No offers on our house

[housetales]

Our house has been on the market for 2 months - launching as the school holidays started which I think was a huge mistake - with what I'd describe as a handful of viewings (mostly right as it went live).

The price it's been listed at was the agent's price, not ours, and when compared with others locally, doesn't seem OTT. All the agents who came round gave similar valuations too. No viewers have said upon viewing it that it is overpriced either.

We had only one bit of negative feedback and it was only from a couple of viewers, not all - that we are overlooked from the side of our property - so we purchased some 10ft trees to allay that concern.

I'm putting myself out there with a link to see what you guys think so be gentle! Should we stay on the market or take it off for now? I should say we only went on the market as we fancied a project for our forever home and were told there was a massive opportunity in our price range as there is such limited supply.

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/110082437#/?channel=RES_BUY

Hmmm. Can I be brutally honest? 😬

The kitchen is very basic for that price. Immediately it screams rip me out, please tell me those wall tiles weren’t a deliberate choice by you?!

That colour of wood which is everywhere is old fashioned

The housing estate behind you is very close for a million pound property

The windows are oppressive, look like cell windows

The bathrooms look cheap

The decor and furniture is very ‘2010’ no ones doing feature walls now it screams new build for all the wrong reasons.

It’s a lovely home for say £750k where you can spend £100k on a new kitchen and bathrooms as well as decor and new flooring. I hope you can sell it soon it must be depressing to live in, it feels soulless as others have said.

What is the other annexe posters are referring to?what have I missed?

To many photos
Reduce the amount of photos in the beginning before you get to see inside
Reduce the amount of photos showing things inside
Take the photos down where you can see neighbours houses

Its the price and the fact that for that price you still have no privacy
Not that you can do much about that

There is a smallish looking house set back and to right of the one OP is selling (as you face OP’s garage) it turns out that OP owns this house too. It is currently rented out but OP says she would be prepared to sell if people wanted to buy. See my posts / screenshots above.

You're lovely OP, good luck with selling.

I'm surprised by the house prices in Birmingham. I'm in Kent and I'm sure I could get similar here for the same price (if I had it!) I wouldn't spend that amount of money on a newish build, but I'm sure other people would. It's always the price though!

Thanks, I didn’t see that in the listing

It’s not in the listing - it’s just come out through discussing the privacy issues with OP on the thread

It's a bit of a rough patch, financially, for almost everyone. I think that may be your issue, here. It is a lovely home, and you've done a wonderful job with decor. For that price, many would want more land, but there are those who just don't want a lot of exterior upkeep who would find it perfect.

If I were there, and if I had that kind of a budget, your home would be on my short list.

I’ve just scrolled back,based on what you’re saying, I see it now.
Is that inc in the overall price?or is that an additional price
Do both properties share bins and driveway?

It’s a separate property. Not currently for sale but owned and rented out by OP. OP explained that she actually owns that property too, and may be prepared to sell that one too - if the price was right of course.

The annexe devalues your property. I presume you built it and that’s why your garden is so small? The new owner won’t have any control over the tenants and they will be at very close quarters. I’d try selling both together if I were you

While it’s not my taste in a house (I like old, quirky cottages), it’s definitely a great looking property. Though I will never reach that price bracket!

Firstly, I’d get the order of photos rearranged. Yes, I like to see the exterior of the house in the first shot, but then I’m itching to get in - not see multiple shots of the outside.

The “meh” factor for me was the kitchen. It’s a good space, but it looks dated and soulless. I know “no clutter” is a good thing, but it looks like it hasn’t been used in months! Though please don’t go down the route of a fruit bowl alongside a couple of champagne glasses, probably with a kitchen tap in soft focus behind them (why do estate agents take those kind of shots?).

From reading your updates, you’ve obviously got good appliances, etc in there. If you still want to sell, I’d get another photo from a different angle, as you kind of lose the units on the left-hand side in those photos.

Your budget is obviously very different to mine, but that kitchen doesn’t need ripping out. The worktop definitely needs changing, which will probably cost for a decent one. But spend a couple of hundred quid and a weekend with some Tom’s Oil paint from Little Greene Paint Company to update the colour of all the units. And, once you’ve decided on the colour, get online to find replacement handles/knobs to complement. Your kitchen could be transformed for minimal cost - don’t waste money on ripping it out (whether you stay or go). And get a few functional items on the worktops. It needs to look like a welcoming heart of the home - not somewhere that has been completely cleared of anything useful during the long years of a zombie apocalypse!

