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?

[quote Bluntness100]Op the old pics are on line,,,

www.rightmove.co.uk/house-prices/detailMatching.html?prop=50517070&sale=59760378&country=england[/quote]
Wow.

When you compare the two sets of photos the previous owners look to have maintained the place better. The decor isn't particularly nice but it looks far more homely than the repaint job which looks cold (and I noticed there isn't a single picture anywhere). Its cold clinical and souless in comparison.

I would consider the house more from those photos than the ones from the house in its present condition. And I prefer the decor of the house now!

The exterior is particularly noticable.

Admittedly I live in a very expensive place but on what planet is a 3 bed detatched house with a good sized garden and garage a first time buyers house??

I can’t see the problem. Seems a really modern house to me. What’s wrong with the bathroom?? It’s lovely.

I’d move in right away. Seems cheap for where I live.

Lofu
I think people are looking at that particular house and the way it is portrayed is some one bought it for £170 in 2017 and it looked like it does now.
I do think that the money is for the garden and the walk in ready condition.
I think it is a strange price for your agent to put it on for as the increments on Rightmove are £275,000 then up to £300,000

I would advise you to put it on for £275,000 so at least you get more people looking at it.

You only have one reception room downstairs, that would be thing that would put me off. Could you put half glazed doors between the lounge and the bit between where the dining table and the lounge is and make this more of a playroom/family area with maybe a small sofa ? It looks a bit of waste of space at the moment, like a corridor.

I don't think the photos do it justice - they are taken from angles that don't really show off the whole of each room and make them look small.

I am always suspicious if the first picture in the particulars is not of the front of the house as it implies that it is awful - again, this picture could be taken at a better angle so that online viewers get a better impression of the size - I don't think it is as bad as other posters have indicated, so I'm not sure if spending money buying flower pots and plants for the front will make much difference to potential buyers. I would definitely jet wash the driveway and area at the front to make it look more appealing though.

The back garden - as you've mentioned, does need a bit of work and now that the spring is here, the grass could be cut and garden tidied - could you put the garden toys in the garage for photos and maybe put a table and chairs on the decking area to make it appear a more useable space.

I think spending lots of money on the house is not wise as I can't see there is anything particularly offensive in this house that would put buyers off (although some people do lack imagination when it comes to buying houses).

I would suggest asking your estate agents to take new photos, from better angles as I have suggested. After house hunting for some time, I know that the photos on the website are what catches a buyer's eye and if they are not clearly showcasing the house, that could let the house appeal down. I know that some estate agents have a certain "style" of photos - if the other houses they are selling have similar photos, it may be time to engage another estate agent who will be more creative with you and will give you more guidance on what is needed to sell your house (as well as better photos!).

Another estate agent may also value the house at a different price - I'm not familiar with the area at all, but other posters have suggested it may be over-priced - dropping the price may be worth considering if you are wanting to get it sold quicker.

Good luck!

Oh wow it think its the pics. The old pics makes the house more appealing even with the paint colours they had then

@Alsohuman

They've made an absolutely beautiful job of it inside

I disagree. It’s been Hinched within an inch of its life. I’d rather have yours.

It has been Hinched to heck but (as best as I can tell without a floor plan) I think it's quite a bit bigger than OPs, the bedrooms look bigger. It is also further from the neighbours - more of a proper detached - bathroom is done, layout with the separate livingroom is more modern, garden is a lot bigger and looks lovely, front is nicely done, and it's generally a prettier house with a big bay window.

The plot is significantly bigger overall - it's much wider if you look at the picture looking at the back of the house, so it has huge potential for extending in the future. You could double the size of the house and the plot wouldn't be overcrowded.

TBH if that went for £320k it says to me that £280k is too much for OPS

@Bythemillpond

Lofu I think people are looking at that particular house and the way it is portrayed is some one bought it for £170 in 2017 and it looked like it does now. I do think that the money is for the garden and the walk in ready condition. I think it is a strange price for your agent to put it on for as the increments on Rightmove are £275,000 then up to £300,000

I would advise you to put it on for £275,000 so at least you get more people looking at it.

That's a really interesting point. Honestly in 2017 it was derelict. Toilet falling through the ceiling into the living room derelict. No kitchen.

I've got no problem charging top dollar for a house decorated to that standard. My house is not decorated to that standard (nor will it ever be I have neither the imagination or the skills) so we're priced accordingly (according to the estate agent).

