Could anyone give their honest opinions on why this house isn't selling?

[ComtesseDeSpair]

It's been on the market for rather a long time and after an initial flurry in the first couple of weeks has attracted relatively few viewings (an average of about one a month) Please be as brutal as necessary, I'm not precious and would really prefer honest opinions. I have my own suspicions and feelings about why, but DH doesn't agree with me. Thanks!

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-23747520.html?premiumA=true

How does it rank price wise to what's been sold around you?

What does the estate agent say - have they had any feedback? It looks in pretty good nick to me - and the décor is fine - not everyone's cup of tea but its neutral enough!

People like an eat-in kitchen.

I love the garden - very pretty.

Slide 11 - the bath seems to be back to front (taps not on the wall but 'in' the room')

Have you planning permission to add to the back/extend upwards?

Its all cosmetic changes really, unless they have built a rendering plant next to you.

I think you lived next to my auntie!

I don't know the area or Glasgow but looking at the listing there's nothing putting me off, nice airy, clean house, fab gardens.

Have yo thought about changing EA?

Gardens are amazing !

Personally it looks fine to me, except the dining room. It looks very dated (sorry) - the dark furniture and curtains etc all need replacing or hiding! And are those chair covers?

It may just be the market is slow or a price issue.

It looks very well kept. Decor not to my taste, but not off-putting if I otherwise liked the house - easy to sort and nothing structural. The main thing for me is that from the floorplan I dont really like the layout downstairs , with bedrooms and bathrooms mixed up with living areas. But then I am used to London terraced houses! My in-laws live in a bungalow and they do have the bedrooms and bathrooms down one end essentially separate from the living areas.

Depends really how typical that is of houses in the area. Other than that, it is just pricing. What is your suspicion?

Can't see anything obvious about it - neutral neat decor, looks cared for. Are bungalows hard to shift? Is the price right?

I think there are some close by for sale that need a bit of an update but have lower prices. Maybe people are thinking that they will buy a cheaper place and use the difference for modernisation.

You do get a lot of bungalows in that neck of the woods!

the things that would put me off is the garden, from the photos and description it doesn't look suitable for children, too much paving and gravel.

and

the price. it seems a lot for a 3 bed bungalow. if its a typical price for your area how quickly are other houses selling?
we have been looking recently and some lovely houses have been up for over a year, only reason for that that I can think of is the price is too high.

What is the market like? Have properties been selling well in your area recently? Clicking on "show similar properties" gives a 4 bed bungalow with 3 bathrooms for a bit less than yours. Is there any reason for this, as it makes yours look a bit expensive.

I tend to associate bungalows with older people and round here they sell like hot cakes due to their scarcity, but they are generally smaller and on one level (I think). I'm not sure that people look at bungalows as family houses so much. Could that be a problem in your area?

It looks lovely so I can only assume that you're simply asking too much for it. £340k sounds an awful lot for a three bed bungalow with not much land attached. Is it in a pricey area? What do others sell for? What's the ceiling price in your road?

Oh and yes the rooms are a bit mixed up. You really want the bedrooms at the front and the sitting room at the back overlooking the garden.

Whilst there is a lot of beige/neutral colours, it does have a kind of 90s feel & I'm mentally spending money getting rid of some of the fussiness I'm afraid(sorry , I feel very rude). From that point of view, I'd rather have a cheaper one to put my own stamp on. So really, it's price despite it being well - maintained.

I agree with the bedrooms being in close proximity to the living accommodation as being off-putting. It's a bit hard to know the demographic it's trying to appeal to. Gravelled garden & bedrooms close to noisy areas wouldn't appeal to a young family.

The only odd thing is the way there is a bedroom in between the kitchen and the dining room. Would it be possible to redress that bedroom as the dining room and change the current dining room into a bedroom?

Price seems a bit high maybe?

Kitchen and the bathroom on picture 11 look a bit dated despite being in good nick. If I was buying I'd have an eye on how much it would cost to replace those and factoring that in.

Thank-you very much for your replies: you've all asked about or highlighted the things I already think are issues.

I've been deliberately coy - it's not my house but PIL's, and the one that DP grew up in. Which might go some way to explaining his general defensiveness of it and refusal to consider any potential problems. It's been on the market for over 5 years now, virtually no viewing in the past year or so and no offers since 2011.

1. I think that people see how long it's been on the market for on Rightmove/Property Bee and assume there's something wrong with it or that it would be impossible to sell on in the future

1. I think it's over-priced, but because the bungalows in the area vary so much in terms of style/size/layout/plot it's difficult to make PILs acknowledge that this might be the case; they'll agree that it's at the top of its price range for size and location but insist that this is because it's much nicer than other houses which have sold for or are being marketed for less, or that their street is one of the most desirable in the already desirable area - I don't know Newton Mearns well enough to know whether this is really the case or no. I'd say they should be expecting offers around the £290 - £300 mark.

