Will we EVER sell our house?

[TroublesomeTownHouse]

We have been on the market since Feb. Basically sold and then lockdown hit and they pulled out. Sold again in the summer but they also pulled out having found somewhere they preferred.

Switched agents mid-September because we'd been on so long and hoped for some new interest but got 1 solitary viewing.

Then did a fairly big price drop 2 weeks ago and NOTHING.

I know we should probably just take it off the market until next year but everything around us is selling. Cons are we are on a main road and we don't have much garden but we (and both sets of agents) are really genuinely puzzled about what's going on because otherwise its pretty good!

Does anyone have any miracle stories about buyers appearing suddenly after months?

In my experience, most houses sell at the price the market determines. It always comes down to price unless you live in a quiet hamlet where no-one goes.

How desperate are you to move? Was it your estate agents who set the price for you?

The stamp duty saving is definitely driving the market so I would caution against trying again in the new year when it's too late for the discount.

We've come down twice by £50k each time and the second drop was to generate lots of interest and offers with the idea being we'd get over that price.

What actually happened is nothing at all.

I don't want to drop again as it will look like there's something seriously wrong with it!

Can you put a link?

If you put a link on here we might be able to tell you 😉

I only say that because I posted my link a couple of years ago and got 4 offers from 4 viewings the following week!

If you post a link we can have a (nose) look and offer CONSTRUCTIVE criticism - sometimes it’s just the photos aren’t great

By the sounds of it its price. What is your competition in the area?

Are you willing to put your listing up so anyone can give you some pointers?

@ramblingsonthego it's up now. I don't think its price looking at next door and others. It's the main road and the small garden neither of which we can do much about!

Is that courtyard the only piece of garden? That would put be off, if I’m buying a large fanily home I would want a bigger garden.

It's a high price so these properties can be slower to sell. Unless you live in a v expensive area, that's not going to appeal to many people. Depends how desperate you are to sell! It's a lovely house though!

Oh wow OP, it's lovely! I hate it when there isn't really anything to change, as you say, it's the main road and the (virtually no) garden. I think all you can do is price it as low as you can and wait.

Looks very nice. Couple of suggestions:

• make the living room in the basement into a bedroom. Or make them both living space. Seems a bit odd to have an ensuite attached to a living room that is accessed via a bedroom.
• Add some interesting details e.g. bright cushions, flowers etc. Then redo photos. People are generally very unimaginative.

@Jaxhog the bedroom, living room bathroom is actually a separate flat and the living room has a kitchen in so doesn't work as a bedroom. Its hard to get the layout across in the photos.

The photos are not great, particularly the ones of the kitchen which make it look poky. It's an unusual layout and the photos need to be much clearer so people can work out what room they're looking at. The one photo of the main bathroom is rubbish. Nothing of the en-suite. Not even sure what the laundry room is?

Also agree that having to go through a bedroom to get to kitchen / living room is not great. If it's not used as a bedroom don't label it as that on the plan.

Maybe a virtual tour would be a good idea to help explain the layout?

I think I would try to make more of the front and rear gardens e.g. a small table and chairs or bench in front garden. The rear garden photo is a bit poor, can it not be retaken at a better angle, move the BBQ out of the way etc.

There must be lots of properties up and down the country like this, am sure it will sell.

I would also take your own photos, ensuring that each presents the house at its best. Estate agents are rubbish!

For me, it would be the garden. If I needed a 7 bedroom house I am likely to have a few kids, and the tiny courtyard garden is not going to cut it, sorry! I know you can't change it, but it would stop me even looking at yours. You also wouldn't get retired people who may not mind a smaller garden as they won't want 7 bedrooms.

At your price range it is a longer sell in some areas. I say keep it on the market and keep trying.

The photos don’t reflect the floor plan at all. They need some serious consideration.

We have been looking at houses in your town as thinking of moving there, seen yours on market. It's the lack of any half decent garden which is a common feature of Victorian houses in H. I wouldn't put the courtyard as the second picture! I don't think your photos are great either I'm afraid, I'd want to be wowed by the kitchen to be drawn in. As others say, the mismatch between house and garden, although you can't do anything about it, make it a niche buy.

Also your competition is like this one (I dont know the area well though)

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-84136942.html

They have a bigger garden (although still not that big) and is 75k cheaper than yours.

Yours is marketed as a 7 bed but if you have to go through a bedroom to get to the only kitchen then its not really a bedroom. I would change it to a 6 bed and market that room as an extra living room.

Lovely house, but angles of photos aren't great at all. Sure outside space will be a big issue for many people, but as you say there's nothing you can do about that, all you can do is maximise the rest.

Weird, because fundamentally courtyard is tidy with nice plants, but I feel it doesn't look very welcoming somehow. I'm not usually all that keen on 'staging', but I reckon this might need it - better table, proper chairs with nice cushions, bright plant on table, move the BBQ out, again a better angle so it's not so shadowy. Could you borrow a table and chairs to do it, maybe?

Also, I would be wanting to market it as 'x bedroom house with separate 1 bedroom annex' if that's appropriate.

Photos of front of house need to be re-taken at better angles on a lovely sunny day too. Did estate agent take the front of house pics from top floor of a bus ... ?!

You live just down the road from friends of ours. Harrogate is a very expensive area so I doubt you are charging too much for your house OP. Also central Harrogate houses don't have large gardens as far as I remember. Having said that the photos don't do it justice having seen the floor plan.

I live in the south so things are different but find that larger more expensive houses like yours take much longer to sell than smaller ones.
The plus point you have at the moment is that stamp duty is a lot on properties at this price so saving that money is a bonus for buyers.

PS re larger garden - you are within walking distance of The Stray I think so no need for large garden. Perhaps mention that in the details?