Selling our house - Advice needed

[Emzipoo4u]

Our house has been on the market for 3 weeks and nothing is happening fast - I know it's usually not a quick process but was expecting a bit more activity! Just gets you down and into "oh we're going to have to stay forever now" mentality - booooo :(((.

Here is our link on rightmove - can anyone offer any suggestions to improve to pull in some more viewings, or is they anything that would put you off ?

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-26993199.html?premiumA=true

Looking at the photos I'd suggest moving the trailer from the front drive as the rubbish bags from the garden and getting new pictures.
I'd also remove the living room rug (with the swirl) as I think it makes the space look smaller/ draws the eye too much iyswim.
In photo 10 the bedroom looks like there's no floor space. Would a picture from another angle help?

These are very picky things but might make the photos more appealing iyswim.

I'd also be having words with your EA. they should be getting people through the door. The market it much more active (although its all relative) than a year ago when we put ours on but we still had about 10 viewings in the first few weeks.

It does look like a lovely family home! :)

Great, thanks. It's really good to get other people's viewpoints !

I'm also being picky

It strikes me your house has no storage. You are very tidy, and I see baskets holding bits together. Bathroom for example. But I see no cupboards or furniture that makes me think oh yes, I could put that there and this here. Even though that furniture is part of your furniture and would be taken, it still leads the mind in a particular way.

I agree about the bin bags and trailer. Also maybe even take the papers off the fridge door in the dining room. When the EA came to take photos he was brilliant, took lots of care to make sure any clutter was out of shot, even getting me to move stuff for each pic. I'm amazed at the lack of care on this front that I've noticed since then on other people's pics.

I can't access the link

It is a bit bland tbh and rugs too dominant. Lose the cards stuck on dining room cupboard and agree some photos need retaking at a better angle (such as in lounge showing fireplace, front unobscured by tree and garden without rubbish sacks) ! Also pots and baskets in front and back garden

Move the trailer
Move the bins and bin bags from the last photos and the spade!
Make the beds properly
Remove the baskets from next to the fridge and all stuff on the fridge
Remove the baskets from the bathroom.
Looks like empty plant pots and dead plants against fence in pic
I'd take out the Thomas room altogether.
Pic 10 is very dark.

Your agents photographer isn't very good. Photos need taken again with the agent and you actually looking at what you see through the lens.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-26993199.html?premiumA=true

A very minor point to add... The bedding needs to be pulled really straight and I thought there was a cat on one ( but think it's a soft toy ) . Agree about the baskets.

The photos are very amateur. The rooms are coming up dark because they have all been focused on a bright window. Switch lights on, get the photos to be taken so the camera isn't using the window to calibrate the rest of the picture. Slightly to the side would be better. The joy of digital cameras is you can take shots from a few angles and then use the best one, you do not need to limit yourself to save film.
Move rubbish & trailer and look at each area critically.
You need to dress each scene - try looking at it as if it were going in a magazine.
With a critical eye look at : Straighten bedclothes, turn curtains so the drape without showing the lining, fresh flowers, reduce the contents of storage baskets (even if you are just holding them out of the way of the shot) and lose the notices on the cupboard/fridge.
Remove rug it's too dominant in the shot,
Can you pull the table forward a bit so it's not rammed to much into the bay, it will make the shot look less cramped.

I noticed yours doesn't say rubery when all the other comparables do.

I liked it and would look round.

Tbh the online estate agent that states low cost on its logo would put me off. If there wasn't much else around and your house was the one for me, it wouldn't. But if there's lots of other options around I'd put you lower down the list as I'd think there more likelihood of faff.

It has a lovely feel.

Def get rid of trailer out the front. You have an empty flower pot to the side of your front door, put some pretty flowers in it, and then do the same on the patio table out the back. And get rid of the rubbish!

I quite like your swirly rug, but agree that it makes the room look smaller in the photos.

Straighten the duvet in the master room and lay the blanket across the bottom.

I agree, it's all picky details with the quality of the photos really

Move the trailer, rubbish bags and rug.
Thin out the stuff in the baskets in the bathroom for the photos
Lounge photo may look better taken from the conservatory - preferably avoiding what appears to be a focal point radiator under the TV :)
Tidy up the blinds in the conservatory shot.

Maybe add some colour to the front and back with pots of flowers.

all that rubbish!! Get the photos taken with the rubbish bags gone and the driveway empty. Major turn off there.

also does your front woodwork need attention? Looks a bit neglected.

otherwise it looks a nice house. The 'but' I see is the kids room which appears to have no storage.

