How to market quirky houses

[effy6]

Does anyone have any tips for how to market unusual homes? We're reluctantly selling this property (due to health problems and care needed) and I'm just not sure it's reaching the target audience.

It's a gorgeous home but definitely quirky - a pond with working fountain in the conservatory(!), as well as land and buildings.

Braving posting a link - I know it's not to everyone's taste but hopefully it will find someone who loves it as much as we have. www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/134912855

Really welcome any tips on how to reach a wider audience who might not necessarily be local.

Your house is beautiful and a fantastic size. Each room is well proportioned. I really like it. Unfortunately can't comment on price as I have no idea in your area.

I think it's a combination of a slow market and too much personalisation. You love bright colours but most people don't. I would paint over the green/red/blue with more muted shades. Allow people to envisage themselves there rather than feel like guests in your home.

It's lovely, and you clearly love it. Which would put me off as a buyer. Because I wouldn't be certain you want to sell. I know.that sounds weird, but it's not giving off 'for sale' vibes.

I'd declutter and depersonalise. I wouldn't worry about the paint colours, it needs redecorating and a bit of updating, so I suspect painting it will just highlight other areas that need updating.

I would tidy the garden, it looks a lot to look after.

Good luck!

Your home is lovely but it's a complete assault on the eyes of a viewer looking to put their own stamp on a home.

Every photo is so busy.

You need to have a huge declutter Tom present a calming interior and the lime green and red could be painted in a neutral cream so that viewers can imagine their own colour scheme.

Garden is lovely.

That would not sell it to me and it’s not cluttered

Other people have since said the same as me so clearly for many people it is cluttered.

It’s funny what people see. I see a nice home that’s been imaginatively decorated. When people get rid of all their possessions to sell, I see sad and boring

@effy6 the problem is the bits you love will quite possibly be removed by the next owner. I would have no interest in a pond in a conservatory. But the size and space of the house would interest me.

It's quite hard to picture yourself living somewhere when you walk in and it is so full of the current owners stuff.

It’s always the price. Most things will sell at the right price and I can see it’s been on a year already.

Looking at the house, I was mentally chalking up at least a £100k of work that needs to be done to bring it up to a good standard - a couple of bathrooms, downstairs loo, redecorating throughout, new carpets, conservatory roof replacement etc. Has this been taken in to account when pricing?

What, that’s really badly presented house and someone’s got rid of the original floors

Doesn’t look like it needs a new kitchen.

It's definitely cluttered! I do like it though nonetheless

It's a lovely house and the garden is amazing too.
I always think asking offers over is an issue, as others have said it always comes down to price.
I feel the kitchen would benefit from being repainted and definitely some declutterring wouldn't hurt either.

It's very interesting seeing the range of views on clutter! I definitely find it cluttered but my mum (who emptied over half the contents of the house before these photos were taken!) thinks this is practically empty...

It's definitely priced assuming people will want to replace the bathrooms relatively soon, but the kitchen is in good condition so I think would be personal choice. There is also the option to sell off the orchard but that's quite difficult to price accurately given how different people would view it.

With the best will in the world it's never going to be a minimalist house, but there's definitely something in making sure people can imagine themselves there.

I totally get what you mean - and it is a very sad (but much needed!) sale

Obviously advertising it on MN is a great start OP!

To be fair, keeping your spice rack in the utility room is pretty quirky!

I agree that it needs to be decluttered further. And that includes removing some furniture, e.g. the bureau at the bottom of the stairs, the table in the attic room etc.

But the house isn't selling. So clearly people aren't wanting to buy what they see, sadly.

Of course people will like your home but to someone wanting to buy it you need to have some cohesion and the rooms flow into each other. The photos show a series of rooms that are jarring on the eyes because of all the colours and mountains of stuff.

If you neutralised the whole lot people will see the room and not your belongings which at the moment are off putting.

The colours are really clashing for me . I feel like a traditional house with these bold colours seem to not give it a modern vibe .

That it just how I viewed them . I see the quirky too.

It’s a lovely, family home and it will sell to the right people. I think, perhaps, it is eccentric and individual rather than quirky, and l, personally, like eccentric and individual very much. You can feel the warmth from the photos. On another thread, a poster is considering making an offer on a South London four bedroom semi that is on the market for £650,000. It is a very nice house in very good order and we all know that London prices are crazy, but you get so much more for your money with your house.

I've just discovered there is a Louth in Lincolnshire...I thought the house was in Ireland 🤣

First impressions, very high maintenance. It just gives off that vibe. Also dated, but not in a good way. It looks like someone would need to potter about every day just to keep on top of it all.
Obviously it comes down to price. As someone said earlier, 100k to modernize, and most people expect double glazing nowadays. Would it be worth 700k+ after that? I doubt it.
As advise, as already given, neutralize it.

It is a bit cluttered but I’m surprised that has put people off viewing/ buying - it’s my kind of house and is the kind of thing i can easily see through. I do agree the photography of the front of the house could be better and make it more obvious what the house is like.

this might sound strange but I don’t find the whole ‘you can sell of the orchard’ but a draw at all - in fact it would put me off. The kind of person who will be drawn to that house is not the kind of person who would want to build over an orchard (sounds barbaric and who wants to live next to a building site and/ or massive new house once it’s built)?? However I would it’s been priced to include this opportunity and would therefore feel I was overpaying for an ‘opportunity’ I didn’t want which would stop me viewing.

the other thing that would put me off is it having been on so long. I’d take it off for a bit - it’s been a bad market but houses that have sat around a while - perhaps though no fault if their own - look off putting as you’re thinking ‘must be something wrong with them’.

agree I also hate ‘offers over’ so would just change that to guide price. Particularly in combo with ‘you can sell off the orchard’ it gives off ‘greedy vendor’ vibes which it doesn’t sound like you are.

It’s a great house and I would buy it in a shot! I like colour but would repaint the lime kitchen and red wall with something plainer, a pastel colour maybe. Also declutter, even if it’s just for the photographs. The pool table needs a photo without the pink sheet over it.

The bones of it are beautiful. I don’t think the issue is its quirky as such, simply it’s in need of renovation, possibly mostly cosmetic, but hard to tell and it looks like it’s not been touched for a long time.

so as long as it is priced to accommodate the fact it needs work, it will go.