Why isn’t my house selling?

[slithytoveisascientist]

Please can you help?

We have been on since I think October, had only 2 viewings and one offer of £317k which was withdrawn as it was the top end of their budget - we wouldn’t have accepted anyway.

Most other houses locally seem to be moving really fast. Would appreciate guidance.

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/88479571#/

It’s always price. Always. Dark photo’s don’t generally stop people at least viewing and neither does decor unless it looks an absolute beyond just decor wreck. It says you reduced it in January so presumably it was on for a fair amount more and looking at other local listings it would have been overpriced. 317k would have been a good price to get. I would do what others have suggested and get a local estate agent who understands the market and can price yours accordingly. I’d assume (as a buyer) as you are with an online estate agent that I would have to have you show me round too which is a major off putting factor for me.

Are their lots of houses on your estate that look the same and are up for cheaper? Or bigger for not much more?

Apart from that, I'd say the put-offs are small garden, bathroom needs changing, kitchen is a bit meh and is the dining room in a conservatory?

The market's hardly great at present, which is to be expected, I suppose.

I'd defo question the photos, if I were you. Downstairs rooms look pokier than the floor plan suggests.

Good luck, OP. Hopefully things will move along for you soon.

Agree with everyone else tbh.

Photos are not taken from the best angle, lots are weirdly close to the floor and show too much of the ceilings.

I think the photographer put the lights on to get max light but if they've used a camera on auto settings that actually won't have helped and may make rooms look darker as the lights are overwhelming the ambient light.

The lounge is not attractive, looks quite plain and drab. The coffee table dominates the room. If you could put a rug there maybe instead of the table, and a picture behind the sofa?

I think the photos need re doing if I am honest.

Its very bland but that in itself shouldn't put people off - but the photos are awful.
I'm also not familiar with that agency- is it online?
Only getting ine viewing - it's the photos (or price, though hard tontell as prices fkr houses near you vary a lot).
£317 wasn't a bad offer. I would have accepted £320.

Before you go spending any money jazzing it up I would really consult a local agent on price and state of market. It’s bland but that will not stop people who want your area (if it’s reasonably priced) viewing and offering.

It's a lovely house but I don't like the lounge sorry.
I'd maybe move the sofa away from the wall and put a side table there to balance the room a bit. Maybe a rug under the coffee table or even lose that table. Moving the blue sofa has lff we t quite a bit bare space which moving the sofa down will fill
The kitchen is too bare. Put a blind up and have some more normal stuff out and a splash of colour. A plant maybe.

Put some nice towels in the bathrooms and power wash the slabs in the garden.

I think it's a lovely house OP. Little bit dated but nothing major. I like the dining room in the conservatory. There is another dining room that could be used in the colder weather.

We are looking but Middlewich is too far away from Manchester for us.

I think if you re list once the budget has been announced, you may have more luck. However, if the SD holiday isn't extended, then prices may drop a little, back to where they were this time last year.

It’s pretty much the same as
most of the houses on our estate. Nothing different or fantastic, but clean, tidy & a decent size. Being overlooked is totally normal on estates, especially new builds.

It has to be the price.

Those photos are shocking. They make it look poky. The angles are bizarre. Looks like agent got pissed, fell over and snapped a pic with his iPhone. Proper lighting matters. The floor plan is a pain. Just do a normal one.

You can’t change it but the downstairs layout doesn’t work. Your front lounge could be a bit smaller and the double doors blocked up. The middle room is a corridor that you have to walk through to get to the family room so in reality you only have one big reception room.

I’d put the dining room table back in the dining room and then put a sofa in the extension. Right now the three rooms look like one big corridor with all the doors open and it’s a bit weird to have a lounge room with a sofa opening onto your erm lounge with a sofa

And has others have said, speak to a local agent who knows the local market.

The Purple Bricks brigade always put me off viewing as they always overestimate the price.

I live relatively close and just sold with this agent. For those berating them they are a local (franchised) agent they just don’t have offices. They worked tirelessly for us - genuinely.

However we did need to tweak photos with them, so don’t be afraid to ask them to retake them.

Also - the layout of your house is a fairly standard one. The market round here (south Cheshire/north staffs) is awash with that layout. It’s the ones like this with a separate kitchen and dining that seem to take the time to move.

They need to show off the garden more. Everyone wants outdoor space right now.

I read the comments before I looked at your listing- photos aren't as bad/dark as I was expecting, you can get a rough idea of what your house offers. But some of the photos just seem to be of.your furniture rather than the room- like the dining table photo?! I would definitely redo them and get professional ones done. My parents house just went on the market and the photos were awful, they have had no interest. I told her to demand professional photos, they have done them now.
It can only be two things as to why you aren't getting viewings- the photos or the price. Address the photos and if that doesn't work, you know it's the price.

@Dugee

And has others have said, speak to a local agent who knows the local market.

The Purple Bricks brigade always put me off viewing as they always overestimate the price.

They are local. They have an agent per city or town. They just don’t have a high street office.

Are houses selling particularly well in Middlewich at the moment? I was wondering if they've taken a hit with people working from home more and not commuting to Manchester.

How old is your house OP? The problem is there's loads of new build estates shooting up around Northwich, Winsford and Middlewich. Most of the houses on Right move for sale in Middlewich don't look older than ten years. But if people want a new build, they're more likely to buy it, well, brand new.

I'll be honest, I don't know how your area compares, but on right move your house is one of the most expensive and doesn't actually look 'that' good compared to the others in a similar price range.

It's a pretty house though OP so take heart, if you can get the interior photos right, it certainly has kerb appeal.

I don’t see much wrong with it.

Yes, more light would be great. Yes it’s dated, but that can be fixed easily

Something may be putting people off when they visit (hence lower offer).

Also, we have the middle room as dining room
The extension is a playroom - will take a pic tm

They moved a LOT of furniture

Can you tell it’s a double bed in the lilac room?

Re the above pic, the table isn’t usually pushed up to the sideboard! We had a heap of six year old running round

You can tell it’s a double in the lilac room
Honestly OP if it’s been on since October - a third of a year, it’s price.

I have no idea. It looks perfect to me!

You don’t seem to have huge competition locally so I think you may need to consider price. It’s a standard issue 4 bed new (ish) build which pretty much does what it says on the tin. If your getting lots of viewing but no offers something is wrong with the house if your getting no viewings it’s the price

I can see you have depersonalised it but I think it needs a bit of window dressing with high end toiletries and kitchen bits! It’s a nice house, after all YOU bought it and sonwill someone else.