Time to drop the price?

[iswhois]

House on market a bit over 6 weeks

First month had 5 viewings but no one interested for various reasons (nothing I can reasonably fix)

Radio silence for the past 2 weeks. It's time to drop the price isn't it? DH is adamant we don't but I'm painfully aware that the longer it stays up the less likely it will be we will get that price.

[Lilybet1980]

It’s price. A very similar property on your street sold for £225k in March I think it was.

[iswhois]

Problem with layout is access to the bathroom is through bedroom

Yeah we turned the second bedroom into a dressing room which is a dream come true but I imagine off putting to some.

I wanted to declutter a bit but literally have no space to put anything but I think I may revisit this point. The front door is seldom used so that's why the chair is there. And the tea towels are actually a decorative feature and not to be used haha

The feedback is really helpful thank you

[Newuser123123]

I would really declutter, put all your accessories in storage. I know it's lovely stuff but it's a small house so people need to be able to see the space.

I would change the lounge picture so you see the sofa not the front door.

I would also get rid of the clothes rails and put a bed in. At the moment it's looking like a one bed. Maybe some kitchen close ups so you don't focus on the width?

It's a lovely house though

[iswhois]

@Annasgirl you raise a really good point

[Reddog1]

I think it’s super. Stylishly decorated too. Gorgeous place.

I must say, I thought the second bedroom looked cramped with all the clothing in there.

Agree about the cellar picture. Add one.

Pot plants out front would add to the cottagey feel that buyers interested in that particular house would be seeking, maybe? Rose bushes and the like.

Then drop the price a little. As others have said, it’s usually that.

[iswhois]

Also it is on the main road but our cottages are higher with a ragstone wall at the front which bounces off a lot of the noise, there are steps leading up to a small path at the front of them

[Cockadoodle27]

Needs a picture of the cellar. I've been looking for a house with a cellar and the lack of photo leads me to assume that there's damp issues (not that I have any knowledge of damp or cellars, I just wouldn't view it purely for that reason)

I think your house is lovely by the way. Would definately get a viewing from me if it was in the area I'm looking (with a cellar picture!)

[DaphneduM]

It's really beautiful and I can imagine someone falling in love with it. But in effect people are thinking you've got a one bedroomed house as the second is a dressing room. I so identify with this because I had a dressing room in our previously owned cottage which we sold last year. I bust a gut to store and hide the clothes and we dressed the room with a small wardrobe, chest of drawers and single bed. Therefore instead of a two bedroom cottage with a dressing room and study, we had in effect a three bedroom and upstairs study, albeit the dressing room bedroom was small. I believe it was this tweak that enabled us to get our price. Having said that we did price it reasonably. It's a weird market at the moment, some houses seem to go really quickly and others are lingering, and it's not always clear why that should be.

[iswhois]

Will definitely get a picture of the cellar, we recently did it out earlier this year, painted walls white and put flooring down. It's not properly damp proofed as this was a fortune but is well lit and good for extra storage (also has electric sockets)

[FAQs]

It’s gorgeous! A lot of competition but yours is the best dressed. There are a couple bigger nearby and cheaper, they might consider one of those but with your decor?

The one which sold at £225k had a restricted buyer situation.

[AgathaX]

It's a beautiful house. So refreshing to see somewhere done with style and originality.

The first thing I'd say is cut back the hedge in the front garden and add some planters for colour, then get a new photo of the front of the house. It just looks a bit unkempt in that photo.

Then maybe declutter slightly, but not enough to lose the lovely character you have created. If there's anything you could do with the clothes rails, I think that would be a bonus. It makes the room look small and as though it's too small to fit a wardrobe in. Could some stuff go in the loft for photos and viewings?

Definitely a photo of the cellar if it's a usable space.

[cherryblossommorningstoday]

It's lovely really but for the pictures and viewings I would declutter the dresser near the dining table and take some items off the walls in all rooms. Remove the silver barrel and the lamp in that room too.

Paint the dining room a much paler grey, it feels a bit dark and imposing rather than light and welcoming.

Definitely needs some well selected tall potted plants in the front garden and some green things in pots in the back so it feels more like a garden than a yard.

Remove the things (something silver and a chest) on the floor in the room with the clothes and clear everything off the desk. People need to be able to imagine this as a nursery (I assume that's the market given the lack of main bathroom).

[minnieok]

Try and get feedback from your agent. I have been house hunting and was frank with the agent's when I felt the property wasn't worth close to the asking price even if it was a different reason why I wasn't interested (eg room layout, too small etc)

[idril]

How does it compare to one bedroom flats in the area?

