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What's wrong with our house 13 days no viewings

868 replies

Namechangetoshowhouse · 06/08/2020 10:47

Help us out Please 🙏
We put our house on the market 13 days ago we have friends in the area who have put theirs on and been busy with viewings straight away but we've had nothing.

Three Estate agents said £375 so we started with that after no viewings at 9 days we dropped to £367
We know house is a bit bottom heavy a bit like me and doesn't look pretty but is well presented and has over 80 Sq m of downstairs living space. A huge Kitchen and lounge, 10 mins walk to most amenities as well.

We have seen a house that we love that won't come up again we've put in an offer for asking price but not sure we'll get it as they say they've had 6 offers already.

Anyway here it is do we drop the price some more or just wait a bit?
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-82594633.html

OP posts:
Thread gallery
74
AuntyPasta · 06/08/2020 14:46

There’s no need to be so horrible CatapultMe.

merrymouse · 06/08/2020 14:49

Surely a buyer would view a property, for it.size, garden space, house situation; for their own personal needs,with a view to how they would make all the rooms and garden into their own tastes if they bought it.

  1. Most people would pay less for a house that they think needs work.

  2. When you sell a house you are selling a lifestyle. I think the OP does this successfully in the kitchen pic - it might not be to everyone's taste, but I can imagine sitting chatting with a drink while somebody else does the cooking and the children play in the garden.

However the picture of the smallest bedroom just says 'this house is too small'.

MMN123 · 06/08/2020 14:50

If I was a buyer, I'd view these before yours:
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-77275870.html
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-95202089.html

Might be overpriced still.

minisoksmakehardwork · 06/08/2020 14:51

I agree that does not appear immediately as a 4 bed house. Much more needs to be made of the extension having a shower and toilet next to it - I only spotted it really after someone else mentioned it. It did not jump out at me in the plan.

The floor plan has also been badly done as it is not clear that the bathroom under the stairs is the family bathroom. But I am not sure what you can do about that.

Otherwise, while your home is clean and tidy, it looks like you've taken the 'home' out of the house. The front is tidy but bare - maybe move some of the planters down the side to the front of the house, park the car off road when the photos are done. I know it is your parking space but people don't want to think about actually parking under their front window and you have highlighted it here.

The garden photos do not do it justice, it's like they are an afterthought and I would want to see the whole garden, even if it has to be done over 2-3 pictures.

Overall, I can see that downstairs has a reasonable amount of living space. But I agree that it appears soulless. I know there is the theory of removing all personal items from a room when selling, but removing too much is just as bad, people want to be able to imagine themselves in that room and not having the odd picture on the wall, couple of ornaments on the shelves stops people from imagining themselves there.

Personally, I think I would switch some of the rooms around. The small upstairs bedroom I would turn into a home office and put one of the children's rooms in the downstairs reception bedroom, even if it's just for the sake of the photos/while you are selling the house. People won't always equate the room they see in the photo with the room on the plan so while it might seem deceptive, it shows 3 bigger bedrooms and one office space which is more useable.

SockYarn · 06/08/2020 14:53

Agree also about the new build competition - a quick google brings up this one

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-72032757.html

£350k, very new throughout although not the new build premium, three decent bedrooms, opportunity to convert garage.

Or this one, which suffers from the same small third bedroom problem, but which is only £289k

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-56626764.html

I think the core issue is that you've been advised to price as a 4 bed, when it's not. Hope it sells soon though OP, it's so stressful trying to move house.

Alexandernevermind · 06/08/2020 14:55

You just need to re-stage to sell. Some of the rooms could do with a reshuffle furniture wise to make them look wider. You have the 4th bedroom as an office - it needs to loose the high shelves as it makes the room look like a corridor, I would take the office furniture out and set it up as a bedroom. Also the smaller of the bedrooms is very closed in with the bunk beds, so swap the bunks for a single. Set some pretty plants in pots with trellises outside as others have said.

Chickychickydodah · 06/08/2020 14:56

I agree the photos don’t do it any justice. It looks boxy and soulless. (Sorry)
I hope you find someone soon

Curiosity101 · 06/08/2020 14:59

For me I view it as a 2 bed with a box room and an extra reception room so I would find it wildly over priced as I'd never use the downstairs extension as a bedroom.

I'm also not keen on the downstairs family bathroom.

Generally speaking houses don't sell if they're overpriced, and unfortunately I see your house as 2/3 bedrooms with a less than ideal layout so for me it's very very overpriced.

WombatChocolate · 06/08/2020 14:59

The lack of an upstairs bathroom will be a serious hinderance.

Who ever heard of a 4 bedroom house with no upstairs bathroom??

So, even as a 3 bed, which is what it is, the vast vast majority will have an upstairs bathrooms and so immediately be more highly sought after.

This needs to be priced as a 3 bed (where one bedroom is a box room) with a serious defect of a lack of upstairs bathroom.....once it is priced to reflect the reality of the actual bedrooms and bathroom, it may get viewings and an offer.

Get over the fact it has an extra room....yes, that's good, but it's not a bedroom and it doesn't cover the reality of no upstairs bathroom.

