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Original poster

Help me sell my house

146 replies

DoIneedflowersatthefrontdoor · 26/02/2023 16:46

As my name changed username suggests, I’m wondering what else I could do to get more viewers. Would flowers entice you in more or is there something more fundamental that would help? I know there are loads more photos than you normally get on RightMove, but it’s not that out of the ordinary here in NI.

Some more background - we’ve been back on the market for four weeks after our buyers pulled out. We’ve had 8 viewings and no real feedback on what we could change. Some of the viewers have said no based on the location being too far from Belfast/other towns, but about half of them haven’t said they’re out, they’re still thinking about it. I know I need to be more patient, but I’m finding it very hard when I don’t want to lose the house I’m buying!

I feel like I’m exposing my soul, but here’s a link: www.propertypal.com/784958

OP posts:
BlinkinggLightt · 26/02/2023 21:06

I think it's down to there being a limited market as

  • the location is very rural
  • it's £££ for the area. Prices are similar where I am and anything in this price range takes ages to sell. It's the 2/3 bed places for around 150k-180k that get snapped up. That's not to say its over priced at all, just that not many people in the area can afford those prices.
Twillow · 26/02/2023 21:07

I can't find the floral womb! Is it the purple one in the hall?
Lovely house, I did have to look up Father Ted's house to see how similar it was but I'm sure there are loads that look like that in Ireland 😂
I would get the photos of the clock and the artwork removed unless they are particular selling features...there are a lot of photos!

Twillow · 26/02/2023 21:09

Oh and 48B is such a weird address for a massive house - why don't you give it a name?

TheNoodlesIncident · 26/02/2023 21:18

I'm sure you will sell it OP, it's such a beautiful house... it just might not be within the timeframe that you need to sell it in. If it's just the cost of exterior painting, could you borrow (or have a relative borrow for you) the amount needed to do it? Or is it that the type of render that's on there won't take paint?

I genuinely believe if you painted it white like all the other houses in your area, it would sell more quickly. I know it's rude to say it, but when I opened your link I actually recoiled slightly at the first photo. It looks so wrong that colour, the garish door colour clashes and there's no softening via planting along the front aspect; it's so very bleak looking. It might be putting potential buyers off viewing.

Original poster
DoIneedflowersatthefrontdoor · 26/02/2023 21:19

@Twillow That’s a good point. It does actually have a name! Maybe we should include that, but I’d worry that it would put people off as it could come across as pretentious. It’s usual around here for houses in the countryside to have letters. Ours is one of three houses built over a massive field so we are 48a, 48b, 48c. Lots of similar houses along the road are a and b etc.

OP posts:
SquishyGloopyBum · 26/02/2023 21:20

The outside needs addressing. I hate the windows.

I also really don't like the black glossy kitchen and the same in one of the bathrooms.

I know I'm being picky here.

Disneyforaweek · 26/02/2023 21:22

No advice just chipping in to say it's an absolutely stunning house! So beautiful.

Original poster
DoIneedflowersatthefrontdoor · 26/02/2023 21:25

@Twillow you need to suffer all the way to photo 66 to see it.

Actually, are you all looking at the photos one by one rather than in gallery view?

OP posts:
BlinkinggLightt · 26/02/2023 21:25

DoIneedflowersatthefrontdoor · 26/02/2023 20:56

The comparisons to number 30 are very interesting. Have you noticed that it has the same agent selling it? Of the 26 photos, 12 of those are outside. The target market for it is someone who needs the concrete yard and outside sheds. We have had some of the same viewers despite the price difference.

To answer some other questions - yes, it really was built in 2007 and it was bought as a shell for £400k by the previous owners. They put in the black kitchen and bathroom. I expected to rip them out as they weren’t my taste but I don’t have the money, and they’ve oddly grown on me over the six years that we’ve lived here. This is despite many hours spent googling whether I could paint bathroom tiles (and similarly the window frames)!

I almost didn’t view the property myself because of the exterior. It really put me off then, but once I arrived the view and the peacefulness won me over. There’s no road noise. Like I said, I’ve looked into having the exterior painted and been told that I shouldn’t. The best option is to have it re-rendered but that is not an affordable option. If we were staying, I’d consider it in the long term if we built up enough money for it.