The big issue (as you know) is the bathroom. You've kind of really only got a one bedroom but compare to a one bedroom flat, it's miles ahead. So what I'm trying to say is that it probably won't be suitable for many people looking for a two bedroom house which means you are filtering out a whole host of potential buyers who think they can only afford a one bedroom flat but might pay a bit more for a 1/2 bedroom house which is so much better.

Hope that makes sense. Is it possible to advertise it as a one/two bedroom house? Or ask the estate agent to sent it to buyers who might be restricting themselves to looking at one bedroom flats?

Obviously this wouldn't work as a strategy if it's much more expensive than one bedroom flats.

[TryAnotherNickname]

Same situation, but since it’s a very unusual property with few comparables, I’m not surprised and sitting it out. None of the comments back have related to price (one complained that the hall floorboards squeak. In a 19thC listed property...)

[Daisydoesnt]

OP there's a balance between de-cluttering too much that you lose the character, warmth and charm; and not decluttering enough that potential vendors can't see the "house" for what it is and the space is overwhelmed. You have lovely taste but for SELLING, you are currently the wrong side of that balance. Forget about your charming, cosy home; you aren't staging this for an interiors mag but for people to make an offer to buy! Yes your tea towels are a lovely decorative feature but they detract from the sense of space in your fairly small kitchen. I'd aim to get rid of about 1/4 to 1/3 of your decorative items if I were you.

But the single most important thing to do is to dismantle your very lovely dressing room, box your clothes up and put them into storage, and set your second room up as proper bedroom. Couples looking to start a family or wanting a usable guest room are currently discounting your property. You are doing your house a massive disservice.

[Goorwait]

It is lovely! The main issue I would imagine is the fact that you have to walk through a ‘bedroom’ to get to the bathroom. If I was looking for a 2 bedroom property I would discount it for this reason.

[WhoWouldHaveThoughtThat]

It looks like you have two tvs on the wall? If so it going to 'bring' the room in and make it seem smaller than it is.
When we moved I hired a small unit at a storage place for three months and put loads of stuff I there to make the house look brighter and bigger.
I agree the second bedroom needs to look like a bedroom. Possibly fitting roller blinds (inexpensive) to your wardrobes would give a simpler less busy feel. You only need to close them when there's a viewing.

[northbacchus]

OP, your house has such personality, which is lovely but I would definitely consider putting what you can into storage (clothes, put-its etc.).

Out of curiosity, how much of the amazing bathroom and kitchen did you have done? They're fab.

[RevolutionRadio]

I really like your house's style. Unfortunately it's the things you can't change which would make me not view it.

Could you take out the dressing room and put in a cheap bed and a wardrobe. At least people would get a sense of how they might use it.

Declutter every where.

[Minimumstandard]

It's beautiful. We have friends who have lived in a similar house for the past five years. They are now moving as they have 2 DC under 5 and need more space. Their cottage is great (and 100 times more characterful than our house) but doesn't work as a family home. But for a couple, it would be fantastic.

Agree with the others on declutter second bedroom and put bed/desk in there to give a sense of how the space might be used.

[JoJoSM2]

Also it is on the main road but our cottages are higher with a ragstone wall at the front which bounces off a lot of the noise, there are steps leading up to a small path at the front of them

I’d have that in the main photo as people might get put off before even looking at street view to establish its higher up and set back.

[MJMG2015]

It's really cute!

The fireplace in the sitting room, could that be made useable?

You need photos of the driveway & cellar.

I could totally imagine living there as a couple or with a baby/one young child.

Not sure about the price (it would be at least 50% higher here and without the lovely brick!) but I think a PP us right when she said your advert/agent might be targeting the wrong part of the market! Depending on the price if 1bdrm places, you'd do well to market towards those (with the bathroom issue).

Personally I can see the 'bones' of a house but a LOT of people simply cannot, so yes, best to put some of your lovely things away and maybe see if you can borrow a bed to stage the second bedroom. 🙄

Definitely need better photos & to include cellar & driveway!!

(Where did you get your kitchen from?)

[RevolutionRadio]

I could look past the dressing room too, I've looked past a lot worse in both houses I've bought! But alot of people don't seem to be able to.

I had a 3 bed house and used one as a dressing room when I was selling I took out the clothing rails and left a desk/drawer's people could then see the other space in the room would fit a single bed.

[BadDucks]

It’s a lovely house and the decor is fab. I don’t think the dressing room is a massive issue IMO. We sold our last house with one of the bedrooms as a dressing room and it sold on the first day.