Are buyers expecting pristine houses?

[Lofu]

Our house has been on the market since Dec at £280k. 3 bed extended detached in a desirable area. Garden, drive for two cars, garage.

It's a 1970s house so not attractive from the outside, we know this. Neighbours houses which are smaller but older and more attractive have sold recently for £325k. So I think we are priced accordingly.

We've had 7 viewings so far and each one has said the same thing- the house needs a bit more work than we anticipated.

The only thing I think needs doing is the bathroom which is serviceable but about 10 years old and not on trend. Again estate agent said this is reflected in the price. Everything else in the house is done.

I can't think what people mean. Our house isn't show home standard but I would say appropriately done up for a house of its age.

I thought it was normal to expect to do a few bits in an older house. Is anyone else finding that viewers are being very fussy about how houses are decorated?

Looks like a really nice house to me. I wouldn't even say the bathroom looks that tired! Only think I'd think to do is jet wash the block paving out front.
Assuming it's actually priced in line with recent comparable sales in the local area & not on a 20% markup over anything recent then I think you just need to wait for the right buyer.

It think your house is gorgeous. Bathroom is fine too, and so is the garden. I can only think that it must be over priced, especially as the bedrooms are quite small and there is no separate living room.

The house is lovely inside, just needs a bit of attention in the garden as others have said.

I would remove one of the pictures of the master bedroom where the angle the picture is taken from makes it look like the bed is right up against the mirror (even though you can see in other photos this is not the case) just in case someone is flicking through the pictures quickly and it puts them off.

@Ihatemyseleffordoingthis

Buy all the crisp white duvets you like, it's not going to make people pay £50k over the odds.

These threads always have this kind of bonkers advice. Pure insanity.

What is it with white bedding, it only really looks right in pristine new builds, in our older house it would look awful

@LovingBob

What is it with white bedding, it only really looks right in pristine new builds, in our older house it would look awful

Our house is over 400 years old. It looks fine here.

@LovingBob

What is it with white bedding, it only really looks right in pristine new builds, in our older house it would look awful

It definite depends on the house. Our old house looked rubbish painted neutrals everywhere - it had lots of nice period features but it was quite dark and when it was all neutral it just didn't work. It somehow highlighted the lack of light and hid the features!

We made a snap decision to put it on the market which meant that it went on full of colour as I didn't really have the time or energy to redecorate and some of the rooms had only just been done - the livingroom was a very dark teal with silk curtains and lots of metallic accents, the master bedroom had a pretty bold feature wallpaper, bedding was patterned, and so on. It was spotless, decluttered and very well presented and definitely did the whole "selling a lifestyle" thing, but it certainly wasn't neutral. Sold in under a week with multiple offers received.

@Lofu

I really appreciate everyone's input. It can be so frustrating when the only feedback you get is 'they liked the house but said it needs a bit more work than they thought' so it's helpful to get outside perspective. As some have said you become a bit blind to things when you are used to them.

And I hope anyone looking to put their house on the market soon finds it helpful! Weed your fronts and make your beds people!

You see the bed thing suggest that this person is perhaps not up to par about keeping a house in good repair etc . It gives a bad impression .

My mum has sold many houses for twice the price she bought them for. Every time there was a viewing, she would collect every single thing off every surface and floor and stick it in boxes that went in the garage. Then she'd bake bread and put coffee on. And clean everything. Every trick in the book, and it seems to work.

The bathroom suite is the same one she moved in with 12 years ago.
The Horror!
She hasn't been wrecking the planet by ripping out perfectly serviceable fittings to send to landfill.

@Ohnomoreno After one disaster with damp which the surveyor discovered I am very cautious if a house smells of anything nice too strong or has air freshner/candles everywhere.

Clean and tidy to see the acutal size of worktop in a kitchen or floorspace is vital and often overlooked, especially with toddlers around.

These threads always have this kind of bonkers advice. Pure insanity.
Agreed - funny how everyone is suddenly experts too - and all with opposing opinions!

The pp who says they'd require the seller to take out the fitted wardrobe.

Yeah right. If I were the seller, I'd politely tell you to bog off. Requiring vacant possession is a given. But if you want fixtures and fittings removed, you do it once you've taken ownership of the property.

Interesting seeing the previous pics of the house.

Those saying the layout doesn't work - that may well be, but don't people look at the floor plan of a house before they make the effort to view it? As an example, it would be a bit silly me going to look at a house and then saying I wouldn't buy it because it didn't have a second loo, even though the details clearly stated it only had one bathroom with a loo.

It’s not bonkers advice. People spend a lot of money on a house and you’ve got to make them see it as aspirational. Crisp white bedding with a throw that coordinates with the cushions helps do that. Declutter all the crap off the side. Hide bulky kids toys. Make your garden look right fit your market. Can a young couple see themselves having 6 friends around? Can a young couple with a toddler see themselves out there as a family? To a young couple the main bedroom needs to make them think it’s conducive to both sex and sleep.
We have bought and sold many houses. We’ve added 50% to a house in 18mths with the only building work being knocking down a wall between the kitchen and diner and installing a new kitchen. The rest was cosmetic. We’ve also been the ones to sell in a estate where 6 other houses where for sale all with a very similar layout.
So, make the front more appealing, sort out the garden as it needs tending and furniture. Do you really need both slides? Declutter the space between the lounge and diner. It looks like a corridor and sort out your bedroom. The first picture is from the best angle but the next one looks like your bed touches your wardrobe. Get rid of that. I can’t believe how some EAs ever sell houses with such shabby advice and photos.

