Advice on selling house - one year on and still no offers

[Munchkinsmama]

So, our house has been on the market for almost one year. We are with an online estate agent but as of yet have had no (sensible) offers and viewings are not exactly thick and fast. We originally put it on just under the highest valuation, but knowing that was probably a bit optimistic quickly reduced it by £10K. We reduced the house again 3 weeks ago to by another £10K. We just can't afford to drop it anymore, as we need what little capital we have left in it for the minimum deposit for a new house. And to be honest it's now on at a very competitive rate for similar properties, although admittedly its a two bed cottage at the high end of the price bracket for a 2 bed - due to location, size, standard and character. But it is comparable to similar properties nevertheless. Its also now on for less than what we paid for it 7 years ago.

Since reducing the price we've had 2 viewings (although one generated by someone we know who was looking for a buy to let) and an open house today which generated 2 more viewings - although i suspect neither were that serious and just curious.

I'm at a loss at what more to do. The house is finished to a pretty high standard. Kitchen and bathroom all under 3 years old and tastefully (IMO) done! Despite having an 18 month old son the house is always immaculately presented at viewings (most toys hidden and is presented like photos/how we used to live in it before child came along as target market is young professional couple).

I know the market is slow, and tbh although things in my area are selling, those that are selling in my price bracket do tend to be 3 beds - with the odd exception.

Does anyone have any words of advice to help shift our house. I'm 20weeks with dc2 and we'd really like to be in something bigger by the time he/she comes. I have considered moving to a local estate agent but all the house buyers we know just use rightmove so really i really question the benefit. And having dropped the price means finding the £3000 or so would be hard to find!

It looks lovely. This may not be the most practical suggestion but if you are going for the young professional market could you paint the nursery and set it up as a spare room? Maybe have your DS in a travel cot/in your room temporarily? Or are they old enough to move up to a proper single bed? That room looks a bit small to me in the photo but if you could show it with a double futon or similar it might be more appealing.

It is very pretty. And i love the bathroom and kitchen.

If i was being really picky i would recommend a proper single bed in the second bedroom to show it's size - so folks don't dismiss it as just being nursery sized (i know the dimensions are on there but sometime you have to spell it out to people).

Also - is your back yard overlooked by your neighbours huge window? That might put me off - and if that's not the case (as it appears in the plans) it might be worth looking at how it looks iyswim.

I wish you good luck - remember it only takes one!

Also, can you change the location from Oldham to Delph on the listing?

Its lovely. I'd buy, but my DH would not countenance the downstairs bathroom I am afraid. Have you asked for feedback from buyers?

Is there a mural with a name in the nursery?
If so, paint over this

On property bee it is showing as coming onto the market in Feb 2013 - did you take it off and put it back on again? It's only showing one £10K price drop too. That looks better at least than it showing as being on nearly a year.

The description is full of howling grammatical errors.

It is a beautiful house though.

I don't like the ivy stuff growing on the front - i always think it would be full of creepy crawlies or would make the walls damp but apart from that I think it is lovely.

It doesn't look like a 2 bed with the cot in the 2nd bedroom. You need to restyle that if you can.

It is a gorgeous house. I would not buy a house through an online estate agent. I order books, buy groceries, not houses, online.

It's a lovely house but it is, unfortunately, obviously overpriced. On the one hand you say it is competitively priced but on the other hand you say it is at the high end for a 2 bed cottage. You may feel that the location, decor etc make it worth that high price but people searching for a two bed cottage obviously can't afford that and would rather have something cheaper which they can add value to themselves by renovating etc over a period of time.

You haven't got any comparisons because the only cottage which came on the market recently was removed before sale and the valuations you used are now two years old. Even then, one of them was £195k which is not much above where you are priced now. Is it possible that that was the realistic valuation even then and the others were agents just trying to get you on their books?

