Any ideas for what else we can do?

[greedychops]

We have been trying to sell this house for 3 years in May.

We bought it for £110,000 in 2006, and had an offer within a month of putting it on the market for £125,000 from neighbours, but that fell through unfortunately.

Since then we have had about 40 - 50 viewers, and probably 5 fairly seriously interested parties, but they either couldn't sell their own, or had personal reasons for pulling out. We reduced the offers over price with a new Estate Agent in Nov 09 to £100,000, and then last week reduced it again to offers over £87,500. Home report values it at £120,000.

There are a couple of issues with the house - nothing major, but could do with a damp proof course in the back wall, and the bathroom could be doing with re-decoration, but Estate Agents told us not to do the work, and reduce the price instead as people would prefer to choose their own bathroom etc.

Is there anything else that anyone can think of that we can and do to try and get it sold?

Damp is one thing I would do all the maintenance things so that a survey won.t cause the price to be debatable but I really think decluttering can help some people see the space but generally a loaf in the oven would make most of the viewers cringe

If it's been 3 years since your property has gone on the market, is it worth getting in touch with the people who previously offered but still had their own house to sell? They may have made progress but don't realise your house might still be available?

Also, table in the kitchen implies that's where you eat, but description says there is a dining room. I would remove the table from kitchen to emphasise how big it is (or push table against that kitchen unit), and then show the dining room instead. Of the 3 garden pictures, the first two confused me, the 3d one is nice and shows exactly what the buyer needs to know. If you took a nice sunny picture from that angle, it could replace the 3 you already have.

Also, your EA deserves a good kicking for trying to charge you for his inability to do his job! He's failing you, not the other way around.

I did agree that all that loaf stuff was wanky, but come on, a loaf smells better than 'daaarrrrg' (as Ann Maurice=house doctor used to say)

It would be nice to think people would not need to see all the "house doctor" stuff now but clearly the property needs something doing after 3 years and lowering the price by a quarter. And to be honest it isn't cluttered, but it doesn't pull you in either.

If it was newly renovated it would just be a blank canvas which is fine, but it's not, so it might as well look like a fresh cosy home. Also it's a character cottage and needs to look the part, albeit with a light touch. It's either the damp needs fixing or it's too hard to see past the bright green, blue and purple walls. Reducing the price but £1K or £2K won't suddenly make buyers queue up.

I think you are having to compete with all the new houses in Blackwood and Eastfield. However I think your house has much more character than a brand new one and thats what will sell it.

I am about to put my house on the market and I am going to get rid of my large(and knackered) but favorite couch and buy a smaller one to make the room seem bigger.

Not really got much more to suggest other than window boxes would look in character with the house.

Why are you with SH&H in Bishopbriggs, why not Cumbernauld? Personally I hate them, but your best going with whoever sells houses in the village.

Good luck and happy painting.

Hi GreedyChops, DH and I have bought, renovated and sold a couple of houses in the last year or so.

Here are our thoughts:

• if you can afford it, get the damp proof sorted. You are pricing at first time buyers who will be frightened off by potential structural problems (even if the goblins are only in their heads)
• look at the decorating. I'm afraid that wall paper seldom photographs well.
• how you photograph is different from how you show the house. For photographs strip right back - all surfaces should be clear. It doesnt matter if the photagrapher is propping up a stack of ornaments with his elbow.
• when people view they can see past the ornaments far more easily.
• ride the estate agent like the devil. Review photographs regularly and make sure that they keep up with any changes. Talk to the agents, ask them the awkward questions 'does my house smell?'. We have done this - it makes it easier for the estate agent to say that there is a minor problem with say the dining table.
• detach yourself, make selling your house a business

Thanks for all the additional messages - lots more good advice. I think seeing it as a business is a good way of looking at it. Detach detach detach. That's my new motto.