Too close to neighbours, small garden, kitchen needs wowing up, lack of en-suites so overpriced.

You have had tons of advice so I won’t add to that .
We have had our house on the market since May too, had plenty of viewings and a couple of offers that were later retracted. Emotions are on roller coaster ride and the whole thing is time consuming and quite stressful, so much so that I have felt a few time to stay here.
I wish you all the very best op and hope you will find a buyer soon.

You have lots of photos, but I feel like I can't see the kitchen well enough — the left hand wall. And because it's taken from well back I think it maybe makes it look smaller than it actually is.

Your nursery is lovely.

I think part of the issue with houses over £1million at the moment is that the rise in prices has been so rapid that people can remember houses of that "quality bracket" being much cheaper. E.g. the houses where my parents live were bought in the early 90s for £120-150,000. 10 years ago they were selling for maybe £350,000. Now, thanks to some new build estates of much smaller, more cramped houses with hardly any garden and no drives starting at £450,000, the ones on my parents' road are ranging from £750,000 to £1.2million. They're much nicer than the new builds, and obviously worth what somebody is willing to pay, but I'm not sure you'd look at one and say "yes, that's a £1million house".

I can’t see where this ‘annexe’ is? Is it attached to the main house?

The market is very quiet now after the stamp duty surge, so it maybe just that.

But other than that the decor is super-dated, not current taste and needs redecoration and a new kitchen.

I'm not sure you'd look at one and say "yes, that's a £1million house".

In London & parts of the SE it’s hard to find houses under a million. (Indeed this house would be 4m+ round me). Most £1 million houses don’t look like anything much.

@VaizyCrazyDaizy

Too close to neighbours, small garden, kitchen needs wowing up, lack of en-suites so overpriced.

Have you looked at the floor-plan? Plenty of bathrooms/en-suites

I’m loving this as so many posts about oh I thought it was in the South?

Op I know Sutton Coldfield well and I know the value of the area especially being a Sutton Park enthusiast. That said if I had that money I would be going for a period property like this house which I passed daily on my Sutton Park runs when I was there during Covid.

www.rightmove.co.uk/house-prices/detailMatching.html?prop=84345458&sale=91335057&country=england

@TatianaBis

I can’t see where this ‘annexe’ is? Is it attached to the main house?

The market is very quiet now after the stamp duty surge, so it maybe just that.

But other than that the decor is super-dated, not current taste and needs redecoration and a new kitchen.

There isn't an annexe per se. It's a separate house we built on a separate title deed. A two bedroom, two bathroom bungalow with a large garden. The developers sold the land before I even knew it was available and they had planning for it, so we bought it as the build was going up and my parents had 11 happy years there. It's now rented (and there was a bun fight of people wanting to rent it) as dad passed away last year and mum is now in a care home sadly.

I mush prefer the 900k one on hardwick road. The garden is nicer, the kitchen is nicer, overall the decor is more modern, I like the flow of the house better. For me a private road would be of no value so adding a premium for that would put me off. I’d go for the nicer house and save 200k.

[quote BridesmaidHelp]I’m loving this as so many posts about oh I thought it was in the South?

Op I know Sutton Coldfield well and I know the value of the area especially being a Sutton Park enthusiast. That said if I had that money I would be going for a period property like this house which I passed daily on my Sutton Park runs when I was there during Covid.

www.rightmove.co.uk/house-prices/detailMatching.html?prop=84345458&sale=91335057&country=england[/quote]
I'm sure loads of people would love that too. Period just isn't my thing. I like modern! Sutton is lovely isn't it?

@VaizyCrazyDaizy

Too close to neighbours, small garden, kitchen needs wowing up, lack of en-suites so overpriced.

Only 4 bathrooms upstairs for 5 bedrooms and a further downstairs loo. How many ensuites were you expecting out of curiosity?

Hi OP. Lovely home. The only room that I think needs some work is the kitchen. From the photos it looks super clean and tidy but I think a lot of potential buyers would want something a bit more ‘in’. Watch ‘property brothers’ and you’ll see what I mean. Good luck with it all!

could you sell it with the other house as an annexe?