No viewings - please tell me what I need to change in house!

[Whywontitsell]

Desperately trying to sell a house that we've never lived in and is nowhere near where we're currently living. We move around with DH's job and have accommodation provided with that, so we bought the house 6 years ago to keep us on the ladder.

We've already dropped the price from £500k to £490k to now £475k, but there's just zero interest. It's definitely not looking its best having had (good) tenants in for the past few years - some dodgy curtains left up and some hanging off the track! So the pics definitely aren't selling it well.

We live about a 3 hour drive away but I have a week off soon. If I go through there to do some work - what would I be best to focus on? The showhome pics make it look so nice - I presume you can't add a link to these on the Rightmove ad? An empty house is just so unappealing...

I would really appreciate any advice...

House:
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/143709212#/?channel=RES_BUY

The main thing you need to do to transform these pictures is to buy some very good quality curtains that add some sort of colour or contrast. Everything’s very bland and the curtains look like the type of rubbish that come with rental houses. Also, I would buy some tasteful (bamboo maybe?) lampshades.

New carpets maybe and some nice rugs and plants. I really don’t think you need to bother with furniture.

To me the first picture looks like a 1930s semi, so my initial thought is ‘that’s overpriced’. Not sure how you can resolve that. I also find it a bit strange that the walk in wardrobe is not part of the main bedroom.
The curtains and carpets are doing it no favours. Clean the carpets, drive, and hang the curtains better. Maybe even buy some attractive (but cheap curtains) from somewhere like Dunelm. Better photos needed too.

There is no fire in the living room?

I was responding to someone who clearly thought this was a traditional, old house. They talked about ‘liking this era’. ( what 2020?).

I've never seen this style in a new build either.

I thought I was being helpful in that the agent needs to point out in more detail.

If it ain't selling its the price - always.

I just brought a home, first time!, home was empty and needs a little cosmetic work so I don't think that's really your issue. For us it was price and location. If you're already dropping, then it's price.

MarlieJS apologies - I stand corrected. Most of the Redrow developments in the North West seem to include this style of house but perhaps this isn't the case in other areas of England if you''re not familiar with it.

I agree with what everyone has said, it’s a good looking house, but in todays market you’ve really got to stand out. When searching through Rightmove people are looking at hundreds and hundreds of properties and if it’s not memorable than you’ll completely forget about it. In todays market you really have to work to sell a property and have it “dressed” to impress.
I would take it off the market and put it back on spring Easter time completely furnished and the garden done up with some flowers, tables and chairs etc something to cheer the whole place up.

I wouldn’t bother with staging.

Clean the carpets and sort out the curtains and get new photos taken. And reduce the price.

It looks like a nice sized house with potential. But it's not in an especially great location, it's 3 bedrooms, and it needs cosmetic work at least. The price seems too high for that.

I'd suggest either doing some of the cosmetic work yourself or marketing it as a cosmetic 'project'. The outside and inside could be significantly improved.

Floor plans need measurements on them.

Better photos are a must. Those ones make it look tatty and run-down. If you could get some staging done, that would be great, but even if you can't, you could get better photos after a bit of cosmetic work to show that the rooms are spacious and bright.

You can't really create a 4th bedroom in an instant, so you may need to just accept a lower price anyway to reflect that it's 3 bedrooms. If there's loft or extension potential you could mention that.

The garden just looks depressed. Give it some plants, even if they're just in pots near the house.

Sorry - there's a picture of a fireplace in your original post. I assumed that was your house.

Someone mentioned the development is still being finished - if this is the case you’ll need to price under the new build price - most people will be able to get a deal/incentives which will mean the new build is a better price. Plus it will be new.

