Selling a house in a rough area?

[FairyAnn]

Looking for some advice - we have a lovely home in an area that has gone downhill a bit during lockdown. We're trying to sell but all the feedback we get is 'perfect house but put off by location'.

I don't know how to get round this. We've already dropped the price 10k lower than what it is worth and can't afford to go any lower. Are we stuck?

How rough is rough? Does it look bad or just not hot a great reputation? Can your agent market it at a wider market eg people looking to move from different areas of the country

A house is only worth what people are prepared to pay for it. Is it worth hanging on to see if the area picks up?

It's not too bad, not to the level of boarded up houses or high crime, but the gardens look untidy and there's been lots of people and kids hanging round during the day, smoking, drinking - eased a bit now as schools are back.

We're going to hold on for a bit longer and see if the cooler weather helps keep the street quieter when people come to view.

Keep hopeful! My current house is in the 'worst' area of the town and ours sold to a buyer who actually lives fairly close by, so they know the area isn't as bad as the reputation so you may find the one who buys has links to the area.

We did make sure our house was almost show-home looking to put it on the market; freshly decorated neutrally, new kitchen, new radiators and windows, spotless throughout really, which the EA said helps so much.

Sometimes if it's in a rougher area, a house needs to be as up together as possible to sell on!

I agree that it’s only worth what someone will pay. So you can decide whether to stay put or sell for less.

@YellowNotRed Thats good advice - there's definitely a few bits we could spruce up while we wait for a buyer

[quote FairyAnn]@YellowNotRed Thats good advice - there's definitely a few bits we could spruce up while we wait for a buyer[/quote]
That sounds like a good plan! De-clutter as best you can too (we moved lots of bits and bobs into storage) especially put personal photos/items out the way, we painted the whole house fresh white, and put fresh flowers in the rooms for viewings.

If you have a garden make sure it's free of weeds, freshly mowed, with some bright flowers in pots etc.

You could ask a trusted friend to walk around your house and point out anything that catches their eye - often we live with and become blind to issues that might stick out to others; and then spruce up anything that they point out. It's amazing how much nicer a house can feel then.

Make your house the best presented one they'll see in the price range (look on Rightmove for your competition) and area will be much less of an issue. :)

@YellowNotRed Thank you, that's very helpful! I'll ask my mum to critique, I can always count on her to be honest 😁