Why is my house not selling?!

[ThePandoricaOpens]

We've had our house on the market since September and have only had one offer - 40k under asking price! We're thinking we may have to drop the price in the new year, but houses are so expensive around here that we may not be able to afford what we want if we do. We're looking to 'upgrade' to a 4 bed with a bigger garden and will have to add a further 160-200k to our sale price! Feedback so far has been - garden is too small and bedrooms are too small (wich is why we want to move). We want a new build (?!) We feel like people are just wasting our time! https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/152025230?utm_campaign=property-details&utm_content=buying&utm_medium=sharing&utm_source=copytoclipboard#/&channel=RES_BUY

The house presentation on the whole looks fine, agree with the comments about the fridge, it is small so wouldn't appeal to a family, garden is also small. The problem is because it is detached it makes it more expensive than people usually want to pay for a small (ie cheap) house.

It's expensive for what you're offering tbh. I live nearby and no way would I come close to your asking price. £360-£370 is more the right price. Its really a 2 bed house with a baby room

It's mid way between, and not very far from the Grand Union Canal and the River Avon, and that would put me off - do either ever flood, or get close to flooding?

Three things jump out to me with your listing.
First is that there is not really any kerb appeal. The front garden looks unloved, and there is nothing breaking up the look of the big picture windows and the garage. I think the photo would look better taken face on also.
The main (?) bedroom - that thing at the end of the bed, which might be a footboard, dominates the room and makes it look closed in, and small. And also a tiny bit scruffy. Can you get rid of it?
The cat climbing thing on the living room wall. It needs to go whilst you're selling. We have pets, lots of people do, but evidence of them in listings isn't great.
Other than that the presentation is reasonable. Maybe a bit of colour in the bathroom would be good (nice towels on show, some 'pretty' stuff in there too), and clear away the cleaning things from next to the toilet. Get rid of the photo with all the coats hanging in the dining area, and put the coats away for viewings as it just emphasises lack of storage space. Also tidy away some of the clutter in the office, maybe get rid of that corner arrangement, or at least the shelving bit of it as it's shrinking the room.
The listing was added in September, so it's a bit stale now. Can you take it off the market and try again with a different agent after Christmas?

I normally think that estate agents pictures make rooms looks bigger but the living room looks tiny compared to the kitchen/diner but the floorplan doesn't make it look that much smaller. The photos also make the garden look absolutely tiny & the photo of bedroom 3 doesn't help either.
There's also a white door into your garden that doesn't show on the floorplan? Is that part of someone else's house?
That's just a few things that immediately jumped out at me that would make me question whether to bother viewing.
Sorry, just looked again and presume the door into your garden is from the garage?
I think the photos don't make sense in relation to the floor plan which is always something I look for to try and orientate myself, as someone else mentioned, the coats aren't actually that far from the door but seems weird to have them in the kitchen/diner without the context of the floorplan.
Tbh if the rooms/garden are as small as they appear in the photos then I think you'll need to accept a lower price. If you think that better photos could be taken then that might help.

Too expensive.
Just put the price down and then you will get the offers trickling in, simples!

Your house is lovely, OP. But apart from the price, i think more people are becoming aware of the (potential) risks associated with synthetic turf. Many studies indicate astroturf is carcinogenic. It contains arsenic, lead, etc. More research is needed. Maybe it's not the house, but the garden.

Paint the office a light neutral colour - if you are selling to young professionals they need to be able to imagine wfh in there

The fridge looks out of place and that there’s no room for it in the kitchen. It’s in two rooms?

what is that at the end of the bed? It looks like a gynaecologists curtain

the dining room…. The table looks really small and that the fridge is taking over

Kerb appeal - looks very plain and bland. Jet wash the driveway and find a way to add some interest to that front wall.

Also the astroturf would really put me off.

Looking at Rightmove sold prices number 8 in your road sold for £298k in mid 2023. Basically the same design of house as yours. Sure, yours is done to a much nicer standard inside, but that doesn’t make £100k of difference.

It’s nicely presented but it is very small for a 3 bedroom house (though not much you can do about that)! I don’t think garden is too small, especially compared to size of house, but then I live in London. I agree that fridge freezer looks out of place and cluttered but I guess there is no where else for it to go. I don’t know what the screen is at the end of the main bed - I would get rid of that. But ultimately it comes down to one thing you can’t change (size of rooms) and one thing you can (the price)!

