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

I recently bought a house. I had a house-type in mind due to family/wfh needs (e.g., I want a 3 bed), and then a budget, which I made by seeing what those kind of houses went for locally.

So, I had a mini formula in my head. 3 beds tend to go for £300-400k, 4 beds are 400-500k. If I saw a 3 bed for £400k, I would think "that's expensive", and unless it was in a "top area", or beautifully decorated with high quality everything, i wouldn't understand why, and then i wouldn't view it. I didn't look at floor space until I was in the house and it "felt small".

I wonder if similar is happening with people who view your add? People who want a 4-bed might discount it (despite floor space) because it doesn't fit their needs (e.g. I have 2 teenagers who want their own room, and I need a home office space). And people who are looking for 3 beds just think it's too expensive for what it is, especially given that they will need to pay out a bunch of money to get it looking nice (e.g., new carpet, new bathroom etc). And then, once they've paid out that money they might be wondering whether they will get it back given that it's already "expensive" for a 3 bed house.

I think this is silly, but I also think it's "the market". I for one, hate tiny bedrooms, but I would rather have 4 small bedrooms than 3 big ones because I know a "four bedroom house" will be sold for more money, even if floor size is the same.

Added to this the slow market and high interest rates. I think if you want a quick sell, reduce it more until you start getting viewers. Or see if there is any work you can do to tart it up - can you put in new carpets, refresh the paint, re-do bathrooms and kitchen? Could you add an internal wall to one of the bedrooms to turn it into a 4-bed house? Importantly, does the agent think this would help increase the value.

Your listing does not show up on Zoopla which a lot of people use. I can only find it on Rightmove so that will limit people seeing it. Happy to be told it’s there and my search is rubbish!

For the benefit of those on the thread, this is, I believe, the Redrow floorplan for the house.

Much more useful than what the estate agent has thrown together!

Look at your competition- people have mentioned the three bed round the corner at £450k. People will have a budget - what are people getting for their money, what will they compromise on. At the moment a buyer is looking for a 3 bed modern house with garage. If g try et put £450 in their search criteria they get a really nice modern house where they can see furniture. You either need to make yours look the same standard s that one or drop your price to £445k

Final comment - I think having bigger bedrooms may appeal to some people but most people will choose a 4 bed over a 3 bed even with the same square footage.
I own a property with 4 double bedrooms, master is really big and if laid out differently they could easily have fir in 5 bedrooms but I know that my house will sell for less than a 5 bed with exactly the same square footage.

I think it looks lovely, nicely kept out front and back. I disagree, I think the interior looks fine and that you could move straight in.

My guess is a lot of money for 3 bed, if others in area are 4.

Sure most people would think me OTT, but I would strip out all the curtains and carpets, replace carpets throughout in a neutral tone and paint all the walls a fresh white. I wouldn’t add furniture at all.

It will cost you a few K but you’re aiming at a high price for number of the bedrooms and although technically it is detached, it only just is - still v close to the neighbour. Garden is also quite small, so play up the walled garden feature in the photos.

Then replace all the photos with much better quality. I’d actually sack off that EA, zero effort there for the online marketing honestly.

New carpets and paint will make it smell really fresh when you do get viewings too.

At the moment it looks neglected and grubby (sorry to be harsh).

Ahh yes..I said upthread it looked nice from the front but like a newbuild at the back.

I thought it was much older....its confusing and disappointing

Edit: spelling!

Looking at the original purchase prices, historic sale prices nearby and current prices nearby, it's way too over-priced.

Also strange to have a walk in wardrobe off bedroom 3 instead of the master bedroom, but If I read the plan right and from the pictures, the walk in wardrobe is actually very limited height in the eaves on the garage side of the house, so not sure it's really "walk in" at all.

Blank garden isn't very inspiring - all lawn/weed.

It all comes across as being unloved and expensive for what it is, which is basically a bog standard 3 bed.

Some great points! I just need to make the trip and sort stuff myself and take new pics. Still deciding whether to pay to have it staged or just do the fake photo things.

40 and 50 are probably the executive 5 beds.

I can’t see the Energy rating, maybe just me rushing ?
Get agent to put dimension's on floor plan.
They should also big up Wilton a bit, it’s a lovely area.

Re hang curtains.
Clean any stains from carpets.
I prefer empty houses , hate seeing clutter!
There should be nothing visible in a bathroom other than the fittings, maybe a plant. No bleach bottles, towels etc..
Look at Get Agent to see if others are selling quicker / better prices than yours.

My first thought was that it was practically on top of next door, who does that fence/gate at the side of the house belong to, it's a bit hard to tell

Thanks - I've been off trying to dig mine out and just found it before seeing this lol.

Agree with the broad feeling of the thread: the opening image promises one sort of house, then the pics get progressively worse ending in the depressing empty garden. Some of the carpets seem stained and some of the walls look like there’s a mould/damp issue. None of the photos are sharp enough to see what’s really going on and that, combined with the terrible curtains, gives it a dank fixer-upper vibe – as if there’ll be wallpaper stripping and such to do.

The kitchen is also quite small and dark, and despite the chat about the square footage, it looks on the floor plan to be a small downstairs. That was actually my first port of call and thought: checked the floor plan and it “felt” small/restricted downstairs.

I too would rather a four bed, even if No4 were a tiny box fit only for a study, to a three bed.

The easiest thing would be to drop the price rather than fannying about with daffodils and staging and carpet lifting.

Also (and this is petty but whatever): £475k and there’s not even a fitted loo roll holder in the bathroom! C’mon.

All new builds are like that though.

I already commented with some tips, but looking further into the area I think the problem is the price. This market is a buyer's market and so, if you want it sold compared to the other ones in the area, you may have to drop the price further. Good luck.

I think it's perfectly fine and it would really appeal to me that when I go to view I can actually see the state of the house. So much can be hidden behind rugs and furniture.

All I would do is get the carpets professionally cleaned and make sure that when the lights are turned on there's a warm glow and not a cold light since there's nothing else to bring any homeliness.

Maybe a dining table in the kitchen for scale.

But then all I want from a listing is a floor plan and photos that show me the state of interior/exterior. I'm not interested in people's furniture or staging.

Looks lovely. Is the cloakroom a cupboard or a toilet?

If a toilet then the plan needs labelling WC. If it's a cupboard then that's why it's not selling.

The development has been complete for a long time but Google Maps hasn't updated.

Pics 8 & 9 make it look like you have damp on the walls. That would make me run a mile.
It looks cold and dreary.
Pay a professional photographer to come and take the pics instead of the estate agents badly snapped ones with no lighting

Photos aren't great. Carpet looks stained and its all very bland. For people spending that much money they need more to entice them. I agree as others have said perhaps stage the home a bit. Bedrooms look outdated. Difficult to tell room size from photos. For me it seems expensive for what the house is. It depends on the area or course im not from England so not sure but perhaps over priced? Put some flowers out aswell it might help

It's a nice house. However, I'd get all the carpets cleaned and paint the walls throughout in a neutral colour. Curtain on pic 6 needs fixing.

I think it has a lot of kerb appeal, the front is much nicer than many new builds.

The carpets are absolutely fine too, those are hoover marks not stains.

You need to stage it. People have zero imagination and empty houses are notoriously hard to sell.