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Why can't we sell our house?

268 replies

Pentiumgold · 07/04/2022 20:45

Please see attached link, reduced by £20 last week but still no interest. What puts you off our house? I found this property on the Rightmove Android app and wanted you to see it: www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/121091351

OP posts:
UltimateIrritant · 07/04/2022 22:56

Sorry but the photos are dreadful - also lack of attention to detail, eg rumpled beds etc. overall very beige/grey.
I'll say it again the photos are dreadful!

CrotchetyQuaver · 07/04/2022 22:57

I would suggest it's because it looks like there's no garden, and all tarmac/patio/decking.
Maybe replace that one photo showing grass and the fence with another that actually shows the garden size and layout.

Extratoebeans · 07/04/2022 22:58

I think its the photos, they arent doing anything for the rooms, I have seen some amazing ones, which at least get people through the door.

I would still veiw, as it looks like a lovely house, but maybe worth noting what someone said about the price being just outside of the 450 bracket in searches. I always put at maximum price when I search and you might be missing out on people for that 5,000. Good luck!

caprimoon · 07/04/2022 22:58

From those photos it looks like next door looms over your garden. Can you change agents?

Also the front picture is an odd angle, I guess they tried to show the large drive but the focus needs to be on the house.

twiggy19 · 07/04/2022 23:00

Nice house!

Definitely need other photos done. I'm sure they're not doing your home justice.

Little things like - main bedroom - pulling the curtains all the way will show large window off and look fresher.

Conservatory- blinds open all the way.

The flag/ cloth poster on ceiling (dorm window) is distracting as are the lights etc...

Also; deffo make the beds more 'professionally' for the photos
(no creases in duvets etc) and that's coming from someone that doesn't make our beds!!

It just makes all the difference looking through pics!

Different estate agents perhaps!?
If I was an agent I would advise what looks best for pics and take awesome quality wide angled photos to show it off.

TooOldandTired · 07/04/2022 23:04

The downstairs pictures are okay and the house looks lovely, I don't think there is much to put people off there but upstairs photos are awful.
Small things but

  • The bedroom with the pigs, make the bed properly and move all the crap off the shelves. This bedroom looks small, does it have a wardrobe or drawers or anything in it, if so these need to be in the photo.
  • Same with the bathroom, take all your products out and have it clear. Again picture is really not great, is there a shower in the bath because you can't see one.
  • Bedroom with the dinosaur, again clear all the stuff out that is easily moveable when you are taking pics.
  • Backgarden photos are bad too, you really need one of the whole garden as it looks really bitty.
  • The picture of the ensuite doesn't show the shower.
  • I only see pictures of 3 bedrooms but there are 4?
  • I hate floorplans that don't show total square footage as that it how I figure out the size versus where I am now. I think overall the estate agents or whoever they use for photos are a bit crap. I suspect that is the biggest problem.
NeverChange · 07/04/2022 23:05

I think you need a new estate agent.

The leasehold/freehold is off putting
The price point is wrong - people price group in 50ks typically
You are missing out - put it at 449k and more people will see it.
If you are searching in the 450k-500k, there will be nice houses
The pictures are very poor - rug makes living room look small, angled are funny, house looks cluttered, too much on shelves, bedspteads crumbled, outside looks unkempt

It needs to be stripped back to clean lines and minimalist. Spruce up and declutter. A good estate agent would have suggested all of the above.

Mummyoflittledragon · 07/04/2022 23:09

The main issues to resolve are the bedrooms and bathrooms. The bedrooms look very bland, unloved and nothing is staged. Pill pots, bags and stuff instead of carefully chosen bits. The named bedding must go. Lots of decluttering so you’ll perhaps need to store stuff outside the house. You should also ditch the wardrobe in the master. It screams lack of storage space. And why are the beds against the wall. Can you move them away a bit? Where’s the fourth bedroom?

When selling you need to remove all personal items and go for the deluxe holiday house look so the moon and the string of photos, Ivy etc are a definite no no. Shampoo bottles etc are also not a good look. The idea being to encourage people to see themselves, not someone else living there.

An easy way to get a shot of all the garden is for the agent to take the pic from the upstairs back window. And the agent photos aren’t great. Btw.

