Fancy critiquing my house?

[HouseNameChange]

I think I'm made of stern enough stuff for this...

We've been on the market a while now and viewings are lacking. About 18 viewings in 4 months I think. Lots of positive feedback. One offer, far too low. Negative feedback is small second bedroom and on street parking.

Other houses in the area which are similar are selling. And often marketed at a higher price as well!

Any ideas on how I can get more people through the door? Preferably ideas that aren't going to cost me an absolute fortune. We've already painted the outside of the house to brighten it up.

What is wrong with my house?

And why is your fireplace glowing? Is it a portal to Narnia?

I would get rid of the green, It reminds me of old toilets, I would paint it all white/off white as it looks clean and fresh and gives a sense of space.

The rooms need to be staged so living room needs to look like a living room and dining room next to kitchen so switching rooms back.
Nice fresh vase of flowers on the bar in the kitchen.
I would also dress it, Get a nice throw for the sofa and new cushions and. Get rid of all the red cushions and boxes (but thats because I hate red)
Then I would market it at a lower price I think its overpriced.

Don't paint over the kitchen tiles. Just don't.

And yes to photographs showing the fireplace, the garden taken looking at the house as well as the current one.

Sow grass in the garden or get it turfed. Men like lawns.

Bathroom - I would get a white loo seat & some plain vinyl flooring, you could put it over the top of the old stuff.

God no don't paint the tiles in the kitchen, painted tiles never end up looking good. I actually like the kitchen, it's got a nice warm feeling to it.

It’s the price, I can’t see that it’s gone up £57000 in 3 years. The house that sold in September for 200k was in my option, better decorated and more cohesive use of space.

Probaly just going to repeat other posts.

The green is a bit bilious to be frank. I think you ought to go for off white.

The desk needs to come out. It's a study/dining room and looks odd.

It's an odd layout to have the front room as a dining room so could that be the lounge?

You have a lot of colour- green, red, kitchen tiles, bright blue upstairs - which is not to everyone's taste. I'd take down some of the red pictures and accessories and replace with something more neutral, but agree it's personal taste.

In your garden, you could get some flowering plants- you've missed the time for bulbs in containers but you could get some bedding and pot it up or some small shrubs.

Don't have the safety gate in the photos or for viewings.

Oh..another look!

The bathroom looks slightly tatty (sorry.) The boxing in round the loo is quite tatty. There seems to be a sticker / label of some sort on the pedestal of the loo. The first thing I saw was the loo brush in its holder (I hate loo brushes:))

The floor looks tatty and the side of the bath looks as if it needs a coat pf paint but that could be the photo.

It looks cold and unwelcoming in there.

I'd keep it white, but maybe break up the long wall with a big picture and a few coordinated accessories - a plant/ flowers/candle.
Nice coloured towels?

TBH that for me is the worst room and I'd want to refit it, but I think you could smarten it up.

God you lot are vultures

Sorry for not replying to individual comments but I'll do my best to reply to what has stood out to me.

Price I do think it's fairly priced. It's actually 10k below what we originally went out at. We are the cheapest of all the same style houses in the area. But of course if it won't sell then I need to consider price.

Colour I did think this would be an issue. The red room is an easy fix. I will definitely consider painting the green room. It does look bright in the photo, it's really not that bright. I'm glad most people like upstairs! I am not re tiling the entire kitchen, my god it's massive and would be a huge expense!!

Layout I hadn't even considered this and a lot of you are saying it. When it's your house it just seems normal! We have it that way around because of ease, it's easy to watch the kids when I'm in the kitchen. But also the front room doesn't have an easy layout to get much furniture into it. With the fireplace and the radiator and also the two doors create a corridor effect. But I hadn't thought of swapping them, definitely something we need to talk about. We would have to put some bits in storage, again something I hadn't considered.