What do people clicking on poroperties expect in a 4 bed house? 4 actual bedrooms. At least 1 upstairs bathroom, and often an Ensuite too.

You need to get it described accurately...and priced to reflect the reality of 2 decent bedrooms and a tiny one, plus no upstairs bathroom. You can fiddle about with armchairs and the angle of the shots as much as you like, but the reality of the bedrooms and especially the bathrooms cannot be hidden...so describe it honestly and accurately. There will be people who will buy such a house....at the right price.

KingOfDogShite · 06/08/2020 14:59

Did whoever designed the extension do it on Minecraft?

What's wrong with our house 13 days no viewings
2Kidsinatrenchcoat · 06/08/2020 15:01

I might just be being really dense but I can’t figure out how the two parts of the floor plan connect or how it matches up with the shape of the house in the external photos so that would put me off. Also would consider it 2 and a half bedrooms rather than four. Not having an upstairs bathroom would put me off too.

BGirlBouillabaisse · 06/08/2020 15:01

Hi OP 👋 I'm in a village near you!

Haven't read the thread but came on to say KINGSMERE and all the new houses at Upper Heyford are going to be getting in the way of you selling.

I have no advice, you're unfortunate in that your house is near some of the biggest new-build developments in the country Sad

goingtotown · 06/08/2020 15:05

The photos are not good, speak to estate agent.

Thisismytimetoshine · 06/08/2020 15:06

It's not a four bed house and you're trying to market it as one 🤷🏻‍♀️
The front looks like a prison block, garden is crap. Sorry.
It's the attempting to call it a four bed that will have most people scrolling right past, though.

cuparfull · 06/08/2020 15:07

Sorry but 2 x downstairs bathrooms, only 2.5 small bedrooms upstairs? Possible downstairs bedroom / office entered thru a utility room?
Its too disjointed/uncoordinated. The rooms need a distinct function.

Might suit a couple with 1 child and an elderly parent in the ground floor bedroom perhaps.
You've spent a lot of money on the kitchen but might have been better turning the stairs and making space for an upstairs bathroom or extending full height for more upstairs space.
Sadly I wouldn't view based on those pics.

TheStuffedPenguin · 06/08/2020 15:08

I have looked at others in the same price bracket and you really are competing with a load of newer houses there it seems. It still seems expensive for what it is and I would think you need to drop to about 345 to have any chance . Sorry but I do have to agree that there is no kerb appeal . Yes the inside has been opened up and modernised but the outside is very bland .

Bemorechicken · 06/08/2020 15:08

I haven't read the whole thread -about 3 pages and I agree with most of it.
Vastly overpriced -compared to others.
No curb appeal. From the outside -no shot of house from the road, or looking at front door -none. You need climbers and trellis and get rid of the cars. The personal canvas in lounge and kitchen -no, remove them. No family bathroom upstairs -what? The lounge you have corner sofa (the red leather thing) and the tv in the middle of the room -can you view it - it looks long and thin -we have two huge sofas -in our lounge -so I don't think they would fit. Most people have a sofa and some arm chairs? The photos done are really bad -you need a fish eye lens and taken from high up. .

BellaVida · 06/08/2020 15:10

First reactions

  • it is not clear from the first photo what frontage the house has and the garden isn’t enclosed from the driveway. It’s not clear if the driveway belongs to the house as the car is parked to the left.
  • the photos are dark and from strange angles.
  • it’s not a 4 bedroom, but 3 bedroom with an extra downstairs reception room/ playroom/ study. That will be putting most people off.
  • The extension takes up most of the garden, which won’t matter to some, but may also be a factor.
Catapultme · 06/08/2020 15:10

@AuntyPasta

There’s no need to be so horrible CatapultMe.
Sorry OP, didn't mean to be unkind, it's just the 1st thought that popped into my head when I saw the photo
Drumple · 06/08/2020 15:11

Sorry but same as everyone else to me - bathroom downstairs is a no in a modern house, it isn’t 4 beds and why is your living room such a weird layout re the fireplace?

GoudaGirl · 06/08/2020 15:12

Its nice and clean, looks like it doesn't need any major spend on it but what other's say about curb appeal and making it look a bit more homely inside.

The major negative point though this is its saying 4 bed in the description and realistically its not, plus the downstairs bathroom would put me off.

How long have you lived there and what was the major attraction of the house for you? Perhaps if you know that then you could market it to the strength you saw? (Maybe downstairs bathroom useful for converting the back room to a bit of a granny annex etc)

Good luck with selling it.

BGirlBouillabaisse · 06/08/2020 15:13

Just a note on this thread for context, to add to my previous comment, Bicester is the location of one of the biggest government house-building initiatives in the country at the moment. Kingsmere estate has over 1500 brand new homes.

If you want to sell anything that's less than brand spanking new, you need to price it extremely competitively.

whatsthatnow74 · 06/08/2020 15:23

I agree with others. You need better photos all round and to jazz up the outside a bit! Good luck!

DishingOutDone · 06/08/2020 15:23

I think OP will be very disheartened when she comes back!

SimonJT · 06/08/2020 15:24

@KingOfDogShite

Did whoever designed the extension do it on Minecraft?
This highlights that the garden is a decent size, we just need a photo to show that.