Why isn’t my house selling

[18Willow]

Hi my house is a bit unusual but we’re not getting a lot of interest, I’d be grateful if you could look at the link and advise on any improvements. Please note the outside wall has been painted since the photo was taken and a new photo will be done this week. The price is spot on for the area too. Thanks https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/150644813#/?channel=RES_BUY

I think it’s a fabulous house. So much for your money.
The only own side for me is the lack of privacy in the garden. A huge house like that would require a much higher wall/hedge/fence to shield it from the main road.
I suppose it is down to price. Very few people need that many bedrooms. If I was buying it, I would be renting out the annexe as an air b & b but I suppose that’s not for everyone.

As others have said, the annexe is a bit odd, three bedrooms but no kitchen. Will need a buyer with deep pockets and vision to make something of it. But for me the issue is the garden. The low wall onto the road makes it feel/look really exposed. Hanging out your washing or eating lunch outside, feels like everyone would see you. What are your options for creating more privacy?

I think it’s a bit confused, some rooms would be to my taste and then others the complete opposite. It’s like it’s been decorated in several different styles, this would probably put me off somewhat. It feels a weird mix of modern, traditional country and then also drab 70s nans house. The bedrooms are particularly jarring, bed1 looks like it’s trying to look like part of a traditional Manor House with en-suite to match whilst bed2 looks like a dodgy motel room and the en-suite looks drab and old. It seems like all the focus has been put into some rooms but then non at all in some others, that would be offputting to me.

The annexe also looks very tired and I can’t see it on the floor plan which I found confusing.

Several things strike me. The road is very prominent in several of the photos which would put a lot of people off. There are a lot of photos of the kitchen, too many. The kitchen looks a bit bleak. Add some flowers, plants, colourful cookery books , something to make it look more enticing. The house generally looks very dark, so extra lights would be helpful. Floor lamps, standard lamps, or stronger lightbulbs. Plants, flowers, colourful throws would add interest. The garden needs some pots and maybe garden furniture. The size of the house would put a lot of people off, it's expensive to heat and maintain.

I would definitely buy that if it was local to me, although it would cost around 1.3m if it was so I wouldn't be able to! It looks great to me, lots of potential even if it's not how people want it.

What a beautiful house, it would be triple the price where I am so I cannot comment on the price in that area but I think it has an amazing selection of accommodation. I love it. Lots of potential as a B&B again or rental as well.

I couldn't make sense of the property details, the plan looks like a load of small rooms with doors leading here, there and everywhere! Too many rooms have several doors and/or staircases. If people want a 6-bedroom house they most likely want them all accessible from a central area and for a family home they don't need that number of bathrooms. Also, I was trying to work out the dimensions of the rooms which aren't given on the floorplan but the bedroom numbers given there don't seem to correspond with the numbers on the details so I gave up! It's all very confusing and I think you will have a very limited market in the area - basically people who want to run it as a B&B again.

It's really dated.

The photos are really bad (poor angles, emphasizing furniture, etc) which is a pity because the house has lovely bones.

The orange tone of the wood trim is dated, and there's a lot of it.

Floor in the hall looks as if it could use some TLC.

The general decor is dated, and I know you can't do anything about this, but the general furnishing isn't in keeping with the era of the house.

Having all your couches pushed up against the wall and a vast carpeted area in the sitting room makes it look a bit bleak.

When I clicked on the link, the first photo was photo 1 of the kitchen, separated from the rest of the kitchen photos. I don't know if this is a problem for others looking at the site or just me.

Your photos should take you in order through the house.

Take the exercise equipment out of the bedroom.

If I were buying, I'd want to know if there were hardwood floors under the carpeting.

I don't know, because if I was looking in that area I'd want to view it with the expectation I'd be making an offer.

I'd like to see the dining room from the other angle (as it looks on the floor plan like the WC has a weird shape wall? Does it make the dining room a weird shape?) but I could accept that I'd just need to see this on viewing.

Are you getting viewings but no offers?

I don't know the area and (unless I win the lottery) don't have a hope in hell of buying a house, but I do like this house. It's quirky. If it was in my area (I'm in Kent!), and I had the money, I'd probably turn bedroom 5 into a small home gym and bedroom 7 into a study (or keep it as a spare room). What is the size of the cellar?

Edit....ignore my last question....just seen cellar size in the description!

I have no idea @18Willow why it's not selling, it's absolutely gorgeous! 😍

It looks like you’re part way through renovating/doing it up and I think the identity is very confused at the moment. Not helped by it being a b and b previously, so it’s top heavy on bedrooms vs living space. Agree with others that some of the decor is polarising and will need a lot of work to reverse if it’s not to a buyer’s taste, which again is more cost.

So anyone buying it will need to factor in a whack of money to bring it all together. I’m wondering if the price reflects that, or if the price would be equivalent to a 6 bed house there that doesn’t need much work.

All this said OP, it is a very fine house and I hope you find a buyer who will love it.

Hmmm tough one. Seems like a solid house. Some of the decor is a dated but a buyer could change that.
I would tone down the hallway decor (the wallpaper is distracting from the beauty of the staircase) and I think exposed original floorboards would be far better than the grey carpets in the bedrooms.

I've got no idea about prices in the area, but I think it's a really lovely house and would need very little work to get it just now I would want it. I would buy it in a heartbeat.

Elgin has a very small population (25,000) and is in a very remote part of northern Scotland, so the pool of potential buyers is inevitably going to be small. I think you may just have to wait it out. I think the house is lovely, by the way, and if I wanted to move to Elgin I'd definitely book a viewing.

Unfortunately I think people might be put off by the garden being at the front of the house and there being a lack of connection to the garden ie french doors/ bifolding doors.

Too many pics of kitchen

Only one main reception area

I would make bedroom 5/7 on first floor into play room /study so have extra living space

I'd imagine being so big, it would appeal to a specific, potentially small niche of people.

The right person will eventually come forward though.

The pool of buyers who would want a house that large is much smaller than the pool of buyers looking for average 3 or 4 bedroom houses.

A really large house is a bit of a ball and chain these days.The running costs are so off-putting.

I can’t figure out the layout at all - like how do you even get to bedroom 6.

The kitchen looks clinical and the breakfast bar feels like an add on.

i think there are too many rooms without a lot of purpose. For example bedroom 7 should obviously be a cupboard for coats etc.

I think, as most people say, you are looking at a small pool of buyers.

For example, I am hoping to move north some time in next 10 yrs or so (family around Inverness) but while I would love a 4 bed detached house in Elgin, I wouldn't have any use for the annexe, and probably wouldn't want the hassle of working out how to incorporate it properly into the main house.

The price obviously isn’t spot on. If it was you would have had interest by now.

Reduce the price enough and you’ll start getting people through the door.

Things I would notice from photos :

Artex ceilings
Some photos look dark
photos of random rocky horse are just annoying
lots of orange toned wood

It's lovely but it's in Elgin...as much as I love the area and Moray, I vaguely feel it might move more quickly if it was around Forres perhaps. Also, it's not exactly central Scotland and it is quite expensive for your average local family.

Try and be patient and it will shift.