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

@TennisLady I think they do _but the mantra on here for people struggling tends to be always 'can't you move up north' ? rather than 'can't you move up north to a not very special/great/cheap area' there are indeed cheaper areas up north - there are some here in the south west too- but it depends 'how cheap' and what size and how good do you need transport connections etc

Isn’t the detached one I linked above the same?

It's a new build, not everyone's cup of tea. Is smaller by about 300 sq ft and is on a new estate on its own next to a golf course but with no amenities at all. Not even a bus route let alone shop, pub, school, doctors etc etc. So no, not the same but still lovely!

Beautiful house.
But agree with others, at that price point I'd want a garage, ideally detached and a decent size garden.

I'm not massively familiar with the area though and appreciate that has an impact

It will be the price it's always pretty much comes back to the price.

I think it looks lovely on the inside, and i love to study a floorplan but a couple of things stood out to me...

There's three seating areas and rooms with similar uses, i think it would help to differentiate them a bit more, home office, snug, playroom, lounge for example. just having photos with rooms with different uses will give the impression of more space rather than room after room with a sofa in. I would also repurpose the bar area as a home gym/studio, which would be lovely as it opens to the garden, that could be a real selling point for some, even if you just remove the bar and hot tub it gives people more scope to use it how they want.

I agree with other posters regarding the outside space, some landscaping could make the world of difference. it looks very overlooked and not particularly safe for children with the low fence at the back, limited grass and paving that isn't even really suitable for childrens trikes, ride-ons etc. Some flowers and more greenery would make a huge difference.

hope that helps along with all the other great feedback you've had!

Don't assume it's the price already - check what nearby properties have sold for. People do wait to see what's in the budget before making decisions so you might find it picks up.

Your house is far more beautiful and might be bigger, but I'd still choose the detached.

It's price! All the other four beds nearby are detached with parking and several of them are 100k cheaper.

Overall, it's beautiful, but my only comment on presentation is that you've pushed all the furniture against the walls in the kitchen living area, which makes it look unlived in.The armchair is at a weird angle too near the TV. Group sofa and armchair around the log burner with a thick rug to give viewers a sense of relaxing there.

Maybe put kitchen table width ways nearer the window so that room doesn't look and feel like a corridor.

But it's still probably the price.

Are the downstairs floors timber or laminate? If timber, mention.
I think get rid of feature wall chimney breast colour in living room and paint same as rest of room.
Don't put footstool in front of french windows to front in living room
Put north south on floor plan?...presume one side of house is sunnier but which?
I think it needs a bit more patina to go with stone house vibe...I really don't like the electric fire...if you stay rather than dropping price, I would change that modern feature fireplace to something more Georgian/authentic looking even if not a working fireplace ...you don't need another stove.
I have twins plus one and I would be wondering which room is the playroom if you were selling to families with children?
Should bar and hot tub change to playroom...that's if you were staying.
I also don't think the kitchen looks that expensive..nice but quite bog standard. Again you might add value if you stayed by looking again at layout and not having that strange link to utility, and putting in a more bespoke timber painted kitchen. It feels a bit too manicured at moment bit too smart and hotelly grey for family house. I like grey woodwork but just the rest is too smart. Ie what about a woollen kelim/Persian looking rug (reds and oranges) in front room (IKEA does nice cheap woollen rich coloured multi ones...don't get a polypropylene one...they smell strange/VOCs)
Dining room feels narrow in pics.
Front garden looks lovely...maybe have view out of room, open door into garden, good lighting etc.

It’s absolutely gorgeous. I’d take that over that new build any day.
I think it must be the price as the house is beautiful

It’s also vile.

It's a lovely house and you have it beautifully presented. I agree with others that the garden is small for a family home that size and may put some people off.

But if you've had so few viewing then it's likely the price. I'm in a very popular area and things were selling for crazy prices in 2021/22. Prices have not risen since then here. Do you know prices have definitely gone up that much in your area over the past 3 years? For houses that have sold recently, have you checked rightmove or Zoopla to see what similar houses were selling for 2 or 3 years ago?

I'm actually amazed that with four children, and twins to boot, you've such an immaculate house.
I think it's clearly important for you to sell, and must have taken a lot of hardwork to keep it so immaculate and for that reason I would be aiming to drop the price, taking into account changes people "might" want to make, rather than feeling it needs changing in any way right now regardless of what we all say. It's a lot of extra fiddly work that you clearly don't need right now. Very best wishes

It's the price and lack of garden. For that money I'd want a useable outside space and somewhere off road to park my car.

When we looked it was a choice of a semi in immaculate condition near a train station

For the same price we chose a detached house in a complete mess with no station.

The semi was simply over priced even though we could
Have moved in no stress etc

We chose a stressful few years as the house we got for the same money was detached

It's the prices. Buyers now can be very picky 4 years ago it was a sellers market. Estate agents and sellers need to accept this has changed.

We Londoners often don't have off-street parking, people seem to be obsessed by it. I'd say views out the window are the most important thing, so that is what pictures should focus on, the neighbourhood vibe too that you mentioned, local views. A stone façade will attract those who don't know the area so well so that's your unique selling point, not the parking!!

I also had a look at the pictures from 2021 and for some reason there is a sort of patina/solidity/rusticity ...is it more colour, more greeny vibe, more closeups of table, outdoor terrace. I suppose selling a village lifestyle better ??
And it is just marketing, cos the house hasn t essentially changed...so perhaps a question of tapping more into that village vibe?

We have a private driveway with parking for two cars. No picture on the listing though which I have addressed with the EA.

We have a very usable garden- patio for dining and kids mud kitchen, Wendy house, scooters etc and then a small lawn with slide and football goal. Plus a decent size garden at the front. We also have a private driveway with parking for two cars. I think it's obvious now that we need much better, clearer photos.

Thanks for your feedback! I think I've maybe tidied it a bit too much for photos! We have a huge colourful ikea rug that's normally in the snug/playroom and you can't see but behind the camera in that room are all the kids toys and toy kitchen, easel etc. We definitely plan on re doing all the photos and re dressing both inside and out to make it look more homely. It's a special house, and I'm really not sure the pictures reflect it. We will most likely drop the price next week too and hopefully all this combined will work!!

New photos will certainly help. Especially if you have got good useable outside space. I'm surprised the parking isn't mentioned in the listing.

Are you taking the hot tub when you go? Thinking that getting rid of it would be a huge hassle might well be off-putting. If you're taking it I would make sure the EA tells people that will be happening. If anyone was desperate to have one they could be told whether you were open to negotiation about selling it.

Not everywhere in the North is the same and not every property in the North is comparable...

Have a look at house prices in the Dales or Moors. Gorgeous 4 bed detached houses with large gardens on quiet streets cheaper than this. Or in the Peaks, not far from Sheffield and Manchester. The Lakes. So no I don't think Northumberland generally commands a higher price or higher rate of appreciation than other popular villages or market towns 'up North'.

But that is not an attractive house at all.