This house was expected to be my forever home, which is why it’s still not quite finished. Well, that and having three kids since we bought here! We are moving because a house finally came up in the village that I grew up in, and that my siblings and my parents live in. Before covid, it wasn’t an option to move there, but now that I can permanently work from home, it means we can go. I’ve watched houses on the market in that area for a few years and this is the first time an appropriate one has come up. It means that out of nowhere, we suddenly got our house on the market so that we could make an offer on the new one. We were sale agreed within 8 days first time, and then they pulled out after three months.

I know how divisive statement wallpapers are! It’s interesting that one poster thinks there’s only one bedroom that doesn’t have wallpaper. There are four bedrooms (one is used as the study) and one of them has wallpaper but the other three don’t. Having statement wallpaper downstairs must have an impact on the perception of there being more in the bedrooms too.

Soft furnishings - the ones we do have are very child-friendly so they were shoved out of the way for the photos. I felt worried about the lack of curtains but was reassured that they wouldn’t make enough of a difference.

Our garden furniture lives in the garage. I don’t have fancy enough stuff that I’d want to keep it outside, particularly during winter. There is a patio area at the back, along with vegetable patches. It doesn’t match the glossy interior though. Much more rustic!

We do have trees at the bottom of the garden, but they look so bleak now with no leaves.

I’m amused by how hated the green door is. The two neighbours also have green doors! It was green originally, then painted black when the previous owners were selling, and we got it painted green again. Admittedly, that was not the shade of green I wanted but it was done and I didn’t expect that I would be selling the house and having it on show so I wasn’t too bothered. I can go back to black if that will help.

I love the interior and never would have guessed you have 3 kids! The bedrooms all look so adult except 1. Where did you hide all the toys etc?!

Spectre8 · 26/02/2023 21:29

I guess then you need to look at the price if you cant afford to make any chnahed to the outside because right now people aren't willing to pay that price. Or if you can wait, wait

AllWorkYoPlait · 26/02/2023 21:30

I can't comment on the location as I don't know N. Ireland. The only things that give me pause are the pebbledash (I dislike) and the kitchen (it's perfectly fine, but I wouldn't choose black units). But I could happily move in tomorrow, it's a lovely home.

Outside doesn't sell the house. Pretty it up with a few plants I think.

The market might just be a bit stale. I had a few stunning properties on my list in N Ireland but they just sat there for months on end.

I agree less photos and move the floor plan to the beginning if it can't be added separately on the listing. I like to look at floor plans first.

Treetopviews · 26/02/2023 21:30

I think you can fix the pics really easily. I’d thin them out. And it’s easy to brighten them, see the one below I quickly lightened

I’d also cautious the pics to be accurate, take the bathroom image , it’s very clear it’s been stretched ti make it look bigger, as the bidet is now the wrong shape.

Help me sell my house
Help me sell my house
nicknamehelp · 26/02/2023 21:32

Too many pics.

Treetopviews · 26/02/2023 21:32

Here’s a comparison for the unlightened pic

Help me sell my house
Throwncrumbs · 26/02/2023 21:33

It’s lovely, seems very cheap, where I am you would get a three bed semi with a small garden for that price. Its the location I think, sorry to say

Fourfurrymonsters · 26/02/2023 21:33

I would paint the outside. It looks sinister. It definitely can be done, we did it ourselves to our previous house and it didn’t cost much, a couple of hundred for decent masonry paint in a soft off-white. You wouldn’t believe the difference it makes. Some bright pots and a couple of chairs and a table picked up from a junkyard and repainted in a cheery colour. Inside is ok but wayyy too many pics and it looks gloomy. A couple of bright rugs and some cushions would do wonders.

snowbellsxox · 26/02/2023 21:34

It's beautiful but it's the outside ..
Could you paint it white to make it stand out more?

HeavenIsAHalfpipe · 26/02/2023 21:40

Negatives.

Agree with other posters. From the outside it looks bland and a bit meh... and it looks like you have never bothered with the garden/gardening.

And what is going on with the outer covering of your house? Has it been stippled/rendered on the outside? I would see this as a possible high maintenance issue, and something that may let damp/rainwater in.

Also, as a pps said, there are WAY too many photos. Almost 80! I couldn't be bothered to look through them all. Also, only people in N.I. will be interested really. Even if I wanted to look/consider buying, I would never consider leaving England & Wales.

Positives.

Gorgeous inside, detached, nice bit of land, seems quite private. Good price.

You need to make the 'kerb appeal' better. It looks dowdy from the outside, when it's gorgeous inside.

