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Original poster

No viewings and I don't know why, it must be the price right?

148 replies

Scruffydoggy1 · 10/01/2015 11:16

House has been on the market for just under a month now.

Before the pictures were taken I did a lot of maintenance, redecorating cleaning and made sure the house was as immaculate as I could get it.

We live on a desirable street and we are classed as a new build as we are just under 10years.

Most of the houses in the area are terraced Victorian. Apart from part ownership and our development there are no new builds. Houses that have previously gone up for sale in our development have sold within a week.

The market has boomed round here and we found the estate agents were having a problem valuing our house and they have valued it at the top end of the market and price wise we are on par with the terrace houses. This is due to a few improvements we have made as these houses were basic starter homes. So far we have: added a garage conversion, added conservatory totally redecorated and put a high spec kitchen in. Plus we have ample parking and for round here lots of land.

Our decor is quite bight however it's modern and in keeping with the house.

We have recently put in a big kitchen have extended it by knocking out the wall. It's very modern and clean with granite worktops inbuilt appliances and a breakfast bar.

I'm gutted, before our house went on the agents were bargaining with me over % they all loved the house and said it will sell in no time.

But nothing, I had someone knock on the door Boxing Day asking questions and they never arranged a viewing.

The problem we now face is we are buying a new build off barratt. The foundations will be in within the next month then we have 28days to complete. If the house isn't sold we will need to apply for a mortgage and then rent this house out.

However I have another rental property, very basic ex authority 2 bed house and the rental price is fantastic for it. If we compare my current house to it, it doesn't compare and yet the rental income we are looking at will be lower.

So I'm getting a bit anxious to sell it now. This week I need to submit a lower price to the agents and I have no idea how much lower it needs to go to spark interest well a viewing as over 6000 people have viewed it online. And with the stamp duty prices changing our buyers will be saving about £7,000.

Any ideas?

OP posts:
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Eltonjohnsflorist · 11/01/2015 11:02

Agree with the others- I live in a village surrounded by green belt which will be built on in next 10
Years. 2000 new homes- not very rural now!

Pipbin · 11/01/2015 11:04

As is often said, unless you own everything between you and the horizon don't buy a house for the view.

lyspaere · 11/01/2015 11:12

The décor is definitely not horrid. Who are you kitsmummy? Naomi Cleaver?

I can't see the aertexed ceilings in those photos.

BitOutOfPractice · 11/01/2015 11:12

Just getting it photographed on a bright sunny day will really really help

Good luck OP

IssyStark · 11/01/2015 11:27

I'd put the magnolia in your room rather than your daughter's. And please, please buy some rugs for the tv room and also move some of your daughter's toys in a basket in there so it looks like a second sitting room/family room in the photos. They don't have to be expensive - you can get cheap ones from Ikea or Argos but really they would help.

Floralnomad · 11/01/2015 11:35

Would it be possible to store your bed and get a normal sized one in for a few weeks ,it's been said many times that people cannot see past your furniture and layout .

Marmitelover55 · 11/01/2015 11:51

I was about to say the same re putting your bed in storage and bringing in a normal sized one that doesn't need to go in front of the window. Good luck OP.

ToBeeOrNot · 11/01/2015 12:08

Personally I think it's unlikely to be the decor alone that's putting people off so would be wary of spending too much attempting to change things. I think if the price is right, people will view and buy regardless of the decor.

Having lived in a 10 year old house, I suspect that the photos are fairly realistic in that the room sizes aren't generous. It'll put people off because it's something that you cannot change, better photos might get them in the door but not any further.

If it was just the decor and the house was reasonably priced then I think people would view, and adjust their offer accordingly. No viewings probably means that people think it is so over priced it's not even worth attempting to negotiate.

I've not seen the wording of your advert, but I'd be wary about anything listing 'much improved' etc. It's so personal and for me it's a line that reads, 'we've just spent a lot of money putting stuff in to our taste and we're going to attempt to recoup these costs in the sale price'

Fingeronthebutton · 11/01/2015 13:11

I know it's probably too late, but don't believe the Barrett blurb about no more houses being built. They lie.
Your first problem is curb appeal. You don't have any. It's as dead as a dodo.
Get something out there.
When a house looks as dead as that it says that the people don't care so straight away there is a negative.
The back garden ( if you can call it. Garden) is terrible. Gardens cost money, I know, I am one.
I am on my 7th property and have never had a problem selling even in the 'bad ' years.

SolomanDaisy · 11/01/2015 13:14

It looks like aertex on the ceiling in a couple of the photos, but it could be a trick of the light. I do think that will put people off. In a fairly new house you don't want to be having to deal with things like that.

It's impossible for us to know, but with no viewers at all I would guess the price is a serious problem. The photos are really terrible, but if you have a floor plan people will look at the actual size of the rooms.

SoupDragon · 11/01/2015 13:26

I think everyone has said all there is to say - it looks dark and pokey and the tiled floors don't look homely. I think the fact that all the lights are on in the photos and it still looks dark is not doing the house any favours. I don't think there's anything much wrong with it but the photos are not showing it at it's best.