The green room ha ha at so many of you calling it that. We have to have a desk for my husband and it's the only way to have both desk and dining table in there. We don't actually use the dining table because we eat at the kitchen table. I see what you all mean though that it's not inviting. The fireplace has lights in it hence the 'glow' although I do wish it did go to narnia 😂

Garden we did have a photo of the back of the house but it's a flat room extension so the agent removed it as they thought it might put people off. We do have pots and a table and chairs out there.

Anything else...erm yes the chair in the nursery is very much in use. Someone mentioned clutter? I literally removed so much stuff for those photos!! I'm not sure how much more I could remove?

Did I miss anything major?

Thank you everyone, it's so helpful to get an outside perspective. Everyone we know says it's fine. Which clearly it isn't because it hasn't sold.

No blind in the bathroom? Why not?

I agree the bathroom is tired! We have already replaced the loo seat. The brush could go and we could paint the side of the bath. The blind was chucked because it was mouldy and never used anyway.

Oh and safety gates, it's fine to say remove them but literally in a house this size where am I supposed to put them?!

You missed my bathroom comments. why is there still a builder's / store label on your loo?
Is the paint coming off the side panel of the bath at floor level?
Why is there no blind or curtains?
Why is there an 'odd' pine loo seat and not white?

stick the safety gate in the cupboard or the dining room or under a bed while you have viewings and photos done- or in your car!!

Why has it got such a weird For Sale sign outside, did you draw it?! Get rid of that and the low pots. Put a buxus ball or something either side of the front door in matching pots.

Get rid of the green! And make that front room a living room.

Middle room becomes your study and dining room. I’d tone down the black and red if you possibly can, they’re not very homely.

Kitchen: lose all those stools and random extra chairs. Lose dog bed for photo purposes. Lose high chair for photo purposes. Clear all clutter from tops etc.

Upstairs: lose the chair from the baby’s room. Put it downstairs somewhere, it’s a nice chair.

Good luck :)

Would you believe I've never noticed that label on the toilet and I've lived here 7 years??

I also agree with moving the living room into the front room and the dining table into the room next to the kitchen, as per your room layout. Paint the living room a more neutral colour as the green is a bit in your face. Apart from that, I think it is a lovely house and your kitchen is very welcoming. Your bedroom looks relaxing and your babies room is gorgeous. Good luck OP!

Why do you have a wardrobe in your lounge? It would suggest to me that there wasn't enough storage space upstairs.

Maybe grow some climbing plants up the breeze block right hand garden wall.

Could you stretch to replacing the loo for a more modern design and box it in better?

Replace the vinyl flooring?

Get a lovely blind? (Blinds2Go are online and very cheap.)

Might all come to around £500 but would it help?

It’s the price, I can’t see that it’s gone up £57000 in 3 years. The house that sold in September for 200k was in my option, better decorated and more cohesive use of space.**

^I agree. Your house is not worth what you think it is. Also it looks tired and I first thought it was a rental place judging by the decor.

the front room doesn't have an easy layout to get much furniture into it. With the fireplace and the radiator and also the two doors create a corridor effect

So you have to show buyers that it IS possible to have a nice welcoming sitting room here, because by not using it as such, and making it a non-room in effect (a dining space you never use, a desk that most buyers won’t need) you are creating the impression that it’s too difficult not to have a horrible corridor room...

The for sale sign is weird. But it's the agents not mine!

Literally nowhere for the chair from the nursery to go downstairs. And I need it. I still have to live here.

What dog bed? I don't have a dog bed?

Men like lawns

Do they now? I thought they like steak and blowjobs 😐

Would you believe I've never noticed that label on the toilet and I've lived here 7 years??

Good grief? You've not been on your hands and knees enough washing the floor!

Can you put the dining table in storage (or swap it with a sofa in the living room)and put a sofa in the green room? If that’s the first room potential buyers step into, it just seems a bit unwelcoming. I think you could get away with leaving the desk if there was a sofa in there, maybe with a nice rug and a picture on the chimney breast. Agree with paining it white or a warmer colour.

You are confusing what you need to live and what you need to have on display for photos and viewings.

Definitely get rid of stuff for photos.
Get rid of anything you can during viewings, even into your car.