House has been on for sale for nearly a year with no offers. Would love some feedback and advice!

[Veebie86]

We bought our 1850s 3 bed cottage in 2021 and although we absolutely love it, we got pregnant last year trying for our second and ended up having babies 2&3 in January! We have no family too close by (my parents are an hour away) so we sadly put our house on the market in early August last year to move closer to my family for support and to have more space than what we have currently for 3 under 3. In 9 months we’ve literally had just a handful of viewings with no offers. People constantly tell us how beautiful our home is (and we honestly love it, just wish it was bigger and closer to family)! We’ve tried two EAs who have both said it’s priced right for the area and the market and we can’t afford to drop any lower anyway to avoid making a loss (we’ve done work since moving including adding a downstairs toilet). We’re honestly getting so down about it now as our babies are just getting bigger so quickly and starting to feel like we’ll be stuck here forever. Link below and if anyone has any tips or feedback I won’t take anything personally and would just appreciate the help!
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/146014529#/?channel=RES_BUY

The photos are very amateur looking. They're not giving much of a feel for the layout of the house. They're taken from stage angles.

Just read the rightmove listing

’Early viewing is recommended due to the property being realistically priced’

😂

You’re in a really tricky position now.

Agree with everything previously said, and won’t repeat.

But in addition, what will now be putting people off is that it is clearly overpriced to have been on the market so long. This puts them at risk of immediate negative equity if a FTB or on a high LTV. You also are running the risk of a mortgage down valuation anyway.

You bought in the recent peak. Houses have fallen since then, but you want an increase. The data doesn’t back this up, and unfortunately you don’t get out of a house what you put in, you get what someone is willing to pay in the market you’re currently in.

We have been looking at houses recently and anything on the market long term I have immediately discounted unless they’re willing to take a considerably below asking price offer, on the basis that if it’s not selling, it’s not worth that.

The higher end of the market is where things are very slow at the moment anyway - interest rates have a much bigger impact on bigger loans, for obvious reasons. So you’re trying to sell for too much at a bad time to sell.

Wow, it's a lovely house.

It's the price. I live in the expensive commuter belt to London. My four double bed house was valued at £515,000 when you bought. It sold for £435,000 recently. Neighbouring houses were going for over half a million then and now getting what I did. One beautiful detached house near me just sold for £100,000 less than they paid in 2021. I don't think it's realistic to get back what you paid for it. I had to buy a very different house to what I had planned. I think you need to rethink your plans with this scenario. Your house certainly wouldn't sell for your asking price in my popular and expensive area. It would be £500,000 on a good day because of the lack of bedrooms and busy location. Sorry to sound so negative, but your agents aren't being honest with you.

What everyone else has said about floor plans etc really. Also, there is a typo in your listing: "direct trains to Manchester taking around !5 minutes". I think your problems stem from having a crap estate agent.

Interior of property is fine.

Exterior of property- needs some work.

-Get rid of the satellite dish
-Get rid the alarm boxes (why two?
-reroute the wires that run along the outside, it doesn’t look good.
-fresh paint on the exterior. Maybe even a light pastel
-New front door
-window boxes

It is lovely but as others have said it's too expensive and it needs a floor plan and more details. Where is the parking? Can you get around the back to park?

You may have to sell at a loss or for less than you want. This is happening more now but I sold at a loss before the pandemic. I think riding the wave of pandemic prices isn't happening now.

Added to that:

-front door to have brass fittings

• new paint on the sills etc, the black is awful.

-new exterior light (brass to match door accessories)

The originally posted listing says off street parking but this response from the op suggests they park at the front on the street??

So we have space for just 2 cars outside and the garage is our neighbours. But yes without private parking for the house and visitors spaces (or if you have more cars) we knew even when buying the house it may be a sticking point for some.

They need to emphasise the parking in the bullet point summary as it could appear it has none. And also be clearer on a quiet location.
It is a lovely house, I’d brighten up the garden and frontage with some plants though and ideally have photos retaken on a sunny day as the pavement looks damp and slippery at the front.

As mentioned, floor plan essential.
Have street photo which does not include next door’s garage.

For me already used to an overheated market in SE, £600k is a massive stretch for what is a cottage with two bedrooms with same level bathroom.

The mezzanine with bed is a non-starter for me, even as a guest bedroom, as mid-sleep trips for a pee is perilous. I’d be more interested if you reconfigure the downstairs part as a guest bedroom with study area above, so that the bathroom is nearby.

Downstairs loo with huge window onto street - ugh, huge turnoff. Even with loads of useful storage cupboards, it still does not feel quite right. Try some slatted panels or blind to provide privacy.

It is a lovely house & at first glance shows well, but as a potential buyer I’d be looking to fix some small structural things to make the house flow better, e.g. privacy, safety & energy efficiency. No floor plan, not even a starter.

That's a good spot. Off street parking is a huge bonus. If the house doesn't actually have it then the listing shouldn't lie about it. Especially as it shows the garage in the images. Buyers are going to assume that it belongs to the house, when actually it's the neighbours.

This has fuck all to do with kerb appeal.

Encouraging the op to spend more money isn't the answer here.

It's massively overpriced. By at least 150k

Parking isn't mentioned right until the end of the listing. That's important and should be mentioned at the beginning.

There's no floor plan, or indication of room sizes.

The photos for the previous listing are much better and give an idea of layout- that also has a floorplan.

Get rid of the dead flowers in the kitchen.

Put the wardrobes back in the master bedroom.

Sorry it is the price. I know your area and you live under the flight path of one of the busiest airports in the country, the A380s are what, 500ft when they thunder overheard? Also your local pub just over the road is derelict and boarded up - it’s not a good look. £500k you might scrape, £450k is more realistic.

I think it’s a beautiful house & does not really need anything doing to it. The only thing I spotted was stairs leading from rooms rather than hallways or corridors which might be an issue but nothing you can change. Is there a hallway?

So it must be the price. I don’t know your area but that’s what a house like that would cost in my area and I live in a very expensive part of the SE so would have expected the price to be lower.

Spending money isn’t the answer but asking the OP to take a 150k hit is?

Ok Kirsty

Sticking a couple of pots outside a massively overpriced house isn’t going to help is it?

Although the EA says it's priced correctly for the area and the market, it's only actually worth what someone will pay for it.
The issues other posters have raised aside, you can either hold firm on the price and wait, or reduce the price for a quicker turnaround.
It's a beautiful house though.

There's nothing she can do that will give her 600k for this house.

Save porting it into an idyllic little village with off street parking and 2 acres.

No, it won't! People know you'll take them with you. Even if they're left, are they worth £80k?

Spending money on plants and painting the exterior isn't going to sell the property. If it was priced fairly they would have had offers, however OP has said it's been weeks without even so much as a viewing. Unfortunately for the OP it's overpriced, and while it stays overpriced no amount of plants, paint or a new front door is going to result in a sale.

Important detail here.

Never mentioned pots

A period home is expected to presented as such, right now it looks like a run down ex pub

Everyone has mentioned floor plan, parking, price etc. what’s the point in mentioning that again exactly?

In conjunction with these points, the exterior needs to fixed.