The conservatory needs tlc too. It screams storage space for an oversized sofa and chest of drawers, which doesn’t fit in a bedroom rather than a much loved entertaining / office space etc.

Blueelephantsw · 07/04/2022 23:16

The photos are terrible. They have been taken at really weird angles. I think they need to use a different lens to get more of the room in. I found it quite depressing looking through the photos, they are all quite dark too. I'd get more pics from better angles when it's brighter and if you can shove all the clutter under beds or something and clear the bathroom of shampoo bottles. Get a photo from the bottom of the garden looking up as the garden makes no sense. I don't think there was a utility photo or the study? It's a nice house and looks a good size, I think it's the photos

Jossse · 07/04/2022 23:37

As any estate agent will tell you (sadly) if a property isn't selling ... the price is too high.
There are lots of properties selling within 5 days here... but some others are priced too high ... and are not selling.

ouchyoubiteybugger · 07/04/2022 23:53

Declutter the rooms, and take the furniture oit of the conservatory and put the dining table in there. It looks wrong shoved agaimst a wall in a kitchen, block colour bedspreads neatly presented and remove the rug from the living room. Outside jet wash everything, the slabs etc and add pots to the front.

HomeprideSaucy · 07/04/2022 23:53

The first picture is only about a fifth your house. Zoom in; lose all that driveway and the neighbouring houses. Put some flowerpots outside.

Remove the rug in the sitting room which makes it feel small

Too many pictures of the rear garden and the rather depressing paving. One grassy one and one view of the back of the house from the furthest part of the garden maybe?

All the lights are on which makes me feel it's a dark house. A good photographer would bring his own lighting which would not show in the photos.

Bathrooms are dated but I'm not sure there's much you can do about that.

givethatbabyaname · 07/04/2022 23:54

First impressions:

  • front of house is concrete and stone. Not nice to look at
  • facade needs cleaning
  • all decor is grey and hard and uninviting
  • no plants anywhere!
  • garden is cluttered and can’t work out how it’s used
  • neighbours too close. Which Obvs you can’t do anything about, except maybe fencing
  • front door is nice
  • bedrooms are poky
  • beds look like they’ve just been slept in

You’re not showing your house off. It’s has things going for it. But difficult to see beyond the echoing hard shiny grey surfaces downstairs, and the too-lived-in cramped looking upstairs.

RussianSpy101 · 07/04/2022 23:56

Garden far too small
Bedrooms look small and cluttered
Bathrooms need updating

Photos could do with redoing to be honest OP.

Newdad19 · 07/04/2022 23:58

The kitchen and downstairs photos are really dark and dull.

Theres quite a lot of clutter in the other rooms.

IWishIWasABaller · 08/04/2022 00:00

Beautiful home op but I agree that the majority of the pics make it look dark poky and also agree with the comment that the ceilings look very low especially in the kitchen. The agent really needs to take better pics !

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 08/04/2022 00:02

The photos are awful! The bedrooms look small and if you're going to take a pic of a bed then it needs to be nearly made not crumpled or you just concentrate on that and not the room.

I bet ultimately it's the price though,it always is.

Good luck!

PollyPutTheKettleOnKettleOn · 08/04/2022 00:40

My immediate impression was that there's so little light, the downstairs in particular seems really dark and thats with the lights on! If I were a prospective buyer I wouldn't have looked past the first few images.

Sitting room - repaint white or a similarly fresh and neutral colour. There're too many brown tones for selling. Consider replacing the light shade for something lighter and more open.

Bathroom - can you repaint the bath side? I'd repaint it white. Hide away all bottles etc. A fresh house plant on the window sill would look good, one with fresh acid green leaves ideally. A spider plant could work. Paint the walls white, the current colour is dating it I'm afraid. Consider taking down the wall cabinet if you can cope without it. Consider removing blind over the bath. It blocks the light.

Kitchen- beautiful room, really beautifully done. The units do make that side of very dark though. I'd do what you can to lighten it up. White flowers, mirrors..something. a big mirror on the wall opposite kitchen which is currently blank might bounce light. Some strategic house plants - think fresh green, delicate leaves. Couple of tall ones.

