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Original poster

House up for sale for 2 weeks only 1 viewing

139 replies

Alexsb1 · 20/03/2018 15:47

So we have taken the plunge and put out house on the market . We have been here 14 years and its our 1st home so we don't really know what to expect in relation to selling a house . We got 3 estate agents out for valuation and went with the highest one out of the 3. Happy with pictures and description etc. We had been told by all 3 wouldn't take long to sell as ideal 1st time buyers or buy to let property . So expectations were quite high..... 2 weeks in we have had 1 cancelled viewing and 1 viewing that is 'going' to let us know. I am now slightly worried about the lack of interest and worried we have overpriced or something . Any help/advice?? Ty

OP posts:
mathanxiety · 22/03/2018 20:25

Price and first impression are linked, wowfudge.

The asking price for a house that on first glance looks dowdy and cluttered is going to elicit a 'pfft' response from people clicking on properties online. You don't want to be dismissed out of hand, which people do, for cosmetic reasons.

This house is already suffering from two drawbacks, the pylons and the flying freehold, so maximising the good points is more necessary than it might be in another property. This is done by suggesting it is more spacious and livable than it may be for a couple and one child. You do that by minimising personal clutter and suggesting a lifestyle that can take place within the walls.

Most of the suggestions I posted are easy to accomplish. You have to pay attention to many details to create a big picture.

This is a nice house with scope for transforming into a very livable space (kitchen diner for instance) and there is room to expand it too, subject to pp (into the side garden). I think the OP's estate agent hasn't been doing his or her job if they were happy to leave the property 'as is' for presentation. It doesn't do the house justice.

mathanxiety · 22/03/2018 20:31

One more suggestion - hanging baskets on the front fence near the gate if it will support the weight, and on the front of the house.

MovingAgainOhWhy · 22/03/2018 20:35

Wow I think people are really obsessed with those house selling programmes! I'm not sure you need to do all that right now

It's only been two weeks, I don't think that is a long time in the timescale of selling houses

But do consider price etc and take photos on a sunny day if you do struggle a bit after the next few weeks.

In my area houses that sell is down to price and location, not wallpaper choices

SpringHen · 22/03/2018 20:56

That's what I thought. Some of this thread reminds me of some of the viewers on A Place in the Country program, spoilt

Its actually the exact opposite: when I buy its a stretch as I dont have a huge household income so all savings go towards deposit & conveyancy, therefore any "issues" need to be minor enough to live with for a few years while we slowely fix things as we can afford to.

Theres just too much to "put up with" at the mo with this property. If half the rooms needed doing its okay cause you have some okay rooms too. But everywhere needs work here.

If I was more "spoilt" and could throw money at it before moving in it wouldnt be so bad, but then again if I had all that extra money I would prob chose a bigger house....

Thats my take on it anyway

Vitalogy · 22/03/2018 21:01

In my area houses that sell is down to price and location, not wallpaper choices Same here. A lot of the advice on here will be suitable for high end areas London most places it's just not needed.

Vitalogy · 22/03/2018 21:16

SpringHen You sound like you've moved a good few times, me too, always been a stretch for me as well, I go for the price/area, decor/ other peoples stuff is the least of my worries.

selly24 · 22/03/2018 21:31

Some hints from me.
Exchange your huge fridge for a small under counter level one, create a U shaped kitchen extra piece of worktop should be cheap.
Double bed needs presenting properly. Pull duvet straight at base of mattress, only slightly over hanging the actual mattress. Create a cuff by flipping over the top of the duvet and in line with pillows and pulling straight. Stand pillows against head board / wall neatly. Use iron in situ on duvet /pillows if needed. Change to ivory/beige sheet set. ( Check reduced stock in Dunelm
For bargains) Change toilet seat white simple style is fine and remove toiletries for photos.
Living room: smooth down sofa, plump up cushions. (get a few new cheap inserts if needed from Dumelm). Vase of real flowers in the blank fireplace.
All curtains: pull back fully and ensure straight. Agent's photographer should have noted and paid more attention to details. Hmm
Posters off wall in single room.
All clutter banished. Consider short term self storage?
Get all hands on deck/hire a cleaner and clean paintwork, skirtings.
Replace landing carpet ( lifting badly)
Don't use air fresheners.
Good luck and stick with your price. Once presented well you will feel more than justified to ask it!

SpringHen · 22/03/2018 22:13

I go for the price/area, decor/ other peoples stuff is the least of my worries

Its got nothing to do with "other peoples stuff* & the work it needs is more than a superficial lick of paint. Also I cant afford to buy an asset that I would struggle to sell (flying freehold).

MovingAgainOhWhy · 22/03/2018 22:30

Vitalogy
I agree as someone who lived in London for many years 😁

wowfudge · 22/03/2018 23:41

Some of the posts on this thread are suggesting the OP needs to do frankly ludicrous amounts of work and it's really not the case - it's a FTB type property in a not very expensive area. It does not need staging to the degree some have suggested.

mathanxiety · 23/03/2018 05:07

FTBs might be more interested if they weren't faced with so much redoing. Some people worry that the amount of work involved in painting, wallpaper issues, etc will be expensive or too much work.