I do feel like people's standards are very high nowadays.

The thing with the unmade bed is that house buying should be aspirational. People want to feel they are moving up in the world when they upsize. They want the main bedroom to be alluring and sexy but also cosy and inviting. Lack of curtains and an unmade bed say the opposite.
I want to see crisp white linen. Duvet pulled up to headboard with 2 pillows puffed on top and preferably a nice set of cushions in your bedroom accent colour or a neutral tone to match wooden accessories etc.
We’ve bought and sold a lot. I either want to buy a wreck with a price that reflects that or it be done. So a good kitchen and solids wood flooring from the hall through to the kitchen. Not one flooring in the hall and another in the kitchen. I don’t want bland magnolia everywhere but where they’d paint it should be a general neutral but attractive shade such as a warm cream, grey or taupe. Intersperse this with good quality, funky wallpapers. Same carpet on stairs, landing and all bedrooms. I will look past a dated bathroom as long as it’s clean and functional. I don’t want it to look like someone has cheaply ‘done’ it to sell as indeed to do it all again and the prices rarely reflect this fact.

Also, I think it is strange that the video tour is not on the website - it indicates that it is "available upon request", which seems strange. Why would the estate agent withhold that when it would be helpful to viewers to get a better impression of the house?

Not all potential buyers would contact the estate agent to request this and as a buyer, it would allow me to have a more informed opinion on the house and help me decide if I wanted to view it.

@Lofu

To those saying it looks bland, you should know that I removed my pink and white chevron wallpaper that I loved from the living room to make it more neutral and appealing to buyers. I now feel very bitter.

I have not been allowed to put up the octopuss wallpaper in the hallway. I've got to save it for the new house.

Octopus wallpaper?? Show us please! I'm looking for interesting wallpaper for my next bathroom :)

It's a shame I'm not looking to buy in Nottingham, your place would be within budget and I'd love a detached.

Hi OP, I think it looks great in the photos. I have a similar age house (semi) and a similar price and size.

Things that I picked up on (mainly based on my own house tbh): windows. They look fairly old. Do any of them have blown seals which buyers would spot? Old windows on their own are fine, but if they scream need replacing that would be enough to put some people off (not me. All my houses have had shitty old windows ).
You say a stone floor in kitchen, but (forgive me) it looks like vinyl? Also, my house is tiny! Teeny tiny. Your bedrooms are smaller than mine (my bathroom is downstairs-its worst feature) and we struggle with upstairs space so I'm guessing it must feel v cramped. Your plot size also looks fairly small? And overlooked-is that a school? The road out the front looks like a main road (I don't know area) so I could be getting wrong impression.

I'm just mentioning these things as on the face of it, the property and photos look great. But if I was looking and found the pics from 2015, I'd (sorry) not be seeing what you did to justify the £100k increase. I have also rewired, new boiler, new kitchen, new bathroom and new fence...I'd have made about £30-40k on my bought price from 3 years ago. So broken even-ish. Not same area at all, but still Midlands.

That biscuit should have been a

Over the period since the house last sold the average price in the East Midlands increased by 26%. On this basis the house should be priced at £227k plus the value of any home improvements.

From looking at the old pictures, it's not all that obvious that you've done loads of work - so it looks like the 55% increase in price is not all that justified no matter how much prices have gone up locally.

Agreed. House is overpriced for what it is. The bedrooms are too small for a decent 3 bed detached.

OP I think if you are getting viewing sit cannot be the photos or the price really - as in, people must think it is worth viewing based on the EA listing.

So I do wonder if, as others say, it is disappointing in real life? Sorry, I know it's your home, but can you look at it with a critical eye and see what is not quite right?

Sop maybe you do need to think about lowering the price (or fixing those things?).

For me, I would want to replace the wall to give a separate living room and then knock through to make a kitchen diner (hate a smaller kitchen and lounge-diner). But if I weren't prepared to add that cost to the price, I wouldn't view, so it can't be that.

To the poster who said the third bedroom is too small, errrr? Many many three bed houses have a third bedroom as small as that and smaller. DS1 had a 7ft square hall bedroom until he was 11 - not an issue, and quite standard for three-bed semis. The legal limit for a bedroom size refers to HMO - homes where someone may spend a lot of time in their room and need space for a desk (such as a student house) - rather than a family home.

