No views on House

[Fimilo]

First time poster long time lurker, sorry if not in the right place. We have put our house on the market, in Scotland the home report determines the market value. We have put it as offers over but £5000 under the market value.

House has been on the market for just over 2 weeks with not one viewing, last house in the street sold for £10,000 over ours current market value. They are very rarely available, ours is a blank canvas for someone to walk into and make their own.

At a loss as to why, unsure if we should reduce the price, change estate agents, take it off the market completely just now. So disheartening.

Any advice welcome

Yes, a downstairs study could function as a bedroom, @Twiglets1 . I've seen that. However, it's clear to potential buyers what the floor plan is, so as you said yourself, and I agreed, it's up to the buyers.

I am in Scotland and not a million miles away from you. Your house is presented really nicely.

Couple of ideas - your blurb does not say which primary and secondary schools the house is in catchment for. For a family house, this is important. I would also think about putting it on as a fixed price rather than offers over.

At least there's a loo on the ground floor! I once lived in a little Victorian terraced house where the only bathroom in the house was on the ground floor! Still sold, though.

Good advice. Proximity to schools is a good selling point.

It is up to the buyers but so far it seems that they are considering it overpriced for what could optimistically be described as a 2/3 bed house.

@Twiglets1 well you are so adamant that it can't be a bedroom because it is downstairs.

The estate agent clearly thinks it is a 3 bedroom house as I am assuming the surveyor if that is what is stated in the Home Report. And the surveyor will have proved it accordingly.

Ok. Maybe get in touch with the estate agent. Or perhaps ask the OP if, prior to purchasing, they considered this to be a 2 or a 3 bedroomed home.

I cannot believe that people are saying that just because a bedroom is downstairs, it's clearly not a bedroom, but a snug or a study. It is a bedroom, dressed as a bedroom, used as a bedroom! Anyone familiar with this style of property (and there are plenty in Scotland) will accept that this is definitely a 3 bedroom property.

@GenieGenealogy

I have two separate rooms downstairs. It’s never occurred to me to use one as a bedroom, even though I would love an extra bedroom and we are moving house to get one.

If you removed all furniture from the house and it was completely empty, nobody would walk in and say ‘third bedroom’ for that room. They would think study or snug or dining room.

Oh great idea. Because estate agents are never somewhat over optimistic in how they describe places are they?

😂😂
I'm guessing you like it traditional lay out! Fine. Others (including the OP, and I'm guessing neighbours) are obviously ok with it. It wouldn't bother me, but I've lived in places with unusual layouts.

I’m not saying it CAN’T be used as a bedroom. I’m saying it isn’t really a 3 bed house it’s more like a 2/3 bed house where a downstairs reception room “could” be used as a 3rd bedroom if you needed a3 bed house but couldn’t afford one.

That’s great if OP is fine with it. But they are also asking on this thread for ideas about why their 3 bed house isn’t selling and a few people are suggesting it may be because some buyers wouldn’t consider it a proper 3 bed & would prefer a traditional layout with all the bedrooms upstairs.

I think it's the school holidays, people with younger children might not want a bedroom on the ground floor (and I agree it is a bedroom, not an uncommon style) and interest rates. I live on a VERY popular estate in Scotland (due to school catchment), where houses sell in a week, and our neighbours are considering an offer almost £30k less than an identical one in the street got last year. I think worry about the future of interest rates mean that people won't stretch and we'll see the % offers over reduce a bit.

OP, what has viewing feedback indicated?

There haven't been any.

I had an unusual layout house with a downstairs bedroom. The home.buyers report described it as a second bedroom despite what the estate agent blurb was. We used it as a bedroom but I always thought of it as a dining room/ bedroom. Of course it was worth less than proper 3 bedders even though it was a comfortable bedroom..l

Completely disagree. My house is 15 miles from the OP's. This layout with a bedroom downstairs is very common.

2 bed, dining room is not a bedroom!
characterless lounge, no features or fireplace
artex ceilings nightmare to remove
Needs a new kitchen
bathroom tiles are dated
dark wood floors are dated
water outside in photo looks suspect
needs colour, plants in pots etc

I had an unusual layout house with a downstairs bedroom

In this part of Scotland, where chalet bungalows are very common, it is not an "unusual layout". It is a common layout. OP knows the local market, I know the local market and housing stock.

Very clear that lots of posters on here have no clue.

they’ll most likely tell her when she’s had one !

Is it on all the major search sites (eg Rightmove?)

Are the estate agents good? Get a friend to ring up and ask about homes with a rough brief that yours would match to see if they push yours

I can't speak for the area but is it priced similarly to other homes of the same ilk?

It's very plain and simple and nice.

Good luck!

That's interesting. A feature locals will be familiar with, then.

@GenieGenealogy

If someone local is buying, it shouldn’t be a problem then. But OP has asked why they haven’t had any viewings. Lots of us are suggesting this is why. Doesn’t mean we’re right. But it’s why we wouldn’t view it.

I think the main problem is that a downstairs bedroom isn't to everyone's taste, and people who specifically want one (for an elderly relative) will want a proper bathroom on the same floor, not just a WC.

But the real issue is, most people can't afford to move just now.

That’s a good point. Because if you think about who a downstairs bedroom might suit, it would be an elderly person who can’t easily climb stairs. But then you would want a downstairs bathroom which this house doesn’t have 🤷🏼‍♀️