I personally don't think there's anything in the photos that would put me off viewing if I was otherwise interested.

I'm always amazed that anyone would avoid viewing a house because the bedding wasn't straight in the photos!

You would be amazed at reasons buyers give for not viewing them.

That's what I tend to think ilikebirds. The house I bought had awful photos but I wasn't buying their stuff. But then it must bother some people I guess.

Don't they lie though sponge? I know I've lied about why if its for a silly reason, or one that reflects poorly on you, or so as not to feel personal.

I agree - photos wouldn't put me off but they are the first thing a potential buyer sees so it is important to make them as appealing as possible.

Maybe not Ilike, but it is subtleties which can affect a feeling towards it . Rooms always look larger with continuous flooring and the lounge looks like a lovely wooden one but is the rug covering something . Likewise in the conservatory and the sofa could do with centring against that wall !

No idea whether price is good for style/area or its location so having to base on photos alone. I felt photos look better taken across from the door ie . what you see when you go in and with clear sight lines to window/exit.

I have had people not view because a bedroom hasn't been refurbed and still had woodchip on the walls. The rest of the house was immaculate.

People will not view if they believe from the photos there is a lack of storage.

Yes good points actually. I knew the house I bought already in terms of space etc from similar, so I was probably looking from a different perspective. I knew storage wasn't an issue and had already projected my 'feel' onto it

www.zoopla.co.uk/property-history/64-hillview-road/rubery/rednal/birmingham/b45-9hq/18003359

You need to up the presentation.

All been said before, and all just minor, but IIWM I would,

Pic 1 - Move the trailer from the drive, and maybe replace the empty looking flower pot (next to the window) with a nice plant.

Pic 2 - that a nice kitchen.

Pic 3 - have an arial picture of the actual garden rather than the view.

Pic 4 - is fine - I would maybe add another garden pic from the other end of the garden.

Pic 5 - is ok, but I would probably just try to get a better angle to make the bathroom look slightly bigger, maybe slightly to the left a bit higher.

Pic 6 - is good, again I would probably just tea glue the picture to the right slightly. And maybe open the blinds in the concervatory to let more light in.

Pic 7 - I would close the curtain to make the concervatory look more like a room of its own rather than just an extension of the living room.

Pic 8 - again I would reangle the photo. Up and to the left slightly. I would also remove all of the notes and cards from the cupboard and take out the basket of toys for the picture.

Pic 9 - definitely reangle the picture. The bed also need to be made neater.

Pic 10 - you don't need that picture, it's weird. Just re angle the first picture to show the whole room.

Pic 11 - I would take out the pile of toys and remove the Thomas canopy from the bed, I would replace the bedding with a plain nutural bedding and then turn the bed around so that the headboard is against the window wall. I would then take the picture from the door way, bedroom pictures always look better if they show the window and the bedrooms are made to look as nutural as possible.

Pic 12 - is fine.

Pic 13 - seems to be focused on the tree, it's a lovely tree, but the house should be the centre of the image, I'd reangle the picture to the left.

Pic 14 - definitely remove the rubbish bags (why are they there?) and the shovel.

I would also add a picture of the third bedroom.

As a rule it is always recommended to take pictures from the corner nearest the door while standing on a step.

I've bought and sold many homes so I've taken a lot of these pictures.

HTH.

OP 3 weeks isn't that long in the current market. And as it is a family home probably not a first time buyers home it will take a while to shift. As your potential purchasers will more than likely have one to sell.

Ours is a v similar home, bay windowed semi. And has been on 7 weeks with 3 viewings.

When I had the photos done I tidied and decluttered for about 6 hours!
I even took the iron upstairs and ironed the pillowcases and throw in the master bedroom the house looks stunning on the photos and makes me wonder why we are moving.

I agree with the other posters about a few tweaks and making the beds properly. My estate agent actually moved stuff (tea towel and oven glove on the oven) that she didn't want in view.

Our garden picture is not the best so I'm going to ask if we can have another one done. We just need to spend the weekend really sorting it.

Wow can't believe the response - thanks guys all really helpful. From a price point we are looking for 168 or more (what we paid for it in 2006). I was wondering whether to put it on as stamp duty paid - would this entice more buyers / viewers ? There are a couple priced the same in our area at the moment, maybe we should up the price to 175 so it's more rounded ? Should we take the offers in the region of off ? What are you thoughts on fixed price £168 ?