No interest in 5 days - and there’s a rightmove link!

[Helpmyhouse]

Hi ladies. As the title says, no interest in 5 days, so would be grateful for your feedback. Be as honest as you like!

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/131461400#/?channel=RES_BUY

I’m a realist so will be price dropping if it hangs about, but just wondered if there’s anything ‘changeable’ that might rustle up some interest before we go down that road. Please note I can’t do anything about the size of the garden, nor will I be able to do anything big like replacing the bathroom suite, hideous as it is.

Thanks in advance.

These threads make me giggle!!

its always the price. taking different photo or tidying up or mowing the lawn are not the issue. In the current climate it is always the price

It's only been 5 days. It's not the price.

Gosh I was expecting something awful. It’s lovely. Only thing I would do is move the tumble dryer out of the way when the pictures were done or move it in to storage whilst it’s on the market if you can manage without it.

The main thing that would put me off is the yard outside. Looks like a prison exercise yard. A few plants and maybe something to break the walls up a bit, outside mirror maybe.

Also the office looks very narrow. If that’s the third bedroom then the photo looks like it wouldn’t fit a bed in.

if I was being really picky the other kids bedroom looks a bit. I don’t know, plain. The colour of the walls looks like bare plaster. The bed almost looks like a mattress on the floor and there’s stuff piled up rather proper storage. But that’s just me being picky, the yard and the office are where you should concentrate.

Thanks everyone, I was steeling myself but the comments have been surprisingly pleasant!

Garden - the front garden is bigger and nicer than it looks in the photo, it has some nice flowers and plants round the edge and you can’t really see into it when you walk past. Worth another photo do you think?

Yard - is hideous, I know. The issue is the render on the wall is coming away, but I suppose we could give what is there a lick of paint, with some plants down the side. It’s actually an L shape but the other ‘leg’ has a shed on it, again I’m not sure if it’s worth photographing that part? It does catch the sun, but not all day.

Third ‘bedroom’ - I agree, it’s a study really. You can fit a single bed in it, but if the headboard is on the window side then it partially covers. A cot would fit quite nicely however. Perhaps we should change to 2 bed plus study? The EA didn’t actually ask us about this and just went ahead and put 3!

I agree the colours look a bit flat, it was a cloudy day when they were taken.

EA actually recommended listing for 330 to start with, but I knew that was far too high given similar properties in the local area so asked for 320, but I think I know it’s probably worth more like 310, maybe 315 at a push. There is a comparable (nicer) property not too far away but it’s on a main road and doesn’t have a front garden, and similar to ours at the back, listed for 330. It has a proper size third bedroom though which I know is the main factor.

Moving as it was a panic COVID buy and while the area is lovely it doesn’t give us what we need in terms of proximity to work, a garden for our little dog and a garage for DH’s sports stuff. We’ve decided to move to a cheaper area for these things, although I will miss being a 15 minute walk from a beautiful beach and moor!

Anyone looking for a 3 bedroom house - i.e. 3 rooms that people can sleep in - will not want to see it let alone buy it.

It's a two bedroom house with a study.

Its a very small third bedrooms. However, I think the better way to show potential for photos and viewings is to move all the office stuff out of the third bedroom, and make that the toddler bedroom.
Then in the second bedroom add a double bed, and put office area in there also.
That way, all three bedrooms have beds in and show sizes better.

Agree with previous posts; that 3rd 'bedroom' is minute and not really ever going to be anything other than a study space / small nursery really. I don't think you can market the house as a 3-bedder.

Apart from that, it just needs a bit of brightening up I think - patio could be a love!y space with some more plants, jetwashing etc. Dining room is a wee bit gloomy and could benefit from a lovely bright tablecloth, flowers on the table etc but it's really just cosmetic tweaks. The bathroom is fine imo!

It's really just that 3rd bedroom...can you afford to take a bit of a hit on the price?

Can you fit a bed in bed 3? It looks like not and leaving the dimensions off really doesn't help!

The third bedroom is an okay size. The photo emphasises it's not very wide. In fact none of the photos is great. The lighting makes the place look dingy.

