I can’t live in my house any longer, yet I can’t sell it...

[Shadowboy]

For my mental health I need out of my house but despite being on the market 6 weeks we’ve had no offers.

We bought it in a rush as our buyers wanted to complete for school applications to ensure they made it to the catchment school in our previous area.

So it’s just to for us; it’s not somewhere I’ve settled or felt at home. It’s too boring here and the house is too ‘normal’ and new (it’s a new build) the area is just full of kids and middle class blandness. It’s getting me down. I’m stressed and feeling trapped.

The problem is we bought in the 2017 mini peak so we have house up for sale for the exact same price that we paid for it 3 years ago.... yet it’s still not selling. New exact versions of this house at £40k more! (And are selling like hot cakes)

I can’t explain how tight in the chest I feel at the thought of another few years here...

I’m not sure what I want from this post- perhaps just an opportunity to vent my feelings.

Would you share the listing? There is another thread here which has had so much good advice for a seller in the same situation.

@Lougle I can’t as I’m a teacher and work very locally to where I live (another reason why I want to move!) and I don’t want the connection to be made.

It’s making me so depressed.

I agree, if you share the listing posters may come up with some good cheap & easy solutions to make your home more appealing to viewers.

6 weeks isn’t really a long time & I guess price wise you need to just make sure yours is comparable to others that have resold rather than brand new off the peg as it were.

The problem is probably that the estate is still being built and so people are being drawn to the identical new build. There’s help to buy and other incentives like new flooring or whatever that might well make these ones more attractive.

I also live in a house I'm not keen on so I will buy you a ! My reasons are not rational, logically it's a good house with no problems.

What I have managed to do is dial it down in my mind, we are on an escape route and we'll be ok when we get out.

You sound very bothered by it. Is there anything really wrong or is it a panicky trapped feeling?

Have you had viewings? Feedback? There’s always a massive premium on new builds + you bought at that’s ‘mini peak’ so it’s likely it is just worth less than you paid?

Definitely no way you can share it? Even if you PM us or name change? I'm only such a strong advocate of this because I did it with mine and got 4 offers in a week!

@latticechaos I’m not a suburban girl and being surrounded by the monotony of 2.4 children households with sex ponds in each garden is killing me, it’s so dull and lifeless and I feel like my life is being slapped out of me here. We are the first 4 bed to have gone up for sale second hand so I can’t compare it to previous estate house sales other than the new ones. It’s actually on the largest plot on the estate but we did wonder if the building site was putting people off as we’ve seen lots of ‘drive-by’ viewers- stopping outside the house and staring but very few viewings- 12 in 6 weeks.

Also a thought, if yours was one of the first on the estate is it a more visible plot? Thinking of the new estates here they built the front first & are now building at the back of the site where I imagine the roads will be quieter & the plots more desirable?

If yours is the same that could have a price impact.

Maybe font share a link to the exact listing but details like a floorplan or some pics of the interior might help.

I wouldn't ferl too disheartened about no offers after 6 weeks.

Drive-bys, 12 viewings and no offers sounds a little off. I’m sure there’s room for improvement somewhere.

@TokyoSushi That’s impressive! What did you change?

Patience. It will sell. I remember being so desperate to get out of our last house too. The stress and waiting was awful.

But still... no one died. If the only things affecting your mental health are normal people living normal lives in surburbia, you don’t have much to fret about in the grand scheme of things.

"Middle class blandness" aren't you a sweetie? Maybe you need to post in a snobbery corner for comfort OP

Sex ponds?

@JoJoSM2 The order of the photos and they were all jumbled up and didn't make sense, you couldn't tell which bit went where (it was a townhouse). The garden was very bland and we really jazzed it up with loads of flowers in pots and we also had photos added of the garage and parking arrangements. All things that were actually quite obvious but that we hadn't seen until they were pointed out.

I couldn't believe the difference such little tweaks made and will be forever grateful!

You're a teacher, yet an area full of kids is an issue?

Could you be more specific about what you don't like about the house?

Go around, starting outside the front (including looking at neighbours' houses), going in the front door, then to each room, and take a clipboard. Note down the exact reasons (try to avoid 'too boring' or 'not what I want') WHY you wouldn't buy it right now.

Then try to overcome/improve each problem.

Ugly frontage? Add tubs of flowers, maybe a bench.

Too small? Paint a lighter colour, use brighter lightbulbs, remove some of the furniture.

Awkward doorway? Maybe you could take the door off, or at least remember to leave it open during viewings.

etc.

I’ll buy your house OP, I want a sex pond 🤣

The thing is that even when you get a buyer it will still take time to move out. I would try to deal with your feelings as much as you can. Is there anything else you can try to focus on in the meantime?

@TokyoSushi

OMG... Sounds like some buyers just have no imagination. I’m really surprised the few little things made such a difference!

Ah, is it on a new build estate OP with houses still being built? If so, I think that I'd have the attitude of 'what's the point of having a second hand one when I could have a brand new one?'

I'd suggest the way to get around this is that I assume that yours has all the carpets, turf, that sort of thing included? If that's the case I'd really have the estate agent push that as it's a real advantage.

Sorry if I've got the wrong end of the stick!

@JoJoSM2 Yep! It was incredible!

You're a teacher, yet an area full of kids is an issue?

Can you not see why this would be a bit much @FlamedToACrisp ? I used to have this issue: pop the bins out looking like shit in your dressing gown and a child and their parents walk past merrily shouting “Hi Miss Blue”. Everywhere you go you constantly bump into students and their families (or if you don’t then you’re aware that you might): pub, shops, dog walk, etc. Sometimes you just want to be yourself and not your on show teacher self.

I do wonder where you are though OP, you're pretty much describing my area!

I'm wondering if your obvious apathy for the house shows in its decoration/how it's presented?

Whats its kerb appeal like? Compared to the others that are selling? The other obvious reason is that its overpriced. Selling older houses on a new build estate can be tricky.

Only you know if you can financially suck up selling for less.

I do sympathise. I lived in an area I hated for 12 years. I tried spending money on the house and gutted it from.to to bottom and extended...but it was still the wrong place.

We accepted £20k under what the estate agent valued it at and got a cash buyer.

It was definitely the right decision for us!

The longer I spent working in a school the more I hated kids . I get it.