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Will we EVER sell our house?

228 replies

TroublesomeTownHouse · 09/10/2020 11:23

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?

OP posts:
sushiaddict · 09/10/2020 15:04

Larger houses do take longer to sell

orangenasturtium · 09/10/2020 15:15

It is a lovely house but as PPs have said, the photos are confusing, and the garden is too small.

I think the house is almost "too big". Most people don't need that much space, so many bedrooms, even a large family. You need to "tell" them what to do with the luxury of so much space and sell them the lifestyle. One of the advantages of having a big house is being able to have dedicated rooms like a home cinema, home office, playroom, laundry room, formal dining room, music room, games room, library, ensuite bathrooms. You don't need to have multipurpose rooms. Yet you seem to have a desk in the kitchen, another desk in the family room and no home office. You don't have an eat in kitchen, you have a breakfast room but then another dining room with a tiny table which doesn't look any different from the breakfast room. If you are going to have a formal dining room, make it look grand with a big table for dinner parties, otherwise you are just doubling up. Or use it for something else. Show people what they can do with all the extra space.

I would rethink the rooms. Maybe make the breakfast room look more like a formal dining room, then turn the dining room in to a family room and move the TV there. Then turn the basement family room into a library/office/music room. I know it's got to work for you living there too but at the moment it feels like you have 2 dining rooms and 2 sitting rooms, and I only need one of each... Inspire people as to what they could do with all that extra space.

I would also get the agent to clearly mark the self contained annexe on the plan by greying it out or something and renaming it as a granny/guest/au pair annexe. I would consider whether you need a guest room and the annexe. More people will need a guest room than a granny/au pair annexe but then they don't need a guest room in the main house. It might be worth considering repurposing your guest room as a study, if you have one.

The lack of outside space is a problem for such a large home? Where is the off street parking mentioned in the details? Is it attached to the garden? If it is, it might help to have a plan of the garden, as it would give people the option of using it as garden space rather than parking.

The courtyard seating area looks cramped and uncomfortable with tiny stools, a small table and wooden benches. If you added cushions, maybe added some proper chairs or at least spaced out the stools, it might help make it look more comfortable and show there is room for everyone to sit there. You've got a granny annexe and 5 bedrooms but it doesn't look like you could fit the entire family around that table.

I would spend some money of redesigning the front garden. Buy some large trees and shrubs in pots to create a hedge to make it totally private so people feel comfortable using the space. I would add a seating area with sofas or a swing chair so buyers get the idea that they could actually use the front garden as in the same way they use a back garden.

orangenasturtium · 09/10/2020 15:18

I see you have answered my question about the parking space! Your photos of the courtyard are so much better than the photo in the property details. You have so much more room than it suggests. I would be adding a plan of the outside space and better photos. You could do with some more plants in pots though...

Yesyoudoknowme · 09/10/2020 15:26

The house is lovely - however as other PPs have said - a house that size is meant for a family - and with no garden that would be an issue. I am no gardener but even I would balk at that. Unfortunately you simply can't do anything about that so I don't know what to suggest.

MissMarplesHandbag · 09/10/2020 15:27

@TroublesomeTownHouse your left courtyard is 100% better than the one currently on Rightmove.
If you continue in that vein with the rest of the house it will be a vast improvement in terms of marketing it.
Agree with PPs re the order of the pics too. Currently they’re all over the place and just make no sense.

RNBrie · 09/10/2020 15:29

Your garden is at least twice as big as it looks on the Estate Agent's photos. It would be better to have NO picture of the garden than the one they do have!

All the other advice on this thread is good, but I really think your major issue is that photo of the garden.

I also think the bathroom in the flat needs to be called a Bathroom not an ensuite - its not off the bedroom so is confusing to call it an ensuite.

I would love to have a big house with an independent flat for guests/income whatever. It would really appeal to me if we were looking in your area. The thing that would have put me off is the lack of garden, but actually your garden is fine. Small but workable.

GinandGingerBeer · 09/10/2020 15:29

You can only upload portrait pictures to RM btw op.
Ours in on the market and that's what the photographer told us.
Your house is beautiful. Even if the air B&B doesn't appeal, the flat can still appeal for those with adult children saving for a deposit or if they want/need to have an elderly parent moving in.

GreyishDays · 09/10/2020 15:35

In the centre of Harrogate small/no garden is standard, so I think many of the comments are a bit of a red herring.

CamillasHardHat · 09/10/2020 15:49

Your house is absolutely beautiful, but the photos do not sell it. Your photo of your courtyard is so much better than the EA one.

Also there is no photo of the parking, how many cars can you fit in the parking area and what about visitors?

The floorplan says family room in the basement flat but I assume that photo 13 is that "family room" but it shows it as a bedroom. So the plan is misleading. The basement flat photos also appear to be in with the main house photos. They should be at the end.

