House not selling - feedback?

[allipi]

Please can I have some feedback on what can be done to improve this listing? It’s been on since February, one offer and a handful of viewings. Limited feedback. Not my house so feel free to be critical and I’ll pass it on tactfully! 🤣

Personally I think some of the rooms look too cluttered and the photos need to be redone. It has been reduced by 5k but the listing doesn’t state this.

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/149081762

It’s not cluttered, it’s a typical small new build type house. It is clearly the price

It’s just a typical new build, looks clean and fresh with ok sized rooms. For a 4 bedroomed house aimed at a family I’d expect a bigger garden. With the huge shed and the seating area there isn’t much space for children to run about.

It’s overpriced by approx £20k. Dropping the price by £5k is an absolute joke

I think many people simply don't like new builts especially the ones made by companies like Persimmon because they have a reputation for building poor quality housing and there have been issues with their estate charges.

Beyond that the inside looks fine to me so hopefully you will find a buyer if have a lowered the price a bit. The pictures of the garden are quite dark so you might want to redo those and maybe add a few flower pots as well to the back garden and to the front of the house to make it all a bit more inviting.

Looks fine to me so perhaps it is something not immediately apparent.
NB so are they still developing the site which means there is a choice of brand-new properties, location and of course that old favourites.....price?

Can never get upset about "poorly staged" photos or "too much furniture" etc, I can see through that and if a space is going to work for me (or not) but unfortunately I know there are those out there that cannot do this (have a family member like this and it drives the rest of us up the wall).

Looking at other houses available in the area it’s massively overpriced. 4 bed detached on the same road sold for around £260k this year, reduce price to 260 might see more interest. It’s simply not a 280k house.

I'd also expect a bigger garden. Can you take out the shed and seating area? Then it would show it off.

I would also:

1. change the order of your photos. I don't like having the virtual tour so early on. I would have that last. I also think photo 4 is the most flattering of the lounge so I would have that the first photo of the lounge.
2. The bathroom photos both look like there is no storage in the bathroom. I would take out all the bottles etc. Do it yourself first, take some photos on your own phone and assess those to see if it looks better.
3. The description is also confusing. the floor plan shows a dining room but the description says it is an office/bedroom. Personally I would prefer to see it dressed as a dining room and move the table in there and out of the kitchen so that the kitchen looks less cluttered.

I dont know the area at all so no comment on the price.

@Nourishinghandcream i am one of those people, no spatial imagination.

It looks like they have squeezed extra chairs around the dining table which you couldn’t actually use, and I agree that the rooms look a bit small/cluttered.

But if I could buy a new new build from Persimmon and have it painted and carpeted in my colours etc, I would do that over buying a 2 year old new build, even if the cost was slightly more (cos of savings on redecoration).

The price.

Thanks! I’ll pass this feedback on. I agree that it’s almost always the price if something isn’t selling. They’re reluctant to reduce further as they paid £278k 2 years ago but I think if they want it sold, it needs to be reduced! I believe development is complete but there are multiple houses in the area up for sale so it doesn’t look great.

I think the inside looks lovely. The outside front could be softened a bit maybe some potted small trees or hanging baskets. Otherwise it must be the price as it looks clean and tidy and nicely decorated.

They have squeezed a dining table and chairs into the kitchen to create a snug/office in the dining room. It gives the appearance that there isn’t enough space for a family but it’s a four bed house. Generally, the downstairs and the garden are too small for the number of bedrooms.

It sold in 2022, so likely problems to my mind are:

• they are hoping to get what they paid for it, not taking into account the depreciation of a new build
• the house is already too small within two years of living there, it makes no sense for me to buy a house and have to sell again within 2 years
• the site has some problems (parking, noise from construction, no infrastructure, raised ironworks on the rod still, dust).

A lot of the furniture looks too big for the rooms. But this shouldn't put people off. It must be the price.

I’ll try and get them to set up the office room as a dining room. It’s actually too big for them, they’re an older couple with an adult daughter looking to downsize now. But I do think they need to make it appeal more to families.

I agree there’s always so much chat about clutter and pictures on MN but realistically if it was ticking the right boxes for potential buyers then they would go and see it anyway.

It’s the price.. there’s always a premium with new houses so they won’t ever be able to get back what they paid 2 years ago.

The floorplan says bedroom 1, 2, 3 and 5 - only a small thing but one to amend.

Is it very close to the A92? Could be traffic noise. Are there any other new developments that people prefer?

I think it looks pretty immaculate inside and it isn't particularly cluttered - I doubt it's that. The garden pictures are very shady despite the gazebo. Maybe retake at a different time of day, and take the gazebo down for the pictures?

The garden is small
That's the main thing.

I assume the bathroom does actually have a door to get in unlike on the floor plan?

Honestly, I wouldn't buy it because it looks like your typical tiny shoe box new build. I have stayed in houses like these are airB&Bs but I wouldn't like in one. I'm sure its great for someone else though but if I had a budget that big I would be looking for a house I could at least swing a cat in which would probably be a pre-30s house.

I think the market is usually split between people like me (who avoid new builds like the plague) and the exact opposite (those who ONLY want new builds because they are convinced older houses have issues, even though they stood strong for 100+ years). You just need to find your right market and figure out the correct price for it.

I would have a niggle about why they bought the house 2 years ago and are selling already. I may have missed it in the description but if they can put a bland reason in there, it might help.

(Were they expecting adult DD to live with them longer when they bought?)

The chairs in the kitchen are too “heavy” and make it look crammed. I’d be tempted to restage the house with the table and chairs in the dining room, and the “study” furniture going into one of the smaller bedrooms.

The garden is absolutely fine as it is and definitely don’t remove the shed etc. It’s an assumption that buyers will have small kids. We live in a 4 bed house just us two and that garden would suit us. If a buyer wants to remove a shed, it’s up to them to do that and work out how to house the lawnmower somewhere else.

I think this is absolutely going to be about new builds often depreciating in the few years post build though, so the owners have probably bumped the price up to break even.

Interested to know the reason for the relatively quick move - not to share it here, but as a buyer it would need to stack up for me.

Overpriced. The garden is very small too for that sort of money.

Looking at the local sold prices its just way over priced.

Most are selling under £250k... the highest recent sale on a 4 bed was £265k.

It’s interesting you say older couple. Some of the photos the furniture did indicate an older couple but with the need to make an office space in the dining room I revised my thought to couple with teenagers and there isn’t enough space for them.

Not an expert at all but WTF are your agents doing with a photo that is the wall between a toilet and sink?!

I'm confused by the kitchen/dining room as on the plan they are separate but you clearly have the dining table in the kitchen.

It’s price. Sorry but they just paid a bit too much, so they’re riding the ‘wave’ of how house prices are doing currently. If they’d had it for years then they’d have an equity buffer, but they’ve just fallen foul of the current downturn. If they need to sell they need to take a hit. If they actually don’t, I’d take it off the market and wait for 6 months and see what happens with the market.

either way though I’d get rid of the photo of the bathroom wall and a slice of the loo. WTF 🤣