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

I don't think anyone can comment on specifics about price unless they're versed with up to date local knowledge.

@Veebie86 this house appealed to you and you chose it. You know its strengths but they're not really coming across in the marketing and this agent's photos are all very poor.

Reading the thread people think it's a lovely home and well presented, but talk about the negatives already discussed like the clarity of the mezzanine space and where the actual space is to park. They're big issues to address.

I agree with PP who say go with a local agent and agree together how best to appeal to your target market, which would be just about anyone apart from a growing family. There are plenty of people who go for the charm and quirks of period properties and who sacrifice space, a driveway and energy efficiency, you just need to find them and entice them to look for themselves. Some people buy with their head and others will still go with their heart depending on their budget. See you've agreed on this since I started typing ages ago and the Open House Day idea too.

Personally I wouldn't change the Orangery roof as the dining area looks a bit dark to me. Presume its window is close to next door's tall wall. I may look at some insulating film for the Orangery roof and the velux windows to help the EPC a bit and perhaps some film which would still allow light in the dining room but screen that wall out? Not sure how fiddly or effective that is, but it is something you could do. I really wouldn't spend much on the house at all as you likely won't be getting it back.

By way of anecdote we once struggled to find a new home and after forging a good relationship with an agent, they took me to view a property I'd never have considered and yet loved. When we came to sell we went back to the same agent and secured a sale immediately to someone who's own home he had on the books under offer from a first time buyer. Absolutely no fuss and it all went through sweet as can be. It can happen and after all, you only need one buyer.

What a strange over reaction to a discussion about housing @Mirabai. You seem strangely over invested in this.
You still don't seem to have understood my posts, nor those of several other posters who have said similar, so I think we will need to leave it there.

You know what?

I genuinely don't go with the 'over priced' comments.

If someone falls in love with a house they will MAKE AN OFFER.

In the old days, minus 10% was considered reasonable. So that would bring this down to £540K (which is what you paid for it almost.)

OP you need to consider what you will sell for.

It would be reasonable IMO to consider an offer between £550-£asking price.

It all depends on how badly you want to move (you could stay there for another year without it being a disaster) .

I'd take it off the market, clean up the front paving, think about re-arranging the bedrooms so at least ONE looks like a proper double, and relist it in a couple of months.

If you relist it, then even buyers who've been emailed by agents before should get the details again, as a new listing.

I’m sorry if your repetition of the point that has been made ad nauseam didn’t meet with the response you hoped for. I understood your posts perfectly well, you just didn’t understand the response.

Absolutely! But I do feel sorry for anyone who has bought in 21/22 and trying to sell now!

Tbh this is what plays on my mind. To those saying it’s price alone, I totally hear it to an extent but what pushes back on that argument is like everyone has said, it’s a buyers market. We have said to our EAs we are open to negotiating (just to test and get some feet through the door) and are still getting none this week. Even if people’s budget was say circa £550k, given it’s a buyers market, you’d expect people to search just over that bracket and view houses they like just out of budget in the hopes to negotiate.

I have 3 friends who’ve all sold their houses in the past 6 months (different areas of the U.K.) and all had extremely low offers initially from prospective buyers vs their asking.

If I were searching and I saw a house that had been on a while but I liked the look of it, I’d never assume something was wrong (esp not in today’s market). I’d still do a viewing(s) to actually investigate for myself and hope, even better, the vendors would be more willing to accept a lower offer due to length of time it had been on the market if there was nothing wrong.

It's the price. It's always the price.
yes the lack of floor plan isn't helping but all that sort of thing is tinkering around the edges of the main issue which is the price.

It doesn't matter how many EAs have said it's priced right for the area. They are wrong. If it were priced right for the area then it would be sold by now. The right price is the one that attracts a buyer.

Also if it has been on that long you can't assume it will get lots of viewings and cheeky low offers. If I saw a lovely house on rightmove, out of my price range, and saw it had been on for 9 months, I probably wouldn't go to look, because those people clearly aren't open to low offers, else it would have sold by now.

PS It's the price.

I thought your link said £600-630 though so people will assume you won’t take under 600.

I just personally would never assume anything without checking on something as big as a house purchase. But maybe that’s just me.

I’d definitely speak with the EA - who in our case we’ve now told to tell people we’re open to negotiating - so I guess we’ll know in a week or so if that’s made a difference to get more feet through the door.

And before people start jumping on me re pushing the price down 🫠I’m not saying we’re not hearing or open to that feedback. I’ve just put back one argument against it.

But if everyone reduces their price the only losers are the banks. 10% off this is 60K if you buy a £700K house 10% is 70K discount - you are still winning.

Then you need to make sure it is definitely shown as £600k as not offers over or offers between etc there is no point in putting 600-630 if you were open to offers!

We put what they called blinds on the outside of our west facing conservatory as it was too hot. They were actually fixed panels made of glass fibre fabric which had tiny perforatios in it. They didn't make it much darker as they were white but cut down the heat from the sun (and the heat escaping in the winter). As I remember they weren't too expensive, but I'm not sure if you've decided to go ahead with covering the whole of the roof now?

