House won't sell? Post a link and ask MNers what they would do!

[WutheringFrights]

There was a thread in chat earlier about a house that wouldn't sell.

I'm in the same predicament and wondered if people would use a thread for asking honest opinions about houses they are trying to get shot of?

So here is my house

Does anyone have any opinions on what we could do to make it more attractive to purchasers?

Would you put furniture in it - our EA said not to bother as it wouldnt make a huge difference.

Gets tumbleweed ready in expectation that this is a really rubbish idea...

Thank you all for your advice.
I bunged a link on Facebook earlier and an ex-nursery mum who I'm friends with on fb said she'd been for a viewing not knowing it was my house.
Her feedback was the master bedroom layout is odd (it is sadly, but there is little we can do except furnish it to show how we used the space).
It was too close to the pub (it is).
And very importantly...she received no follow up call from the estate agent asking her for any kind of feedback!

DH is heading over at the weekend to sort out bedroom and will be having a strong word with the estate agent.

Superram the joys of living in a Victorian terrace.
The deeds clearly show boundaries and bizarrely it does make sense.
There used to be a shared path between the houses going to the toilet that was in the back garden so our fence is actually in his garden rather than his house in ours. Although that is also clearly marked so there would be no dispute.
However, looking at it with new eyes I can totally understand how that picture might put people off.

What about this one:

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-39003219.html

Any tips? Been on for 6 weeks and reduced by 10k already.

It's a nice looking house but I agree that very careful furnishing might make it look more liveable. I would prefer photos that were more like a sequence of a walk through (front of the house, living room from the doorway etc).

I'd agree with some kind of planter or something bright at the front, could you run to a window box??

United

The photos seem dark, get rid of the dead looking plants and the bag of compost on your front step.

The office looks very dominated by that huge bookcase, I would get rid and store somewhere and put in a waist level bookcase. Would preferably get a bed in there and get rid of office temporarily but appreciate that may not be possible. Photos 11 and 12 are taken at bad angles and actually make room 12 look like a cell.

united I like that house! Might just be the price. Though those sofas are huge and make the room look tiny, and that study nook or whatever it is is too cluttered, feels a bit claustrophobic.

united you might be beter starting your own thread for more traffic. Anyway, the picture of the front looks very dull. Jet wash the drive, add some tubs with spring flowers or shrubs in for colour etc. Living room and dining room look a bit dated decor wise. Maybe replace the shower curtain in the bathroom with a screen? The bedroom - the feature wall dominates the room, so perhaps paint it out with a more neutral colour. Also dangling wire off the dressing table, slipper by the bed etc make me think there is no storage. Picture 12 - the bed needs moving around so that both sides of the double are accessible. As it is now, it looks as though the room is too small to do anything other than have it crammed against the wall. The washing on the bed waiting to be put away isn't a great look either.

What feedback have you had in the 6 weeks, and how many viewings. If not many viewings then maybe it's overpriced. If plenty of viewings but no offers, then consider the feedback.

Overall, the photos are generally not good so I think they need doing again, but before they are taken, go round your house with a critical eye and make sure that everything that should be put away is.

United I wouldn't mention the water in the particulars. That puts me off immediately.

OP I would change the front door for a reasonable quality wooden one. The existing one is ugly, out of keeping and wrecks the kerb appeal. You could possibly source a reclaimed one to save a few £££s and add character.

(And maybe a door curtain on a portiere rod, given the layout.)

1, Initial impression, I'm always suspicious when the first photo isn't the front of the house. yes the back is certainly nicer but if I'm just casually browsing listings sometimes I will just assume it has an awful front and isn't worth looking at.

2, the house needs to be central in photo 2, i would crop the left side of the photo. you want the house to be the only thing people are focusing on and when something is off centre in photos the eye can be drawn away easier than if it were central.

3, (in photo 2) I would add a blind or curtains to frame the windows from the inside, it is personal preference but I prefer windows to be dressed, it looks homelier in my opinion.

4, (in photo 3) love the flooring and the fireplace, I would move the wire that is on the shelves, and the mirror looks odd there, I would put it above the fire place.

5, (In photo 6) why is the back door open?

6, photo 7 needs to be level with the windows, i dislike when photos are at a slight angle for no reason.

7, from a photographer's pov, i would retake all of the photos with a much wider angle lense to get more of the rooms in the photos. Its a nice house, it deserves better photos.

8, Can you put some basic furniture in it? I have always found houses with smaller rooms get a better viewing rate if the have furniture to show they are livable spaces and not just little rooms, often it can actually make the rooms look smaller when they are empty.

9, you need to mention what parking is available.

10, After six months on the market I would be switching agents,its a nice looking house it should have sold by now.

united None of the photos are great but photo 3 (of the lounge) is out of focus and makes the carpet looked stained, get them to do them again from better angles.