Agent here so I am going to be brutal (which your agent should be with a smile!). Things that need sorting; front shot is rubbish, should be from the other angle so that the main feature is not the dated porch and the moss. Master bedroom looks studenty and not aspirational/grown up, ditch the yellow and change to white bedding. Second bedroom isn’t good, it is very disorganised and lots of odd furniture. I would switch the babies room to the smallest room in the house and show the second bedroom can get a double bed in, again white bedding. The curtains in the dining area look to be hung badly, the plastic kids stuff needs putting away out of sight in the living room. The bookshelves you can see in the dining picture look to be very cluttered but hard to tell. Garden needs seeing to, not at all inviting at the moment. I would suggest putting a car on the driveway (a nice one), estate agents can put theirs on if it’s nicer than yours to show off the space.

Please don’t think I’m being rude just trying to help! X

Mine is a lot of small things but as others said you need to remove the weeds outside your garden wall(both sides) and driveway. Get rid of the candles and placemats on the dining table. Remove the camp sign and Cockerell decorations. The curtains on the french doors are way too long, get rid of them and maybe replace the green curtains with them and install curtain hooks to make them look tidy when open. I actually would do that for all the rooms at the front so the windows looks dressed from the outside. You have multiple shades of wood from dark to light, given your kitchen is a light shade I would put your mid to dark brown furniture in storage. I would consider painting the feature wall in bedroom one and the feature wall in the kitchen a plain colour. Put a tall slim plant or a feature vase with twig (worded badly) in the porch. Some plants in pots at the front door. Remove the guitar from the study and put into storage. Get wire cables for the computers so the area does not look so clutter. Make sure there is a full roll of toilet paper on the holder in the bathroom. The garden needs major work. Consider removing the swings at the end of the garden. Change the light shades down stairs to all the same colour and style. When people view your house you want the rooms to flow. Have a wicker basket that you can throw all toys in of you have an unexpected viewing and just a few toys in it so it can be tidied easily.

Also the bed needs to be made more neatly. Consider a plain neutral duvet. It might make the room seem bigger.

@Chicchicchicchiclana

Admittedly I live in a very expensive place but on what planet is a 3 bed detatched house with a good sized garden and garage a first time buyers house??

Unfortunately, it manages to look too small for buyers on the next rung on the ladder (young family).

It's the bedrooms. I think you need to make the "office " look like a bedroom. Put the office stuff in storage or the garage.

Put away some stuff from the nursery.

Main bedroom; needs a bedside table with a nice light on it, instead of shelf, and can you possibly borrow a pair of curtains to soften the bleak window look?

The house looks great, and if it's on par with neigh neighbouring properties it should be fine, but if I were a buyer I'd be asking why people hadn't kept it long before moving on, so is there anything like dodgy neighbours, noisy works or pubs nearby?

If it was me looking to buy, l would prefare a slightly larger Master Bedroom. An En-suite Shower room would also be a welcome asset, as would a way of separating the front lounge area from the very large kitchen and adding a few splashes of feature colour to the various areas to give the place a more warm and cosy feel to it.

We live within a hours drive of this Property, and have a similar small estate of very similar properties that were probably built around the same time by the same fairly large building company during the 1970s.
Quite a few have been extended, some with full height to include an extra bedroom, En-suite, or side Garage converted into a separate office.
Prices range from 225k for a basic one in need of total refurb, to 349k for a massively extended one on a corner plot with 4 Bedrooms, Conservatory, front Garage and porch extensions, and a separate playroom that the owner runs a Child minding business from.

Local area, facilities, and crime rate statistics can also influence the price and demand for a Property. As can parking problems and lack of regular transport services, availability of Good School facilities and Ofsted ratings, and adequate NHS services such as Doctors and Dentists nearby without an awkward journey to get there.

The price increase is mainly to do with how popular the area has become. And hopefully it will continue in a similar trend so the next buyers will see an increase over the years.

This isn't a main road it's a fairly quiet residential street. No school or anything on the street.

I can't deny that that rooms are small but actually viewers have been fine with them, only one has said they are too small.

Lovely home
Add a hanging basket to the front
Some of the images could be a bit brighter so maybe need editting?
I know someone who paid to have professional photos taken - around £60 and their listing looked amazing and house sold quickly

Good luck!