Struggling to sell house

[jol890]

Hi all, I've seen similar posts here and am after any views/ opinions. Trying to sell the house via an estate agent and struggling to get any viewings etc.

The advert is here: https://edwardashdale.com/property/4-bed-semi-detached-house-for-sale-in-farnaby-road-bromley/594825

Is there anything that looks wrong with it or any suggestions as to where we could post it online to get additional views?

Thanks

I also know the area and agree it’s the price. I also think some of the decor is quite personal taste and a lot of people would want to re decorate and maybe put in wooden flooring etc and it will then be even more expensive. I also think the photos of your garden probably don’t do it justice as it looks a bit neglected if the photos are from this summer.

It's the price, for sure. That's what it always comes down to - also 'guide price' can put people off, too vague. Personally, as someone who has just successfully managed to match a new sliding door colour wise (both outside and inside) to existing windows, the mismatched colour of the various windows would drive me nuts.

The garden patio needs attention - those spare slabs stacked against the garage wall looks sloppy. It looks bare and unloved - maybe a few pots to make it look more attractive. It's not an appealing place to sit out at all.

A completely irrelevant observation - but as a Band E homeowner with a council tax of £2400 p.a. for my approx. £400k house, it makes a mockery of the system that your £1.2m house Band F is only roughly £400 per annum more. Shows what a ridiculous system it is!

@MidnightPatrol the post I was making is you don't go straight into a 4 bed house like that . You work up to it.

I love your taste OP, gorgeous!

It is far, far too open-plan. It's a modern interior in a period house.

People who want period property won't want the interior and people who like the modern interior won't like the kerb side appearance.

You are caught between two stools OP.

Gawd a mighty! That is a lot of dosh! Bring the price down!!

It's overpriced and while the footprint is generous there are no period features. You bought it in 2018 for £750k and while I appreciate you've added a loft conversion, knocked through kitchen etc is it £450k worth of work? It also seems like you've kept the previous owners living room furniture? Potential buyers will do their research, especially given the asking price and turn to other, more reasonably priced properties.
If I had a £1.2m budget I'd be more interested in this:

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/150546281

Or this:

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/149819630

@SheilaWilde

Both of these have kerb appeal and lovely gardens, tho I personally wouldn't buy either as they are on a main road and I have cats.
But both have period features which I love, and both are real 4 bedroom houses rather than a 3 bed with a converted attic to make a 4th bedroom.

I have to admit, if I was paying that price for a London house ( and despite my username I did live in London for many many years ) I would be paying for a 1,2 m house with a London postcode i.e. W7 W13

But that's just me / my personal choice and realise not everyone wants ( or needs ) a London postcode and lots and lots of people want to live outside of a London postcode area.

It’s always the price, as others have said.
I think in the current market offers above £950K might be about right?

I do like your bathroom tiles - especially the green ones.

The average age of first time buyers being 35-ish now means a) they're sick of having to move after years/decades of renting, and have no interest in constantly trading up properties even without all the extra costs involved b) they may already be stretching themselves as far as they can to buy a flat/house big enough for a family.

Friends of mine who own frequently say they couldn't afford their homes if they were to buy today, and it's notable that their neighbours moving in are all in corporate law or finance, not in averagely-paying roles as they were ten years ago.

These houses are lovely but on a main road and in an area that isn't as nice as the OP's house.

The price and the inaccurate garden description would be off-putting. For over 1 million in Bromley, I'd want a decent sized garden, so would probably look at the listing's measurements and think it wasn't the house for me.

OP's house is in Shortlands which is a v desirable sub district of Bromley. You can always find a more attractive house if you go for a worse location - you need to compare better houses in the same location to be a real price comparative.

Fair point but I suspect most of the advice still stands

However Bromley is never used in the same sentence as Chelsea / Kensington / Hampstead / Highgate

tho I am well aware that one can't get a 3/4 bed semi in these areas for the price of this house in Bromley

Agreed, Shortlands is very nice. But me and other posters have posted good houses at a similar price point 5 miles closer into the centre of London, in very sought-after areas.

Exactly. @boredybored you were lucky and were able to buy at a great time. It's simply not possible for younger people now. The situation is pretty much the opposite for them. Many can't even manage to save a deposit for their first home and are reliant on parental handouts and they are a good 10 years older than you were then buying, more in London.

I think you have missed Midnight's point entirely. You can't 'build up to it' with today's prices. That's in addition to the other points that FTB are much older and can barely scrape together a large enough deposit in many areas unless they have a large bank of mum and dad available to them.

I don't have anything to add to OP's post. It's a lovely house but many people who know the area have already said that the asking price is too high. I hope you have success at a reduced asking price @jol890.

I didn't miss the point , I was saying you don't buy a million pound house as your first home . You build up to it .
Regardless of house prices etc . You would most likely have a large amount of equity built up. I realise we are not typical but I doubt we are unique

I'm afraid you did miss the poin@boredybored but I don't think there is any point in us trying to explain it again!

I think that people are saying that you probably didn’t have to “build up” to the equivalent of a million pound house when your children were young.

My parents bought a huge detached house in a very desirable area and paid for 3 sets of school fees on one salary in the 70s/80s.
And we went skiing every year!

Someone in the job my father had in his 40s today would probably be earning about £150K - not enough to buy the same house, which would be worth about £5million.

I'm only 49, my children are 13 and 20 🤷‍♀️

So you probably bought in the mid-late 90’s?
I bought my first house then (in my 20s) for £70K - I was earning £27K.

The same house recently sold for £300K - someone doing the same job would be on £32K now.

See the difference?