I can’t sell my house.

[Zooforhouse]

Been trying to sell my house since January. Have sold it three times. First buyer pulled out as change in financial circumstances, lost us our dream house. Sold again in 4 weeks, but didn’t find an onward, buyer pulled out as found something cheaper. Third time neighbour offered then withdrew quickly as decided the garden was too small (it must have got smaller).

i don’t know what to do really. The garden is too small. That’s why I want to move. Desirable location. The house is done to a high standard. It’s just on a small plot (is in town).

Do we reduce it? Forget about it for a bit? It sold at asking all 3 times. Reducing it won’t make the garden bigger. Change of agent?

Was kind of ignoring the issue but something we want has come up and it’s getting really frustrating now.

Your house seems immaculate to me. I wouldn’t know on the price exactly however, I think you have just been unlucky as some others have said.
I don’t know your area however is your house a little idiosyncratic for the area? By this I mean not the same as other houses around, garden out of proportion? I know you mentioned the garden issue already.
It once took me 18 months to sell a house that was ‘idiosyncratic’. I too had multiple sales fall through. The viewings and the whole experience almost broke me. I think buyers like to buy what is ‘normal’ for an area. This reduces your pool. Reducing the price won’t significantly increase your pool. The reality I found is that if someone wants a feature, knocking X amount off the price doesn’t ‘persuade’ them to compromise. So if someone thinks your new property is ‘odd’ amongst older properties, reducing the price a bit won’t change their mind - it would have to be a ‘steal’ to persuade them.

I sold mine eventually. I did a couple of things. Increased the price - yup - probably unique to my circumstance as I had a house and the price had gone down to a price where it appeared in listings with flats so it wasn’t being seen by the right people. Insisted that the estate agent let me tweak the copy - the room dimensions had always been on there but I changed a bedroom description to read SINGLE prominently as the number of people who trooped through and declared it ‘too small’ was killing me.

You don’t need a huge pool of ‘wrong’ buyers, you just need the ‘right’ buyer.

Can you cut everything back massively in garden? Consider turf end to end? new photos, very small garden furniture, bistro set? if any. Will look larger. Maybe new builds do that to sell.

Its a nice house inside. Not keen on window in lounge. The garden just doesnt match the house at all. I expected a small grassed lawn. Have the other houses got grass in the garden.

Ah. I've just seen the other two properties on Lexden Road for £100K less.

They're bigger, detached and have bigger gardens...

I think perhaps your house is just too expensive. Everything in it looks brand new too - implying you've recently spent a lot of money on it, which you're reflecting in the sale price. But you're taking all that with you when you leave.

I think you need to consider reducing the price.

What have similar, nearby properties sold for?

I did raise an eyebrow at the price!

One immediate thing you could do is declutter the garden, it's a bit of an eyesore.

@orbitalcrisis But is not a new build - the OP said it's extended Victorian.

This is the same with mine. Kids don’t actually need or use a big garden. As long as they have some outside space then that’s fine.

My garden is fairly big and it is a pain to upkeep.

It's probably overpriced - and the market is slowing now, it's not a good time to buy - people are worried.

The house is beautiful - and some people don't want a big garden anyway. I think your others buyers were probably just using that as an excuse when really they'd found something cheaper or have got cold feet with the economy being very precarious as it is at the moment.

Maybe clear a few items from the back garden. Maybe paint the paving in a tiled pattern, and put a mirror on a wall make the area look bigger.

Agree, and I think the previous offers earlier in the year are red herrings. The market has changed now.

I also think the pp has a point about whether to actually move now or not. I do prefer a bigger garden myself but it's not like you have no outside space is it. And you could perhaps use round the side a bit more than you are.

Yep. The buyers didn’t pull out because they decided they didn’t like the plant pots.

You need to declutter and get new photos.

I'm looking at the kitchen and thinking, well there's not enough cupboard space if all these oil bottles have to sit on the side. And why did they take a photo of all the clutter of the side? odd. And the pans, do you not have space to put everything away. I think it's the same for most rooms. A close up photo of a window in a bathroom, but not of the actual room.

Link?

I’ve only seen a grim semi for 600k that needs work.

Which ones? @Ticksallboxes

The op's house is in Sussex Road.

All I can see are a couple of other houses, one a 5-bed (with hardly any bathrooms andno parking) and the other a 3-bed (again with too few bathrooms.)

@Zooforhouse I assume you know about the Market information link at the foot of your listing - it's where I saw the two detached properties near you for £100K less?

The link wasn't obvious to me but I think it would be one of the first things experienced buyers click on:

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/117145844

And if you're using Zoflora - stop now (anecdotal advice)!

Best of luck!!

All.the posturing about garden/ 0hotos/ books are irrelevant. We are on our 8th property in 25 years and none of those things meant anything to me when buying.

Posturing? Bit of a nasty remark.

If you have moved approx every 3 years it suggests you are either itno doing uppers, it's career related, or you don't choose houses you like for very long.

Yes, Looked at that!

I can see one house for less- it's £580K- and it's been extended. I don't think it has the same appeal at all.

@Ticksallboxes It only has 3 bedrooms, no downstairs loo and only one bathroom upstairs.

Ah it has 4 bedrooms but one is tiny!

On market info there’s one awful 30s semi that’s been badly updated by a developer. Everything else is more.

Thanks everyone, all good for thought. Obviously I know the garden is the issue. We will speak to the agent about a reduction today.

the attic rooms are actually very high-the person who extended it got permission to raise the roof ridge. Not sure the pictures reflect that. Also the nursery has been decorated, it’s not a nursery anymore 😂

The houses opposite which look the same (same architect) are 4 bed on 2 levels, small bathrooms/bedrooms comparable downstairs layout and similar gardens and were valued 90k under ours-so ours seems about right?

Nothing on the street to compare to!

I appreciate all the lovely comments-I mean I like it….

What a lovely house! I'd move in straight away. My small semi is not worth much less.

Garden wouldn't bother me, but I have adult DDs. I'd soon turn the garden into something that suited us.

Haven’t read the full thread but seen the link. Two things - the house is lovely, but the photos are bad, and there are too many of them. Secondly, it says the price was reduced in March. This is already going to put people off who will assume something is wrong, rather than the stream of bad luck you’ve had. I’d suggest either reducing the price now (so it’s recent), or taking it off the market altogether, giving it a few months and then re marketing with a fresh “added today” listing - probably with a new agent with new photos.

@JinglingHellsBells
'The market is still very hot in some areas.
Fewer houses being put on the market, but some buyers have a fixed rate mortgage (old rates) with a time limit. So houses that are already out there are selling fast.'

A few areas are still hot, the majority have slowed. Perhaps your area is the exception. Most houses are not selling quickly in the majority of the country. Recession is coming, interest rates are increasing. A minority may have a fixed deal with a strict time limit but good rates are being withdrawn rapidly and the equivalent rates are much higher. There is also a general squeeze on incomes.

I think we fundamentally agree on the market as you seem to think it is still buoyant. In my opinion, that market was 2020-21 and has now gone.

My opinion is that, assuming she wants a higher chance of a quick sale and a more reliable sale at this time, she should reduce the price slightly.

@IrisVersicolor

This less expensive house nearby comes up when I click on Market Information - there were two like that earlier:

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/125220158