Next door ruining our chance of selling?

[Helloitsme123]

Came on here for a rant really. We have had our house up for sale for nearly 6 week, 7 viewings and everyone has commented how lovely it is only thing putting the off is next door has planning permission to build 9 houses on their field. Also 43 houses have been approved to go up opposite, we know the people who own the land and they had told us these plans could be in 2/5/10 years it’s just the permission is there. I’m at my wits end! Is everyone out there actually interested in buying a house with new builds going up next door? So frustrating as we’ve seen a house we love

You've still chosen to market it at that price - what I have posted is what potential buyers will be thinking.

i'm being honest OP, I wouldn't want to live where they were going to build lots of new houses.
I hate new builds and prefer space around me, it doesn't have to be my land, but spare nevertheless.
The noise and mess during the build would definitely put me off.

I’m going to give estate agent a call tomorrow and suggest C£305k, I think that’s a reasonable price.

Discuss it with your EA OP but most people use the rightmove price brackets which are 350,000 I think then 300,000. You might find you widen your audience if you drop to 300k (or 299,999) as people who put the max of 300,000 would still see it.

I haven't seen your house but think about it- if you're looking to buy in your area, why buy a house that you'll need to do work to (ie yours, everyone's taste is different) when in a few months there'll be brand spank new houses you can buy off-plan right next door?

People will be attracted to whatever they can't get out of the new build, whether that's a swift exchange, a large garden w/parking spaces for x cars, bigger rooms or an advantageous price to reflect the disruption of the build and loss of view. You have to play to your strengths and big up what you can.

Just checked - there's a 325000 but you see my point!

I think it’s the uncertainty. Not really knowing what would be built or when, plans can change etc. If Work was already underway and i could see what was being done I’d feel differently - do you need to move now? I suspect you’ll struggle sadly.

We had to sell my mums house last year which was beautiful and in a very in demand area but had some complexities - to some they could be a huge bonus, others were totally put off. Took us 15 months and a couple of price cuts but we got there in the end.

I’ve tried 2 of them ‘webuyanyhouse’ companies and both offering £255-270k shock we paid £290k in May 2016

They tend to offer 10% less than market value, so sounds like what you paid 2 years ago is what it's still valued at.

Your "improvements" won't be everyone's cup of tea so won't necessarily add value (fake grass is a big turn off for me, suggests the ground is soggy or the garden doesn't get sun etc)

Or offers in excess of £300k would still show it in the £300k bracket

It’s not a huge patch of grass anyway pretty small. We’ve had loads of viewing the past few weeks so something’s telling me it isn’t the artificial grass/property but definitely the planning lol smile

Most likely a bit of both
You see for me, fake grass isn't just a matter of personal preference
It's what people put down when the underlying soil is too crap to easily grow a lawn. I know some people chose it, but it does say "cold, boggy, wet useless ground" to me and I don't want a house built in scrappy boggy soil as they often get damp issues

There’s never been grass in the garden. It was all gravel stones which where dig up and artificial grass put down. It’s not soggy at all as underneath there has never been any soil. People love to assume it’s had a shit lawn before but it never has, just a load of gravel stones.

People love to assume it’s had a shit lawn before but it never has

Well yeah but that's my point. This is what fake grass makes people think: never gets Sun and/or boggy.

What people assume is what matters when you're selling!

We put down artificial instead of laying soil and trying to grow a real lawn due to the dogs as we didn’t want them getting muddy when it rained

We put down artificial instead of laying soil and trying to grow a real lawn due to the dogs as we didn’t want them getting muddy when it rained

Buyers don't care why you did it. They just care about the impression it gives them. I think fake grass and I feel cold. Because it's usually in cold dark damp gardens.
You can tell me otherwise, but I'll still have that cold bleak feeling I associate with it.

Ok

Have only read first page but if it makes you feel better OP - I bought a new build house 10 yrs ago while the road was still only half constructed (so knew there would be lots of on going noise) and knowing that the plot immediately behind us was going to built on separately soon after.

Then in our current house which we bought recently we knew upon offering that a massive development is planned at the rear and will directly alter our views and so on.

There are people like us out there who cn see past things like building plans. However admittedly it narrows your buyer pool and given yours is a detached with land around, it sounds like your type of buyer will be more particular about not wanting to feel encroached on so again narrows the buyer pool

I didn't see the house as I was too late. But it's a shame that the building will put buyers off. Six weeks is no time at all to be on the market. And I agree with not saying downsizing if the house isn't very big. Make up a different story. Wanting to move near elderly parents or something or new job. All's fair in love and selling houses.

I know your house is renovated, but would the land be worth more to the builders? how many houses can they build on your plot? would your plot give them an easier access to the land they already have?

dont think about your lovely house and what you have done to it, think about what the land and access may be worth to the builder. might be worth approaching them.

OP, do you know when the planning permissions were granted?

Now planning laws have been relaxed pretty much any green space can be built on and that includes green belt, so anyone with a view onto fields or countryside is at risk of loosing that at anytime, it’s a different world we live in now re planning, nowhere is immune to development and any purchaser who could not cope with that will either have to buy a house standing in its own acreage or buy in an area which is already built up so they at least know what they see is what they get. I always raise my eyebrow when watching property programmes such as Escape to the country, Location x 3 etc and the prospective purchasers are admiring the view of fields and countryside, I always think enjoy it while you can it’s unlikely to last.

I think you should cut your losses and sell now, even if it’s for what you paid in May 2016. You’ll make a loss - lesson learned. You don’t want to be sitting on a 270k house after 4 years of construction.

Also, in the nicest possible way, you need to stop thinking of this as your home and as an asset you need to sell. Don’t take it all so personally or be so defensive. That will only - only - ever put buyers off. They may have some initial interest but if you go back with the sort of replies you’re putting on this thread, they’ll just walk away. After all, very soon a whole bunch of new houses will be available soon. You’re asking for their money: you need to give them their money’s worth.

Crikey the way people are going on here! it’s not as if a nuclear power plant is being built in the OP’s back garden it’s a development of houses like thousands of others throughout the country, most houses have others around them, it’s quite normal! Yes people don’t like the unknown and no one likes building sites etc but it’s the way of the world now. plum what lesson has the OP learned?? I don’t think they have been particularly defensive in fact I think they have taken the comments really well considering many posters on here have basically said their house is unsalable, it should be knocked down and offered for development etc, comments like that are obviously going to worry the OP it’s their biggest financial assets after all, mind you OP you could make an absolute killing if you did sell yours to a developer, perphaps you and the owner of the paddock should have a chat.....

I saw the link last night. Things that would bother me:

Artificial grass (sorry but it's awful and like pp have said gives the impression that real grass wouldn't grow as the garden is too wet/dark)

Front door leading directly into the lounge.

The particulars said that the fireplace is plumbed in for a Woodburner and radiator- is there no heating in the living room then? Why haven't you put a stove in?

Planning permission.

The fact that you bought it recently and are now asking for 30k more.

I agree that you need to come to terms with the fact you aren’t selling the same house you purchased.

Also, downsizing makes no sense. I didn’t see your link but I would be very suspicious of why someone would have done up a house in their high standards and didn’t use existing 2 bedrooms but chose to convert a downstairs dining space into a bedroom. My thoughts would be... what’s wrong with upstairs? Bad insulation? Does the upstairs get super cold? Rats in the loft running about at night?