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Please look at my house and give me your opinion

273 replies

Jellyshoeshurtmyfeet · 24/10/2016 21:21

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-62009282.html

Hi,
Our house has been for sale for about 5 weeks or so now and we have had one viewing. Please have a look and let me know what might be the problem. TIA.

OP posts:
YelloDraw · 25/10/2016 18:26

I don't why people keep suggesting complicated renovations, they're aiming to sell it!

Yup and the moving around of the previously external walls would NOT be a cheap or easy job!

I don't get the hate for the long room - be great for a teenager.

Giselaw · 25/10/2016 19:10

Because she has had 1 viewing in 5 weeks. If she wants top £££ then people are saying they would expect to make these significant layout changes to achieve that.

I don't think she should be making anything - it's always cheaper to knock down the price and let someone else do the changes to their liking.

But I would maybe get an architect to draw up an improved floor plan, price it with local builders and get the estate agent to sell that angle. Because the layout doesn't flow well.

Jellyshoeshurtmyfeet · 25/10/2016 19:35

Again, thank you for all your suggestions. As we weren't intending to move so quickly we made changes to the house that suited us. Unfortunately we don't have the budget to reconfigure the house although alot of the suggestions for that are fantastic! I painted the kitchen units because that room was so dark it felt like a cave!

OP posts:
Jellyshoeshurtmyfeet · 25/10/2016 19:37

There was never a downstairs loo so not sure where that has come from. The brickwork of the extension matches really well. They do look slightly different but they were the closest match we could get.

OP posts:
Jellyshoeshurtmyfeet · 25/10/2016 19:39

The garage was already there. We changed the garage doors and added a bedroom and bathroom. There is now a skylight in the main bathroom.

OP posts:
SwedishEdith · 25/10/2016 19:48

Here's the old kitchen

Looks much better now OP.

SingaSong12 · 25/10/2016 19:50

Haven't RTFT so these are just my own ideas. I can't comment on price whether I'd personally buy it as I'm definitely not your target audience.

Really like the look of the place but not enough photos to really know. Is there a sofa on the dining room? It looks a bit crowded at that side so maybe pull the table out slightly. Agree with PP about not really knowing what kitchen looks like., and a is there only a photo of one of the bathrooms.

Walking through the living room to the dining room would be a bit annoying but do-able. I presume the kitchen/dining room wall is a supporting wall but if not could you get a quote to put a door through, unless that really messses up the storage.

Jellyshoeshurtmyfeet · 25/10/2016 19:56

We can't put a door from the hall to the dining room because the kitchen layout was changed and where the original door was to the dining room would now lead into the kitchen. On one side of the table is a piano. With hindsight I wish I hadn't put that light fitting over the table because the table has to be under it to work.

OP posts:
Jellyshoeshurtmyfeet · 25/10/2016 19:57

I think we are going to put a wall between living and dining room and knock dining into kitchen.

OP posts:
twirlypoo · 25/10/2016 20:04

Just quickly- I used to be an estate agent over by the coast (where Mark Small first set up Signature) so know the agent a bit. Seriously get a rocket up his arse for the lack of viewings - the office have not given you good service there at all. If you haven't yet taken it off the market, I would call them and ask them why they haven't been able to muster up a single viewing. He (and all agents to be fair) do over price in order to gain listings, so if you are serious about selling I would conisder a £10k drop (I think your current price is really top whack with a wind behind it) and say the agents have 1 week to remarket it and actively seek viewings (they should be calling all matching buyers to arrange a viewing) or you will be withdrawing and then relisting with another agent.

Your house is lovely though and the area is buoyant there. I would ask them to change the description to mention the newly added extension (to explain the price increase) and take a photo of the grass at the front. Re configure thin room, tart up back yard (in Jesmond people won't be utterly put off by this so don't worry too much about it being paved if you can style it better)

Good luck :)

CartwheelGirl · 25/10/2016 20:27

Jellyshoeshurtmyfeet, you're a letting agent yourself, aren't you?

SpaceUnicorn · 25/10/2016 20:28

A few people have commented on the fact that you bought it only a year ago and are wanting to move already as being off-putting. I'll admit, that would put me off too as I'd wonder why you weren't happy in the area.

I appreciate that you probably don't want to mention on here why you're planning to move again so soon (Unless you've mentioned it in the thread and I missed it ~ I read most of this yesterday and may have forgotten), but is there a way to tackle that possible concern in the listing: e.g. 'On the market due to employment relocation' or something similar?

AppleAndBlackberry · 25/10/2016 20:29

If you're not averse to doing some work could you fit a downstairs loo either under the stairs or in the back 80cm of garage?

HarryPottersMagicWand · 25/10/2016 20:50

Our house has a front room into the diner and the door to the kitchen blocked up (not done by us) but they put a serving hatch, at first I wasn't sure but actually it's really useful and solves the problem of the kitchen and dining room not being joined together. I'd rather have the wall space than a doorway. Could that be an option?