The length of time a property remains on the market can affect its chance of selling too. It can become a vicious circle.

PlumsGalore · 23/03/2018 05:26

Decorating doesn't concern me, not even Artex but I am a decorators daughter and have ripped a couple of houses almost apart and ended with a lovely finish but am seeing this from a first time buyers perspective. DS is currently looking for his first house and prices in your area seem similar to ours for size.

So what would I say to him if he viewed this house?

Needs a new kitchen and bathroom son, and you are pushed to limits buying your first house as it is, you simply don't have the cash to replace those. Also it needs the fireplace opening up. Let's see if we can find something similar that doesn't need the new kitchen and bathroom.

That's it, too much hassle and money for a FTB.

ivykaty44 · 23/03/2018 05:38

I can’t see that much clutter, apart from the blue box in the lounge ( stick out like a sore theme) and stuff on the top of cupboards in the kitchen - guess the kitchens to small, the fridge looks gigantic in there

Why not wait till the week after Easter and see, as that’s the time when people look

wowfudge · 23/03/2018 07:30

@mathanxiety I disagree with you. Your list is excessive and full of your personal preferences. We're discussing a house which has been on the market for a couple of weeks and is probably overpriced.

The house will be redecorated by anyone who buys it and they'll probably look at replacing the kitchen and bathroom. There's no point in the OP doing either of those things as she'll not recoup the costs.

MessySurfaces · 23/03/2018 10:39

@ivykaty44 that's the point- it's the clutter you don't see that is getting at your subconscious! We can all dismiss a blue box and not have that affect our feelings Re a house, but the really subtle stuff makes us feel like a place is or isn't "big enough". Someone once told me that you perceive rooms as bigger if you can see the corners- it does work, bizzarrely.
For what it's worth, OP, I'd do the things on mathsanxiety's list that are easy/cheap, and get new photos on a better day and see how things go. Your agent needs a bollocking for some of the pics! I bet your kitchen is a perfectly reasonable room, but that angle is not working!
And you can totally sell the lifestyle to FTBs anywhere- you want it to be saying "great cozy home, look you can even bring up kids here without it being cramped!"

SpringHen · 23/03/2018 10:48

Exactly! The problems you DO see hint that there will be more problems you dont.

There are always hidden issues even in houses that seem well done.

If the decorating isnt done it hints that the maintenance isnt done either.

Oliversmumsarmy · 23/03/2018 10:57

My biggest issue would be pylons. Unfortunately there is nothing you can do about it.

Thundercatshoooo · 23/03/2018 11:08

The pylon would put me off, but that's just me. There's obviously nothing you can do about that, you've got it on the pictures so that's good, it'll save you wasting time on viewings that go nowhere. We viewed a house where they took the picture from an angle that cut the pylon off when it was practically over the house!

There are things you can do to make the house more appealing though. I think like others have suggested a bit of decluttering and making the house more neutral could help. Lick of paint here and there would make a huge difference too for not much ££. It's a nice 1st house though, a bit of tarting up I'm sure it'll sell.

GoldenHefalump · 23/03/2018 11:14

By far the biggest issue for me would be the kitchen tbh...it looks cramped and old fashioned (sorry).

The fridge is a big problem - I would either move it or try and exchange for two under counter fridge/freezers and cram them in somewhere, even if it meant loosing a cupboard.

I would try and tart the kitchen up on the cheap. Cream wood paint to paint all the cupboards and new, modern handles. Super cheap. And it needs a declutter.

Kenny33 · 23/03/2018 14:54

I think it looks like a nice house, as others have said maybe spruce it up a bit and de clutter. It does seem to be a strange market at the moment - frozen. That said there is usually an upswing in activity in spring.

I sold my flat last October. We had loads of viewings but no offer, one low offer and then two good offers who ended up bidding each other up after 3 weeks on the market. My friend sold hers in the same block 6 months earlier for asking price, in a week. My other friend now has hers on the market (again in the same block) and has only hadn’t one viewing in three weeks. The estate agent has just told her that she’ll need to reduce the price to 10k less than mine sold for last October as the market has changed. This is in central Manchester.

Angryosaurus · 23/03/2018 15:04

It does not need a new bathroom!

Vitalogy · 23/03/2018 15:09

I not sure why, it has a white suite, with a bit of shell on the bath. Bung a shower in and a bit of paint, jobs a good un.

Chloe1984 · 23/03/2018 16:07

How old is the house?

Tika77 · 23/03/2018 16:21

I’m always amazed how mumsnetters can’t see behind cosmetics. I probably wouldn’t spend anything if I wanted to sell it.

FluffyWuffy100 · 23/03/2018 16:29

I not sure why, it has a white suite, with a bit of shell on the bath. Bung a shower in and a bit of paint, jobs a good un.

You can’t just bung a shower up.

There is a window in the way and the wall isn’t tiled high enough.

So you’re going to either end up putting a new bathroom in, or doing a bodge job of putting more tiles up which is going to be still kinda expensive and look bad.