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

They measured it, so I'm sure it's right. All the rooms are a decent size. No small bedrooms etc. The photographer has used a wide angle lens which does always make things look massive but that's common for property listings

Thanks OP and yes I agree that EA photos tell a thousand lies! We’ve been looking for a year so am well used to how misleading they can be. Still for a five bed, four bathroom house Id have thought it would have been more than 2.5k square feet. And it looks massive from the outside. I don’t want to sound like a dick but is the size comparable with others in your price bracket??

Good luck with selling, it’s a nightmare from start to finish.

I’m sorry I think you’ve had bad advice from your home stager - how frustrating for you.

Now that you’ve taken your house off the market I’d look at finding an interior designer you really trust. You have a couple of options either go all in, extension and huge kitchen remodel or you could update one or two rooms.

E.g why not turn what is the dining room into that library you want: some big armchairs, lamp tables, fitted book shelves, maybe some panelling. There would be some investment but the furniture you’d take with you.

You could also do a really great utility revamp to give people an idea of how that might translate into the kitchen if you don’t make changes there.

@FurierTransform

It's a really nice house IMO but I think it comes down to price.

I see it as more like a scaled-up 5 bed detached executive house on an estate, rather than a more isolated & rambling larger established house if you see what I mean?, & i'm guessing art this price (I know nothing about Sutton Coldfield) that that's the sort of property it is now competing with, so it might be sort of of stuck in an awkward middle area value-wise.

Looking at the aerial map, how much do those large 1930s ones on Featherstone road typically go for, or the houses on nearby Streetly Wood?

Nothing comes up on Streetly Wood. Crazy desirable.

Very rare for houses on Featherston to come up. When they do a 4 bed can be from £750-950k and 5 beds go into 7 figures.

Agent has valued one renovated one on Featherston but it's not come to market. Valuation was £1.4m

Two months is not a long time and, as you say, viewings are likely to be slow over summer.
You have a beautiful home. Are you sure you want to move? ;)

Honestly I would relist after Xmas now, we are looking at the top end of the local housing market like your property is (up north so a lot less money!). Looking at the surrounding properties I can see why the price is what it is. I think you have just hit unlucky with timing and it now isn't a new property. We stopped looking over the summer holidays but now local properties to us are going in 24hrs for over asking price. Some we viewed before the holidays are still on the market

@Fink

By the way, I disagree with the mantra that any house will sell if the price is right, having unfortunately had the experience of trying to sell during a financial crisis/recession. We could not sell, or even get a viewing, right down to 25% of the original asking price (as in 75% off, not 25% off), despite there being nothing wrong with the house or area.

That's awful. You must have been devastated.

Don’t start putting in a new kitchen OP, anyone coming in will want to extend it as it’s a bit small for current tastes. Kitchens are very personal, so whatever you do might now other people.

If you need 1.3 to upsize, and there’s no sign of an offer for 2 months, then perhaps accept that that isn’t doable and think about extending and remodelling it for yourselves. That would save a lot in stamp duty and moving costs which could be spent on renovation.

@TatianaBis

Don’t start putting in a new kitchen OP, anyone coming in will want to extend it as it’s a bit small for current tastes. Kitchens are very personal, so whatever you do might now other people.

If you need 1.3 to upsize, and there’s no sign of an offer for 2 months, then perhaps accept that that isn’t doable and think about extending and remodelling it for yourselves. That would save a lot in stamp duty and moving costs which could be spent on renovation.

We've been thinking on similar lines!

@KateW73

Two months is not a long time and, as you say, viewings are likely to be slow over summer. You have a beautiful home. Are you sure you want to move? ;)

Only if we can move to somewhere bigger or with the potential to be bigger. It is a beautiful house - despite Mumsnetters in the main not feeling it - and we've had such happy times here.

oops posted too soon

Was going to say I think the prices here are crazy enough, and we are only 20 mins from the City.

OP it's a nice enough house. But it's gated location won't appeal to everyone (I would never buy a house even in my price bracket in that type of set up, I want proper separation from my neighbours, my goal is a house set in the middle of an acre of land...perhaps needless to say I'm moving to a much cheaper part of the country!) and it's also a newish house but not new enough if that makes sense, so you're not getting anything newly fitted - one of the plusses of buying a new build or even a newly refurbished house - but you're also not getting any character or quirks from an older or one off property.

You will I'm sure get a buyer eventually but I think you may need to both drop the price, and bring some of the interior up to date. I'd look at what's selling in the area, are people actually buying £1m houses locally at the moment, what's differentiating those houses from yours? Is it location/garden etc, things you can't change, or is the finish just more luxury?

Round here stuff up to about 900k sells quickly but the £1m + houses tend to take a year or more because there's a smaller pool of people looking in that bracket.

A simple thing to do when you put it back on the market is to have the agent label the photos with the room they show, so they match up with the floor plan.

Because you have quite a consistent cream / beige / yellow colour palette across multiple rooms (and several dining rooms) and similarly a lot of white bathrooms, despite the many photos you don't really get a sense of just how much space you are getting. Putting some of your nice possessions back in would also help with this.

@vickyc90

Honestly I would relist after Xmas now, we are looking at the top end of the local housing market like your property is (up north so a lot less money!). Looking at the surrounding properties I can see why the price is what it is. I think you have just hit unlucky with timing and it now isn't a new property. We stopped looking over the summer holidays but now local properties to us are going in 24hrs for over asking price. Some we viewed before the holidays are still on the market

That's interesting. Timing is key and I think we were just that bit too late to market sadly.