SoupDragon · 11/01/2015 13:28

Do have a tv In the living room as well as the garage conversion? If so, I would be inclined to remove the sofa and TV from the conversion room and turn it into a play area or study at that end - garage conversions tend to be narrow rooms and the large sofa just accentuates this.

AryaUnderfoot · 11/01/2015 16:01

But if the OP has done what some have suggested and knocked out the wall between the kitchen and entrance hall, then floor layouts may actually put people off. It would be an odd layout that many people wouldn't like.

I am assuming that you need to go through the living room to get to the garage conversion? If that's the case, then there is not much point in 'featuring' this as a dining room, as few people would actually want to use a dining area so inaccessible from the kitchen. I agree that it would be better showcased as a family room/playroom. At the moment it is difficult to see the differentiation in purpose between the living room, conservatory and garage conversion. They all seem to be reception rooms.

roneik · 11/01/2015 16:03

The op has answered her own question but does not realize. Similar sold 220k 1 year ago. Well here's the answer , property and sentiment has changed values. You might stand chance at 190/200k Or chase the market downward. You have to realize you are almost a distressed sale with the commitment to a new build purchase. Good luck with that one , I am bloody sure I would be having sleepless nights.
Don't listen to the crap about twigs and colors , it's the price. Property is at minus 2013 in many areas and in the north many at 2007

roneik · 11/01/2015 16:37

Oh and buying a few tins of emulsion will not put many off. A lot of people change the color scheme anyway. The first thing on the priority list will be the price. Sell it cheap before it ends up ruining you.

RaphaellaTheSpanishWaterDog · 11/01/2015 16:59

Blimey, that bed is huge! I'd definitely consider putting it into storage and buying/borrowing a standard size double/king without the tv that would fit somewhere other than in front of the window.

When we recently sold, our fourth bedroom (out of five) was being used as DH's study and our EA advised us dressing it as a kid's room instead. Fortunately we had an adjoining space - that we used as a walk-in storage for DH's business - that at 3m x 2.5m was still large enough to accommodate a (smaller) desk, chair, shelving etc. we then bought an inexpensive brass bed on ebay, added a hanging rail that we were using elsewhere and bought some rugs that added colour/cosiness (and that could be taken with us when we sold)......

DH was slightly cramped in his new study, but it was only for a few weeks and worth it to achieve a sale, especially as our buyers had three kids and loved the new bedroom!

Once we secured a sale we sold the bed - for the same price we paid - and the rugs are perfect for our new house.

YonicSleighdriver · 11/01/2015 17:15

I was very confused by the garage conversion photo and the TV bed made that room look tiny.

Roneik is generally gloomy about property prices so don't take that personally, OP.

roneik · 11/01/2015 17:31

Better I tell her how things are, than the valuation comes back and tells her the same. You have to remember a lot of valuations (NOW) are not what vendors think the value of their properties are.

YonicSleighdriver · 11/01/2015 17:35

And better that I tell her you post that kind of thing everywhere so that she knows.

You may or may not be right, but it's just your opinion.

lyspaere · 11/01/2015 17:52

Where is the house/ I missed that detail.

PrimalLass · 11/01/2015 18:00

You can't see the pics on the app. They are early on.

OP I've had another look and it seems like you have three sitting rooms. I would definitely repurpose the garage conversion into a playroom and then repaint the pink room.

IssyStark · 11/01/2015 20:23

Lyspaere - none of us know where it is, the OP hasn't given the link to the online details, despite several requests.

She did have the home valued at between 240-290 and has it on at 280 but we have no idea what is also available in the area for the same price.

Madamecastafiore · 11/01/2015 20:27

The tiled floors really would be off putting for me and the v severe furniture. I'd invest in more cushions and muted throws and some cheap beige/cream carpets.

AryaUnderfoot · 11/01/2015 20:34

Sorry if this sounds harsh but it sounds like you think your house is worth a premium because of all of your improvements, but the reality is that one persons improvement is someone else's exact opposite of an improvement and may well de-value.

^^this

You believe that the kitchen is one of the strongest points of the house, and may well be right. If you have done what I suspect you have, and knocked out the wall between the kitchen and entrance hall, then the kitchen may well be the Achilles heel of the property. If that's the case (which you haven't confirmed or denied) then you need to accept that lots of buyers looking for that type of property will be put off.

CrapBag · 11/01/2015 21:37

Oh dear, DH's nice surprise comment is very naive. We were housing hunting last year and I didn't go and look at houses I didn't rreally like from the pictures hoping for a nice surprise.

The photo for your garage conversion, I thought that was your living room. It looks quite small as a living room. Can it be styled as somethinks else so it's more obvious it's a different room?

Your bed unfortunately does make that room look absolutely tiny, that and all that tiled laminate and how black everything is is what would, do, put me off even going to look at it. Paint colour on walls don't bother me, especially when it is a children's bedroom. I personally would never redecorate a childs bedroom just to sell.

Your floors are very off putting, you need to put rugs down to soften it. It really does scream "you are going to move in and have to change this at great expense and inconvenience"

And yes the photos are not good. The rooms really do look tiny and dark.