Take loads of stuff out - get the photos re done.
What is the sheet at the end of the bed thing about?

According to Nationwide's house price calculator:

www.nationwide.co.uk/house-price-index/ www.nationwide.co.uk/house-price-index/]]]]

The projection for a house in your postcode based on when you bought it is £346k, so the offer you have received is above the expected level!

Without meaning to sound harsh, your price expectations are too high.

You've got to bear in mind that if the house is on for £400K you're probably going to get people looking in the £400-£450K range, and they're going to be expecting more house for their money than people looking in the £350-£400K range. You've said yourself that you don't expect people to actually offer you £400K so I think you're potentially ruling yourself out of the searches of people who might make the £375-£380K type offers that you might be expecting.

20 viewings is decent. I understand all the points you're making about the houses that are on around you and the differences, but the bottom line is that the people who are coming to look at your house are expecting bigger bedrooms and/or a bigger garden for £400K.

The house itself is lovely, by the way. The photos could be improved a bit but if you're getting that many viewings I doubt that's the problem. Also, I personally hate Astroturf and love lawn, but (a) half the houses round here have Astroturf so it can't be that unpopular and (b) it's very clear from the photos that the lawn is artificial so people who come to view can't see it as a dealbreaker.

The floor space is 30% bigger. Plus it has multiple bathrooms upstairs and the bedrooms look bigger from the photos. I think £25k is not a big enough gap!

That house has buckets more space and curb appeal and it is actually detached. They are two very different properties! I don't mean to cause offence but you came on here asking why your house isn't selling and we are telling you why

There's nothing that jumps out at me as to why it isn't selling. I was always led to believe that the best time to sell was in the spring so hopefully it will pick up then. The fridge as a room divider seems a bit odd but maybe there isn't anywhere else for it to go.
I'm interested in you wanting a new build as where I am, bedrooms in new builds are usually tiny with built in wardrobes as there wouldn't be room for any other kind of furniture in them.

I would suggest moving the coats and shoes, do you have an understairs cupboard or that lobby that goes to the downstairs loo? Or hiding them. IKEA do a 30mm deep wardrobe that's perfect as a coat cupboard.
Turn the fridge freezer around and build a false wall behind it so it looks part of the kitchen.
Turn that bed around so the headboard is against the wall, not cutting the room in half. Remove the two side tables in the office so people can see that you can at least get a single bed in there. Turn the other bed around so it's not in front of the radiator.
As a PP said, paint the garage door a brighter colour and smarten up the front.
Drop the price to £385 it will come in under a lower price bracket in searches.

It's always price op I think if you can afford to drop in the new year that'll help 😁

Thank you everyone for your advice. What I think I will do is: • Lower the price after christmas to 385k. • Add some planters and spring flowers under the windows at the front. • Jet wash the drive and paint the garage door. • Take photos of the downstairs loo, storage area, shower, space opposite the fridge, front door and hallway. • Get a new bed with the curtain at the bottom (or alter it in some way!) • Paint the office in a pale colour and maybe put in a smaller desk? • I know a lot of people mentioned the fridge, but there's nowhere else to put it! • Maybe add the work we've had done over the last 2 years? New doors, windows, guttering and fascias? Anything else?

It’s not really comparable, it needs a huge amount of work.

For me, the opening shot doesn't look great, tbh.

Way too much grey foreground. I can't do it on this computer, but you could try it yourself - just crop the left hand side of the frame so you include the greenery and the bottom up to there lavender bush and you'll have a much nicer first pic for ppl to see.

Ideally, take it again with your car on the drive, but so you can still see the garage.

I think you'd have attracted more interest with that as a front-of-house pic.

Is it a 70s house? I like that kind of period, tbh - I know people who've added wood and other things to the exterior to give it more of an aesthetic appeal - you might mention that as an option to people who perhaps don't appreciate the plain/clean optics...?

You have some nice stuff in there - love the colour of the sofa. Like the garden too.

Fridge freezer a bit odd as other ppl say, but...aside from what I've said about the first photo, it's only ever about the price.

Change the pic and see what happens in Feb/March - but enjoy your last Christmas there though...looks like a nice family home for a nice family to enjoy.

This is a good idea about putting in a false wall to make the freezer look like part of the kitchen.

Do look into converting the garage, too, as I mentioned above. If you’re not getting the price you need to move it could be a way of getting a bit more space for a few years.