Hallway - scrap the rug, replace the mirror. They first looks messy when the kitchen and hallway walls are such an elegant colour. It's also too dark. The mirror frame is miles too heavy and really weighs the space down, replace it with one that's frameless or a narrow modern frame. Consider replacing the unit below it with a thin console table with a house plant.

Garden - take down washing line, tidy away mess and tools eg dust pan. Is that a gazebo frame? Unless it's in active use, take it down. Look at borrowing a power washer and using it on your patio, think that would make a big difference and make the patio look as cared for as your lawn, which looks great and well tended.

Children's bedrooms - need to be tidier. Blitz those shelves. Put into storage anything not currently in use, dress them for photos. The wall-hanging by the window should come down, it darkens the room and hides it's proportions, it's distracting so viewers can't appreciate the size of the room. Neaten up those tv wires.

All beds - sorry but they're a mess. They should look crisp with ironed bedding.

Ceilings not low!! What an odd comment. We are are a super tall family
This is such funny response! Grin

I see where the pp is coming from, are any of the ceilings painted off white? They need to be white or they will appear low and also darken the space.

Finally, change estate agents. The ad is poorly written so if you're estate agent is being sloppy in that, they're not providing a good service with anything else. They should also be able to advise you on how to make it a more appealing prospect.

Your home looks like a lovely and spacious family home but you need to make it look a bit more show-house. Give the rest of the house some of the attention to detail you've given the kitchen/dining room..at the moment the property looks like its halfway through being updated. Nothing wrong with this of course, but I suspect some aspects are dating the other rooms.

thewaitislong · 08/04/2022 00:40

Just dropping in to say I think your house is lovely. I don't know your area at all but if the same house was where I am (Cambridge), people would be swarming over it with crazy offers over. I have no advice other than +1 on doing better pictures with more light, Good luck OP.

PollyPutTheKettleOnKettleOn · 08/04/2022 00:41

Apologies for typos!

Nandocushion · 08/04/2022 00:41

@Clicheinaqashqai

Also, 455 is an odd price as lots of people would filter price to 450 and therefore miss it in an online search even though it might be what they are looking for.
I think this is the issue rather than a bit of extra clutter, OP, especially as you say it's down to few viewings. Anyone looking for up to 450k is going to miss it. I know you've already lowered, but I'd put it for 449 and see what happens.
MyCatIsAJerk · 08/04/2022 01:06

I like it, @Pentiumgold.

You could do with fresh flowers & green plants.

Are the people who live in this house exceptionally tall? How do you see in the bathroom mirror and get a look at the paintings? They’re so high up! An interior designer told me that mirrors/paintings/ photos (anything hung on the wall) should be hung so that you are centered in them, or at least the bottom half.
Maybe it’s location - I’m in California & I’ve noticed this is a trend in the U.K.

movingsoon13 · 08/04/2022 01:31

So looking a the market prices for the area the house initially didn't seem far off now at it current price however, the picture of the front of the house isn't appealing given you can see how immaculate next door is, it looks like a small 3 bed with a side extension thrown on, two of the bedrooms are quite small which could easily just be a three bed layout, the main bedroom looks small even with the en-suite, everything upstairs looks quite crammed in, downstairs looks quite dark and the flow on the floor plan doesn't make much sense and the photos aren't doing the house a favour, try asking your agent to take new photos and add a 360 tour as they really help the buyer to visualise a house before viewing. But to be honest with how awful the photos are at highlighting positive points in the house just change agents all together.

movingsoon13 · 08/04/2022 01:35

Also, to add the description is poor, you've instantly refused to disclose whether it is a leasehold or freehold which could have a significant impact in interest insinuation you are hiding something to a prospective buyer and the smaller bedrooms need single beds in to portray the floor space better.

Bunnyfuller · 08/04/2022 01:44

Downstairs looks very dark, try pics different time of day.

Messy looking beds - unmade looking beds make a house look unloved and even dirty

Get some tubs with flowers, greenery etc to lift outside, front and back, currently zero kerb appeal

Remember value isn’t what you’ve spent, it’s what others see it’s worth

Neutral doesn’t. mean bland - look at showhomes, they’re not bare but have selected complimentary pieces.

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