Can you look at this house please

[ItsAllAboutEve]

And tell my why we aren't getting any viewings? We're desperate to sell need all the advice we can get.

m.primelocation.com/for-sale/details/37418753?search_identifier=be4ae289f66cc01dc6c0735b0ddf0e4e

I really like it too. It's gorgeous and has lovely views. However I think it looks a bit tired and scruffy. And cluttered. A banister is easy to fit as many will be put off by the lack of one. I think the kitchen is fine, if a bit dark

I'd de-clutter and perhaps repaint. I used to work in an estate agency. I was always staggered by buyers' lack of vision.

It's nice.
It just needs a bit of sprucing up.

I would repaint the kitchen and bathroom. Make them light and neutral. A lot of people seem unable to see past colours. It's like they think you're not allowed to repaint or something I would also try to de clutter a bit. Get the photos taken from better angles. Try to have no more than 2 walls in a picture, makes the rooms seem bigger. Get some light there too, make it seem brighter.

I always like to look at floor plans too.

I would be put off by the second picture (I don't actually know what a Rayburn is). The exterior picture is not great - im sure there are better angles that could have been used. Also the full description is just a block of text, with weird things highlighted like "vestibule" rather than important stuff like the kitchen. Is it on Rightmove as well, because personally I never look at Prime Location?

Also, can you paint the brickwork behind the Rayburn cream? I know it's not a practical colour, but it'll be fine during the summer and hopefully you'll sell before it starts to get dirty. And the blank bit underneath the mantelpiece looks very bare and some pretty bunting, possibly in pale-ish florals, would give it a cottage-y feel. It'll look a bit twee, but some people will like it.

It's a lovely house. Maybe it's the price, I'm not familiar with prices there but check that it's definitely in line. Agree that dark or strong colours can put some people off though. A light ivory (not magnolia) would look great.

Change it from OIRO to a proper selling price -always puts me off

I would be worried about lack of storage in the kitchen, if you painted the walls a pale colour your shelving would stand out more

Do the stairs to the attic run straight off the bedroom?

I think the problems are two fold.
A lot of the advice is going to be handy for when you have viewers, but initially your issue is not even getting people to come and look.

I agree with EvilSideKick that the Agent's not doing a very good job here.
How many Agents did you see and what was the variation in the valuations?
So, think hard about price point.

Secondly the photos are doing your house no favours. Photo one draws attention to an unwieldy slope. Local people will be used to the lie of the land, but perhaps a photo taken from the opposite direction would look better. You need all the emphasis to be on the fact that you have an End terrace, good room sizes and lovely views.

A floorplan, as PPs have said is an essential and I would limit to 8-10 photos. Lose the loft, landing, second bedroom and the last view of wind turbines and pylons, they're doing nothing to attract viewers. My other issue is the master bedroom. Is the bed very large for the room? The photo makes the room look overfurnished and cramped. Can you move the furniture around at all and have a photo from a different angle?

Do sort out that staircase, it wouldn't comply with current building regs and may be putting off anyone with a baby or toddler, or older people too.

By all means do a bit of decluttering and freshening up walls with lighter colours. The area under the stairs with the fridge could look much more useful and attractive. Personally I'd remove everything off the front of the fridge and really make the most of that area.

Overall I think it's a charming house but the details need to make that clear to people looking to buy.

Haven't read the whole thread, apologies if I duplicate but this what I think you need to do.

Kerb appeal, I think you need a hanging basket and two nice pots outside. Is the front door clean, looks a bit dull, may need reprinting.

Living room, I think the Rayburn needs respraying, certainly the front panel.
I would decorate this room, the candles over the fire have black marks. The books look cluttered and need reducing and organising into colours so they look neat. The rug is dark and I would remove or replace woth cream. Loose the bucket and magazine rack. I'd wall mount the tv and loose the two pieces of furniture to make it look spacious. I'd loose all the stuff hung on the chimney and reduce what is on the mantel. I would loose the mantel and add a mirror if my house. I'd also loose the Welsh dresser and cd racks.

Kitchen I'd paint the walls a soft grey, it looks dark so I would add a silver pic tablecloth to bounce the light. the shelves I'd paint grey and I'd just put white China plates, cups and China up there, all neatly arranged. You need to de clutter all the stuff and have clear surfaces. Remove all the bags etc off door, hide all fridge magnets

Bedroom I'd loose the furniture squashed up in the window.

Bathroom I'd change loo seat for white.

I'd add mirrors to most of the rooms to bounce light, you have a lot of pine furniture which is sucking up your light.

Top floor, I'm a bit confused as the second bedroom is compromised for that but it doesn't look like a usable bedroom, is it not possible to board this, surely it would add massive value as that would be the master with the box room as a dressing room... At the very least the small room needs a bed.

Honestly it looks like it's missing storage space and you need to hide that fact.

I do think there is not need for the close up 2nd pic of the log burner,

it's in the room picture, don't need a 2nd picture of it on it's own.

For me personally the office room is perfectly decorated - if the rest of the house were like this I'd look to view.

Agree with Enrique about the final picture too, if people know the area it's really not needed.
As PP has asked, is it on rightmove? your EA doesn't seem to be selling it in the description either.