The price reduction only happened last week, so I don't know yet that that won't work, it's just I didn't want to get a whole new lot of new viewers and still not sell it, so all the advice is being processed and put into a plan.

Ivykaty - to go back a few messages, I don't have the guts to put the bathroom on - it's the room I have never liked, and it is bright has a hint of blue about it. The damp proofing and new bathroom are the first big jobs to do, with painting going on at the same time upstairs.

Our viewer yesterday went quite well - the house did look better with several suitcases of stuff in the car and shed, and our dining set in the garden. We have another viewer on Tuesday, so will keep all that out in the meantime, and see if we can get the bedroom painted this weekend.

It doesn't help that I work from home, so have lots of boxes of work stuff in my bedroom, but it pretty much all fitted in the loft so worked out fine.

Window boxes are very doable by Tuesday too.

We originally went with the very local one as had seen their signs in the village - Kelvin Valley Properties, but didn't sell in a year and a bit, so tried SH & H to widen the search (KVP came off Rightmove so that was another reason to leave). Phoned a general line to ask which office, and they sent out someone from Bishopbriggs. When we moved here, we were told that most people sell to someone in the village - it's a place that a lot of people stay for their whole lives, but it's been bad timing in terms of mortgage availability, and yes - competing with new builds which are more peoples cup of tea.

Will be all round when we get it sold.

To be honest, if you are taking it off the market, damp proof and redecorate, I would try to get a higher price than what it is marketed at now. And use another first picture, so that you attract a second look from people who may already have seen it. They wont necessarily know it has been redecorated, so use a pic from the garden, or kitchen.

It is a good little cottage!

I am not sure I WOULD do the bathroom. Unless you do it very stylish and neutral, in creams and dark wood for example. But that is an expense you may not recuperate, especially if you dont put your price up. Your new bathroom may not be in everybody's taste anyway.

But do put pictures up, maybe we will all be able to come up with ideas how to make it fab "on the cheap". And do have a look at a few bathroom showrooms, and look on rightmove to see what great bathrooms are there within "your competition".

I will try and do some pictures of the bathroom later or tomorrow, but I promise you - you will laugh, or gasp or something, given the reaction to colour so far - it wasn't us that painted it originally I hasten to add, but we also haven't repainted it which we could have done.

The damp proofing would involve the bathroom suite being taken out and reinstalled so it seemed like a good time to update the suite to something a little newer. It's not a bad suite, but just on the older side. We thought a new but on the cheaper side suite, with nice tiles round the bath etc, and plain Walls would hopefully not offend anyone, but I will put pictures up later in the weekend, and see what you all think.

We will keep it on the Market while we are still getting viewers (some on Tuesday) but if we get a gap, we will look into a different Estate Agent. I thin it has to be back on the Market within a month, or you need a new Home Report, so don't want it off for too long.

Well, your house is so far not in this league, so we will see.

.... and that was regards the exotic and fruity colourscheme. Yours is a lot more neutral and pleasant than this, so I am keen to see what your bathroom has to offer.

I really like the flat

How are similar houses selling near you? Sold prices achieved? Is it that your area has hit a bit of a non-desirable trough? What's the latest news from your agent and other agents selling in your area? Do you have to sell?

Really feel for you that you're marketing already at a loss. The house looks well proportioned for a two-bed cottage. If it were me, I would take it off the market for a few weeks to refresh the decor and get some pretty spring flowers and young plants that will take over as we go towards summer - in troughs & baskets for the front to make it look more welcoming. Agree 100% with refreshing paintwork - make it look smarter and more up-to-date - and tidying madly to stage the house for fresh set of enticing photos.

Also, you have a bit of a compromised rear garden which could be made to look much more welcoming and usable with a small table & chairs/parasol (you need those up there, right? ). Make sure a lovely sunny day for new photos.

Then get new listing on the market. Maybe even raise the price to somewhere more comfortable for you. (I understand it is an offers over system)
Hope you will get many many more viewings and find your buyer this summer x