Would you view this house

[Thriceisnice]

Would you view this house based on this advert and if not, what would you change?

Thank you
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-71264034.html

Not for me - the first photo of the garden put me off, the patio should be next to the house and it looks like a hazard that kids could fall off the grass onto the patio. I have an irrational hatred of conservatories, and the kitchen cupboard doors are not attractive to me. It all looks tidy and I’m sure it will appeal to some, but it’s not for me.

Agree with the lounge photo which makes it look narrow (other angle is fine).

Also the ‘door from another house into the garden’ photo should go! I know it’s your garage from reading this thread, but looking as a buyer it makes me very confused!

I would also be put off with a flat about the garage, but if you can get buyers in to love your property before they discover that, you can hopefully overcome it!

I think you should set up the conservatory as a dining room. It then would look like a more conventional layout, that kitchen is very small to be the only dining room IMHO. Although in reality it would be a bit of a trek through the house to the dining room. Agree with PPs that overall the living space to bedroom balance is off but that is not an issue exclusive to this house.

Not sure about the attic office, obviously at the moment I suspect lots of people will be looking for a house with office space (I'd consider the house as a 2 bedroom house with office space on the top floor) but conventional wisdom is that you should present bedrooms as bedrooms. Could you present it as a bedroom (do you have a sofa bed that could be made up as a bed or could you borrow a bed)? Probably worth discussing with the EA what they think the best approach would be.

Completely agree with other about the topheaviness of it, although it is likely they're is someone out there that wants the same - after all you did!

It's the kitchen for me, I wonder if there is something clever with cupboard paint that you could do that would neutralise it? People see it as a big job to change out a kitchen.

I would also move up the photo of the main bath, the first photo is of the ensuite I think? Makes the bathroom look v small.

DH works in real estate though, main reason for few viewings is that it's just too expensive compared to others. Don't know the area at all though 🤷

Town houses are renowned for being pigs to sell. I'd want detached in a 4 bed as well.

If it was in my budget/ area/ desired size range, yes. I get a bit put off by 'guide price' but this at least has a guide range within the advert, which is helpful.

Random picky comments: your sitting room looks small for the number of bedrooms- the photo showing it open to the conservatory balances that out a bit but I'd do more to make the conservatory look lived in and part of the living space, and I don't think the first photo is a great one to get attention.

Also - I love the chess table!

It might just be me but I find guide prices frustrating and off putting.
Nice house but the blue themed bathroom and kitchen would put me off as it would mean work doing quite quickly which I'm not a fan of.
And I would def want detached for the price and size (I know you can't change this)

It's lovely but the kitchen is awful!

The pictures are awful! Starting one is of a neat but nothing-special back. Then an interior of the living room, which is bright and fresh but quite narrow.... it’s like they’ve chosen the worst features to display first!
You also have duplicate pictures, which makes it feel like there wasn’t enough decent areas to photograph.
The one showing chairs on the (perfectly nice but not enormous)
landing makes me wonder if there’s a ludicrous lack of living space/ tiny bedrooms.
The ones of the back garden are difficult to understand.
The ones showing the very empty conservatory makes it seem like it’s an unusable space, particularly as the brick is so obvious.
It looks a bit like no one lives there due to the lack of personal items: it doesn’t have the feel of a happy family home in the pictures because there’s no family “stuff” around.
Overall, there’s nothing for a buyer to get excited about or fall in love with: I’m sure it’s a great house at a great price, but there’s nothing positive to remember.
Also, sort the pricing! It sounds to me like you’d accept £380k, but feel it’s worth £420k... It’s confusing. I’m in Scotland, so maybe it’s more normal down there.

Choose one of the bedrooms and paint it in navy/dark teal or forest green, lots of bright white bedding, blinds, woodwork. Even if you hate the colour it photographs very well and is fashionable just now.
Do something with the conservatory. Lots of big houseplants, some geraniums on the windowledges, and some sort of “outdoor feeling” furniture would be great: make it feel like a part of an overgrown garden. Move the ones from the landing in there and add a couple of high backed cane ones (eBay? Junk shop?). Even if it’s irrelevant to how the buyer would use the room it would make it more memorable.

Did the EA just randomly shuffle the pictures about?? They’d have been far better taking a picture of the front from a different angle and grouping the other shots sensibly. Or even doing some sort of wanky arty picture of your front door! Using a picture of a “serviceable” back garden rings alarm bells!

Most people won't notice but there's a spelling mistake in the description which would make me pissed off with the agent - separate utility room

Use the front pic as the main one, it is much nicer.