United some reassurance about (lack of) flood risk from the brook would be good.

United , you need a photo of the front of the house. The muddy stream makes me think of floods, in summer if beautiful looking it might be a draw, a winter photo just signals flood risk.

United your pictures show the furniture rather than the house, and they are blurry.

The fist picture made me thing 'why is the neighbour's house in your garden?' and that would make me not want to look any further. I'd take a different angled picture of the back garden and have a front photo first.

United, I would get the agents opinion on making the house look lighter. The photos are very dark. You may well need to redecorate some of the rooms.

Can you get a photo of the front of the house at a different time of day? Next door is casting a shadow on your house. Yes to the earlier suggestion of some planters at the front with some winter bedding plants.

The double bed in the spare room needs pulling away from the corner as it makes the room look small.

The brook may be putting people off. The Environment Agency flood map would indicate that you are not at risk of flooding. The brook will flood in the opposite direction to you.

Is there a public footpath through to Navigation Road station? If there is, your agent needs to place more emphasis on the excellent transport links.

I think the agent is relying on the local schools to sell the house. He should also take advantage of your close proximity to the leisure centre, ice rink, cinema, parks and shops.

Wuthering, very bad that the Agent didn't even follow up on a viewing. Poor show that.

I would agree that the weak points of your house are the location of the pub opposite and no parking, which you can't change, although the Agent should be able to answer what you did about parking without implying it was a given?

I'd also say that the front appearance lets the house down, it's nowhere near as attractive as the rear view. I think the front being plain brick while all the others are rendered marks it out as a bit dull by comparison (I like plain brick myself, it's more that it doesn't fit in with the whole row that gives me a negative feeling) The conservatory, garden and overall appearance of the building look much more appealing I think, so obviously the Agent's chosen to showcase those high points.

Hopefully some dressing and staging indicating how someone could live in the house and new photos, will really improve people's impressions.

United, I don't think there's any point playing down the brook, people will see it when they get there and if it's a deal breaker that's just wasted everyone's time.

One major thing that strikes me is that the Agent describes a quiet culdesac, but streetview shows road lines and parking restriction signs. I wonder if people find that offputting and comment needs to be made to address that with potential purchasers, especially as you do have off-road parking.

The photos are all very dark and give me the impression there's not enough storage in the house and that some spaces are difficult to use e.g. you have a kitchen diner, so the way your living room's furnished, blocking off the dining area, means only a small part of the room's actually being used for a purpose. I'm left thinking that should be the dining space shouldn't it? aah but then what would you put where your dining table and chairs are?

I'd box away a lot of stuff at least for the photos, particularly from your study, which is crammed full. Perhaps you could create another study area in the empty part of the living room? or restore a formal dining area and a more casual table in the kitchen?

I'd also move the bed in the second bedroom, crammed up a corner and blocking off the window and radiator with furniture reinforces the message again that the rooms are too small.

You say you've reduced by £10,000, is that because it was ambitiously overpriced to start with? is it realistic now or still a bit over the top?

united my comments would be that the photos, and in particular the lighting, do your house no favours. I agree that the bed needs turning round ninety degrees in the room where it is pushed into the corner.

The photograph of the front of the house is awful and makes it look pretty unappealing: it actually looks better on Streetview and a lot nicer. You don't need to change the front door, but it would benefit from enhancing it's kerb appeal with a nice big planter under the front window and something with more oomph either side of the front door. And move the bag of whatever it is!

The empty conservatory looks sad.
Can you beg borrow or steal some lovely big plants/ attractive (but small) comfortable chairs, maybe cane or wicker, a bright throw over the side of chair, magazines even a tv if there's power.

Even extend the plants in pots to the outside of the conservatory plus nice small garden table and chairs (not plastic) bottle of wine, couple of glasses.

It's a nice garden but looks abandoned.

Can you beg borrow a lovely bright rug for the living room - get from Ikea, take pic, send back as unsuitable.

Is there car parking, proximity to shops/ library/ station/ local hospital (lots of employees there so handy for a buy-to-letter).

Yes, I agree that a tub of something at the front door would help.

united as others have said, the photos are doing your house I favours at all.

My first thought when seeing the stream was - flood!

Why have you got a photo of what looks like next doors garden? It emphasises how over looked it is.

PMSL at the suggestion of changing the font door- the style suggested is completely out of character with the house!

I don't understand how your master bedroom works. It looks on the floor plan to be open to the downstairs (ie the stairs go straight up into the bedroom without a door). Is that right? If so that's a far bigger problem than whether there is a planter by the front door!

PMSL at the suggestion of changing the font door- the style suggested is completely out of character with the house!

Aren't posters talking about two totally different houses now though and replying to two posters? I think the doors suggested were for the OP's house.