Why can't we sell our house!

[cocomom]

Long story short we've accepted 3 different offers off 3 different people all for them to 'change their mind' in less than 72 hours.
Lowest offer being 5k under asking and highest full asking, I think this is now really affecting our chance of selling as our house has been STC on rightmove three times now only for it to pop back up a few days later

[FinallyHere]

We didn't do it up to apeal to anyone but ourselves

And there is the issue. As PPs have already pointed out, the inside and outside are at odds with each other. People who love the inside, will not be happy with the outside. People who want a bungalow will want to soften the interior and add a bathroom, three bedrooms rooms one loo ouch. So now, it will not appeal at the top end to people expecting to move in and not have to do anything.

If you want it to sell quickly so you can move elsewhere, you need to drop the price to give some headroom for people to decorate it to their own taste and in keeping with the outside. Location, location, location matters. Or just wait it out til someone who exactly shares your taste comes along.

[mum2015]

cocomom,
i live in a bungalow and love it and we are nowhere near retirement age, but lots of young families with kids dont buy bungalow here. they would pefer those small victorian terrace with half the sq feet, and stamp size gardens. It is what it is.
There was a bungalow extended and decorated in latest snandi style near my place just like houzz wow photos and still took some time to sell.
It will eventually sell may be at a lower price than you are expecting. Lots of people have hiven good suggestions. If you only want to do one or two things, change the living room wallpaper to something neutral and plant some shrubs in garden and put large pots with plants in paved area.
Bath could be preference for young families but shower is prefered by older people as it is easy for them to use.

[Theyrejustfuckingwords]

I have to say it doesn't matter what you think buyers do or don't need, there is something that is stopping them from viewing to placing an offer and sticking with it.
It's so hard when selling your home to stand back and be totally objective, but that's what the viewers are doing and if all things like price, location and general decor are in line you will sell.

[Intransige]

A bath might be personal taste but it's very very common personal taste. And you already have a small pool of buyers with the bungalow and modern decor.

I agree with the PPs about the zoning of the living room. You could put in a room dividing open bookshelf like this?

[nigelsbigface]

My first thought was also 'don't like the garden'-but I could get past that, I guess some open couldn't.But if you've prettied it up a bit I honestly can't see why it's not selling?
Maybe time to switch agents?

I feel for you-my house has only been on the market two weeks and it's doing my head in already!

[MilkTwoSugarsThanks]

OP, stop a minute and think.

You've asked why it isn't selling and posters are telling you, yet you're coming back to thread disagreeing and justifying the price.

At the end of the day... it's not selling. So the people telling you why it isn't selling are likely to be right.

It's only worth what someone is prepared to pay for it, regardless of what the independent valuers tell you.

[Dozer]

You might have views on what potential buyers should need/want, but if they want things (eg bath, green garden, neutral decor) that are different from your property, and cost money to change, that will stop them purchasing.

[Bringmewineandcake]

I love it! I'd happily buy a bungalow and I'm mid30s
I think there are too many photos, the last 10 or so aren't really adding anything so I'd suggest culling the number to no more than 15.
At the risk of upsetting your husband, the outside looks nowhere near as nice as the inside. I'd rather have a lawned garden than all those slabs with young children. I think the time and effort to change it all would put me off.
No idea why you're getting offers that are then being withdrawn though, that's rubbish!

[ShotsFired]

Its a very stylish house.

But it doesn't feel like a home from those pictures. I can't picture myself lounging on those sofas with a big bag of frazzles and House of Cards on netflix, say.

And the bathroom (sorry for this) looks like a grey concrete prison cell even though I personally prefer no bath but I accept that some weirdos need one.

The garden just looks hard and harsh (and the fencing and crappy garage is so completely out of keeping with the rest of the decor - like night and day different). And finally I hate those purple stones on any garden - they remind me of graves.