I wouldn't take everything to heart thats said on here. I put my old house on here before we moved and apparently I needed to re render the outside, have a new kitchen (it was new), a new bathroom, redecorate every room (they had all been done), move essential furniture, buy other furniture, basically I almost needed to knock the bloody thing down. There was nothing wrong with it and it sold to the first viewer within 10 minutes of him leaving. Some things were helpful like stuff on the walls etc that I didn't notice, but a lot of the advice just wasn't correct. Our house was a fixed price that was realistic and nothing we would have done to it would have increased it so it would have pointless to spend money on it.

Your furniture wouldn't put me off, it's stupid that people can't see past a vendors chair. The bathroom tiles would be slightly off putting because there are a lot of the pattern it a tad dated. It's a great size room though. The older photos where you can see around the corner of the kitchen and the longer bedroom from further up are much much better. It's surprising how extra photos and taken from different angles makes a difference. Your garden also looks bigger in the older photos. That long narrow bedroom doesn't look nearly as bad in the older photos, it looks perfectly fine.

I honestly think ll ypu need to do is brighten up/create a grown up space outside and rejig the furniture in the long narrow bedroom and get better photos taken. Potentially sort the tiles in the bathroom if you can and maybe make the walls a bit less bare with a picture or 2. I really don't like grey and it is everywhere but I would redecorate any house I buy so I certainly wouldn't redecorate for selling because it would be unusual for a buyer to not do it themselves anyway. It loos like a blank canvas so easy enough to change.

GloriaGaynor · 25/10/2016 21:21

Because she has had 1 viewing in 5 weeks. If she wants top £££ then people are saying they would expect to make these significant layout changes

As a house on the road that needed a lot more work sold for 359 in 2015, then I think the price is fair. She should be getting a bit more than that given that hers is in better nick, and if you want 360ish then 390 is a reasonable asking price.

I wouldn't drop it for the moment unless they're absolutely desperate to sell, otherwise people will think there's something wrong with it.

PollyPerky · 25/10/2016 21:39

OP You asked where the cloakroom was mentioned. It's on the floor plan of your house on Land Registry sold houses- showing the photos you had done in August this year. The floor plan shows a cloakroom to the right of the front door.

Are those real fireplaces in the bedrooms? If so they are a huge selling feature but they look Victorian so were they added later?

PollyPerky · 25/10/2016 21:40

Gloria- why did this house sell for £280 in the same year as the one you quoted selling for £359? There must be a difference.

PollyPerky · 25/10/2016 21:43

Gloria was it this one?

www.rightmove.co.uk/house-prices/detailMatching.html?prop=33272028&sale=57967596&country=england
totally different, much bigger with a downstairs wet room, 4th bedroom, huge kitchen - you can't compare.

GloriaGaynor · 25/10/2016 21:44

Because she's added an extra bedroom and bathroom to make it 4 bed, which is the same number as the house that sold for 359. If you add living space you add ££.

GloriaGaynor · 25/10/2016 21:46

Don't put a wall in between the living and dining room, it's fine open plan, and it won't add to the value.

GloriaGaynor · 25/10/2016 21:56

Polly OP's house has a 4th bedroom now. The house in the link is only 50 sq m bigger, it's hideous and needs a lot of work - new kitchen and 2 new bathrooms. It got 359 nearly 2 years ago, the OP should be able to get the comparable for hers now.

YelloDraw · 25/10/2016 22:05

Your furniture wouldn't put me off, it's stupid that people can't see past a vendors chair*

If that was my comment, I was joking, I love the chair! ;-)

OP I think doint any further work would be pointless as not everyone likes open plan and not everyone likes separate so there is a chance you'll just waste your money.

It is 4 beds with nice kitchen and serviceable bathrooms and good decor. Get some more photos and get your agent working.

Jellyshoeshurtmyfeet · 25/10/2016 22:06

Twirly thanks for the advice. Cartwheel yes I'm a letting agent but sales is very different and it's very very different when it's your own home! Ah, sorry what is listed as a cloakroom is just a cupboard. We looked into putting a loo in there but other would have been difficult. The house that sold for £359k last year was sold by the same agent who sold us ours and we were told it needed a other of work.

OP posts:
GloriaGaynor · 25/10/2016 22:10

OP I think doint any further work would be pointless as not everyone likes open plan and not everyone likes separate so there is a chance you'll just waste your money

Agreed.

The obvious thing to do is leave the living-dining room as is and extend the kitchen. But that can be done by the buyer.

Batteriesallgone · 25/10/2016 22:27

50sqm is a lot of extra house.

But I agree that building work would be pointless. Additional photos on the other hand - particularly of the ensuite - would be useful.

It's a slow time of year with Christmas approaching. Sit tight, plan to drop £10k/£15k after Christmas, hopefully be sold by spring.