1. I think that the bathroom and kitchen are dated and that prospective buyers are unwilling to pay top dollar knowing they would want to replace these. I also agree that the dining room is old-fashioned and that a lot of the decor is fussy and can be off-putting to younger people with more modern tastes. PILs refuse to alter this, and to be honest I don't blame them: after 5 years of altering their living space to try to please viewers with no luck, they must be sick of it.

1. No garage or conservatory, no planning permission to add or extend (and no room either) and previous attempts to get permission for a garage have been repeatedly declined.

It's all coming to a head now because PILs have an interest-only mortgage, didn't make any arrangements for repaying the capital at the end of the term, and have now retired, making the ongoing interest payments unaffordable. They've asked DP and I if they can borrow money from us to cover the mortgage until it sells. However, bearing in mind the length of time it's been on the market and the lack of interest, before I start agreeing to lend/give them any of our money I want to have a frank conversation with them about the house and what action DP and I think they ought to taje to make it more saleable, including dropping the price if necessary, so that us making their payments for them doesn't go on for another 5 years.

So all points a big help, thanks

Could the estate agent do an open house event and get people through the door to have a look?
TBH I'm looking at the floor plan and thinking I need to spend money on shifting things around, so I'd want the price to be lower to reflect that.

I don't know how big an area G77 is and whether there is a big difference in how desirable some parts are vs others, but a quick search on rightmove shows others in the area, 3 and 4 bedroom houses, for a lot less. Are you confident the asking prices right?

I think your house is lovely. It's expensive but I've looked at other houses on rightmove in the area and it is an expensive area.

If I was looking for a three bed house, I had two children then it would be difficult because not all of the bedrooms are on the same level. I couldn't have my bedroom on another floor to the children. So it means it is a two bed house, and at that price it's expensive.

I suppose you'd be looking at trying to move or rejig the house

And get a new estate agents, somebody might be after your house with another estate agents

I don't know your area, so wouldn't know about price, I would say I wouldn't be prepared to pay that with the modernisation it needs, I do genuinly like it though!

Sounds like they need to change agents, drop the price and relaunch. The gardens are suitable for older people, not young families. The fitted wardrobes are dated, curtains/furnishings are dated too but that shouldn't be a problem. They could try an open house with new or joint agents.

too much chintz.

people like plain, modern decor that they can put their own stamp on. pink carpets and wallpaper and flowery curtains are offputting. also, the fitted wardrobes are outdated as is the kitchen. I think buyers looking at that price will not want to spend much extra on modernising. if I could give you any advice it would be to try and neutralise it a bit, and remove outdated furniture. you could also paint the kitchen cupboard doors to freshen them up a bit.

the garden is beautiful!

hope you sell soon

It's been on with 7 different agents in a 5-year period!

It's the price, isn't it? The other stuff doesn't help, but the big issue is that they're expecting too much money for it. Unfortunately, it was valued at £400,000 just before the 2008 crash and would easily have got that price back then. In PIL's minds they've already banked and spent this imaginary £400,00 and say accepting even what they're currently asking would make them feel like they were giving their house away.

PILs are generally lovely people but very houseproud and won't hear a bad word said about their pride and joy. It's frustrating not just because of their request to borrow money but because they need to sell and move on with their lives as well.

Generally if a property is priced appropriately it will sell, so it most likely is overpriced. It is a desirable area of Glasgow so I'm assuming there is nothing about the location that makes it unsaleable.

Is there a Home Report? If so, what was it valued at and when? No Home Report suggests its been on the market years. It looks fairly nice enough on the inside, some things are a bit dated but imo these are cosmetic and tbh even a new kitchen might not be to everyones taste anyway.

Sorry just read your last post and assume there is no Home Report. We bought our house earlier this year (further north in Scotland) and tbh wouldnt seriously bother with a house without a Home Report. Also have PIL considered marketing with GSPC?

If they are serious about getting it sold I would strongly suggest getting a Home REport, especially for an up to date valuation.

To me it needs modernising and if it is at the top end of the market I just wouldn't want to pay top whack and then have to fork out for new kitchen/ bathroom. But that said I wouldn't want the vendor to put in new bathroom/ kitchen because I'd like to choose my own. I'd want it cheaper.

I also think the layout is rubbish for a family with young children, I look at this kind of layout and think its a waste of a room as I wouldn't want to be on a separate floor to my children at the mo.

It has got to be the price that is preventing a sale. Five years takes you back to the height of the market and prices have dropped. To put it perspective out semi was valued at £155k in 2008 and recently has been put on for £135k.