People spend a lot of money on a house and you’ve got to make them see it as aspirational

I’m sorry but that’s nonsense. My criteria when buying a house are primarily size, location and price. Then there are must haves: a downstairs loo, fitted storage or space for it and a south or west facing garden. There are some things that detract like a newly fitted kitchen that isn’t to my taste.

I don’t know anyone shallow or stupid enough to make a decision about buying a house where the bed linen is a factor. The entire concept is absurd.

@Alsohuman

People spend a lot of money on a house and you’ve got to make them see it as aspirational

I’m sorry but that’s nonsense. My criteria when buying a house are primarily size, location and price. Then there are must haves: a downstairs loo, fitted storage or space for it and a south or west facing garden. There are some things that detract like a newly fitted kitchen that isn’t to my taste.

I don’t know anyone shallow or stupid enough to make a decision about buying a house where the bed linen is a factor. The entire concept is absurd.

I agree it won't be the deciding factor, but it must make some difference , otherwise why do show homes even exist? Why is a house ever "dressed" for sale?

Presenting a house well to add value can make a huge difference—the problem is it’s often something where you either have the ability to do it well or you don’t. So there’s not a whole lot of point in someone who doesn’t have a natural flair for it trying as they’re unlikely to get the desired results.

A fully optimised, perfectly laid out, beautifully finished home that appeals to most tastes and is ready to move into without any change attracts a very decent premium. But basically impossible to do yourself if it’s not already a profession or hobby.

@Soothes
Show houses are different as they aren't lived in and people can visual rooms better if they have furnitures in them.

I personally hate the whole house dressing up, bedrooms have to have beds in them for example. We rented a three bedroom house unfurnited which went on the market when we gave our notice to move and the estate agent was annoyed that we had no beds in the bedrooms.

I don't understand why people can't see outside what is presented, I am not the person living there, my needs for each room are different.

[quote reluctantbrit]@Soothes
Show houses are different as they aren't lived in and people can visual rooms better if they have furnitures in them.

I personally hate the whole house dressing up, bedrooms have to have beds in them for example. We rented a three bedroom house unfurnited which went on the market when we gave our notice to move and the estate agent was annoyed that we had no beds in the bedrooms.

I don't understand why people can't see outside what is presented, I am not the person living there, my needs for each room are different.[/quote]
I struggled to get my head around it either...until I went house viewing with my mum in law. I can look at the bones of a place and see what it could be, but she absolutely couldn't. At all. She got hung up on so many things - including not liking the vendor's wardrobes, lack of dining room (there was one but just presented as a sitting area instead)...absolutely zero imagination. She needed to see every room laid out in a way she could use it. It drove me nuts but it was also really useful.

A lot of people make emotional decisions too - x house is bigger and cheaper, but y house "feels right", and sometimes that feel is staging, scent, music, decor, a general feeling that you could happily sit down and relax here, rather than room sizes and layout.

I find this thread absolutely fascinating!

When we bought this house, it was beautifully presented, but no one lived here at the time so there was no "life clutter". I got a bit caught up in that which meant I ended up overlooking some bigger issues.

Now, 5 years on I'm focused on the bones of the property, the location, the size and any flexibility with the floor plan. Somethings you can't change, the decor you can.

However, when I'm presenting my house for sale I'm hoping I can make it look good enough so buyers overlook some of the same things I did.

You can dress a house how you want but it isn’t going to make any difference to room sizes.

I go onto a lot of houses and immediately in my head clear the room of the homeowners furniture and see it with the flooring and walls only.
Unless the homeowner is leaving all the furniture, pictures and ornaments etc it is a waste of time looking at things you aren’t buying.

I can see how some people are swayed by throws and cushions and a well placed vase but I don’t see it myself.

Sorry, haven't got time to read full thread, but I wonder if the few trivial things make people suspicious that you have not done major upkeep on the house generally, or cut corners with work you've done?

eg it looks like the pipe work running to the radiator where your dining table is is just exposed, which makes it look like a cheap quick fix. I think the toilet seat has been mentioned but there really is a big gap there, it isnt' just slightly wonky. And your bathroom is similar to. ours so it's slightly dated in terms of colour but whilst I wouldn't worry about that, but I noticed that your P shaped bath is missing the p-shaped shower screen! You've just stuck a folding one there, it looks like.

So while those issues aren't major, it might get people wondering what else you've done cheaply as a quick fix. I think homeowners do these things quickly and cheaply because they themmselves can live with it, but a buyer might be put off.

Don't fib op that's the same kitchen, you may have painted it, changed the handles and bought a few new units but it's the same. Also the doors aren't hung well. People are viewing from the pictures but not liking when then actually see in person so it'll be the details/price.

You haven't added as much value as you think. Same windows, same bathroom, same kitchen albeit painted and rejigged. You say you've replaced the downstairs skirts but it looks like you've just painted them, which isn't a problem but you've been there 5 years I would expect you to paint skirts as basic maintenance in that time. Re-wire? If you say so. You've got the same boiler as all radiators are the same. You've also taken out a wall that with current tastes will devalue it.

If you want to sell it reduce the price.

@DynamoKev

The bathroom suite is the same one she moved in with 12 years ago. The Horror! She hasn't been wrecking the planet by ripping out perfectly serviceable fittings to send to landfill.

Well said. I hate the idea that as soon as you move into a property you must change the kitchen, bathrooms, flooring.

@Alsohuman, not on a larger house when you’re moving for the 3rd/4th/5th time as a family but lower down the market; potentially first time buyer then yes, most definitely. We are moving again next year. I know what I’m looking for and can see past most things but I’m also 50yrs old so I’ve done it many, many times. My budget and experience means I don’t need to ‘see’ those things. Very different when you’re selling at that end of the market to potentially a FTB.