My thoughts were:

What are the two bits of wood on the gate post doing there?
Is in currently rented? - it's very clean and tidy looking but a bit Spartan. There are no pictures, etc up on the walls.
The kitchen looks like a really good space, but why two, very similar, photos of it?
If no interest at all then it could well be down to price.

I would ask the agent to re-take the photos. You can create a bed in bedroom 3 using cardboard boxes and bedding. It'll look like a bed on the photo without costing you money. In fact when we sold our last house there wasn't even a photo of the third bedroom in the listing. Didn't put anyone off viewing.

It's the price - it is priced too high as the third "bedroom" is barely a box room and the back garden is just a depressing yard.

Rest of the house is very nice though.

I would cheer up the back yard, take a new pic of the box room and remarket as a two bed plus study/box room.

I'd market it as 3 bedroom - others sold in the street will. It's the price. It's a nice house.

Dimensions are on the floorplan??

Jet wash all the patio stones front and back. Move those pictures to the end. Add some really nice plants to the back garden. Possibly a bit more seating and a table. Make it somewhere people could imagine sitting.

It’s the first time on one of these that a photo screamed for staging to me. The garden needs some potted plants. It is a really nice, low maintenance space. I can imagine sitting there in a comfortable chair with a cup of tea and a book. It needs to look inviting though. If you have friends and family that go can loan you some plants, you may even be able to stage it without spending much at all.

the office photo should get redone. Take out one of the chairs for the photo. Try to take it on a sunny day if you can.

I personally like to see the photos grouped so all the kitchen photos together, etc. not sure why agents don’t tend to load them that way

But also now is a hard time to sell. Interest rates have just gone up and are likely to do so again, people are a bit spooked.

If you have to move now you may have to take a haircut.

I agree on keeping a close eye on price, an equivalent sold last year for 330 but at the peak of the peak. The average house is now losing £750 per week. Don’t risk having it on high for too long where you’d have to list lower than you originally would. I’d list at 310 as soon as you can beat to. Better to sell now at 310 than to waste a couple of months and then only get 295. Lots of younger estate agents have never experienced selling in a rapidly falling market.

Agree about the tumble dryer, it spoils the look of the kitchen.
Have a look in B&Q or Homebase garden centres, to see what spring flowering bedding plants they have for a bit of colour in the courtyard.

Fair enough about your reasons for moving, I would get the EA to emphasise distance from work so people don't worry about a noisy neighbour.

Don't look at what other houses are on the market for as your comparison- look at what things have sold for (and bear in mind recent price drops).

Could you market as 2/3 bedroom? Or 2.5 bedroom? The house I bought was marketed as 4/5 bedrooms as the 5 (decent size double) is downstairs so I wouldn't call it a bedroom but an extra reception. Having that in the title means people know from the outset it's not really a 3 bed, rather than being disappointed and then maybe clicking away once they see the floorplan/picture of the office.

I agree 2bedrooms and study. Also back garden needs to be brightened up, But good sized rooms.

"although I will miss being a 15 minute walk from a beautiful beach and moor!"

Its a shame that the description doesn't mention this - your house looks lovely, but the listing, the pics and the description are just a bit...meh. Its written in very basic Estate Agent speak, the second pic of the rear yard puts me right off....so over all I'm not sure I'd add you to my "must check" list.

I think it's fine to market as a three bed. Not everyone who wants a 3 bed wants 3 full sized bedrooms for people to sleep in - couples where they need 2 office spaces and storage/space for exercise/pets etc, families with 1 DC who aren't planning any more, many would look for a 3 bed over a 2.

It's a lovely house and early days. The pictures are fine and show that it's worth a proper viewing if that's the sort of price/area/property size you're looking for.

All the 'down sides' people are mentioning are really nit picky. You're in an expensive area where salaries are low, so just about all buyers will expect to compromise on many things so no-one's going to expect perfect, far from it.

I always look at floor plans first. There is no downstairs toilet and it's a big house. I wouldn't even look at it. Sorry.

Good idea to swap the toddler room and study round and put a bed in the study too.

I think you paying the EA for a service which they've not fulfilled properly. Ask them to retake the photos at a better angle and better lighting. Even on a dull day they should be able to brighten the photos up