Parking spaces

[Ailurusfulgens]

Our house is on the market and while we have had a fair number of viewings we've had no offers and only one second viewing. Feedback has been mixed but parking has been mentioned.

We have a drive with room for one car. There are spaces on the street we use for our second car. We rarely have trouble parking but clearly our viewers don't believe this. We have a small front garden that could easily be an additional space but it wouldn't be very big. Fine for a small car, no good for anything bigger. To convert it to an additional space would take a bit of effort. Would you bother?

I should add the front garden itself while small is beautifully planted. I'll be a little gutted to take it up.

As a seller, I would actually convert it. But I would suggest it to a potential buyer and have a good idea of what timeline and costs it would involve.
As someone who is currently looking at property, I would want to have two parking places of my own.

Nope. If someone wants it they can pavd the front- I certainly wouldn't go to the expense myself (plus it takes time- you need permission, book someone to do it etc). Price is always the stickler - drop it rather than do work which may or may not get a sale.

You should add a link so we can see! personally I dont think i wouldn't bother.

I wouldn’t. It’ll be expensive and remove kerb appeal. Our house is the same but it was 10k less than comparable houses with better parking so I’d look at your price. No idea re area but in my area there’s hardly anything on the market as it sells within a week if it’s priced right (I’m south west)

Sorry missed out a very important ‘not’ after would.

I wouldn't bother. I'd probably say to people looking round that the driveway could hold two cars if needed but you don't need it.

People are obsessed with off-road parking for some reason

No, I wouldn’t.

But does your street look ‘parked up’ - does it give the impression of being hard to park? When they arrive for viewings is it tricky for them to pull up and view? And are you in competition price-wise with comparable properties with the same or better parking?

How do you do viewings? Do one or both adults leave (in a car?)

No. However you do need to spoon feed some potential buyers. If they start talking about parking mention that there is the option to turn the front garden into an extra space. It might seem obvious to you but some people are really thick.

No, I wouldn't either. As everyone else says - you could get the Estate Agent to mention that there is room to convert the front garden to a wider drive of people wished to but that, because you'd never had any difficulty parking 2nd cars on the road, there had never seen any point.

When doing viewings we leave the drive clear because DH takes the kids out. There is no planning or dropped kerb required. All we would need to do is uproot the plants and remove a bit of soil and put down gravel. So not hugely expensive but as I say I love it as it currently is.

I do wonder if we're overpriced. I'd happily accept £10-20k under what it's on at. But currently there is nothing on the market that we could buy.

Thanks all, DH will be relieved.

No way! Wee are looking for parking for two cars but it's common sense that a front garden can be altered into a parking space- so many people are doing that these days. Don't do it yourself! As long as the possibility is there, I can't see how that would be a deal-breaker. The only house that has had parking as a deal dealer for us was one where there was a tiny narrow drive for one car with walls either side, and then literally nowhere for our second car - no front garden to transform into a drive, not even the possibility of parking on the road. We literally couldn't move there. Yours would be fine - I really wouldn't foot the cost yourself! And you never know - buyers might only have one car and might prefer a garden!