Any suggestions on why house isn’t selling (with listing)

[Sheepcountryside78]

Posting for traffic. Reduced a couple of times previously - would welcome any opinions, brutal or otherwise!

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/161097428#/?channel=RES_BUY

You don't need to take the shampoos out of the bathroom. Really.

The first thing I see when I look at your listing was you reduced in May and still haven't sold. That would suggest to me you are an undesirable property.

If I would you - i'd make the tweaks mentioned in this thread - take it off the market and start again

I’m going with the kerb appeal chorus. I think that front of the house is confusing, who owns what, where the front door is. I would
put conifers in planters down the border between you and your neighbour and try and create a visual pathway to your front door, maybe diagonally across the drive to lead the eye away from the neighbouring house.

Are the photos bad? It looks much bigger from outside than any of the photos of the rooms. 2 of the bedrooms look really small and so does the living room and even you only have that and the kitchen I think most people looking for a 4 bed will be looking for more space. The garden also looks small and the tiering isn't ideal for young children

I think the downstairs, master bedroom and bathroom shots are fine, but the bed under the stair is too cramped so either turn it around and move the desk out or make it a study only, and dress the other two bedrooms to make it clear they're doubles. The outside space looks a bit run down - some power washing and pot plants could help brighten it up and might also help to define your boundary with your neighbour. Could also be worth painting the shed/fence to brighten things up.

I'd maybe delete that photo completely then and just have photos that show your front door and your half of the house. Otherwise it looks like it's all yours which could be an issue - firstly because their half is run down (both the front door and the fence need painting) but also it makes it look like your house is really big because you only see one front door so assume it's all one house, so anyone who then comes to view it might be disappointed.

tbf I do think it's nicely decorated and was surprised at how much you get for that much money in that area - I thought it would be more expensive as it's commutable to London.

Also if you get the photos retaken clear stuff away even more - things like the black hats hanging from the curtain rail in the study room and the bathmat draped over the side of the bath really detract.

The back looks better than the front. Put out a couple of large planters with bright seasonal plants. Declutter the windowsills. Scrub the outdoor area and fence. Get the outdoor picture retaken, preferably when there is sun on the front of the house. Only show your house, the house next door with the door that needs painting adds nothing and looks like part of your house.

It has zero kerb appeal. It looks dirty and unkempt.
It should be power hosed, door painted, a few nice pots with a bit of colour.
Likewise a tin of fence paint to clean up the back.
You need to clear out the bedrooms, get a much smaller office chair, paint that dark blue in the sitting room a much lighter shade.

It needs freshening up. Some people cannot see beyond the small jobs that need doing.
One weekend of hard work could transform it.
Good luck.

Agree with rearranging the small bedroom, take out the desk, put the bed in different place, make it look cosy not cramped. There's another photo (no 10/17) and I can't even work out which space in the house that is. The rail of clothes looks awful, why would you even have that photo included?

Bathroom looks like it's a very tight squeeze between the sink and the shower screen to get into the bath / shower. Maybe perspective, but it's not a good photo. The toilet seat does not match the shape of the toilet. Relatively small point but it is just another thing I'd have to sort if I bought the house. And the kind of small job that is a pita.

Remove the green bin from the kitchen photos. It completely detracts from clean lines, and makes me think there is no proper place for a rubbish bin. Let them work that out for themselves, don't show it in the photos.

Your back garden is pretty scruffy. No colourful flowers, dead plants, patchy grass, no obvious welcoming seating area or patio with fairy lights, or any of that crap.

In general I don't think the photos are well taken, they should show your house off to the best. If they were taken by your estate agent I'd ask for them to be re-done by someone else.

But the thing that would really put me off is the entrance, and the photo. It took me ages to work out what was your house, and your entrance. The large shared monoblock would ring alarm bells. You need a clear demarkation between your property and the next door neighbours. I'd imagine that ndn might park on on over your space. You need pot plants, colour, greenery to make it look welcoming. You need a clear path to your front door - and clear demarkation from the neighbour on the other side. Your door to your neighbour's house looks terrible, it would make me wonder what they were like... I'd offer to have it painted for them (at my own expense) so that the whole neighbourhood looks improved and well cared for.

Sorry, I have been harsh.

OP I think after a while on the market and being a reduced a property it goes stale on the agent’s books. When did you originally go on the market? What was the original asking price compared to similar properties? How many viewings have you had? What was the feedback?

If it were me, I’d give the agent notice & ask them for a list of people they can legitimately claim to have introduced as buyers. I would then make improvements/ tidy up and then re-market with a different agent at a more realistic price (also as a 3 bed plus rather than a 4). The current photos are poor and are not doing you any favours as sellers.

