Help! Does anyone know someone who is looking to buy a lovely house in Suffolk? Or give helpful advice?

[Suffolkmouse]

We are trying to sell our lovely home in Suffolk. We went on the market in Feb and had an offer quite quickly which we accepted. The sale fell through due to covid ( someone in the chain was furloughed and needed to complete quickly which our buyer was worried about doing as they thought there would be another lockdown and they would've been stuck between houses). Since then, we are just not getting many viewings. We are a 3 bed semi detached stables conversion on historic parkland with amazing views. It feels like being in the midst of the countryside but is walking distance to Saxmundham which has a train station and a Waitrose as well as drs/dentists/schools/libraries etc. We are also mains everything so no oil tank or sewerage system to contend with! We are going to switch estate agents as we don't feel ours is proactive enough. Is anyone looking to move to Suffolk? Otherwise, how about constructive advice please? Thankyou.

mklanch JoJoSM2 kindly added the link on the first page as I had difficulty doing it. 🙂

Give it a quick tidy and include a photograph of the study. With all the wfh going on atm a study is a real bonus.

I would also include a photograph of the garage and show where it is situated in relation to the house.

I know you can't do anything about this but I love that the neighbours have garden access direct from the sitting room.

@Suffolkmouse

mklanch JoJoSM2 kindly added the link on the first page as I had difficulty doing it. 🙂

i found it :) its a very pretty house. unfortunately above my budget. you should get your EA to take better pictures of the outside spaces and the unique features of the house. they might help to sell it quicker and get more views. i'm surprised it hasnt already been snapped up as its move in ready

Nothing in your listing makes your house look much better than next door, which is much cheaper and has been on the market for nearly three years without selling. That’s why you’re not getting viewings.

IMO you can massively improve the listing but with next door on the market unsold for that long at that price, I think you might struggle at your price level.

You’re up against two detached houses in the town that are newer and have less land but look better on Rightmove.

Saxmundham, Suffolk
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-83434732.html

Long Avenue, Saxmundham, IP17
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-93229643.html

So it’s the location and land that differentiates your property. You need to think about how to make more of that in the photos. It might be good to have a plan showing the garden areas, access and garage in relation to the house as well as a correct floor plan.

@Climbingallthetrees

Nothing in your listing makes your house look much better than next door, which is much cheaper and has been on the market for nearly three years without selling. That’s why you’re not getting viewings.

IMO you can massively improve the listing but with next door on the market unsold for that long at that price, I think you might struggle at your price level.

agree with this. there is one bigger than yours but alot more expensive and one that is slightly smaller but 85k cheaper. them both being on the market at the same time as yours probably has alot to do with it . also the virtual tour link on your rightmove doesnt work.

Tbh the fact that these three properties are all for sale at the same time would get me wondering what was going on.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-80177782.html
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-63058939.html
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-77360182.html

Where is your front door? Perhaps have some dramatically planted pots either side to make it clear.

The listing photos aren't great but then to me the front looks like it's a commercial building, not a home. Needs some clever photography to link it with the rest of your home. And, as others have said, the lovely views need to be exploited!

the selling point that puts you above the rest is your gardens/land.

Picture 5 makes the dining part of the room look tiny. Really cluttered.
I would put stuff in the loft/garage to make rooms look bigger and get better shots of hallway and outside front space. Although, I'm not sure I would want to eat in my front garden with neighbours over looking.

The first thing I noticed was that it says 'added to Rightmove in December 2017 which makes it look like you've been trying to sell for a lot longer than 6 months.

From the outside it looks like a new house which the builders have tried to add character to rather than an older building which has been converted. It's also quite dark inside. There have been a lot of new builds in the area which you are competing with and that would make me worry about houses being built on the land surrounding the house.

In the back garden the fence needs fixing. Also why is the meter box on the back of the house? That's a nuisance I'd rather avoid. What is the purpose of the room in picture 7? Having no furniture in it means a viewer has no idea what the room is for. There aren't enough pictures of the inside of the house to encourage a person to view

Sorry, just seen that was your neighbours house. Now I'm looking at yours which is much nicer.

It's a gorgeous house.

Looks lovely op. On a side note where did you get the bedding for the kids room?

Tistheseason17 we have now removed the bookcase of tut! See photos earlier in thread.

Ok, so garden not looking pretty as it did pre kids....

More garden pics

Loads of good advice on here but for my two penneth (and living very near here):
New agent
New photos
Aerial map of the house and land demarcated
Dress outside (to show how people could use the space)

With those things it should sell easily - but key is a good agent - loads locally (I used Fenn Wright to sell my last house but that was more towards Ipswich - but they’re good). Have a look at hope other agents present the houses and find the style which ‘sells’ most to you.

And try and get the agent and pictures sorted before the weather turns to autumn...

Ok, so this is back of house. Is it more appealing than the front? The last pic is taken on my dog walk this afternoon showing our house in distance across the fields.

Climbingallthetrees but there is another neighbour (detached granted) with a 3 bed priced over £100k more who is getting viewings!

OP - are you tutting at me? I was just giving feedback on your agent photos. Those are the ones potential buyers are still looking at right now.

The follow up picture I saw was with the table turned the other way - still too many freestanding objects.

I can see beyond this but so many buyers cannot. You almost have to give them a blank canvas as they have zero vision!! ha ha!!

The other neighbour getting viewings - what are their photos like and is the listing better? Maybe switch to their estate agent?

Tistheseason17 no not at all and I'm sorry if it came across that way. I think I've been answering too quickly without thinking properly about my responses. I'm really appreciating all the feedback and it's good you've pointed out that was after my supposed declutter. I will have another look! Sorry again 🙂

Rainbowshine same agent as us ☹️. Might just be because it's detached though.

Your photos sell it so much better than the agent. I like the garden pics with the umbrella up - it makes it look like you are almost “bothered” by too much sun! And the hen orchard is lovely - I can’t believe they didn’t make more of that in the listing.

Get off the market for a little while and come on fresh with a new agent and new pics.