If someone is in the market for that type if property there is not in a fundamental sense anything wrong with it.

That said, I think you could do quite a lot to improve its presentation for sale.

It looks like you've over "de-cluttered" it in the sense it's lacking the feel of a warm and cosy family home. I know people say to de-clutter your house but so many sellers take this too far. Frankly it has the look of a rental about it given it's so devoid of "family life" and the idea of existing tenants would put people off.

There's a lot of simple things you can do to rectify this - flowers on the coffee table, some simple cushions, flowers in pots at the front etc. Basically just more colour and more "family home".

It's very noticeable that there are very few window furnishings. I assume you have blinds, but again it's a very cold look and again looks very "rental". You can buy meters of cheap muslin and dye it to make very simple curtains (given the blinds give privacy) that add warmth to a room. You only have to hem the top/bottom if you use the fabric width (and given it's for staging they don't even need to close) then thread the top hem on a cheap pole.

I'd absolutely set the conservatory up as a dining room. Presently it just looks like unused (and thus possibly unusable) space.

I'd also think about repainting your kitchen. It's the "worst" room and buyers think £££ when it comes to kitchens, so I'd definitely think about repainting the units.

I would:
Put a garden table set on the top terrace outside the conservatory. Open the parasol on lower terrace and stage the table. Bright, outdoor cushions from IKEA.
Delete the 2 near identical photos of the lounge which shows it as long.
Put a bundle of real wood next to wood burner to draw attention to it.
Move the cupboard away from the fireplace on the left. It's crowding it. Style the conservatory as a lounge or dining room. (I'd paint the brickwork white, but perhaps others don't like that).
A bright cover on the master bed - it's a bit muted and full in there. Remove the duplicate photo of the master bedroom.
Be sure that you've priced it so that someone could immediately put in a new bathroom and kitchen.
Very clean and clutter free though!
I'm sure if priced right you'll get a buyer.

I'm surprised by the price, I thought Kent would be more expensive (not knowing the county at all!) I'd want detached personally, but if that was my price range in that area I'm sure I'd have a look, looks a good size.

The house looks stunning from the outside, garden is a good size and low maintenance.

However, the kitchen is an issue, that blue is unlikely to be to many people's taste and replacing a kitchen always costs ££££ so would put me off. Can you repaint the doors or fablon them if they are flat doors to brighten the kitchen and make it more neutral?

The photo of the living room makes it look very small, so as a consequence the living space is very small compared to the number of bedrooms.

However, i know the area from a previous life, its a stunning part of the country, and the price seems low to average for the area and the size of house.

Also, I think I'd set up the outside furniture outside the house, as it currently looks like you have it there as the rest of the garden is shady. Normally grass/patio it the other way around. So I'd have a dining/social area outside the house, grass and then perhaps the bottom area for the kids' ride on toys etc.

It would annoy me that the kitchen has no direct access to the garden, but I know you can't change that. I think the front, you need to define your area and get rid of that last photo of the front of the house with the massive shadow across it.

Are all the wall really peach or is that a filter?

Apparently French Chic pain is incredible on kitchens--I think I'd pick some more modern colours and freshen it up a bit. There's a page on FB caled 'DIY on a budget' where people could give you tips.

I'm far too invested in your house! Good luck.

Not keen on blue kitchen and bathroom. Also looks a bit bare in a lot of the room which is less important than chafing bathroom and kitchen.
The guide price is wide. People will always offer lower unless it’s a very fast market

Not my thing

The house looks smart, well presented. I don't go for the bright pinkish bedroom but I would expect to redecorate when I move into a new house so, unless the place was mouldy and falling apart, the décor doesn't bother me too much.

The reason I wouldn't view it is merely because it's a town house and not what I would be looking for at my stage in life. Younger, with a young family, yes I would certainly view it as it is.

I'd go and view it but wow, the kitchen 😬 shame when the rest is so well presented.

Need new pictures and yes to front of house being main picture.

OP, how much time, in an average week, do you spend sitting in director's chairs and playing chess on the landing?

Thanks everyone, loads to think about and action.

@bigbadvoodoohat at least once a night, usually more as my daughter wheedles extra games out of me (but we don't know all of the rules so it's usually more about clip clipping round on horses much to dh's disgust as he is teaching her the proper rules)

A flat belonging to someone else above your garage you say?

I have changed my mind and have cancelled my hypothetical viewing.

In an effort to understand the mystery door, (before the OP clarified the garage set up) I googled layout on street view (I'm a bit of a stalker....) It seems to show lots of greenery at the front but your photo looks bare. Have you done some excessive lockdown gardening?