The best thing is to take your own photos in order, also that way you can move things around to take the photo and then move things back ie photo 11, show off that stunning window, just move the multi-coloured storage whilst you take the photo. Also take a good hard look at the photos the EA has taken and note where you can see wires like in photo 12 with the extension under the desk. Tidy that away and take a new photo.

What is the large black thing tucked behind the dresser in photo 7? You need to look at other houses up and be really critical with their photos, how does a house present itself? What is good and what is bad?

For the price your is on at I probably would pay for a person to come and stage it.

Ultimately it is a lovely house in a great location, I do think the photos let it down. I also put my house on here to be critiqued many years ago so I know how this feels.

CamillasHardHat · 09/10/2020 15:51

Also a photo from the bottom of the courtyard up toward the house would be good too. Don't leave any room off, people want to see all of them.

SoUtterlyGroundDown · 09/10/2020 15:51

@GreyishDays

In the centre of Harrogate small/no garden is standard, so I think many of the comments are a bit of a red herring.
But that doesn’t change the fact that the majority of people who need a 6 bed house would probably prefer a larger garden. It’s not a criticism, just a statement of fact. There will of course be some people who want a large house in the centre and don’t mind having a small garden, but there are likely fewer of these people so it may take longer to find a buyer.
pilort · 09/10/2020 16:05

I love the outside but find the inside confusing & can't see much of the kitchen.

I prefer the 2nd house linked but it's a lot cheaper.

Is this the same road?

www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/55929795?search_identifier=e435b6b4907d518a5314e7c284a96977

FAQs · 09/10/2020 16:07

The other photos showing the parking are better.

sunshinesupermum · 09/10/2020 16:07

SoUtterlyGroundDown People who know the area will also know that the huge outside space that is The Stray is minutes' walk from the OPs house. Her courtyard garden is fine but a bit more greenery would make it more of a 'garden'.

FAQs · 09/10/2020 16:09

You need a mix of the new and old photos or add some of the old to show the rear and parking better www.rightmove.co.uk/house-prices/detailMatching.html?prop=89666510&sale=46471074&country=england

sunshinesupermum · 09/10/2020 16:09

pilort It's the same main road but not as central to town or The Stray.

SoUtterlyGroundDown · 09/10/2020 16:10

@sunshinesupermum

SoUtterlyGroundDown People who know the area will also know that the huge outside space that is The Stray is minutes' walk from the OPs house. Her courtyard garden is fine but a bit more greenery would make it more of a 'garden'.
Yes large green spaces nearby are a selling point, but with a family of three young children we’re looking for a large enclosed private garden. All I’m saying it that is reduces the pool of potential buyers. Not sure why that’s controversial.
pilort · 09/10/2020 16:10

I don't think the garden is necessarily an issue as buyers will likely know the area. But it just depends if the price is realistic I guess.

ScribblingMilly · 09/10/2020 16:11

My impression is that you have put the picture of half your garden second in the list, as if to say 'our garden's tiny, just to warn you, you might not even want to bother looking at the interior'! And then there are no more pics of the garden to show it's actually not that tiny. Crazy. I think you could do more with the garden too - the sitting area is really nice but overall it needs some wow factor especially because of its size. If it was mine, I'd get a gardener in to style up some amazing container plants. It's a lovely house though, would work for someone who need income too. Good luck!

SoUtterlyGroundDown · 09/10/2020 16:13

Especially because people will be conscious that during lockdown public green spaces were closed to the public. I think people who would previously have been happy with a small garden due to the close proximity of the park might have different views at the moment.
Lots of reports saying people are increasingly looking for large gardens in less central locations due to Covid.

pilort · 09/10/2020 16:14

@sunshinesupermum so that house has sold but the price isn't shown yet. The asking price was 750k, with that & the one linked earlier for 625k the OPs seems toppy.

pilort · 09/10/2020 16:15

@SoUtterlyGroundDown good point. We have a small garden (London & common is 50 meters away). However next property I want a bigger garden whereas pre Covid not important to me.

TroublesomeTownHouse · 09/10/2020 16:15

Yes a 6 bed in town with a big garden would be great. And also around £1.25m so there is that.

I said at the start that the main road and small garden are making it less desirable but there is bugger all I can do about either.

Thanks for the input we have to decide whether to redo the photos or just come off the market until next year. Its been so long I'm running out of steam.

OP posts:
TroublesomeTownHouse · 09/10/2020 16:18

The detached further up the road is not really comparable - we have around double the footprint but that is detached.

The smaller terrace at £625 is also quite a bit smaller.

A bit closer to town is a pretty similar 5 bed with a garden for £1.1m

OP posts:
pilort · 09/10/2020 16:19

Can't see the price it sold for but this was up for 950k

detached, off street parking, high spec & seems to have more outside space.

www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/55510791?search_identifier=e435b6b4907d518a5314e7c284a96977

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