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 would the fact its terraced and no real garden that would put me off viewing at that price. A 4 bed house is a family house, but it doesn't have a family garden to me so I wouldn't bother viewing. I don't know the local area at all, but I live in a very expensive area on the south coast and I could get a semi or detached house with a much bigger garden for the same money as yours.

Definitely needs a pic clearly showing the driveway parking, as I think a lot of people are going to be wary of parking issues with terraced houses. At the moment the only mentiion of it its buried in the bottom of description.

For context, a 4 bed 1930s semi or end terrace in my bit of London with garage, drive for 2 cars, and 55" garden is £525k!! I can't fathom paying that much somewhere so much more remote and far up north...

Yes it's correct! Like I said in response to someone else, the snug is also a really good size and could easily fit a second sofa. I just don't think the photo reflects it. Definitely need a pic from another angle.

A beautiful house, so it's the price. For young families, a house that size is perfect, but the compromises of being terraced and small garden would rule out a viewing. It's probably best to aim for the buyers who would overlook that and aspire to the lovely house. What could you realistically afford to sell for? I'd go for offer over £480 or reduce to £490

It’s a beautiful house, and whilst the inside is really deceptively big and lovely, the first outside picture makes it look really quite small. I wonder if people are skipping past based on the first picture.

Seriously? Maybe not for this house, but plenty of people chose to leave London and live rurally or in the far north- and are willing to pay for privilege!

I actually don’t mind the garden, it’s large enough. But it is very bare.

You could make the garden look much better by adding a nice garden furniture area with table, chairs etc.. if you don’t have already maybe buy something you can take with you.

Adding large planters with tall plants for shade and to soften up the garden.

I would remove jacuzzi room photos. Just label it as garden storage on floor plan. It could be sold as potential for garden home office if electric out there already which might appeal more.

Yes, seriously because it makes zero economical sense to get LESS house and land for your money in Morpeth than in London - even if it is a fab location. People pay for the privilege of a location but the more rural location is also selected as a result of having a bigger home/more space/not sharing party walls than you would get it more urban/high density areas. The garden is overlooked, neighbours on either side make it more cramped than a semi in London. Economically unless it's a cash buyer, it wouldn't even guarantee holding its value at that price.

If your snug is very big then I would call it something else as I feel snug implies a very small seating area.

The first photograph makes the house look half its actual size. I would use the later picture of the front of the house as the main photo.

Why are you moving so soon? It’s a big house for a family,

I think the picture that your listing opens to (front3.jpg) doesn't give a great first impression. There's a lot of shade and it looks rather dull and unappealing and possibly easy to pass by. I'm sure someone can get a better picture than that which shows the house in a much better way.

I also got a bit confused by the external photos at the back. The one with another house and what could be (although probably isn't) public parking would put me off. I don't think 2 photos of the hot tub/bar are necessary either.

I think it looks lovely inside, but the external photos would give me some doubts. That said, if it was the area I wanted, at a price that was about right, I'd still check it out.

Good luck!

Photo 23 could be clearer - is that your back garden (just past the paved area)? It looks very overlooked and as though it backs onto a road. Is the driveway at the back of the house ie: by this area?

A couple of people have mentioned the flood risk. Although you say you’re not in the flood plain area on the EA map, the house is close enough to it that I’d be worried about potential flooding, especially as climate change means that flooding patterns are changing (where I live, there’s been lots more flooding this winter and places that don’t usually flood unless the weather is exceptionally bad have been flooded).

Dont think it helps with having lights on in every room! Makes me think it’s a very dark house! Can you get pics retaken without all the lights on. What is the footage? Don’t know the area but still think it’s far too much money for up north.

I’ve not read all the comments but I would remove the first picture from the listing showing the street with a road right outside and neighbours properties. I would also make the lead picture the living room maybe because the inside is beautiful. I would be put off from seeing it so close to the road (not set back at all). To encourage viewings I wouldn’t make that as noticeable.

Yes we definitely need clearer photos of the driveway/back garden and after all the feedback on here are going to see what we can do to make the garden more private. It's never been an issue with us as there's only three houses and it's so quiet. We barely see our neighbours and I'm in the garden all the time with the kids.

If you look on street view you can clearly see we have quite a big front garden and wall in front of our house and the road is very quiet. It's clear we definitely need new external photos to clearly show both the front and back of the house!

I appreciate what you're saying. We took the photos on a miserable day in January so yes the photos are a little dark. Definitely think we need a refresh of the photos on a sunny spring day. I'm sorry but I find your comment regarding 'up north' incredibly insulting. You've clearly never been to Northumberland. It's a beautiful place and we really are struggling to find a four bed house of this size (1800 sq ft) for the same price anywhere else 'up north'

It's a beautiful house, definitely put under the 500k as this opens up more Rightmover buyers that can afford upto 500k. I'm guessing if you bought in 2021/22 when the market went crazy you'll be lucky to make a significant gain. I think unfortunately for some sellers we're heading back into negative equity territory.

You have a beautiful house, OP. And in such close proximity to the running fox! Love it there. No idea if the price is right but I've always thought of Felton as posh and rural so if the right buyer comes along then why not. The property that costs £100k less is not a fair comparison in my view. But maybe the proximity to the river is a negative at the mo, with lots in the press about inadequate flood defences nationally etc.

This isn't about being 'up north'. Places like London have a salary weighting or a ground rent max of £1000 compared to £250 in the rest of the country, exactly because of higher living costs. So a house that feels more cramped than even something in a busy northern city, without all the amenities and conveniences isn't going to command a £75k increase in value in 2 years. Just because someone decides to pay a value for it doesn't mean lenders will agree, or that it will hold it's value. No one wants to be in negative equity which is why comparisons are being made with the highest appreciating markets in the country - of which Northumberland isn't one.

It's not just about sq footage but how that space is used. Being terraced puts off anyone who moves rurally to not be cheek to jowl with neighbours. The back garden is next to what looks like the parking area, and overlooked - exactly as you'd get in a high density city, there might be more square footage but it won't feel private. Your neighbours might be quiet now but there's no guarantee they won't move given you are moving within 2 years. You're on a B-road with high speeds which will be a worry for anyone with children. And even detached houses in the area have been sold for less in the last year..

I'd want the square footage on the floor plan otherwise it's impossible to compare with other properties. It's very expensive for a terrace though.

Your house is very lovely and unbelievably well presented.
For me, what I want from a 4-bedroom house is being detached, which isn't any help to you, I know. I assume you are selling your terraced house for a good bit less than a detached house? I remember reading a formula for price reduction/increased based on level of detached-ness, apparently the difference can be about 20%.

I'm in a city in the north and looking at houses for similar prices. Think people don't realise there are desirable areas up north?