I think online agents work better for "standard" houses, for anything quirky or more unusual where buyers may really need to be persuaded to see the benefits of a house, they don't work so easily.

I know you want to be out before the baby is born but I don't realistically think that will happen now. People looking to move have seen your house loitering on the market for months. If you can at all, I would recommend taking it off the market, managing with the baby in your room for a few months and trying again in the new year with a local agent. You might also have to accept that you need to save as hard as you can (difficult I know when you are going on maternity leave!) and that you will not make a profit on this house and will have to fund any additional cost on the new house from savings.

Gosh, that is utterly beautiful.

It says no.48 & no. 34 sold recently for much much less - are they different types of houses? Or flats?

The trouble is, yes it is an attractive cottage, yes it is well decorated, yes you paid £193k for it, but if people are not buying you need to respond, which means being extremely realistic about the price and asking around for which agents get results.

Have you had it valued by any local agents? Get a few round and ask their opinion.

I think there are lots of good points on this thread . But they are all minor things.unless you house is blighted by a motorway across the road or a factory beside it, the only reason it is not selling is because the price is wrong.

It doesn't matter what you can " afford"to sell for or what you think it's worth. All that counts is what prospective purchasers think.

So if you want to move , drop the price. Sorry,but it's really that simple .

It's a lovely house, I'm not in your area so I can't comment on price - but seriously I'd get it on the market with a reputable local agent.

We bought our current house through an agent/ suerveyor who knew what we were looking for and called us when it came to market. This was after absolutely ages looking. Not all agents are a waste of air just most of the big chains IME.

*surveyor

It's lovely, but agree bedroom two doesn't look like a proper bedroom set up as a nursery - I know it's a real pain in the rear but you need at least a single bed in there.

Also, it's on several different floors - your kitchen and sitting room are on different levels, I think - and that will put some people off. Me included!

You need a proper estate agent. Clearly on-line only hasn't worked. Get a real estate agent round and follow their advice. Get two, if you wish.

It's a really gorgeous house but as others have alluded to - you need to think about your target market. It is decorated out as a family home but isn't big enough to attract those buyers. Can you make it neutral, show the second bedroom with a double and make it look ideal for young professionals - couple or sharers?

I bet a lot of people have not gone to see it because they know they will fall in love with it, but it's not necessarily a practical purchase for a family. I saw the most gorgeous 2 bed cottage when house hunting last time and it was really devastating to realise it wasn't going to work for us on a practical level.

Hi - we sold last year in the NW, about 10 south of where you are - it is a lovely house in a good area, but the market in the area generally is very unpredictable and viewers were incredibly price aware of everything else in the area - in the end, when the local estate agent could not come up with the goods, we changed to a national agent and the house became part of their 'marketing strategy' - it finally did the trick.

My parents are trying to sell a beautiful house in the Lake District, and like you have had lots of viewers, and no offers, its unbelievable to us, as a few years ago the house would have been snapped up by second home owners/property let people. But the market in that part of the NW is to all intents and purposes pretty stagnant, and it is very hard to convince them that the ONLY thing they can do is drop the price - your house looks beautiful, sadly you are the victim of a very difficult market. Good luck, I really hope you get a buyer soon :)

Just a small point, but if you think the lack of upstairs bathroom is putting people off, is there any way you could make a door into the en suite from the other bedroom?

We did this in a previous house when we went into the roof space, we had a shower room accessible from both rooms.

Mind you, it'd cost you even more money.

It's absolutely lovely-I especially love the bathroom, just gorgeous.

I am guessing you would struggle to put a single bed in the nursery room with an 18 month old, who will probably still need a cot for awhile?

You need to get people in the door to see it so that someone can fall in love with it and for that I do think you are going to need a local or "real" estate agent.

I'd switch EA ours were great because: they took good pictures, hot feedback from all viewings quickly, sent us details of all marketing and were great about viewings.

Unfortunately the problem is probably the price so I suppose you can wait it out or drop the price