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Original poster

Selling our house (link included)

67 replies

SellingOurHome · 09/09/2019 14:08

Hi Mumsnet,

I wondered if I could get some feedback on our house - please be gentle.

Our house has had 5 offers in total from £545,000 - 567,500 and we have had 4 buyers now, all of which have dropped out (not them dropping out but their buyers dropping out - they are still trying to sell and some are still interested in the property). We dropped our price for a quick sale from £575,000 to £535,000 but it's pretty slow...

Just wondering if anything can be done to help improve it? Our EA is saying it's just a matter of time, but I feel like i'd like to be more productive.

I know the rooms are small and the kitchen is only half way round the room, multiple floors.. etc, not ideal. Not much that can be done about that :(

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-83112542.html

OP posts:

PurpleWithRed · 09/09/2019 15:01

It's absolutely lovely and I would rush round to see it. You can tinker with the listing but there's nothing there to put people off that's easily fixable and plenty there that gets over the disadvantages of 3-storey living. Good luck!

MarigoldGlove · 09/09/2019 15:04

People definitely want to see the bathroom. They want to know if it’s going to need to be redone and if there isn’t a photo I’d assume it was terrible.

I agree that the living room photo should be retaken as it makes the ceiling look low.

rosinavera · 09/09/2019 15:07

I think it's stunning - you have great taste! I think like the a previous PP said if you haven't sold by November then put it back on the market in the spring.

princesconsuelabananahammock · 09/09/2019 15:08

I think your house is lovely and not much you could do apart from waiting for another buyer.
I do think your EA is extremely wrong on the bathroom photos though. I always think if there are no photos of a bathroom that there must be something wrong or ugly/dated about it (not yours).
I always think the kitchen, lounge and bathroom photos are the most important photos, definitely more so than bedrooms.
I'd try and get it added too. Good luck

DuchessOfDukeStreet · 09/09/2019 15:08

What about taking the small table out of the kitchen to make it look a bit more spacious? You've got a nice big table in the dining room straight off the kitchen so it's a bit redundant and only seats two anyway. And yes to bathroom photos.

It's a beautifully decorated house, OP - it's just a weird time to be selling houses.

FrenchJunebug · 09/09/2019 15:19

the pictures of the living make it look as if the ceiling is very low. Is that the case? Also the table in the kitchen is tiny making it look as if the kitchen itself is tiny. And I would expect a picture of the bathroom and utility room!

letitrainonme · 09/09/2019 15:20

I'd want to see bathrooms.

Why is there a bedside table in front of your wardrobe? Things like that make me think it's small.

Not keen on the low ceiling in the lounge, but not much you can do about that. All nicely presented

I agree parking is a big issue, but if you are nailing it on decor and nothing needs doing then someone will compromise. When I sell parking will be an issue too, as we don't have a front driveway, but a back one instead.

AdoreTheBeach · 09/09/2019 15:21

I wouldn’t drop the price again as you have had offers and it’s just down to bad luck of chains breaking down.

I agree, you need photos of bathroom and utility. Don’t agree about removing the kitchen table though. We always liked an eat in kitchen and a dining room.

Would suggest removing the tiered storage shelves in the doorway and the bits stored on top of the top kitchen units. Gives the impression that there isn’t enough storage. Redo the photos these things appear in.

In one bedroom the bed is blocking the window. Can you reposition the bed just for photos or temporarily?

Can you put window boxes n with colourful flowers just for external photo to be retaken - a bit more curb appeal.

PinkOboe · 09/09/2019 15:21

have i seen this linked on here previously? i think someone was considering it as a purchase, have a search then you'd see what they were thinking from the position of a buyer, which would be like gold dust to you as a seller

PinkOboe · 09/09/2019 15:27

and i can't find the 4th bedroom

PinkOboe · 09/09/2019 15:28

oh sorry the label is offset - i wonder if that psychologically emphasizes the smallness of the room?

LondonJax · 09/09/2019 15:47

You have a lovely house and I agree, if it's others not being able to proceed because their chain has fallen through, it's probably the market.

But you obviously need more buyers through the door to counteract the market we currently have.

My thoughts are:

Take a look at the photograph of the living room. It looks like your armchair blocks the front door. Is that right - I would imagine having to shimmy round the chair which isn't great when I want all my visitors to my lovely new home clamouring it at the same time. If that chair is across the door, is there anyway you can move it to another part of the room to clear a path? Then get the photo done again. Or, having just looked at the photo and floor plan again, is it that the door into the living room from the street isn't used anymore? I'm not sure you can do much about that but the photos give the impression it's a usable door so it looks 'blocked'

I agree about bathrooms and utilities. The bathroom is the first thing I look at in a house sale. That and the kitchen. Because a lick of paint or putting up curtains etc costs very little but a new bathroom can set you back loads. If it's all done that's one thing less for me to worry about.

