Please help me sell my house!

[charliehunnamssixpack]

Would appreciate any critique or help - been on the market 2 weeks and all everyone keeps telling me is how quickly things are selling. I have only had 3 viewings, one was a nosy neighbour, one didn't turn up and the third liked it but it was over her budget. Have listed previously and sold within 4 days so I don't know what's wrong this time.

Any ideas of how I can improve the listing to get more people through the door?

I think maybe get new photos of the third bedroom done as an actual bedroom rather than a room full of random stuff... anything else?
Tone down the garden patio perhaps?

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-97157954.html

@SandysMam

I love the patio tiles, makes it less generic! Definitely have third bedroom as a home office, all the rage now. Where did you get your sofa from? Am looking for one just like that!

Sofa was from John Lewis but a couple of years ago now, sorry!

I don’t know the area and when I googled to nosy at prices, an end terrace on your same street came up for £203,000. The site that house is on had a few other properties around the £205,000 mark for three bed semi detached a few streets away. I do think it’s the price of yours putting people off but obviously you know your area better than I do with regards to which streets have to price lower if that makes sense.

Looks lovely. 2 weeks is no time at all. Give it 6 months.

Nice house, very modern, clean and presentable.

What on earth is photo 12??!!

You have a lovely home but comparable houses for sale at a similar price either have a garage or 2 parking spaces.

It’s also very difficult getting a mortgage at the moment

Is this photo of bedroom 2 better or worse?

@tara66

Looks lovely. 2 weeks is no time at all. Give it 6 months.

I don't think I have six months - found a home down the road which I love and I'm trying to get mine sold so I can buy that before losing out on it

Are houses really selling that quickly in Irthlingborough? I find that hard to believe.
I agree with others. The house is beautifully done, so it is probably the price.

Bedroom two looked bigger (and better) before. I would declutter 3 a bit but also the front of the house picture needs retaking or cropping yo cut out the car. To me it looks like problem neighbours that don't park in their space and just plonk their car on the front! (I'm sure they are lovely really!)

I think it looks lovely. Assuming the price is right.
I think it's good to make a house look a bit aspirational as well as homely. Did I see any books there? Perhaps a bookcase full of (neatly) lined up books would be nice in the study or living room.
More plants?

@FatimaMunchy

Are houses really selling that quickly in Irthlingborough? I find that hard to believe. I agree with others. The house is beautifully done, so it is probably the price.

Houses here have been selling pretty quickly since Rushden Lakes was opened, it's had a real positive impact on the area. Walking distance to Rushden Lakes, Stanwick Lakes etc.

We too were told houses are selling but people can't actually view without their house on the market and estate agents are ideally wanting those sold. We live on one of the most desirable roads in our village. We've had three viewings. Been on 10 days. But looking at right move I think the markets stalled a bit. Maybe new lockdown restrictions have just concerned people?

@WilsonandNoodles

Bedroom two looked bigger (and better) before. I would declutter 3 a bit but also the front of the house picture needs retaking or cropping yo cut out the car. To me it looks like problem neighbours that don't park in their space and just plonk their car on the front! (I'm sure they are lovely really!)

When you say before - do you mean the picture I posted on the thread or the Rightmove picture?

@TheoneandObi

I think it looks lovely. Assuming the price is right. I think it's good to make a house look a bit aspirational as well as homely. Did I see any books there? Perhaps a bookcase full of (neatly) lined up books would be nice in the study or living room. More plants?

I'll see if I can borrow some. I'm a Kon Mari convert, hence the house looking quite devoid of stuff in most rooms 😬

I always find Irthlingborough a bit of a Marmite place, but yes those are good selling points.

I know the area well. Lovely home.

I think one of the issues is that you’re in an area surrounded by small villages/towns with a lot of old terrace houses which you can pick up between £160k and £180k.

You also have a lot of new builds in the surrounding area which gives buyers lots of options and the work on the chown mill roundabout which may temporarily be off putting.

I would reduce the price if it were me, by five grand.

Patience is key! It's only 2 weeks and the market is slowing a bit I have noticed (prices are being dropped here) it comes down to is someone looking for that kind of house and for how much, they are only worth what someone is willing to pay

I don't agree that you need to add clutter, not at all! It's a beautiful house, but somehow you'll need to show the 3rd bedroom can be a bedroom if you see what I mean. When we put our last house on the market, the photographer removed basically all of our stuff to take photos, all the kids toys and clutter just hidden in another room then put back once he got the picture! Sold in 5 days.

Your probably right about the price, but you don't want to lose out either. But also the new restrictions will potentially put people off too. It's a very difficult one.

@charliehunnamssixpack

Thank you all. No offence taken. I want to get the place sold so I need to know what people are honestly thinking when looking at the photos!

Will see if I can get the third bedroom photo removed for now and perhaps see what I can do about getting a single bed and drawers in there to show it as a (small!) bedroom. And add some plants or other bits to the bathrooms somewhere.

I’d move the bedroom 2 furniture into bedroom 3 and put a double bed in bedroom 2. At the moment, it looks like there’s only one room that can take a double, plus a child’s room and a tiny box room. You need to make it clear there’s two double bedrooms, and room for a child in the smallest bedroom.

Also retake the garden photo, it looks like the house at the end really overlooks your garden.

I think it looks lovely: clean, bright and well presented.
Agree with pp about presenting bedroom three as a bedroom.

Get the photos retaken and put a duvet on your bed, we are going into October so why use photos from May when it was hot as you stated previously?

Identify who you are selling to - a couple, couple with 1 child who will when child number two arrives move? Aim at your target buyers and make them want to view from the photos and then hook them in on the viewings with nice smells, subtle classical music playing on low and an indulgent this house is special feeling.

Cosy, welcoming and a sanctuary from Covid etc needs to be the feeling that the house gives.

Look on marketplace for a double bed for bedroom 2, if you don’t want to keep it once sold you can donate it to a good cause.

People are inherently curious about the people who live in a property and whom they are potentially buying from so paint a picture.

The Lakes you mention, presumably are outdoor beauty spots so use this and have books on display which suggest a virtuous weekend spent walking/cycling in the great outdoors etc to then return to a warm and welcoming house with cosy not stark lighting, some texture on the sofa - a throw to curl up with a good book and a glass of wine. Where are all your books!?

Bedroom 3 which is a dumping ground for a dispirit collection of ‘stuff’ needs tackling.

Shed in the garden or a hired storage unit could provide storage for the day bed and contents of bed 3 and the bin.

This needs effort and planning to make it compete against the other houses available.

Agree re getting a duvet (maybe with a lovely throw or quilt at the end of the bed) on the double in the main bedroom - also that style of bed (with the shelf all round the mattress) makes the room look smaller and more cluttered to me. A quilt would hide that. Admittedly this is very nitpicky!

Yeah, I agree with most of the others. That third bedroom needs a bed in it and not much else so people who want to use that room as a bedroom can see how it works. For the photo, just move the drawers out and put the bed in from bedroom 2. A lot of work for a photo, but it will make it look like a 3 bed.

The righnove photo of bedroom 2 is better than the one you posted on here.

It'll sell. Give it time.

I love the Mumsnet attitude to house selling. We sold our previous house without 'dressing' it. The buyers loved the room sizes and conservatory. The house we now live in wouldn't pass the Mumsnet test either as the bathrooms were ghastly, the decor 'interesting' and the garden hopelessly overstocked. We bought it for the layout.
The OPs house is lovely. So it will come down to price in the end.