What's wrong with our house?

[sueyandcol1]

Hi all. I'm a retired gran living in west London with DH and I would really appreciate some practical advice please.

Our house has been on the market for 4 weeks and we haven't had a single viewer. I know the price may seem high but that's about average for this area. We can't work out what's wrong with it. We know we could rip out the brown bathroom, paint all the walls white, etc, and if we haven't sold in six months then maybe that's what we'll do. But we're just wondering if there's anything obviously "wrong" that we can fix without spending too much money. We just want to get some viewers! Any practical suggestions would be most welcome...

Please see www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/44957399?betabanner_dismiss=1#8IpVgvS6tHJhxHgW.97

Well no one has suggested making it open plan, putting bi fold doors in or painting it grey.

Making the kitchen dining room one isn’t open plan, open plan would be if they also knocked down into thr living room. All that’s been said is it’s a tiny galley kitchen so a kitchen diner would be a better use of the space.

It’s because it’s £900k and needs completely re decorating with a new bathroom and kitchen . It’s a lot of money to spend and then have to spend another £25-50k on decorating .

Also the actual decor is very dated and some people can’t see beyond your furniture which makes it look dark .

I like it. I could make that nice easily. The brown bathroom suite dated but the tiles in the bathroom are lovely. I'd try and keep those.

It was on for £925k

I think you need to get some local agents round to give you honest valuations because there seems to be a massive disconnect between the price and what it's actually worth to a buyer.

When a significantly bigger, refurbished house has sold down the road for less, plus the market has dipped a little in London, then your pricing is very obviously wrong.

It really isn't a question of not being able to see past the decor either.

I've always bought property that's needed work. That doesn't mean I'm prepared to pay more than it is worth. Besides, if it's way off it then when it comes to the mortgage valuation there will be a problem.

I think you need to leave the house as it is and reduce the price. Don't spend a penny on it as it's clean and tidy. It's a house where a buyer will rip out absolutely everything I'm afraid so price it lower and it will get snapped up but don't spend a penny on it as it will all be replaced. Hope that doesn't offend you but that's the reality.

It's obviously a much loved, well cared for, clean and tidy home. But, it's not modern and so needs a lot of work and a fair amount of money spending on it.

How many valuations did you have? I think other posters are correct that it is over priced.

Hope you're ok this morning OP - Didn't want to upset you. It's hard when it's your home and you've lived there and have happy memories to look at a place objectively and without emotion.
xx

Can't believe people are saying the kitchen needs replacing, I thought the cupboards are really nice!

I think the kitchen needs replacing - the cupboard doors are wonky and look cheap. The hob, oven and sink are all really cheap looking. It doesn’t look like the kitchen of a £900k house. Yes it’s clean, but it looks cheap and dated.

@QuestionableMouse Do you think it’s s nice kitchen for a 900k house?
IMO, maybe would be ok in a cheaper part of the country, in a house priced at 150k. But in a 900k house? I’d say the expectation would be for sth a LOT more upmarket if it was to be kept.

I agree with Quack. Galley kitchens also put a lot of people off these days, especially in that price bracket.

I do think the photos aren't really that good
I would get some local estate agents in to give you some prices to compare. They will have a better idea of what houses have sold for recently and what you could realistically expect to get for yours, bearing in mind it does need modernising
Maybe thin out some of the furniture and define the areas better and have beds in all the bedrooms and definitely don't include a photo of your bathroom
It is a lovely house, though

Questionable, it looks like it was fitted in the early 80's. It still looks in good nick, so it was probably a decent quality kitchen at the time.

However , the whole house looks like it last had a refurb 30+ years ago. Though beautifully kept, the fittings aren't to modern tastes or standards and so buyers will knock that off their offer mental valuation, as well as the location issues of N circ & 360 degree surrounding train lines & associated noise/vibration potential. You need to be realistic about your asking price, suey. The house is charming but astronomically priced.

I'm really hoping that the op isn't very upset.

I'm also hoping it is actually the op's house and not some nonsense where someone is thinking about buying but feels it's overpriced...

And when you see such a dated house, you assume they haven't maintained anything, so the wiring, plumbing, heating, roof, etc will also be dated and need replacing when you upgrade everything. This coupled with using an online estate agent and offers over screams cheap and trying to pull as much money on the house without having brought it up to modern standard.

'I'm really hoping that the op isn't very upset.'

It's far more upsetting to be sitting in a house that will never sell.

Outside is lovely but inside is just not what people are looking for now, neither is my house which looks like a witchcraft museum.
You just know that you are going to have to replace all that tiling, the kitchen, paint everywhere, do everything to achieve a more modern look.
Unless the price reflects that people aren't even going to bother to come and look.
I know whenever I have viewed a house before if there is any major renovation needing doing and the price is top end of budget I don't even bother to look upstairs, I just walk in and walk out.
You have a choice, either lower the price or neutralise everything.
My last house didn't sell for an entire year, out of desperation I painted the whole place white and it sold in a week.......at £30,000 off the asking price.

Oh my days; I've just looked at the house that sold on the same road in July.

That has house been totally modernised, has a ground floor extension and a loft conversion yet you are marketing your house for £20k more than that sold for just 2 months ago.

You couldn't get a better indication of what your house is worth than a directly comparable property on the same street in recent months.

What is your logic in thinking yours is worth more than a bigger, better presented, completely modernised property?

You seriously need to drop the price by over £100k.

There isn't anything in this house that can't be changed. Even the shape of the kitchen could be altered by knocking a wall down. But all this costs money. And the price must reflect this.

Our house needs updating but I don't think I like it enough to bother doing it. I'd like a different house but anything better would cost too much if we want to keep good location biggish garden and so on.

But if we sold then we'd have to drop the price accordingly.

'You seriously need to drop the price by over £100k.'

They won't. A lot of people are still living in 2005 and thinking, but of course it's worth this price! Prices are dropping because the interest rate will rise, Brexit uncertainty and its being harder to borrow money. Offers over works in Scotland because it's the done thing there and the price is generally set for offers of 20-30% the price but it's not common in England. There are loads of houses on the market up here not selling because people just won't realise there's no more property boom.

@carelessproffessional

We don’t like open plan but that’s beyond the point.

Where's Sue and Col gone. I got to the end of this long thread hoping for an explanation on the contents of the bidet.
I think it's a lovely house OP but like many have said, with the updating needed the price needs looking at. I never like the offers over business either.

Anyone else noticed the house backs on to the main rail line going into Paddington from the west? I know it's London so you don't expect silence but Paddington main line will definitely put me off!