How best to market a small terraced cottage

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Mid terrace cottage in Hertfordshire commuter area St Albans.
Need to sell.
Not a family home - two beds, front door straight into living room. Not one for older downsizers either as over 3 floors, downstairs bathroom. No proper parking.

What’s the market for these houses in and around London please? There’s lots of them around here near the station and they do sell but I wonder who buys them, in most cases? This will help me stage and market it effectively.

Am I looking mainly at first time buyers/millennials without kids? Or is it mainly divorcees (like I was)? I can’t see a FTB couple wanting it for long as there’s nowhere to keep a buggy. You’d logically ask who owns on my street but most are renters so perhaps really I’m probably selling to a landlord.

If you’ve got experience of selling one of these small homes in commuterville please let me know how you did so successfully. Mine is in good condition - added a De Vol kitchen when I moved in and upgraded all the lighting, doors and windows and boiler. There’s a basement that can be used as an office.

Thanks so much in advance.

Not all FTB want kids I think it would be ideal for a couple who don't want kids

Emphasise near the station . (Then you don’t need a car)

Sounds like a great cottage. I love a deVol kitchen!

Could be divorcees or FTBs… does it really matter, though? Have you asked the local estate agents?

I’m imagining the agent will do all the blurb, floor plans and it’ll go on their books. It’ll go on Rightmove… and someone will fall in love with it and want to buy it… Or, as you say it’ll be a landlord.

Good luck 😉

What is the demographic of the renters?

You market sounds like it could be FTB (without kids) couples without kids or divorcees. A big-ish pool!

I'd style the basement as an office - WFH more prevalent now. Also emphasise the station.

Just make it neat and tidy and don't overthink it would be my advice.

Why wouldn’t it be marketed for small
families?
We only have 1 child, so a 2 bedroom place would be fine tbh. And if it’s London a car isn’t often necessary so wouldn’t worry about lack of parking

I live in an area with lots of 2bd terraces (2 floors though)

Generally new people buying them tend to be first time buyers / young couples. 50/50 they move / stay there when they have had kids.

Also tend to get couples with older children moving in if they just have the one.

There are older people here but they tend to be the ones that have lived here for ages. The next step up the ladder if you want to stay in the same area (Greater London) is quite a leap and with house prices a lot cannot afford to make the jump.

Commuters will buy properties like this close to the station. Or couples that don’t have children yet or who only have one child. Not everyone can afford a bigger house ( & St Albans is very expensive) so I wouldn’t assume it won’t attract people with one child.

I would market it primarily towards people in their 20s & 30s.

A lot of people move to this area from London to start their family so I think they would want buggy space and parking. Also the house isn't in a catchment area for a decent secondary school, although the local primaries are outstanding. I don't know how far ahead people think really. If their budget is £600k and they want a hall, parking space and garden they won't get it around here unless they buy a semi quite far from the station.

The renters seem to be people in their 20s and 30s and the odd divorcee.
It is a transient area as people don't seem to hang around to start a family. If someone moves in with a baby a year or two later they are gone. There is a primary school catchment but no secondary but I think the main problem for young families with these houses is lack of hallway and lack of parking.

My neighbour sold to a young couple but the house was on the market for a year.

Good tip on the basement. I use part of it as an office but the rest of the space (its divided into two rooms) is my son's space where he watches TV with his friends and we do jigsaws and play board games. I guess I clear all that out to allow people to imagine what they would use it for?

Indeed. If you wanted a family 3 bed in my part of town you're looking at £850-900k whereas the 2 bed cottages are 550k-600k.

I think I'm marketing to young couple with no kids/willing to move in one comes along.

Imagine they want a good office space, nothing requiring too much DIY.

Do we think young couples buying their first homes will plan to entertain a lot? My dining area is tiny - a round table tucked into a bay window with benches. I can have two guests for dinner, max. Shamefully we often eat in front of the TV.

No I would leave it there to show people how the space could be used … equally could he used to store a buggy or as a wine cellar

I wouldn’t worry about who would buy it concentrate on making it seem as spacious as possible.Get rid of any clutter store it if good and you may reuse in the next place.Light,clean is all people look for.Is there a garden?It is what it is.Near the station is such a plus.

You are being ridiculous imv.
The private landlord who will probably buy it will only care how cheap they can buy it so get your price right. As will most future buyers.

I don’t agree. I’ve always considered my market when selling & considering the huge sums involved it’s silly not to, in my opinion.

Is a ‘mid terrace cottage’ really a thing?

To my mind, a terrace is a terrace & a cottage is detached or at most, semi-detached?

I would still cater for small families.
Its a 2 bed, lower price for area you say (600k v900k approx for larger ‘typical family home’), close to train station, and has primary schools in area.

Ideal for couples with a baby looking to move from 1bed flat to starter 2 bed home. They can move before secondary age if needed. If families only can stretch to £600k as expensive area, then you will definitely get a larger type of market looking as people have to consider properties that suit even if not perfect.

I presume you also live there currently with your child? So there will be signs of family life

Market as 2 bed. Make sure second bedroom is tidied well from excess toys. Basement area I would set up as mixed use. Desk area, sofa (can show sofa bed fits for guests), and some decent storage for books and toys. Make sure any garden space shows storage and seating

My friends have exactly this house in exactly this town They have one primary aged son and busy London jobs and social lives. They love it there because of the great transport links but also the schools and smaller town feel. It'll definitely be popular as it's smaller size will make it slightly more affordable. Easily £700k

But don't estate agents just market to everyone and then buyer a make decisions based on their own needs...,?

The EA just markets it to everyone, yes.

But as a Seller, it’s worth giving thought to your most likely type of buyer so you can present it a certain way - minimalist or family friendly for example. This type of property is most likely to appeal to childless commuters so I would be tidying away any children’s stuff and presenting it as an aspirational first house for young professionals. Of course anyone can buy it but it’s worth considering who is most likely to want to buy a property of this type.