The same with the bedrooms. It looks like some of the beds are across the window - which to me implies the rooms may be an awkward shape. If they are there's not much you can do about that but if they're average size, is there a chance of getting the beds turned round so that you can get to the window wall easily. Same with the bedside table blocking the wardrobe - can the head of the bed and, what appears to be, the chest of drawers be swapped so the bedside cabinets sit on a wall with the chest of drawers in between the wardrobes?

Seriously though, you have a lovely home - I'm being critical because you asked for that so I'm looking at it from the point of view of a buyer who may have 10 houses to whittle down.

It's helped me in the past to look at the estate agents blurb with a buyer's eyes. It may also help if you can see what the other house (the one you said sold quickly) is like inside. If you have new neighbours and are up front about it you could probably have a quick peek. Or check if it's gone on Zoopla yet - you can sometimes see the photos from the estate agent who sold the property. You may then be able to see where things are different between the properties.

missyB1 · 09/09/2019 15:59

I’m in Cheltenham, I love your house (I had already seen it online), and it’s in a great area, those houses have always been popular. The market is just a bit slow at the moment I think there’s a lot of anxiety about a potential recession.
How keen are you to move? Could you try again next spring when hopefully everything will have settled down a bit?

msmith501 · 09/09/2019 16:01

You've had four solid offers so why would you drop the price? The price is not the issue according to you, it's about the buyers sales falling through. The same would happen if you dropped the price I suspect.

BarbedBloom · 09/09/2019 16:46

The house is lovely, but I agree with retaking the living room photos as the angle is weird. The size of the garden would put me off honestly and I also noticed the lack of bathroom photo and how some furniture is blocking off parts, but I would still view it.

The problem you have is a slow market. Many people just won't buy with Brexit looming and from my friend's experience, it has caused a few chains to collapse with people getting cold feet.

The price seems fine, but the problem you have is just too few people buying at the moment. Even if someone does buy it, I doubt it would progress far now before baby arrives.

PinkOboe · 09/09/2019 16:58

i knew i'd seen it before

here

i couldn't be arsed didn't have time to re-read but it's an amazing boon to be able to read the comments of a potential buyer. is everyone in Cheltenham n MN?

PrimalLass · 09/09/2019 17:21

The photos are not great and appear to have been taken by someone lying on the floor. I would definitely want to see the bathrooms.

W0rriedMum · 09/09/2019 17:40

Gorgeous house, inside and out. You've done a lovely job getting it ready and it photographs well.

I noticed that prices jumped in the past 5 years and given the state of the market, the price may be unrealistic. In 2014, a similar (same?) house sold for £322K and just before Aug 2007 (seen as the the height of the market before the financial crash), it was around the same.
I suspect price has a lot to do with it because people are expecting a 20% price correction at least, which would mean over 100K lower. The real issue is that no-one is dropping prices which is probably why your buyers can't sell either.

If you can wait, I would take it off the market. If you're making a killing on your next house, I'd sell at a keenly set price.

Bluntness100 · 09/09/2019 17:45

Op. It's lovely. Did you post this before pretending to be a buyer? I've seen this house on here before.

madeyemoodysmum · 09/09/2019 17:46

It looks lovely. Does it have parking?

That would put many off if no decent parking. But the style and decor is lovely.

longtompot · 09/09/2019 18:18

Its a lovely house, but I agree with the other comments. When I was house hunting, any listing that didn't include certain rooms usually meant they were in need of work or ripping out and redoing.
Good luck with selling. I think the advice of keeping it on the market until Nov and then take a break over the winter and remarket it next spring might be the way to go.

wowfudge · 09/09/2019 18:35

I knew I'd seen it before.

Definitely need photos of the bathrooms or people think they are awful and need redoing.

Even if only for photos, move the rack with casseroles on out of the way, pull the table into the middle of that space and put four chairs round it. Move anything on top of the kitchen wall units.

Yes to getting a better photo of the living room.

The other things you can't do anything about.

You've had people interested so there really isn't anything you are doing wrong. The house in the thread PinkOboe linked to is more aspirational I'd say. Yours is a lovely house though.

Whatevskev · 09/09/2019 18:37

Really lovely house.

The market is dire though OP. Everyone nervous about brexit and holding off due to such financial uncertainty

PinkOboe · 09/09/2019 18:56

It’s further down in that thread and was there be the poster was considering amongst others

Monkeyplanet · 09/09/2019 19:10

Hi OP

Your home is very beautiful. I think on viewing it I would be very excited and want to put an offer in, but if I went home and thought about it, I would think I'm not too sure if I am in love with:

The facade
The lounge ceiling
If the garden is suitable for a young family

Those are the only things that would make me reconsider (Also curious about the bathrooms).

I think your EA is right because it is just a matter of time and for the right buyer. With teen children I could overlook all 3 of the points I raised and would happily put in an offer. With young children the garden is very important, but the other two are easily overlooked.

It's a lovely home. I hope you find a buyer soon.

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