Why aren’t we getting viewings?

[Wattc]

House has been on the market 9 weeks and reduced twice at the advice of our EA. Only a handful of viewings and no offers. Any thoughts?

Why don't agents say things like "put the bleach away" "make the bed" before taking these photos.

I know they didn't when we last sold and when you live with something everyday you stop seeing it, so most vendors will need a little help on that front,

It looks like you saw a house you liked so threw yours on the market with no preparation whatsoever in the hope you’d sell it and be able to buy the house you like.

The sofa looks like someone’s just spent a Sunday morning lounging hungover on it. How hard is it to fluff a pillow?

When our landlord sold our rented house they were in for ages fluffing pillows and folding blankets for the pics.

You could maybe look at your local freecycle to see if there are any sofas and rugs op? You could maybe replace yours and get a nice rug in the living room. Worst case, you could get some leather cleaner anc cream and give it a good going over, and a nice throw and rug from ikea for not much money.

Freecycle might also have some nice bits and bobs you could use to soften the room. Worth a look.

Thr turf out the back needs dealing with as it's going to die. It's not been laid right and the edges are pulling away, it needs a really good water or it will be dead within days.

The pics need retaken. And all rooms included. Is there a reason they are not shown?

Overall this is a huge house for the money, up to five bedrooms, and with a little bit of effort it could go.

I'd relist it as a five bed if possible.

I like the layout of the house but none of the pictures back this up, second what others have said. With pictures like this all I see is the need to refurbish every single room. I would also want to cover the sofa up as normally I can see around furniture but that sofa has my full attention. A nice coloured throw with pillows that bring out some more colour would be good as there is too much brown. The majority of the pictures are terrible so please as others have suggested get the EA back to retake them. But do make some changes first, curb appeal being the first and making the 2 "bed"rooms into functioning rooms, snug and dinning area. Declutter everything, put things into storage or even the car for viewings like clothes, clothes racks, random stuff. Fresh flowers and furniture (the illusion works as well) that gives an idea of how well this house works and looks.

If you look at others for sale in the area the photos are poor must be the same useless EA

I’m obviously in the minority but I’d view it.
The layout, the rooms, the outdoor space, the potential.

It looks aged (not intended as an insult), so I’d be going in looking at how and what I would be changing and replacing anyway and would reflect that in any offer made.

Is it priced as needing to be updated etc?

Price.

Decor.

Clutter.

It’s a decent house with potential, just badly presented. Declutter, pretty it up and insist on new photographs.

Wait a minute. This is the second house recently that’s been posted and the OP hasn’t come back.

Are we just giving EAs free tips?

I am always put off by a cluttered, dirty house as I think if they can't be bothered to clean whilst up for sale they probably have done no maintenance whatsever and the house has hidden problems.
I think it is a great family house for the money BTW, with a little love and attention it will fly.

I agree with all the pps. I love decorating any house I move into, but there is a lot to do on yours. The loud wallpaper for one - do yourself a favour and strip the wallpaper and give it a coat of magnolia. And bleach the hell out of the bathroom - it really does look dirty.

I am always put off by a cluttered, dirty house as I think if they can't be bothered to clean whilst up for sale they probably have done no maintenance whatsever and the house has hidden problems.

Exactly that!

My goodness. Sack your estate agent as they are clearly not advising you properly.

The first photo is dreadful. It makes your house look like a shed. Very bland. Concrete and brick. A few planters or hanging baskets would transform the look of it. The back of your house is lovely and it appears it backs onto open countryside but pepole aren't going to get that far as the front looks so grim.

Inside - photos equally shocking. Clear the kitchen surfaces and put the lights off to take the picture. it looks like a disco. The lounge looks very tired with that brown sofa - you appear to have a more modern piece of grey furniture barely visible in the photo so flip the photo round to the other angle. The dining photo - a tiny table with two chairs is not enough for a 3 bed, family home. People are thinking "too small, nowhere to eat". What are you THINKING getting them to take photos of your exercise bike and your washing????

Baby's room lovely and colourful. Bathroom dated but functional. And for goodness sakes, make your bed!!!

You need to have a good tidy. Present your two bedrooms as bedrooms or an office or whatever, not an exercise bike room and a dumping ground. And ask the agent what the hell they were thinking.

It looks a bit untidy and unloved. The kitchen looks small, dark and a bit unclean.

It's nothing that a good declutter, a rearrange and some stunt furniture/flowers can't solve though. Re dress the house, clear the work surfaces and get rid of as much clutter as you can and add some nice bright touches like flowers or cushions.

Pictures are awful, even google maps has a better picture from the front. You also need to do a deep clean, declutter especially the kitchen.

Bathroom looks a bit grotty, needs grout to be cleaned, cleaning products put away.

Plus what everyone else said and IRON your bedsheets before photos taken.

It just needs to be dressed before you take pictures. The garden probably looks better now so get new pictures. You can take your own photos. Get loads and pick which ones you like most, adjust them, ie lighter, more colourful. Get photos of the lovely views from bedroom windows.

Have the prices risen in there so much in last 2 years?
It was bought for 206k in 2017 Now it went on for 240k and lowered to 220k.
Have you added the extension or smth?

I'm gonna be brutally honest here - it's an ugly house.
The front looks grim.
The rooms are badly decorated and cluttered.
New kitchen and bathroom needed.
For that price it's not appealing to most people.

The photos look really amateur. Not showing the widest angles of rooms, etc.

Get all the coloured walls painted magnolia.

Few hanging baskets and fake hedge ball trees out the front.

Wide angle lense photos, we can hardly see any of the bedroom space.

It's a 3-bed on a fast road in a rural area: lots of family buyers would be put off by that so you have limited appeal to start off with.
Then you have presented the house as you live in it: only using some of the rooms, so it isn't shown to its full potential.

According to the pictures you have a young baby and a dog. Does that make it harder for you to prep the house for viewings? Does the house smell doggy?

Prices really haven't gone up significantly since Oct 2017 so you may need to prepare yourself for a hit: especially as you aren't really presenting the house as a 'completely liveable family home.

^^lots of advice above re presenting the house for photos as well as viewings, but you know this really, it's just finding the time/money to invest. Ask friends and family to lend a spare bed and a few accessories (which you will not let your dog eat!) to dress each room more nicely for the pictures. Good luck.

The photos are really bad, and I agree with the rest of the comments that the rooms look small, cluttered, messy and unloved. Why are there random pics of exercise bikes and hanging rails?

I think you might want to speak to a different estate agent about representing you.

Look at the pictures of 195 Herne Road that sold last August.
Dress your house to give off that 'looked after and cherished' vibe.
People will have different tastes so that's less important: it's that it looks loved that counts.

If the photo from longtermHelen is right, it looks like this house might have some really nice views? If so, can a photo of the views be added?

God that would be perfect for me. You'd have to pay around £450,000-£500,000 to get that around here. I could see past the boring and badly taken photos, but some people can't.

To be honest it look like it needs a lot of money on it to make it a nice house.

Furniture pushed right up to the walls just make the rooms look small.