What's wrong with my house?

[Namechangeforhousey]

Name changed for obvious reasons. House has been on the market for 2 months and no one has enquired about it after seeing it online. We've had a couple of time wasters sent by the EA, but no real interest.
We put it down to Christmas quietness but other houses have been listed and sold in the meantime in the same price bracket.
Any tips as to what is wrong with either the house or the photos?

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-45647871.html

It's a shame the original owner picked that kitchen, it does nothing

Glad you are going to update the photos. I can't think of anything else that hasn't already been said.

It's expensive and looks tiny from the outside.
It looks like the front door opens into the lounge.
It looks like it'd be hard to get into your two nearest primary schools, that would put a lot of people off.
I

A day late, but I'll bite.

Make the estate agent take out "deceptively spacious". That means small. Which it is. It has no more floor space than our 2 bed.

3rd bedroom is especially tiny. You'd struggle to get bigger than a double in the master bedroom, thereby putting off anyone used to more room to sleep in. The "three good sized" bedrooms is a somewhat laughable description, when you can barely get a bed in the third.

The basin looks like it's virtually in the toilet.

Dining space is minimal and oddly proportioned. People would be looking for a bigger lounge or bigger kitchen so they could have more than a tiny table in one of them, for a family.

The stairs are in the lounge, from what I can gather.

Storage. No mention of wardrobes or storage cupboards, which will put people off if they're wondering how they will store their clothes in small bedrooms.

EA's lately have gone mad on 'arty' waist height photos which just show corners of rooms.

SIL has just sold her house and some of the pictures look like the cat took them!

lanbro - get rid of that mouldy grout in the shower. It's offputting in an otherwise lovely looking and good sized house.

Lanbro turquoise is just popping up everywhere !!

Holy jumpin green cow... way, way overpriced

I'm looking to buy in the same area and this is one of the most ridiculous prices I've seen for the size of house. Get down to 155 and that's more like it. Sorry

lanbro there is nothing (apart from the grimy shower which you've now fixed) wrong with the presentation of your house. But. The photos need editing - the order is odd and there are too many of them. Photo 7 adds nothing. There are too many outside shots - one, I think, is of the view from your garden of the house over the back. Totally pointless as it's your house you are trying to sell and it is just confusing.

Sadly I think it's not unusual for some EA to value your house too high on purpose. They promise you it is worth it, you believe them and go with them to sell your house. No viewings and after a while you drop the price to what the EA knew all along it should have been.

Lanbro, your house is presented beautifully internally. The only thing i can think of is that those types of houses are just not attractive outside. Theres nothing you can do to change that. what is the area really like? School ratings? (This is a family house so schools will affect offers). However i cant believe how little a house up there costs!

I don't think comments about someones taste in curtains or a few wall stickers are particularly helpful tbh. Who doesn't view a house because of some wall stickers or curtains that probably won't still be there and if they are, can be easily changed.

For me the chair immediately made me think there wasn't enough room for a second seat in the living room, the price and the fact that as a family home, it is small. I was looking for 3 bedroom houses a couple of years ago and my too criteria was the size of the 3rd bedroom and decent living space downstairs after coming from a 2 up 2 down. Ours is 2.5x2.5m and I wouldn't go smaller than that.

Get a picture of tbe parking, that's a big +. Also, the room sizes are listed so I wouldn't think that is anytning to worry about either.

I asked on here about my old house and I was told to re render the outside, new kitchen and bathroom (the kitchen was new), redecorate every room, it was all neutral anyway! And the house was only 115k. Thankfully I ignored it, took the useful advice about moving a couple bits of furniture and it sold to the first viewer.

lanbro
I have a tiny kitchen too and I love your under cupboard hanging racks.
pinches idea

My thoughts are:
Very bland looking - dress it a bit
It hasn't got 4 good bedrooms
It's got 2 good size bedrooms and 2 box rooms
The kitchen looks almost institutional (?) very stark.
Bathroom is nice
I would say that it's overpriced if it's not selling
Maybe try @ £165k?

None of the suggestions about interior design or layout would put me off. The only things that would put me off are how it looks from the outside, structural integrity/planning permission/building regs, location/surroundings and price.

