House not selling (link included)

[Boogiebot]

So any ideas not even had one viewing so far. Reducing to 120,000 tomorrow. Desperately needing sold.

https://www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/64148638/?search_identifier=5cf6ed05360ba992399499c99f058b272e441b5f893551e96f8a5bb506cc3fab

@Boogiebot

how are market conditions? Someone close to me really struggled to sell in Wick, it was a good solid family house they’d spent a fair whack on but there just weren’t a lot of buyers. Someone leaving the area they were going to ended up doing them a swap. Took months to find anyone interested. Are other houses shifting?

The presentation isn’t ideal, I hope you won’t be offended if I say it’s got the slight look of an repo and seems a bit dated and abandoned. I am sure it’s a a nicer house than the photos show, it looks spacious and has a lot of potential, the kitchen is fine and it looks like it mostly needs decorating, and one bathroom gutted. The 80s woodwork would disappear if it was painted white. You’ve said it was GTF ASAP situation, which I’m sorry to hear and hope you’re all okay.

Agree whoever took the interior photos wasn’t doing their best work either. The front garden looks cracking but it’s hard to tell what sort of outside space there is, if the gardens are large and nice I’d show them and drop some of the more uninspiring interior shots. There is not much you can do about that dated bathroom but I’d try to surround it with other more appealing images, if that makes sense.

It’s a lot of house for the money and could be a belter so I’d put on a floor plan. I’d also either present it as neatly decorated and ready to move into (ie. clean, fresh but empty) or average family home (ie. contains the expected scruffy bits but also has furniture so the stickers etc are not what your eye is immediately drawn to).

Cheap fix, I’d get the bunk beds gone, stickers off the walls, hire a rug doctor. If circs don’t permit you returning for staging or tidy-up work it’s probably going to come down to dropping the price. Someone said it needs central heating, if it does, that’s also potentially going to put people off as it’s increasingly unusual and buyers often over-estimate the cost of that sort of work, as well as kitchens and bathrooms, so will factor that into whether or not it’s viable.

Stressful situation, good luck 🤞🏻

I noticed it was in the north of Scotland, wonder if that is a factor. Agree about the floorpan.

At least you won't have to deal with the spivs and chancers that come with English property sale processes.

Not sure when the Streetview photos were taken, but the front is a mess compared to next door. Get your kerb appeal sorted otherwise buyers won’t even consider viewing if they take a drive past.

It looks like a very sad house - maybe the lack of light is causing that as much as the emptiness? I think it's massively overpriced. New photos, put it on at 112, state very clearly and early on in description that it's standard construction, get a floor plan, photos of the garden and if you can, paint some of the woodwork (e.g. bath panel) so it looks a little more inviting and put some key furniture back to people can see how it fits (e.g. bed in master bedroom).

It’s all down to the price…. Everything sells at the right price. I don’t think £5k reduction will make a difference.

I'm in Scotland and you do need a bit of Scottish knowledge with these threads, the freehold/leasehold thing and offers over - they just don't matter here.

The photos are making a perfectly pleasant house look really dingy and depressing. Personally I would go back, now that you can, and do some general cleaning up - get rid of the random bed and get the stickers etc off the walls. Lick of paint and get rid of the silver wallpaper if you can be arsed. Tidy up the front.

Then get decent new photos taken, a floor plan done, drop the price to offers over 110 and see what happens. You can always fix the price at 110 if you need to.

It’s normal in Scotland.

Got carried away and looked at other houses agent is selling- many missing floor plans and not too good photos.

I feel claustrophobic looking at it. The ceilings look very low and the dark wood/kitchen layout/lack of furniture make it look like ‘a project’.

It’s a good point that the street view photos might be out of date.

If the front garden (which is a good size - looks tiny on the photos) is looking good now, then definitely take photos.

Again, I wouldn’t be spending money at this price other than to clean and smooth over the edges. I'd rather drop the price by the amount I would have spent.

I sold my house empty, no problem, but it was perfectly clean and tidy.

I was wondering that too.

I agree with everyone saying about a floor plan, I need one to visualise the space properly. Could definitely do with more photos, when I see a property without many photos it makes me think the estate agent is trying to hide something.

Well I think it looks lovely, OP.

The only things I would pick out are cosmetic - yes, the dark carpet and dark kitchen tiles - but these can easily be changed. I've always moved into wrecks, so I'd be glad to move into a well-maintained house like this. What can put people off is too much personal stuff around, but that isn't the case here.

It's the old story - is it overpriced in comparison to other similar properties? I have no idea of the market conditions in N Scotland. School catchment?

Good luck and I hope things look up soon.

It’s in Thurso

The market in most of the highlands is slow just now. Even houses in Inverness are sitting on the market for 2/3 months, so I imagine Thurso is even slower!

I see the house is on Rightmove but not HSPC, try and get on HSPC if possible.

YOPA are really good for selling with in Inverness/surrounding - I’m not sure if their agents go as far as Thurso though?

Why does it say council tax band is not applicable?

It's a useless listing with crap photos. Get them redone on a better day and include the outside space.

Is it just on Zoopla or Rightmove as well? If you aren't going with the solicitors property centre then I think just Zoopla is very limiting. I'm in a similar area and never think to check that separately as so few houses are sold that way.

You probably aren't going to get loads of viewings. I've sold two properties and only ever had one viewer for each. If you know you want a property in a particular area then there isn't an abundance of choice generally . Same when I bought houses. I knew I was having this one before I even went inside (and it was full 1970s) because it was a decent price and size where I needed it to be.

No floorplan
No central heating (in the north of Scotland?!! )
Why no pics of rear garden - is it a complete mess?
Half done reno job - rest needs decorating at least
Tatty front garden - poor first impression
Agent who clearly doesn't put the work in

Decent details/a plan might have made it obvious it's extended to justify a higher price, but it'll certainly sell - just not at this price

I’d spend time painting the dark wood to white. In your shoes, I’d also look at how much it would cost to get a company in to respray the kitchen units. The buyer then won’t automatically think they need a whole new kitchen. Definitely remove the wall stickers and possibly the grey wallpaper. A neutral canvas is easier to imagine as a new home.

Good luck with the sale!!

Change all curtains
Stickers off the walls
Take down the silver wallpaper
Paint all walls a neutral off white colour
Paint all woodwork white
Paint kitchen units
Change dark blue carpet in kids room
No floor plan?
No garden photos?

Just can't visualise what it's like as no floor plan.

A lot of rooms have beams.

Are they added (to make it look 'characterful' or are they there for another reason?

The white beams in one bedroom make it look like structural support after an extension was done.

Why is no one living in it now?

Is this probate?

No floorplan, i don't view houses with no floorplan.

Lack of attic storage?
Lack of garden photos.
The yellowy-cream or magnolia walls with brown woodwork is a very dated look….very off putting I think, which is a shame as the reception room is quite big. White walls would be much better if a quick paint job is possible.
Mid terrace generally means more noisy.

Oh and I wouldn't worry about the storage heater comments. I think a lot of people don't realise that when you don't have gas this is pretty common.

The photos make it look small and dark. I can't see a photo of the garden and it doesn't have a floor plan.

It could probably benefit from a repaint but it depends on how much money and energy you have.

Have you had any viewings / feedback?