'To those saying it’s price alone, I totally hear it to an extent but what pushes back on that argument is like everyone has said, it’s a buyers market. We have said to our EAs we are open to negotiating (just to test and get some feet through the door) and are still getting none this week. Even if people’s budget was say circa £550k, given it’s a buyers market, you’d expect people to search just over that bracket and view houses they like just out of budget in the hopes to negotiate'

A few thoughts.
Is the estate agent getting any enquiries about your house at all? If not, they can't let potential buyers know that you are open to negotiation.
Have you now removed the guide price 600-630K? That might help.
I understand what you are saying that you would consider making a low offer. Unfortunately, no one has actually done this. What this tells me is that buyers think it is very overpriced relative to the competition and think that the sellers are likely to be very unrealistic and so don't even want to waste their time viewing. I've seen several potential buyers make this comment on other threads. The longer it is on the market, the more potential buyers start to suspect that there is something wrong with the house too.
Maybe doing a couple of minor things/ doing the work you want to do on the windows and re-listing with a local agent without the guide price (or even a lower guide price) might help. Personally, if I really wanted to sell, I would just drop the price and move on but it's up to you, of course.

I don't think people who have a budget of £550k would look OP. They will assume it's out of their budget. People don't offer ridiculous offers anymore, we're used to over paying, not under.

1. the market is slow.

2. your house is currently overpriced. I would take it off the market, sort the pics out and relist in 3 months with a reduced price. OR wait 6 months, hope the interest rates have reduced and market has picked up and list then.

There's some gorgeous houses near me not selling. Nothing to do with the properties, they're just overpriced for the market. Buyers are taking big risks moving with the uncertainties; they want a good deal. As I'm sure you will with your next purchase.

The market has slowed and prices have certainly levelled.

Contrary to some PP ‘s, I love it. Some of you must live in palaces to dismiss the size of this one, especially the garden.

Lifestyle!
More staging, including your garden furniture.
Suggesting space for a summer house or garden room.
And the mezzanine room, suggestions of a teens self contained space, brilliant with a small sofa or office and the bed above. Teens would love it!

Just looked at this again... Keeps popping up on my emails... and I keep thinking what a gorgeous house it is! In my opinion the 2nd pic and 3rd pic aren't necessary (2nd looks very dark and the 3rd is a toilet which people will expect as a minimum) whereas all the other pics are so light and bright. Those areas will be a nice surprise to people when they view. But that darkness isn't what people want to see straight off the bat. A climber on the front would give it a bit more curb appeal too to make it look more like a 600k detached property.

I hope you get the right buyer, only takes one person. Agree with others about the vague pricing as it's only worth what someone is willing to pay so I'd go 599000 then you might get offers in that region. Heck you might even get more! Good luck!

Personally I don't think price 'alone' is your issue more the sale history. No matter how beautiful and original your home is, it's still a 3 bed. Too expensive to be a starter family home (unlike a 3 bed semi). So not the sort of house you buy with a view to moving.. however both you and the previous owners are selling after less than 5 years.

Also, people can find the previous listing for 635K, see this for 600K, with different photos.

It just compounds the idea that something's up really. House buying, a lot of the time is emotion based, it's not just about the house but whether everything's above board!

It’s a lovely but severly overpriced for the area. There is no way I would be paying £600,000 for a 3 bed in greater Manchester. Even if it is a village.

Well your opinion is just ridiculous and you evidently know nothing about the housing market. It's normal to pay £600k for a terrace or a flat even depending on the area of Manchester!

OP should reduce, but not because it's in greater Manchester.

It's not a case of buyers shouldn't assume. It's that buyers shouldn't have to work out what you mean. They shouldn't have to guess whether 600-630 means you won't accept under that or you will entertain offers or whatever.

As you say, it's a buyers market, buyers have their pick of the houses, if I'm to spend my whole weekend looking around maybe 4 or 6 properties, each weekend for probably several weeks, I'm going to prioritise the ones where I think there is room for negotiation, or ones that have been recently reduced, or new to the market ones. I'm not going to look at one 30 or 40k over my price bracket in the hope I can guess what the sellers will take for it, ain't got time for that! The most I would do is check how long it's been on right move with out a reduction and then put it in the "well they haven't reduced it much, so they obviously aren't that bothered about selling it, so there's probably not much room for negotiation and to view would be wasting everyone's time" category (a category that could use a catchier name!)

I had a house on the market for a year. Several local folks who had never been through the door told me that there were equivalent homes at much less, and a local agent contacted me with a silly offer. Lots of discussion about the price, and a neighbour reduced hers and still never got a bite. I marketed myself elsewhere and got full asking price offer the same week. My suggestion of going for a Manchester agent was based on its working for me.

"There is no way I would be paying £600,000 for a 3 bed in greater Manchester. Even if it is a village."

Really? You do realise that some four bed (yes, I know, not three bed) places in Manchester "villages" are going for upwards of £3 million and loads that are upwards of £2 million? eg:

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/144736460#/?channel=RES_BUY

But talking specifically about three bed houses, here is one that is literally less than a mile away from the OP's property and, while a bit bigger, needs quite a bit of work doing internally for £725,000

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/147092681#/?channel=RES_BUY

or this three bed bungalow about half a mile away for £795,000

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/140615591#/?channel=RES_BUY

or have a look in Hale Barns. There are no end of three bed homes there for between £700k-£900k

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/146096852#/?channel=RES_BUY

Even typical 3 bed 1970s/90s detached homes are £700k+

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/146329172#/?channel=RES_BUY

Also is there any way to take a new first photo in the sunshine rather than a rainy day, from an angle that minimises the black gable end of the next door house with its incredibly prominent cr*p pipes? That first picture doesn't make me want to click through to the other pictures. Also there are some lovely, unique spaces in that house so I wouldn't have the log filled hallway and stairs, and a toilet as photos 2 and 3, I's start with a nice one of the outside of the house from a more artful angle, and then straight into the kitchen and living areas. and that bedroom with the mezzanine is amazing, my teenage son would love that.

Glad to hear it worked out for you. :)
Perhaps the OP should try your suggestion first (and get the new agent to take better photos as part of that) and then move onto the price reduction based suggestions if that fails.