Good luck 🍀

Improve the front of the house, plants in pots etc generally make it look prettier and more loved.
Inside looks really cluttered and the busy/ dark walls do absolutely no favors in creating and illusion of space. Paint it white, get rid of absolutely everything possible from ask rooms that you can possibly manage without exist for one or two decorative articles like a solitary base and re do the photos. It' looks like a house that's to small to live in for the number of rooms currently. It might assist seen to heavy to buyers ( too many needs for the living space).

I sold my house twice within 3 days last year (went through second time) for full asking price - master bedroom was in loft room. That’s not a dealbreaker for a lot of people.

What’s holding your house back is:

• tiny living space for a 4 bed. Tiny for 3 bed too to be honest. The living room looks extremely narrow and is the only place for the family to congregate and play.
• neighbours house doesn’t look cared for due to “garage” door.
• Your decor is fine but I think it’s missing the charm appeal.

For those reasons, of which you can’t change two, I’d say you need to lower the price or sell when the markets recovered in a few years.

Why do you want to sell?

I thought that, too.

Eventually, after looking several times, I realised it's a tall mirror - and the door is a reflection of the bedroom door.

@Sheepcountryside78 - Something else to bear in mind if you're having photos re-done.

I agree that the streetview photo of the house looks very different. It looks like a fantastic home.
I also think I can see what could be a path to the neighbours side of the house,though you'd have to walk across the lawn.

That’s a good question.

With the current market and economic uncertainty is it feasible to delay/postpone moving until the market is more stable?

No, but if you’re going to buy a 4 bed house and spend quite a lot of money in it you’re going to want one if you have a family. It’s u usual these days for a 4 bed not to have one.

It's not essential though.
The most important thing is location and getting good value for money.

OP I used to be an EA and have seen all sorts. You wouldn't believe what some people try to sell and what other people will buy.

I think your home is nicely decorated and looks clean and well cared for inside. I understand why people have been critical because you asked them to be, but try not to get bogged down in detail, look for themes in what people are telling you.

The photos are doing you no favours, get new ones which don’t show the neighbours so much. Make the outside of your house the main photo. Do a bit of tidying and cleaning at the front and make the entrance to your house more appealing. People will make their own minds up once they get inside but you have get them through the front door. At the moment they’d struggle to find it.

If that doesn’t work, it’s the price. Every street has its ceiling price and it’s possible you (or a previous owner) have over extended for your area. If the EA is using the wrong comparables they might have set the price too high in the first place. Actually,
what are they telling you about why it isn’t selling? Surely they’re giving you
feedback from viewings?

Maybe it’s time to change agents and get someone to take a fresh look in the current market.

There will be a buyer, there always is.

The bed under the stairs! Empty out that room and move the bed. To be honest the stairs in the room like that would put me off the whole entire house which I otherwise think is fine.

The bedroom with the stairs in it needs to become an office or put the cot in there.

The room with the toddler bed, if it fits a double you should put one in and dress that as a double because the pictures are making it look like you have 3 box rooms and 1 very lovely master room.

Living room has two massive sofas and a tv nobody can watch without getting neck ache, change it around and put a rug in there.

It looks as though what is now the kitchen used to be the garage and you've turned the front garden into parking space?

I wouldn't consider a house with either of those two modifications. In particular I hate front gardens that are no longer gardens. Your view from the front window is of your cars. It does look very much as though you've tried to get too much from one small house, sorry.

It's because its says guide price on the advert rather than actual price.
It used to mean that it was going to auction a nd will be a higher price.
Look at the other adverts they dont say guide price.
Im.looking for a house amd dont look at ones saying guide price as I think it means auction. A lot of people in their 40s and above will think that thus not click on it.
Get the estate agents to alter the advert and take out guide price xx

You can see from streetview how much better the garage door looked in previous years when it was newer. Do you know the neighbours well enough to ask if they'd consider painting it?

It's an odd house in terms of it appearing to be detached - it isn't clear that there is even a path on the left hand side to the neighbours front door. The write-up / description could provide more clarity to be honest.

I do think that the current photos are all pretty awful - they really don't help you. The description could also do with being rewritten. Can you change estate agents?

Some of the posts on this thread might appear harsh but I do think that there are some great ideas. I wish you luck.

I was very, very confused by the bit with the blue garage door! Alongside previous ideas about cleaning up and prettifying the front, I'd so something to mark the boundary between yours and next door - ideally, you'd have a fence or wall with planting but that might be out of budget. A line of pre-planted supermarket tubs would do the job visually.

I also couldn't understand the living room photos with the blue sofas. It's not at all clear that these are of the same room.

I generally disagree with PPs about cluttering, but almost every house on the market could be made to look more spacious with careful organisation and MUCH better photos! If you do have some spare funds, see about making the garden look better maintained and masking your neighbours' dilapidated brickwork.

It's a nice house. I might have a few niggles (no downstairs loo) but can see a family living happily there.