Another why is my house not selling post

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I have a mid terraced house on the market in the most desirable street in St Albans. Priced at £600k which exactly fits (sold) comps and reflectsw we I spent renovating it + average valuation gain in the area since i bought it.

Must have had 30 viewings. Two offers on the first open house day at £5k below asking. Both fell through. Another FTB then offered and pulled out.

It’s all freshly decorated and staged. It’s a cottage like most in this area - disadvantages of these structures are downstairs bathroom and no hallway - but with the addition of a fully tanked basement with spare room/reception and home office. The moisture levels are the same on each floor so no damp in the basement. The doors and windows are beautifully re-done. The kitchen is De Vol.

It’s been on for three months. What do I do?

I think it’s my target market (FTBs, divorcees) not being able to get their mortgages as they all keep coming and people are offering and then pulling out.

But these are the things that maybe make it hard to sell?

Lack of parking spaces for residents (city centre issue).

Extra 300 ft of basement space not worth much?

People freak out about basements even when fully tanked?

Can’t do the loft as it’s Grade II listed.

Price??? Not sure about this one as the fallen-through offers were v close to asking.

Viewer feedback is mainly that they think basement will flood (not in flood zone) and the stairs need repainting (yes but srsly??)

Help?

No, the kitchens are disappointing in each one.

I would have thought that in a venn diagram of wanting a listed period property and wanting plastic grass the overlap would be fairly small.

It's really not on to be posting links to houses you think it is when the OP hasn't done so herself.

It's mentioned on the summary in the search results before you click on to the listing on RM, though weirdly doesn't seem to be in the actual listing.

If it is the house suggested in the link on here:
I do know a few people who live in this area of St Albans and also people looking for houses there.
I think it is almost certainly down to 3 things:
The downstairs bathroom
The parking, although the conservation area has parking problems, it is really bad in this street.
Only 2 bedrooms and one is only a single. The people I know who are looking want 3 bedrooms.
I do not think your house is overpriced for the area.

I think three offers falling through could be bad luck - if the person making the offer can't get the mortgage based on their income/deposit. It could also be because the property is slightly overvalued so the bank won't lend that much against it.

If it is the one on Rightmove at 595k it's hard to judge from the pictures why people are viewing but not offering, because there are 2 rooms not shown - the upstairs bedroom 2 and the home office space next to the snug in the basement. I wonder if viewers assume the rooms shown are bedrooms 1 and 2 and are then disappointed by the actual layout of the house or the state of the missing rooms?

I love St Albans. Used to live there enduring my uni days. I think the problem is the price. It is an expensive area but if you're trying to tap in to the FTB market then £600k is too much. When I lived there it gave very much a family area vibe. Like people move there with their young family and 2 bed without parking is not desirable. I think it just might be one of those awkward in-between properties. Too expensive for a young couple and too small for a family.

This! 😂

I think it’s not selling because it’s very expensive for what it is. If I was a target buyer I’d be holding out for something a bit brighter, more spacious to come on market. So, I’d view, but it wouldn’t be a ‘oh my goodness I ADORE this house, we must buy…’ if it was £50000 cheaper I think it would be a consideration. It lacks kerb appeal; for the asking price. It looks a lovely family home, but it’s a terrace, for £600k. And that’s a mental leap I’d find hard to make.

It is:

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/150103898#/?channel=RES_BUY

It’s been reduced https://www.davidchadwickstalbans.com/42-lower-dagnall-street

I wouldn't buy any house with a downstairs bathroom, it's just not practical at all. Sorry OP. That would rule it out instantly for me.

I never understand these kind of posts.

Does that mean you would be put off even viewing it? Surely people can look past a few tiles they don’t like (they’re fairly generic anyway) and a paint colour that can easily be changed (I like it so it’s all subjective).

Nope it’s definitely one

Yes. And the deVol kitchen overlap with exposed trunking, pipes and brickwork probably also quite small. .

I doubt the price is the main issue, people saying it is probably don't understand how expensive St Albans is.
This. There's such a big premium for those houses, even compared with houses a few miles away.

I do wonder whether a lot of those small houses with no parking are AirBNBs - we stayed in one near there. Perhaps people are less keen to invest in that area at the moment, with all the uncertainty about the budget.

Same here! The prices in the south are bonkers and I count myself very lucky. I'm from North Wales and have just bought my first house. 155k for a 2 bedroom bungalow with a large back garden and a driveway big enough for 3 cars. Previous owner had already installed a new kitchen and bathroom so all I had to pay for was a new boiler (family friend who is a gas engineer did the work and I got a discount), carpets and painting (which I did myself) Spent around 4k.

It's so difficult for most people to get on the property ladder due to low wages, mortgage rates, saving up for a deposit etc but it just seems impossible in the south and I honestly don't know how people do it.

If it is this house then it looks too cluttered as though you can't fit much furniture in. I also like two bedside tables and you can't fit those in properly

The potential damp someone mentioned would be an issue if that's what it is.

I don't think you could live comfortably with a family in there though

If you've had offers and then they've pulled out, are their reasons the same? That's what you would really need to know or whether they are using couldn't get the mortgage as an excuse so they don't offend you

I think when people take courage to post on here about their house not selling people should be honest but there is no need to be disrespectful and dismissively superior.

It’s a lovely property but fact that all the lights are switched on in the photos indicates that the property is generally quite dark. The home office has no window or natural light and there’s only a small window in the den.

Other similar properties that are on the market in that area have an upstairs bathroom and are a bit closer to the two stations in St Albans.

I agree with previous poster. Too much furniture. You need to remove the two chairs in the sitting room, reposition the dining table so it’s not so squashed and remove the table cloth.

I may be wrong but the staircase looks very steep which would put me off.

No, the lights being on is what every good property photographer does to show the property in its best light.

The OP wants to know why her house isn't selling. The poor finish is likely to be offputting for people whose budget in this ballpark. It raises concerns about how many more hidden issues there might be. It's of little value if the kitchen is expensive if there are even more expensive (and potentially messy and disruptive) issues to address when taking the house on.

You need to provide a link OP. There are quite a few houses for sale at 600k in central St Albans. Hard to know which one is yours or which is the 'most desirable street'?

I know St Albans and the property you’re trying to sell (sorry if that sounds creepy). The bedrooms look bare and in need of redecoration and a bit of warmth/atmosphere. Non integrated washing machine in kitchen really puts me off. The navy wall is a bit stark and again needs a bit of softening. Needs a new bathroom, patio and a bit of a tidier looking garden. Schools are tricky in that zone so would put families off potentially.
I’d jazz up the easy fixes and have the photos redone. If that didn’t work I’d drop it by £10k to hit the next bracket down.