It looks a lovely size, and end terrace would usually always be a selling point as they can be rare to come up for sale.

Your house is gorgeous, and all it needs done to it is repainted a more neutral colour of paint. Also a wee it of decluttering.

I posted earlier re: toning down the decor. The reason you are not getting viewings is nothing to do with aesthetics: it's overpriced. A larger sized house on the same street sold for £115k in January 2014. There is no way values have gone up 10% since then. The more recent sold prices of the smaller houses demonstrate that.

It's actually a really nice house.
I would sort the Rayburn out it looks old and very scruffy. Totally de clutter the living room get rid of the cushions (though I like them) and consider taking away the wooden unit things behind the sofa.
Declutter the kitchen and paint the walls another colour like white. Consider putting a hand rail on the stairs.
Paint the bathroom a neutral colour definitely.

Also the loft room could be a good selling point but it looks like a garage with tools and stuff lying about. Try and either take that away or hide it and make it a bit more 'room like' .

Is there room to switch the sofa and the armchair to make the living room more open?

I love the house and wish I was in the area with the money to buy.

Agree that the closeup of the Rayburn is not needed. Declutter. Paint the kitchen walls a cream or white. Hand rail on stairs. Under stairs could be tidied up so it looks like a very useful area. And definitely a floor plan is needed. More pics of the bedrooms. I'm undecided on the pic of the loft. Not absolutely necessary, but on the other hand, it's a definite plus to me to see, so up in the air on that one.

I don't agree with painting the bathroom, but then I like green.

All I'm thinking is "oh wow, £127k for a period 3-bed house with a kitchen you can put a kitchen table in" - would be £300k round here.

I think from the pictures, it looks like it needs decorative work and it is priced too high (probably in "pristine" neutral move-in condition).

Otherwise, you would still be getting viewings, even on a fixer-upper.

-The woodburner looks old/damaged, which sounds expensive, so a quick spray paint would help
-get rid of the bucket/candles
-you don't need to remove furniture (if you've nowhere to store it) but remove 1/3 of the items stored on all shelves and box it up in the loft space. It will make people think "lots of storage space" rather than "no storage space"

• the red kitchen colour is making your room too dark. all those lights on, and the photo still looks dark. i would paint the walls a cream beige (with a bit of yellow in it to contrast with the blue kitchen).

-for the picture only, get rid of all hanging pots: suggests lack of storage in kitchen.

• if you've any orange or red accessories, put 2-3 out on counter (bowl of apples/oranges/lemons)

-what is that dead space on the staircase with the sad plants? could you move one of the tall bookcases from living room there without overwhelming the space? how about a desk/chair? failing that, move the rocking chair to the window and add side table, to make it into a reading nook. -I don't think you need to get repaint the bathroom. it's tidy and clean and viewers can see past the colour and would be able to picture it repainted (more difficult to picture it when you have lots of stuff in the room like in kitchen)

Good luck!

OP, I would also have information to hand should someone ask how much it would cost to tidy up the Raeburn, and how would it be possible.

Two further points.

I wouldn't have thought a 'quick spray' would be appropriate or safe for the Rayburn. I'd have thought you need reenamelling by someone who knows what they're doing what with fire safety and all.

Secondly the loft 'room' is of limited value price wise because unless it's been converted with and complies with building regulation approval, then it's not actually habitable space, it's accessible storage or a bonus room but distinct from a proper conversion.

As I said before, the adverts need to emphasize the house's very best qualities and draw attention to those.

From street view it looks like the on street parking is fairly ample, so I wonder if that should be mentioned too.

I live quite close to you, my advice would be change your agent. I have viewed lots of houses in that area over the years and the photos don't do it justice. (In fact I think I may have even viewed the same house on the next street along)
you need to declitter and get someone to rephotograph.

It's a lovely house :)

Erm declutter obviously!

I love the colours you've used, and if I were looking for a house this size in your area, there's nothing in the photos that would put me off.

But I suspect that those who have said de clutter and neutralise the colours are probably right.

Good luck with your sale - Dh tells me, from his reading of the Financial Times and the property pages, that, whilst the experts thought that there would be a lot of properties coming into the market after the General Election, this hasn't happened to anything like the extent that they'd predicted, so it is still a bit of a sellers' market, and I hope this works in your favour.

Tone down the bolder colours definitely and the picture of the Rayburn detracts from the rest of the front room because it's open, next photo needs to be with it all closed.

How did you choose your agent?

No disrespect to your house, but to me 'Prime Location' is the agent you go to if you have north of half a million to spend on a large house with lots of land. Not an otherwise lovely terrace for £127k

Might a more mainstream agent attract a more appropriate buyer and market your house more enthusiastically (PL won't make much commission on your house compared to the more expensive ones on their books so might not put much effort into the sale).

Does the stair case for the loft "not yet converted but could be" conversion go up from the green bedroom/study? Is that why there's no bed in there? Could you fit a bed in at all? I think it would then make the house seem like a real 3 bed, rather than the current set up of one bed room, one study/corridor and one box room (as yet invisible). I think that would put me off viewing it tbh. As others have said a floor plan would help it to make sense. I would also echo the previous comments about decluttering and painting out the more full-on wall colours e.g. kitchen and bathroom.