So while the finish is largely hi-spec inside, I'd still have to redecorate the living spaces and rip out all the bathroom walls and stuff like that.

[SoupDragon]

Picture 27 reminds me of a section on the Terrible Real Estate Agent Photos blog called "garden chairs of solitude" :)

[cocomom]

My DH only creative input to the house was the garden, I'll leave that there 😂

It must just be us but I wouldn't never live in a house I haven't decorated, I wouldn't buy a house and keep any paintwork or lighting original because it wouldn't feel like my home.

Also I didn't mention we do have 2 conditional offers on the table at a price we're happy with, unfortunately they still have to sell theirs

[FinallyHere]

I didn't mention we do have 2 conditional offers on the table at a price we're happy with

Just remind me, what was your question to start this thread?

[Crumbs1]

Mi lktwosugars is right why ask and not listen?

Everyone has been polite thus far but in truth it's hideous and we wouldn't step over the threshold. You like it fine, but most people will see loud, tacky, trying to be something it's not. Why would you make a small sitting room look even pokier with black wallpaper that has a vertical pattern that visually reduces the width of the room? Paint over it in a nice chalky white and put up a huge mirror to increase apparent size of room.

The breakfast bar is assumably because there isn't room for a table? How are little children or anyone over 45 going to sit on them safely and comfortably? You can't have a supper party on high stools so entertaining is limited. Maybe put a gas BBQ, some lightning and table outside and tell buyers you love entertaining informally. Give people an image of the life they want to live.

Nobody is going to want to sit in that back yard. It hasn't got a washing line so isn't even useful. Softening it would be difficult without pulling up half the slabs and putting plants in. A few pots isn't going to do it unless you buy some garden furniture to reduce impact of barren block and imprint the idea of how the area could be used.

Put something personal around the place so it looks like real people live there. Large photos of smiley people.

[cocomom]

But they aren't in the picture if they also can't sell theirs.

[cocomom]

It has got a washing line, I have two kids I have to dry washing somewhere.

Thanks for all the posts I have taken them on board I'll leave before this gets nasty

[strawberrypenguin]

I agree with others - too many paving slabs in the garden and if feedback is that's it's too modern then if you can I'd redecorate and just magnolia all the walls to get a sale.

[BeTheHokeyMan]

Beautiful house op as others said its like a show home and the price is good too. It would be a little too modern for me and if I'm honest I wouldn't like the slabs/squares of gravel in the front but that is just my personal taste .Overall a lovely home and I'm surprised it hasn't been snapped up !

[Itsmekathy]

Yes I was going to say people have been complimentary about your home but as the thread goes on it could get quite personal and insulting and sure enough someone has said it's hideous. I think you have enough advice to go on. Good luck!

[cocomom]

Thank you

[wowfudge]

When you are selling you have to detach and not take anything personally. It's a business deal, that's all. The point about décor is that even if it isn't your own choice, if it is neutral you can live with it until you get round to changing it. When it is really personalised and something someone else may actively dislike then they start thinking they will have to do work as soon as they move in. And it puts them off and may affect ant offer they make.

I showed a friend the RM listing for the house we eventually bought. Her reaction was that there was too much work for her ever to consider buying such a house. The issues were clutter on every surface and awful décor.

[Tumblethumps]

For me it's the garden; both the fence and the paving plus the lack of bath.

I can't really comment in price but it seems you get a lot for your money. I'm south Manchester and that would cost around 400-450k here so even in 'the north' there seems so much variation.
Good luck though

[Dozer]

Hope one of the offers works out OP.

[anon1987]

Lovely house op!!

My partner runs his own estate agents and I can tell you that it's usually price.
However (baring in mind I'm not clued up on Wigan prices) it looks like a Decent price, it would be 4xs the price where I'm from!.

It sounds like you're having a bit of bad luck with potential buyers. How about an open day?
That way the pressures on for the buyers and usually you get a good price and sometimes you get an offer over the asking price if they like your property enough.