It's priced well above other 3 bed detached houses in the area which I suspect may have something to do with why you're not getting viewings.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/find.html?locationIdentifier=POSTCODE%5E4493568&minBedrooms=3&maxPrice=550000&minPrice=425000&radius=1.0&propertyTypes=&includeSSTC=true&mustHave=&dontShow=&furnishTypes=&keywords=

It is over priced - most of the 4 beds are a similar price, and being reduced

I think the other poster was referring to the fireplace; it doesn't look wonderful. As it's currently presented, you would need buyers specifically looking to move to the area or those with enough imagination to see what a lovely house it could be. I've known people shortsighted enough to discount a house because they couldn't live with the colour of the dining room - and I'm not joking. I would be inclined to market it as being in need of some cosmetic work.

Edit to add: Looking again at the photos on Rightmove, I can see there isn't a fireplace, although there's one shown in your opening post.

It’s the price. I actually liked the look of it from photos and would happily buy a house like this to decorate to my own taste, as long as the price was right.

I wouldn’t bother changing curtains. Either leave as is and drop the price, or pay a staging company. People want to imagine a lifestyle when looking at houses.

I thought that at first but I think they are random pictures though that sometimes appear when you do a link but have nothing to do with the actual link, so a MN thing

I would go down there and give the carpets a darn good clean. Then go over the whole house with white paint to make it look clean. There looks like there could be some damp/discolouration on the lower wall and skirting of one of the bedrooms so I would attend to that.
Then I would hire in staging company to stage it and get the pics taken again properly. A good estate agent will know how to make the rooms look great on photos.
What you will spend on staging you will recoup in the selling cost. It is 100% worth doing.

Also, get rid of the curtains!

Staging - you can hire a company to bring furniture in for the time it's on the market. Your estate agent should be able to point you in the right direction. It would make a big difference I think.

I'm not sure about the marks on the carpet. They might be cleaning marks or dirt. Maybe the pile has to be put down after a wet clean?

The pictures are not professional. They are not properly lit inside nor properly exposed so that both the inside and the outside are lit. The inside looks grey and underlit and a proper photographer knows how to do this. Are you paying for professional photography or have they got someone doing it on the cheap?

Here's an example of that inside/outside properly exposed look which you're aiming for. If you scroll through the pics you can see a lit kitchen with a clear garden through the window. This is good. It means that people can see the potential of a house in its setting on a clear day. Of course, skies are replaced frequently when it's overcast but buyers don't know that! https://search.savills.com/property-detail/gbsvrscli207811?_gl=1w6xj05_gaMTA4MDMzNjY0LjE3MDY2MTk5NDU._ga_DH58YLS8J6*MTcwNjYxOTk0NC4xLjEuMTcwNjYyMDExOC4wLjAuMA..

I’d also power wash the fence, it’s got green staining and with the mossy lawn it looks wet and univiting.

@Shortbreadfingerss makes a good point. We have bought two new builds and when we sold one of them, 3 years later, we only just got our money back. In our experience, our new homes felt a bit like new cars, they seem to depreciate once you've moved in, but then begin to hold their value once the estate becomes more established and the gardens and trees have matured etc.

I agree with others that it will be the price. I know you're saying that you originally looked at 4 bed and in the end chose a 3 bed with bigger rooms. But most people looking for a 4 bed won't see this because its listed as a 3, and most people looking for a 3 will just see that it's more expensive than others (and not be willing to pay the extra for a walk in wardrobe).
This one https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/143994860#/?channel=RES_BUY that others have linked to that's around the corner looks like you could move right in, its in immaculate condition - whereas with yours I'd have to pay more and then possibly pay more again to decorate, replace carpets etc. (Even if, in reality, there may be literal difference in terms of decor - the photos give that impression).
The description is great as well - look at all the things the EA lists under the key features compared to yours (also, all caps is very hard to read - tell your EA that!), yet your house has all those things too.

It’s definitely the price - this is 4 beds, looks much more inviting and £50k less. You either need to keep renting or take a big hit on the price https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/142195514?utm_campaign=property-details&utm_content=buying&utm_medium=sharing&utm_source=copytoclipboard#/&channel=RES_BUY

Ahh, I did put those pics on to show the Redrow pics of the liv room compared to how mine looks empty.