19lottie82 · 26/02/2023 21:59

What a gorgeous house!

Are you quite rural? These can often take longer to sell than more urban properties.

I do feel your pain, my house was on the market for three months and we had about 20 viewings where every person had a different reason why they weren’t interested. It was so frustrating.

we sold it eventually, just remember, it only takes one person who wants to buy jt.

Swashbuckled · 26/02/2023 22:02

It's beautiful, but lacks warmth. The bedrooms feel more inviting.

The downstairs living areas, for me, lack the rugs, pictures and ornaments that make a viewer want to live there. I was once told that you're not selling a house, you're selling a lifestyle.

Agree that the photos need brightening with the camera or an app. Some of the rooms feel cold and I don't feel like I want to live there when I look at them. Try to pull the feckers in through the pictures so they're sitting on the sofas. Have you more stuff you can use so you can dress it in a warmer way?

MysteryBelle · 26/02/2023 22:02

Ok. The house itself is generally great. Most people would be beyond thrilled to have a house and property like that. Some observations, probably have nothing to do with how buyers feel, but it seems the colors are incongruent with each other. The different kinds of bold wallpaper will not be to many people’s taste and I realize it is easy to change, but I found it off putting. The house doesn’t know whether it’s modern or traditional or 80s or 50s….the very dark kitchen and bathrooms again will not be to most people’s tastes and give a feeling of no light which is a deal breaker for a lot of people. Even though it’s sunny the house doesn’t seem light filled. The gray carpet on stairs and grey wallpaper in foyer fight with the brown tones in the furniture. Gray everywhere, window treatments, furniture from different eras, usually not a problem but so extreme in styles, looks disjointed. I say this as someone who likes wallpaper and a mix of styles etc. A lot of personal items around too. I’d remove a lot of the furniture and knickknacks and paint a light neutral off white. Remove wallpaper, the carpet is dated. But it is a very nice house with plenty of space. The buyers have to be able to see themselves living there with their furniture and using kitchen etc. The black walls and tile, I don’t know, big expense to redo kitchen and bathrooms, maybe that’s what potential buyers are feeling is the roadblock.

BigBadBoom · 26/02/2023 22:03

It's a lovely house, I love the interior! Loads of lovely features and space. I have a house with a similar exterior and although some people locally have painted theirs and it looks good, the initial cost has put me off as well as the upkeep. What about painting the window frames, maybe in anthracite? Apparently you can get good stuff to do that now and I think it would give the exterior a bit of a makeover. As well as what PPs said about some tubs and planters to give it a bit of life.

SoManyCreepyBears · 26/02/2023 22:07

I love it and am now seriously considering a move to NI. It will sell OP and fast.

WhoSaidWhat123 · 26/02/2023 22:08

Beautiful house!

I think it’s just a bad time to sell unfortunately. My house is also on the market, we’ve only been here for 18 months but we bought it at a time when people were snapping up homes in the area (I live in a very sought after touristy area) but we had sold our previous home back to the developers (due to new build issues) and were desperate to buy somewhere else as we were porting our mortgage and the developers were paying for surveyor / solicitor / LTT fee’s as long as were purchasing another property instantly so we settled on the house we’re in now, although it was only a 2 bed (but house prices were mega crazy thanks to WFH relocate-rs and holiday let businesses). We had plans to add an extension on because we were planning on a second child but decided we weren’t too keen on the area (bit too far from DD’s school than anticipated), so we put it on the market just as the cost of living crisis and high interest rates began and it’s still for sale months and months later.

When we bought the house back in 2021 we were 1 of 6 who put in an offer. We also went £2.5k above asking and now we can’t even get an offer. Really bad times thanks to cost of living crisis, interest rates and proposed new laws against second homes.

Original poster
DoIneedflowersatthefrontdoor · 26/02/2023 22:23

We’ve had two families fly over from England to view it and similar properties, and one from Asia! If you’re doing that though, the search area is pretty much all of NI, so my chances of this house being picked as the one are quite low as it does suit someone who is ok with driving five mins to the nearest shop rather than walking.

I agree that it’s terrible timing. I can’t believe I’m doing it now, but it’s all because of the house I’m buying actually coming on the market in the village I want my children to grow up in. Otherwise I wouldn’t be leaving! I’d be carrying on developing the garden and turning upstairs in the garage into my office etc. And of course I’d be saving up to sort the exterior. I hear the feedback that it needs to be white loud and clear!

OP posts:
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