More than half ten comments on this thread are from people that fall into ten category being discussed in this thread www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4347555-To-wonder-why-people-wade-in-on-threads-that-clearly-they-can-t-contribute-to?pg=6

If you like period properties, know nothing about the area that OP lives on can’t believe that £1m houses exist outside London, this is not the thread or you.

"You are literally the only person drooling with desire! "

When I tell you that your utility room is the same size as my kitchen, possibly larger (and much nicer) you may understand my drooling!

And I forgot to say, I liked the house very much. (Particularly the kitchen, obviously!)

@Phphion

A simple thing to do when you put it back on the market is to have the agent label the photos with the room they show, so they match up with the floor plan.

Because you have quite a consistent cream / beige / yellow colour palette across multiple rooms (and several dining rooms) and similarly a lot of white bathrooms, despite the many photos you don't really get a sense of just how much space you are getting. Putting some of your nice possessions back in would also help with this.

Great suggestion, thank you x

@sst1234

More than half ten comments on this thread are from people that fall into ten category being discussed in this thread www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4347555-To-wonder-why-people-wade-in-on-threads-that-clearly-they-can-t-contribute-to?pg=6

If you like period properties, know nothing about the area that OP lives on can’t believe that £1m houses exist outside London, this is not the thread or you.

@Jconnais1chansonquivavsenerver

"You are literally the only person drooling with desire! "

When I tell you that your utility room is the same size as my kitchen, possibly larger (and much nicer) you may understand my drooling!

And I forgot to say, I liked the house very much. (Particularly the kitchen, obviously!)

Make me an offer then!

@Fink

By the way, I disagree with the mantra that any house will sell if the price is right, having unfortunately had the experience of trying to sell during a financial crisis/recession. We could not sell, or even get a viewing, right down to 25% of the original asking price (as in 75% off, not 25% off), despite there being nothing wrong with the house or area.

The price was still not right then. If you’d lowered the price even further it would have sold.

It’s a beautiful house, but the interiors are a little bit 90s/2000s - lots of pine going on, kitchens a little bit dated, lots of magnolia type colours etc

So people will be factoring in the cost of updating an enormous house.

I see lots of enormous newer style houses lingering on rightmove, generally if someone has a million to spend they go for something older for some reason.

My suggestions would be:

Lose some of the more try hard photos - house name/endless piano/lights on lights off (daylight one is sufficient).

Kitchen: If you can afford it, replace the worktop with a light colour - white quartz or something. Change kitchen table and chairs. They look very cold, 80s and dated which isn't helping your kitchen. A big white ikea table and some coloured eames or timber chairs, bright vase with flowers. Warm it all up.

What about dropping your price to 'offers above £XXX?" you open lots more doors and you can always turn the offer down?

Good luck!

Ah, you've taken most of the comments so well OP.

I agree with the PPs who say that in this price bracket you're going to have a smaller pool of buyers and they are likely to be very picky because they have a massive pool of houses that they can afford.

I'd never consider it because for that money I'd want more land and I'd not want to basically live on a newbuild estate. Also I'd want parking for more than 2 cars and if it's a private estate I assume you're all responsible for upkeep of the roads?

But as you say none of that is changeable and maybe wouldn't be an issue for people who are likely to be able to send kids to private school so I think you maybe need to either lower the price to reflect that it isn't a wow ultra modern house (although it is perfectly nice IMO) or sit it out and wait for that one buyer to come along.

"Make me an offer then! "

I wish! Sorry, we've sunk all our money in our swimming pool, we can't afford to even upgrade our tiny kitchen at the moment!

@Realyorkshiretea

It’s a beautiful house, but the interiors are a little bit 90s/2000s - lots of pine going on, kitchens a little bit dated, lots of magnolia type colours etc

So people will be factoring in the cost of updating an enormous house.

I see lots of enormous newer style houses lingering on rightmove, generally if someone has a million to spend they go for something older for some reason.

There isn't a single bit of pine in the house. I HATE PINE! The staircase is polished oak. The doors are ash.

You could add a bit more interest with some nice plants and pictures.

I'd have a look on pinterest at living rooms etc. Have a look at interior fashion. Pot plants are really in vogue, you don't have to go full on boho. Can you add some pot plants outside as well to add a bit of colour/interest.

I think you need to accept that who ever buys the house will want to replace the kitchen, bathrooms, utility and flooring. You could, if you were prepared to do the work, change the flooring. Its very jarring with the oak staircase and doors etc. It should really be a matching oak engineered wood floor.

The rest is a bit magnolia throughout. I know there's a school of thought that says this is a blank canvas for someone to decorate but I think people want to be attracted by something they would live with. Again look on pinterest and get some colour for those walls.

The dining room ought to have a nice light over the table, not those ceiling lights. You could get a chandelier fitted, you can always take the light with you.

I think most people want a large kitchen/diner/entertaining space and not a separate dining room. I wonder if you could get an architect to draw up plans on how best to do that which you could should buyers or even put on the rightmove listing.

We're out of the first-time-buyer price range (but North, so knock a zero off) and I can tell you nothing's moving at this level. The under 200k homes, sure, gone in a second. 250-299k might go in a couple of months. But no one's in the mood right now to elevate to the stratospherics of the 400k, let alone the 7 figure realms.

I like to look at the big houses around here - there's not many and I like to see what valuation's like in this arena - and Mr 575k has been for up for a year, beautifully done Victorian villa, and Ms 475k for almost a year. Down the road, Mr and Mrs "bought for 625k and tryna flog it for 695k" have only had two viewings.

Discounting might help someone in a lower bracket bump up, but it might need to be quite the cut.