Thanks for the continuing help - I've so far ordered new curtains for the kitchen, bought new cushions in blues and yellow for the lounge, accessories for all bathrooms, and DD1's bed is being changed for a single at the weekend instead of the toddler bed. I've still got to get a mirror for over the fireplace and some plants and bright accessories for the kitchen.

The price issue keeps cropping up so I'll just explain why the EA valued it at that. They are selling the brand new estate at Two Gates (for those in the know ) and all the 2 beds have sold, with a "waiting list" of people who wanted a 2 bed and can't afford the 3 beds on the estate. The 2 beds were on for £179k, so the EA said the people who missed out there would be interested in ours as being close to new build, more bedrooms and reasonably sized rooms. Putting it on at £175k was supposed to entice them to get more for their money. Clearly this has turned out to be bollocks but we fell for it at the time.
According to Zoopla - with a pinch of salt obviously - the houses on our side of the estate have increased by £20k in value as the market has changed in the last 2 years. That means the last one sold is now "worth" £186k.

Totally agree with the comments about the repetition of "deceptively spacious" especially when followed by "family home". What it is, is a lot bigger than you'd think from the outside and absolutely perfect for a first time buyer.
So much to do, but I'm excited and genuinely grateful for the total honesty

My experience is that people who want to buy a brand new build house want a brand new house and are willing to pay a premium for it. They wouldn't be willing to pay as much for a 10 year old house. Or they simply wouldn't consider anything other than a brand new house at all. So I think your EA may be deluded.

Lanbro - my thoughts are for us(and many) the kitchen is too small. I would therefore be looking at the costs to knock wall from kitchen into living area to make s large kitchen/diner. And make current dining room the living room. Also bedroom carpet I would want to change as very individual. Same with toilet wallpapered rather than tiles. Then the unfortunate pebble dash. In my head I would be adding £50k min to do all the renovations which is a lot on a £125k house

Carpet 'very individual'? It's just a plain carpet....?

Anyway, thanks for all the feedback, we're not in any rush to move so hopefully someone with our apparently awful taste will view and love!

The carpet is shimmering grey isn't it? Sorry that's what it looks like. That wouldn't go with our decor.

Lanbro the carpet does look shimmery in the photos. I had assumed it was one of those 'shadow' carpets that were around in the 90s. It makes the bedroom look a bit busy really.

Namechange I'm glad the opinions have helped from this thread. Will you post the updated details on here? Good luck with your sale .

The carpet is a bit silvery Lanbro. I'd think of it as plain but not quite neutral. That said, the people of Newcastle often quite like a touch of silver.

Looking at the sold prices (not asking prices) nearby, I think the issue might be price. The ex-LA houses appear to go for quite a bit less than other houses.

In my old street (a mix of ex-LA and 1930s houses) the ex-LA houses sold for 25-30% less than the ones that had been sold privately in the 30s. It was still the same perfectly nice street (with access to the same desirable schools and local amenities) and the houses weren't particular smaller or less well presented. But buyers were much less interested in them. They took longer to sell and always went for much less. People just get a bit funny about ex-LA houses (even where pebbledash isn't an issue).

Seeing as others have had some helpful feedback I'm going to take the plunge and ask for opinions on mine. 3 days in and no interest whatsoever save for a viewing booked in for 10th February (so obviously not THAT keen). Already know that a few of the photos look a little dark which I'll try and address. New vanity units being fitted on Monday so will add images of the bathrooms once they're in.

Need our house to sell quickly so any advice welcomed:

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-46524543.html

OBface - no picture of either bathroom? The garden picture is dreadful. I think the lack of any original features in such a lovely-looking period property might be the problem. The interior is very nice, but ultra-modern and doesn't quite fit with the style of house.

As i said before, the new vanity units are being fitted Monday so photos of the bathrooms will be added then.

The house is 7 years old which might explain the lack of original features

Not much we can do about the garden, it is sadly a yard. Do you think it's better to remove the photo? Though people will still see at viewings.

name can you include a photo in the ensuite to show there is a shower in the house? Also not including the 3rd room would say to me it's too small to show.

For anyone saying don't include every room, if I couldn't see a bathroom/cloakroom/shower room/office I would assume it was because it was too small/awful to be photographed