Where have all the people who want to move to the country gone?

[notagoodidea]

We have a large country house that we have been trying to sell for the last 7 months or so but with only 2 viewings and no offers.
We are quite rural but can get supermarket delivery's ect, so not exactly cut off from the world.
There is a village very near by with a good primary school and a coop and even a bus service every hour to the nearest train station.
The location is great and the views are stunning but is is a large house.
From the house and patio you have a view down the garden to the loch and across to the hillside opposite, it is beautiful.
From looking at other threads on here i know it is "only worth what someone is prepared to pay for it" but it is on for £10k less than the home report valuation already and is priced at less than a 1 bed flat in London.
Does no one want to move to the country anymore?

I have put some pics on to show the view form the house then from the shore and lastly one from the hill just behind the house.
What do you think?

Good ideas, I think a new write up description and new photos and probably a new estate agent is the way forward.
On the positive we had the drive resurfaced on Saturday so that looks good for any prospective new owner to see when coming for a viewing.

Finally got the estate agent to put a better description up,
what do you think?

It’s better, but the photos and floorplan are the major selling tools and the photos are still the same on the Zoopla listing. It’s also taken far too longer for the EA to do anything - get a better agent on it.

wowfudge. i think you are right,
they are very reluctant to redo the photos it was a big struggle to get them to do the description.
I am thinking an agent like Savills who sell bigger type houses would probably be better?

Which EA is actually selling properties in your area, particularly ones in a similar price bracket? You are the customer so an EA who doesn’t do as you ask is no good. I’m pretty sure I suggested you change agents before.

Gorgeous, good price, but sadly it's in the arse of nowhere and I think it'll put off many who want to be by city action. I live less than 30 mins from a major city (20 mins by train) and it's perfect for us.

wowfudge. they all claim to be selling in this price bracket in my area that is the problem,
They all say "oh yes we sold one just last week or last month that was a bit smaller or just like yours and we got much more for it than you are asking for yours it will be no problem to sell it for you, and we will get the best price ect" the same spiel from all of them.
We have only just changed agents 6 weeks ago, but this lot are even worse than the previous agent despite all of their promises.
They are all but refusing to redo the photos and it has taken us 6 weeks to get them to put half decent description on the advert.
I am pulling my hair out with their attitude and excuses.
To get better photos i think i will have to change agent

but as we are pretty rural there are few local ones to chose from, that is why i was thinking perhaps Savills or another agent that deals more with larger houses?

I think you need to move quickly to change agents & get the most of the spring market.

There have been lots of suggestions for improving the look of the house BEFORE new photos are taken (eg repainting the red/green room, sofas out of bedrooms & weights out of living room).

The current photos aren't inviting enough to get viewers over the front door, the house needs more kerb appeal.

I honestly think you could take better photos yourself, once you have dressed the house a bit better.

And I would only use a Scottish-based agent for selling up here; the system is so different from England & your agents sound hopeless if they can't even get a basic description & floor plan right.

Your market is probably a youngish family moving from the city or someone who wants to run a business there. They are limited in numbers and whilst it looks clean and maintained there is nothing modern about it - so anyone who has the budget will have to price a full renovation.

What also surprised me was the price increase since 2007 - 150k in just over ten years. Are you sure the market has really moved that much.

My parents recently downsized in A similarly rural part of Wales and when looking at house prices they had barely increased in ten years.

I agree you need to move quickly to change agents. When the EAs are saying they’ve sold similar properties, have they not provided you with a copy of the details? You can also check what is selling via the ‘Market Information’ option on Rightmove.

The opening paragraph sounds a bit desperate, and is at odds with the rest of the description which paints it as an ideal family home.

I would lose the books photo, get rid of the red rug, get rid of the tablecloths and throws. The sofas look tired so avoid having close ups of them. Put away some of the pans in the kitchen. And lose the gym equipment. The bedrooms look lovely and bright but the beds don’t look brilliant. From the photos you can’t really tell if it’s actually a doer upper or ok to live in now. And the location, while stunning, is quite a way from other areas. So people might be inclined to come and view it if it looked really special but it’s not clear from the pictures if that’s the case. The main picture of the house makes it look really distant so not at all impressive for such a large property. I love the window photo with the view in the background.

There’s a large property for sale in Helensburgh itself (I don’t know the area at all) for £500k which looks better located and in a more modern style of decor. Many people who want to move out to the country might prefer this (I know £500k is much more than £400k but you did mention London earlier on and around here where I live you would definitely consider viewing a property that was over budget but in a good location and not needing work done).

Looking at the other agents, most seem to be on with Clyde Properties or Allen & Harris which look more professional in my opinion.

Camelfinger and wowfudge. i have been battling with the EA since they first posted the adverts asking them to redo the descriptions and photos, i have finally got them to put a better description ( not perfect or what i would have done but better than before ) but they are refusing to do new photos. i have already taken onboard most of the advise given on here with regard to the rug and extra furniture ect but without new photos no one can see it yet.
have had a call around and will get a new agent asap with hopefully much better photos.
Helensburgh is a much more expensive place, if my house was in Helensburgh it would be well over £100k more as the last local estate agent told me wistfully. 5 and 6 bed houses are going for £580 and £595 in Helensburgh thats almost £200k more for a smaller house.
We have kept the decor pretty plain (blank canvas) but it is in good condition throughout and not needing any work done except what you would want to do to put your own stamp on it. And if you were looking at the £580k house in Helensburgh, just think what you could do
with the £180k budget you had saved if you bought this one instead.

What’s the point of new photos if you’ve not done any redecorating? I can completely see their point.

I imagine the agents are a bit narked at getting the photos re-done, as it's primarily because of poor presentation in the first set.

If the house had been better presented initially, a further set wouldn't have been required.

I think you need to start looking at your home through a potential buyer's eyes, OP. In a situation where you're struggling to sell after a long time on the market & are on your second (possibly third) agent, you really need to up your game.

I know you love your home but you need to make it as attractive as possible to buyers.

There's been lots of good advice on this thread (and your other one) about how to present it better. Unless you're prepared to take that on board then it's going to languish unsold.

Decent agents would have suggested ways of presenting the house to give a better impression, eg moving the gym equipment, and taken better photographs in the first place. Older character properties are not best presented by neutralising them completely.

A good local agent should do that - an internet-based agent hundreds of miles away - not so likely to.

Have you tried to get the particulars put up in the wardroom at Faslane? Given the relocation of all the submarines to Faslane, and the Babcock staff there, that might generate some interest.

scaryteacher. That's a good idea