House not selling / help! (With listing)

[Housesell]

House has been on with another agent since the summer, now re-listed early November with another one. Comments welcome!

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/168880388#/?channel=RES_BUY

You're correct.
I think the pin usually drops somewhere in the postcode rather than on the specific house itself.

@snoopythebeagle , Should I be looking:
What can I afford in an area?
Is it a suitable house for my needs? (no of bedrooms)
Is it structurally sound?

Is the house a good layout? (Would it work for me? Is it dark or poky?)
Is there a garden?
Does it have a garage?
Does it have a downstairs loo and upstairs family bathroom?

Bonuses:
Good sized rooms
2 reception rooms
No lounge/kitchen-diner with island and bifold (big plus)
2 bathrooms plus downstairs loo.
Low maintenance garden.
Off-street parking
Green space outside
Liveable.

Garden - I'd be changing it anyway
Kitchen/Bathrooms - many buyers replace these anyway.
Decor - I'd paint anyway. At least there's no textured artex, panelling or wallpaper to deal with.

Staging it would not make a difference.

@PropertyTaxExpert I haven’t mentioned anything about staging?

Haha, I think that was intended for me!

That would make more sense

I didn't say you had. I was replying to your post, but listing what would matter to me. If I had young children, schools would be a factor, but the DC are no longer at school.
It boils down to location and price. It's been on the market since the summer, so it's probably the price.

I’m sorry, but the kitchen & bathrooms are quite dated and its decor is not quite neutral enough to be a blank canvas that would wait to be re-decorated. The rear garden is really not very attractive - at the least the paving stones need pressure washing. A few more large pots of plants would soften it. At £450k it seems overpriced compared to other sold properties with the amount of work that needs doing.
Nothing leaps out to me to say ‘I like that’.
Although it looks immaculate, it lacks character and it doesn’t look like anyone ‘lives’ there (apart from the towel over the headboard).
Add some houseplants, some books and some colour to improve the photos.

I agree with this.

The parking looks cramped & difficult to get to.
There’s a public path running alongside the house with all the footfall & noise it brings.
The fact there is a ‘Private Land’ sign on the gate insinuates that people seem to think they can wander along the front of your house.
From what I see in Google Maps, the green land looks quite established & from the layout of the estate there seem to be a lot of green areas almost ‘designed’ into its development. I can’t see a reason for it to be built on but then you never know.
But you’re essentially looking onto a public park with no real space between the front of your house & the public space. A cheery park, noisy during the day, can turn into something completely different at night.

So for me, it’s parking & security that would stop me from viewing your house, not the decor or garden.

I don't agree with the dated comments, the bathrooms are white and absolutely fine, same with the kitchen. Obviously the new owners may want to redecorate and change flooring, kitchen and bathrooms over time but there's no immediate need. It's not as if it's had the same owners for 60+ years who've never done a thing to it so it needs gutting.
I don't like the blue but it wouldn't put me off buying a house. The empty blue bedroom could do with some furniture to dress the room to show it's purpose and give an idea of how much space is in the room.

The garden might work for someone who doesn't want a big garden and lots of work. Maybe the garden doesn't need to be big and grassy because of the nearby green space, ball games can be played there.

The thing that would put me off is the garage and parking at the back of the house plus it looks awkward to get off the drive and you'd be driving partially over the public footpath. The whole estate looks all squashed in, narrow streets, parking all over the place and houses crammed in which is typical for newer estates.
From a security point of view I wouldn't like the path at the side, the grass at the front and the drive at the back but I don't know the area and what crime is like and if this set up would attract undesirables or be seen as easy pickings for burglars.

I've just done a property search in your area and this is your competition.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/169846625

I wouldn't look at yours before i went to look at that. And their price is £450k, not offers over £450k+.

There are tons of really nice 4 bed detached houses in your area for less than your asking price. It's the price. If you want to achieve that price you need to make your house look as nice or better than those other houses to justify it because i scrolled past at least 10 other nice 4 bed detached to find yours. But you've still got the garden problem.

The inside looks fine.

But it’s initially very confusing. Which house? What’s the field and footpath? How are they used? How private is it? How much is shared and with who and who owns it? I can’t work out the access. I’d likely just skip it in the listings.

There’s no garden just a small paved yard at the back?

It’s overpriced.

It’s too expensive for Swindon. That’s not a dig but living in the approximate area it’s the place people choose to live for lower house prices (see also Didcot) and that’s just too much. Also agree that the garden is too small and overlooked.

I suspect the OP might have bought from new, so will have paid the new build premium price. It’s been well kept and maintained so nothing else wrong or that could be changed.

I wonder what people mean by 'dated', should it be frigate grey throughout? Lots of 'newly renovated' houses I see advertised would need a total ungreying, grey kitchens replaced, grey bathroom reworked, it's all down to personal choice.

Dated to me = decorated in a style 15-25 years old. But that’s just me…

Oh god no, that is also a very dated look. I just think neutral colours on the walls (eg no feature walls in purple) creams and naturals and not having carpet in the bathroom etc.
Flooring in an oak or natural stone colour - it’s classic and doesn’t really date.

A couple of houses ago the EA came to look on the 27th December, said he would probably get it in the paper after New Year, it was a long time ago, in fact it went in on on 29th, there were three potential buyers phoning to view and on 30th it was sold to the first viewer! Apparently the purchaser had been waiting for our house to come on the market.

Personally the house looks great to me, the garden not so much but having young rough and tumble kids it wouldn't be what I'd be looking for. But there's nothing that stands out as off putting like many a property can have, so presumably its the price. Its only worth what someone will pay and you'll accept, plus a matter of luck of two sets of families finding yhat at the same time.

The only thing you could possibly do is paint all white as Estate agents do recommend a 'bank canvas' minimalist look so buys can imagine themselves there. I wouldn't bother personally though, unless you are desperate to sell right now. If you can wait it out, wait it out a bit. My BIL is and EA and.everything tends to go very quiet now until after Christmas. There are exceptions, but generally oct- Dec is his quietest time

The house itself is fine, no issues there. The reasons I wouldn't consider it are a) the garden (or lack of), all concrete a place I would want to spent time in. b) lack of parking, once you get a car infront of the drive your're full - no space for a visitor/grandparents to park.

Terrible photos. It isn’t even clear which one is yours on the first imagine and then the second is your dining table. You need better angles with good bright lighting.

Comparing the house with others that have recently sold its the price. It's at least 75k more than I think it shd be priced at given the garden and how dated it is. The one pp posted earlier today would catch my eye and its on at the same price. Yours wouldn't for that price.

It's a lovely house but my first thought was I would have to paint every room and replace all the curtains to somethung more neutral. Not an issue for younger folk but maybe older folks couldn't be bothered with that.

Garden area with all the gunge on the paving slabs looks scruffy, quick run over with power wash would sort that.

Like several other posters have said, unclear which property it is from the first photo.

I can’t imagine buying a house and not redecorating and buying new curtains.

It’s always the price. the garden isn’t to many people’s taste and if I was buying in this area I would expect to see that reflected in the price. I would be budgeting £5 - £10k to get rid of the paving and water feature.

The sellers will be taking the curtains with them!