House not selling. Honest feedback please!

[twinmumoffour85]

Only two viewings in two months and one booked for this Friday. Estate agent reluctant to reduce price and sister who’s also an estate agent thinks we should give it a few more weeks but we really want to sell soon but also need as much £££ as we can for our next move. Is it the pictures? Price? What do you think? Honest feedback very much appreciated!

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/143559242

It's interesting isnt it

There's a huge gap in what people can afford and what EAs are advising their clients to sell for.

Surely EAs should be managing expectations to sell at lower prices

Im buying and selling at the moment and we have not achieved the same price for our house as neighbours did last summer and certainly not during stamp duty holiday when everything went up £15k

Im watching the market closely. There are a lot of houses hanging around, not selling at the moment

@FenellaBestwick

I don't think buyers focus on the furniture, free standing ovens or spa pools which will be removed when sold

I’ve no idea what your local area market is like so can’t comment on the price, but jeez, what a beautiful house you have! Hopefully things will turn quickly for you

I get that. Being detached is a big advantage though and will cancel out some of the downsides. Although as I mentioned that place has been on the market longer than yours and still isn't sold.

The important question is, are those differences worth £125k in price? Obviously the market is telling you no.

The other recommended one at £630k is c.3k sqft, so almost double the size, detached, and comes with 0.75 acres of land, so for an extra £105k the buyer is getting a lot more. That's been on the market almost a year now as well, so chances are the final sell price won't even begin with a 6.

It kind of just compares unfavourably to the competition, both on the more expensive and less expensive ends.

The kitchen photos should be more dominant and a lot brighter.I recall your lovely lighting and the curved side unit but don't get a strong idea of how the whole room looks.
I'm also really struck by the lack of plants, both inside and outside. The hallway is lovely but very Spartan and some well placed plants would make such a difference.
It's a beautiful home generally and your opening photo of the exterior could also be brighter and closer up.

£75K more than two years ago with no work done is a lot. I've had a look at the photos from when it sold before and the photos are so much better.

Estate agents will always go top dollar - they want their commission.

Big issues for me would be:

• It's a little town in the North of England. Only a finite number of people want to live there (no good commuting links I can see) and have that budget. You need to be realistic (and as others have said recognise you can get more for your money nearby)
• You have two 'living' areas - but realistically one is tiny and only just big enough for one sofa. It's not a family room, it's a study/snug. You need to bill it as that
• Kitchen looks dark (no natural light)
• Both photos of the en-suites make them look tiny (ditto family bathroom)
• Overlooked and (if I am brutally honest) soulless garden with a low fence (can it not be made higher?)
• Windows look like they might need replacing in a few years? That's about £20-25K if done properly...

I would say there is a limit to potential buyers too- although you did, I don't think many families would go for it - they tend to want detached and better gardens for that money in the north- west would be the kind of couple that would go for it (early 60s) however we can buy something similar price and condition for that in places round here (Somerset) with I think a bigger potential market.

I think this is solely price OP, in my opinion you are likely to attract a downsized and they will not want to pay that price.

Should say North. Would attract - not north west- !!

All of which is completely unnecessary.

MN posters always tell people to add cushions and pot plants as they’ve spent too much time watching House Doctor.

The only thing to change is, at some point, the price.

Beautiful house! Exactly my taste! Sadly I don’t need another house….

I can only imagine it’s down to the price. The house is gorgeous, the pictures look great. Fingers crossed for a quick sale!

absolutely, taming down loud decor, or decluttering can be advisable, but pot plants and cushions, no one gives a shit about.

It’s beautiful, but it’s the price.

you bought in June 2021 for £450k, have you added £75k worth of value (in a falling market) over the last 3 years?

@Freakinfraser totally agree. There really are some bitches on here. Saying get rid of the xxx or the xxx is not my taste- that's the point- it's not 'your ' taste. Clearly lots of us think it's beautiful honestly, exactly in our taste- but we just aren't in the market for a home in that area. As I said I think this will attract a downsizer with taste and plenty of cash rather than a family - or even a second homer from that region- as Morpeth is lovely- but they won't want to pay that price for what is a lovely large terraced cottage. I appreciate the OP wants maximum price but sadly for her the market is a totally different beast from when she bought

For me, honestly, it's the garden. Or lack of. I'd want a much larger grassy area instead of all that concrete.

Wow you really have to have thick skin to post stuff like this but I did ask for honest feedback I guess! 🤣 just to address your points, there's a regular bus service to Newcastle in the village and it's two minutes drive from the A1. It's interesting that you've pointed out how small our 'snug' is, it's obviously not clear on the pictures or the floorplan but it's more than big enough for two sofas, it's obviously just the angle of the photo. I appreciate all of your feedback and will definitely be asking the EA to come back to take some better photos and think about how to make the back garden more private/inviting. Ultimately though as i suspected, it seems like we definitely need to reduce the price. I'll maybe wait until after our viewing tomorrow though! 😊

Many people want a small low maintenance garden.

That's just what I look for in a family home. I'm sure it won't be a problem for some people though.

I think it’s absolutely beautiful- can only echo what a few others have said in that I don’t think i’d opt for a terrace for that price.

It’s a cliche, though, but it only takes one buyer - that won’t matter to someone

I am sure you’re not, but I’d think I wonder if they are selling up to move to one of the big new builds for the same price, linked earlier, so you can have a detached house and a bigger plot. They seem better value to me.

Are you sure the sizes on the floorplan are correct?

The Lounge and Family room are practically the same size if you go by the measurements given but, it's clear from the drawing and photos that that's not the case. When I see incorrect numbers, I question them all!

The market is still slow OP.

Not sure what the comment about the 'tiny' second living area is about - it's a really good size! All the rooms are generous actually, which you don't get with a lot of houses. The garden does look disappointing but you could make it look more inviting and less overlooked with some bright plants and screening.

Hope the viewing goes well tomorrow!

Am loving the tone of the posters who can't conceive a terraced house In The North could cost that much. There's a lot of money floating round that area, and Felton is a gorgeous village. I was so impressed with the Northumberland Arms when we stayed there, but couldn't sample the Running Fox produce as the queue along the street was just too long!

Having said that, we lived in a desriable area (Down South) but had to drop our initial price to get viewings, as clearly the estate agents had got £££ in their sights and pushed it too far. The selling price then climbed quickly back up to over original once people were through the door. Lack of viewings has to mean your price is too high.

Seems a lot for a terraced house around that area. I found the decor a bit bland and not a fan of the subway tiling.

I can't tell from the photos whether it's a modern house, a conversion from old buildings or a period terrace and the agents' details don't say anything to clarify.

Otherwise I agree with everyone else: looking lovely but pricey.