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

Price too high, you can buy a 4 bed in St Peters Place in show home condition for 480k, that's a 2 min drive from your house, with school and amenities, do research you'll see its the price.

Looks like a beautiful house to me. The only thing must be the current economic climate and the price bracket. Don’t drop the price. People are struggling to sell right now. In another climate this would have been snapped up. Do you have to sell right now , if not I’d rent to ride out this tough market.

Looks good to me - clean and a blank canvas. I could move in and decorate in my own time. If I was looking I'd definitely go for a viewing!
Agree though, many can't picture it without furniture in.

I'm intrigued that it's a new build - looks like an older 1920/30s house to me!

People are 'struggling to sell right now' precisely because they are pricing much too high! Prices are v likely to fall further so 'riding it out' is probably a poor strategy.

In pictures 8 and 9, it looks like there is either dirt or mould on the walls (8 by the skirting and 9 in the corner)

It's not just the pics. The blurb is not selling it either. There should be an intro paragraph about the house itself and the surrounding area. The blurb should make someone want to imagine living there. Think walks, transport, loveliness of Salisbury and Wilton, nice garden centre, shops, pubs nearby etc. Train station at Salisbury, links to London....

I agree with others that staging it might be an idea. If you cannot, I suggest the following:

New and lovely curtains that actually fit, especially ones that go to the floor in the living room.

New light fittings.

Repaint throughout and get the carpet cleaned.

Have someone in to landscape the garden.

I think it's a lovely house, with masses of potential. However, as others have said, many folk can't imagine living there unless they see furniture in situ. I can see past it, but many can't. Furniture would help visualise the size of the rooms too. It looks a bit cold and gray, maybe due to the weather the day the photos taken? If the £475k is the top going rate for similar I your area, maybe the others are in better shape? Looks like a new bathroom is needed, and perhaps not the pic of the loo in the cupboard as that really doesn't help! Good luck x

The 2 little colourful pics, make it look really lovely. Pity the others are uninspiring.

Those are of a show home, not her house.

It's a nice looking home and Redrow are one of the better builders.

If it's the home I think it is then houseprices.io values it at £488K and Zoopla has a range of £462K to £512K. So a guide price of £450K should be inviting. Perhaps you have picked a poor EA?

I won't say what you paid but we can see that the EA seems to be hiding your Property Sale Price data. That always annoys me because it's a hassle to look it up elsewhere.

For me personally, it's too far from the city centre. I'd prefer to be walking distance.

that really isn’t how things work

get it at a genuinely tasty price and there will be interest

get enough interest and that will translate in to multiple offers

but when i say “genuinely tasty price” that doesn’t mean a few k off

this property has been festering at the bottom of the pile for 4 months. Scrap the tinkering around the edges and makes a proper drop in price

Do you have an amount you need to cover, are you happy to break even to be able to walk away?

Sometimes holding out for a profit isn't worth the time and angst.

That is the style of Redrow.

so you bought at top of the market in 2016 OP for £418k according to zoopla and presumably in far far better condition than now

so £475k in current climate with 8 plus years on a new build during which tenanted is very punchy

zoopla

I think renting it out again is just pushing the problem further down the line. Another six months or whatever of no-one being allowed to plant anything in the garden or make any improvements or tweaks. You bought it as an investment, it doesn't sound as if you love it (you hardly know it judging by your comments about not remembering the sloping ceiling and details of the ensuite) and I think that's what comes across in the photos. When you buy on a new development you expect the houses and the street to gradually improve as gardens mature and people start to put their own stamp on the properties with new kitchens, light fittings etc. Your house no doubt looks much as it did when it was new, but now with all the shiny newness worn off. It's a nice looking house, nothing obviously wrong with it, a buyer could move straight in and live in it and it could be transformed with a lick of paint, some new carpets and curtains and a bit of love. The fact that no-one has shown any interest screams that it's over-priced.

new build estate around here has gone for a faux Tudor style 🤢

I live fairly locally to this and I would say price is the biggest issue more so than what it looks like. That would be the price for a decent 4 bed not a 3 bed. I know the rooms are good sizes but if you're looking for a 4 bed it doesn't matter how big the 3 rooms are. Anyone looking at the price will want an extra bedroom....

it would not rent easily anyway

it’s a family home but not many would want to move in to for 6 momths and it’s not appealing anyway
not close enough to station for commuters to walk to
and unfurnished
and no mention of enticing school

And if OP reduces the price, they'll pay less capital gains tax, so they won't lose the "whole" amount of the reduction as they'll be saving the 28% CGT on the difference.

@shewasrooting I disagree on that- when we came back from Denmark we would have looked at it-we only wanted a 6 months let- had all our own stuff and the plainness would be a bonus and we didn't need schools or walk to station. Lots of people who have sold a house but still looking prefer 6 months lets but they are actually hard to get these days.

so you didn’t have children? or not school aged

and not many are returning to the UK from europe. i think you’ll agree

Don't put yr furniture n it, it'll look thrown together. Def get it staged properly, cushions and mirrors do wonders for the stupid ppl who can't see beyond a blank canvas. Maybe even get carpets washed. Then don't budge on price. Do it now. I'm a property professional.

Because loads and loads of family homes are available for rental and no family would be looking for a house for more than 6 months?