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

That's actually a good point. If I search 'Wilton', it doesn't show whereas others on the same street do; I have to put + 1/4 mile for it to show.

If a house is sensibly priced, i always look at the floorplan and streetview before the pics. I can change the decor but I can't completely change the bones and I definitely can't change the street. Street View is showing development across the road so I would say it needs to be said in the details that the estate is finished. Local people will know that but people further afield won't. I wouldn't book a viewing on that basis. Also people will know what you've paid for it and will see what you're asking. if its gone up in price but its condition has deteriorated, rather than improved, then people will struggle. Finally, you've put it on at a quiet time of year in a slow market.

Garden looks stark and the lawn appears to have a lot of moss. A few tallish plants on either side would soften the appearance.

It's a lovely house. I'm stunned that some people can't look past a dodgy curtain or carpet!

Cosmetically awful?! That's a bit harsh. It was much nicer than I was expecting!!

We can but for most people, your house is your biggest asset. Why not go to the effort of presenting it nicely? I would hesitate to spend money on it but it doesn't cost much to make the curtains look better & clean the carpets.

It looks exactly what it is at the moment which is unloved. It doesn't look as aspirational as it could do seeing as it is basically a lovely house. Though as I said before, I think the price also needs reducing further to attract new interest.

The pictures are dreadful, particularly 7
need photo of utility and downstairs loo. Better photo of bedroom 1 and its en suit, the current photo gives no inclination of there being room for a shower.
carpet in the lounge looks dreadful

floorplan, needs measurements and can you get loo, bath, shower and sinks put on it too

Apart from the proximity to next door which others don't seem bothered about the house looks fine, I only really worry about the things I can't change though as I would probably change stuff anyway to suit like carpets and the garden. Hopefully you will get some viewers soon

@Whywontitsell it shows for me. Look at the comps there's a couple of 4 beds in the area on at 495, 500 and 550 so I think your price is too high.

@Whywontitsell yep same issue, when we searched by village name it didn’t show up.

Agent tried saying “oh but people search by postcode”… nobody I know does that.

As soon as they changed it we’ve had about 20 views now and ours is a run-down jobby very much in need of an overhaul

I think definitely worth an ask! It worked for us

@Whywontitsell can the walk in wardrobe/store be configured as a wfh office at all?
a photo of it would be helpful for people to figure it out

@BobnLen , that's what would put me off. It's detached but the space between the houses is tiny.
Carpets and curtains are easy to change.

All IMO...
It looks to me like a 1930s house rather than a new build, but without any character features - it's not one thing nor the other.
The fire in the sitting room is horrible.
It's grey grey grey.
The garden is very boring.
The whole thing looks unloved.

None of the above is irretrievable, but your house has to be priced accordingly, so new owners can upgrade it.

Ah, OK In the developer floor plan you can see a diagram of a toilet in the upstairs bathroom and ensuite but not in the room they have called “cloaks”.
But I see no toilets pictured anywhere in the agent’s floor plan so I guess you are meant to infer from the room name.

(I never read the description). But maybe I would if I was actually buying and not just browsing!

It’s a lovely, lovely house from the outside, I was surprised when it was “only” a 3 bed. And I think that’s your problem really; people who have £475k to spend on a family home (outside London) in this post-Covid era of hybrid working typically want your standard 3 bedrooms plus an office space. It’s frequently said on these threads “it’s always the price”. I don’t always agree with that, but I think given the fact you’ve had it on since October and not even had a viewing shows that’s where the issue lies. If it was priced even broadly correctly you’d get investors or people like me who love the look of it and aren’t bothered by replacing carpets or rehanging curtains through the door, and you’ve not.

Whilst the google maps stuff is an annoyance, many people who research it that way will note the image dates and (correctly) assume that the surrounding houses will have been well finished by now.

I think you need to drop it to £450k and get the photos done again. I would consider getting a photographer in to do them (there are ones that specialise in house sales) or if you go with another agent, pick one that takes decent photos.

good points!

OP, how much did you buy it for as it's not coming up on rightmove for me. i always check how much it was bought for and when.

You’ve been done wrong on the photos. They’re low resolution hence being a bit blurry and the internal ones could be angled much better. I think they’d be better taking photos at a lower height and making sure the windowed walls are fully captured, not half in shot. Terrible photos. Demand better!

I was going to suggest this but imagined posters baulking at a windowless office space 😂 but I would think marketing it as a “flexible space” suitable for storage or home working would be useful, if it’s big enough.

I thought it was a 4 bed 1930s house from the picture which would make it a good price for the area. I think for a new build with no character features and 3 bedrooms, plus a fairly small garden its too expensive. You need to drop the price if you’ve had no interest at all. There’s nothing really wrong with the house, it’s a blank canvas which people like.

It's a lovely house and looking at what rightmost has as local the price looks good.

The pictures are appalling though and don't show it off.

The carpet looks dirty but could just be shadows, but I would recommend getting the carpets cleaned, some decent curtains up and get someone to look at the back garden, it could be the photo but the grass looks in poor condition so would be worth getting it looked at.

What is the estate agent saying? Is the overall market just slow?

Could the estate agent do a better sort of floor plan with beds, tables, sofas etc included to the right scale, in fact could you get one drawn up yourself and add it as a photo image? It must be hard for people to judge the space. I'd also include a photo of the garage, people love storage.
Also the photos are faint and blurry.
Unless there has been dodgy DIY it looks fine otherwise, blank canvas for someone.

It’s a lovely looking house from the outside. Inside looks like a blank canvas to me and that certainly wouldn’t put me off viewing it. I’d be factoring in new carpets and blinds etc into an offer.

Definitely put the room measurements and the total square footage on the floor plan. When I was house hunting I’d work out the cost per square foot to see how it stacked up for the area and property type. It’s a pain working it out from the description.

I think ultimately it comes down to price though, a motivated buyer can look past old carpets and falling down curtains.

Have you had any viewings at all? If so what was the feedback?
If not, then at least to start with I’d suggest taking off all the interior photos straightaway. That way you’ll know if any viewings then get booked that it was the interior pics previously putting people off. At least you’ll have people through the door then. Then depending on the viewing feedback you can decide whether to restage. Good luck!

I think perhaps it's the pictures along with a few other things. The images make it look like the carpet has seen better days and that the walls are a bit shabby too. If this isn't the case definitely get new (better) pictures done. The kitchen picture is rubbish, too far away to accurately see but it looks slightly old fashioned as does the bathroom. Those 2 things would put me off. The outside looks really lovely!

Kerb side appeal. What do people see from the road, is your house exterior well presented, with fresh paint, tidy, swept ?