‘smug but helpful’ I actually thought she was being sensitive to the OP whilst explaining it without being overly critical! I do feel sometimes the responders can’t win as if they are blunt they are rude, if they aren’t blunt and are trying to tread carefully they are smug!

The photos are really stretched, the kitchen is a very unusual layout but the stretched photo is really not doing it any favours. This wouldn’t be enough to put me off viewing through if the price was right, so that’s more likely the issue. The rest of the house is beautiful.

That’s a really good idea. Seeing the kitchen properly in the video really illustrates how strange it looks (although very well made), so I would add a couple of large plants or similar sized decoration in a couple of corners.

@Onwayto50the living room/dining room area clearly shows you have really good taste, but that also needs to translate to the bedrooms. You just need to ‘dress’ them better and make them more colour coordinated - you don’t have to spend a lot of money.

Similarly with the garden - I think it just needs a couple of lush pot plants placed over some of the brown areas in the grass to make it look more interesting, as at the moment it looks a bit uncared for.

Overall though I think it’s a nice space, so the lack of interest must ultimately be the price, so I’m unclear why two EAs both valued it at that price.

I had a think about how the kitchen could be improved and I wondered if you could get (cheaply of course) some sort of cupboard that fits alongside one of the empty walls in the kitchen, which would balance out the corridor effect it has. Also I would remove the jars/containers off the shelf and maybe just put a couple of cookery books (charity shop) and maybe a a wooden cutting board stood upright, and a smallish vase with flowers, just so it looks a bit more homely but stylish.

I’d also try and replicate (as far as you can) the previous sellers picture of the kitchen with the way they did it with placemats and 4 stools rather than 3 (borrow some for the pictures if you need to). I think the en-suite picture needs to be added to the pictures and I agree with others that said sometimes less is more when it comes to photos, and I would make the living room/dining room the second photo. Also think you need to do some paring down of personal belongings (even if just for the photos).

😂 Ah OP I'm sure you've realised since writing this that if potential buyers have the same reaction as so many here, ie " hate the kitchen" that of course that is relevant and important - no of course you're not going to change it but the kitchen is one of, if not the most important room for most people and even you describe yours as a "Marmite" design......

To add my opinion I'd put photo 2 at the end with other garden picture, to have a, fairly bad, photo of the garden as photo no.2 is just wrong even if the garden is amazing - which obvs it isn't.

I have also seen that the OP isnt returning, but thought I would add my two pence anyway. As many people have said that is widely overpriced for Grantham. Whilst it does have kerb appeal, it is a busy road that has a constant stream of traffic.

I do think the kitchen needs addressing. I’m not sure how though. For me it’s not so much about how it looks, it’s more about practicality. I’m fit and well and I don’t want to have to crouch down or bend over all the time to get and put away all my kitchen things. That’s what I see. And how accessible are all those low cupboards/ drawers to young children? I’d also get the estate agent to redo the photos or change agents

I had a think about how the kitchen could be improved and I wondered if you could get (cheaply of course) some sort of cupboard that fits alongside one of the empty walls in the kitchen, which would balance out the corridor effect it has. Also I would remove the jars/containers off the shelf and maybe just put a couple of cookery books (charity shop) and maybe a a wooden cutting board stood upright, and a smallish vase with flowers, just so it looks a bit more homely but stylish.
Such a helpful. Post. From. Twilight.
Thought I'd tag the OP @Onwayto50

I absolutely love it, the size and the colour scheme is 🤌🩷.

Positives - lots of kerb appeal from the front.
garden is long and quite big
sash windows and log burner add character
great lounge/diner which makes for a large space for family and parties.
looks well maintained.

negatives - colour scheme is quite niche but that can be easily removed
busy road
the kitchen.

The problem is that kitchens cost a lot of money but they are often the heart of a home. People will put up with a kitchen that is functional even if it is not their taste but your kitchen doesn’t look functional. I just can’t imagine how I could prepare a meal properly whilst having people in the room, kids running around and playing etc. Replacing the kitchen to sell the house is madness so I think you need to drop the price.