Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

Why is my house not selling?!

254 replies

ThePandoricaOpens · 18/12/2024 10:45

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

Check out this 3 bedroom link detached house for sale on Rightmove

3 bedroom link detached house for sale in Brese Avenue, Warwick, Warwickshire, CV34 for £400,000. Marketed by R A Bennett and Partners, Warwick

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/152025230#/&channel=RES_BUY

OP posts:
Thread gallery
7
Elphamouche · 18/12/2024 15:04

It’s lovely, for £360k. It’s expensive at £375k. Its not happening at any more than that.

The corner bath and the fake grass are no’s for me.

BuzzieLittleBee · 18/12/2024 15:11

I can't find the post to quote it, but to the PP who said it was near the river (ref flooding) - it's a LONG way from the river! Most of Warwick would be underwater before that house flooded. And yes - it's near the canal, but canals don't flood (they occasionally come up to the 'edge', and perhaps eeek slightly over, but it would be rare for even the towpath to flood. Being close to the canal is a big plus point - it's a lovely part of the canal to walk, and opens up access to the countryside in one direction, and Leamington in the other.

Re the house, it's overpriced. There's always plenty for sale on the Woodloes, so people know that something else will come up sooner rather than later. Things often move quite quickly in Warwick, so if it's not moving, then it's price.

MikeRafone · 18/12/2024 15:14

It’s not the price, it’s the estate possibly

and what a weird thing to put

walking distance to Bp garage on Coventry road

better to put ideal distance to Warwick hospital

house in Redford Semele recently went for more money and was a semi. Immaculate house but smaller than yours op

BarnacleBeasley · 18/12/2024 15:15

I know this has been mentioned, but last time I bought a house the reason I rejected one was literally that the fridge freezer didn't fit in the kitchen and there was nowhere else for it to go. I'd do what a PP suggests with a breakfast bar and undercounter fridge if you can make it look like it belongs.

StarryNoit · 18/12/2024 15:19

Hmm, the smaller bedroom is so small that I'm not even sure you could call it a bedroom. Even the 2 larger bedrooms look very small.

I agree with everyone else, move the fridge and get a new kitchen photo, the fridge being there suggests it's a very small kitchen with no space.

The fake grass isn't great but I guess you can't change that.

I think you need to drop it to at least 370k.

PartTimeModel · 18/12/2024 15:20

have you considered converting your garage into another reception room and adding another bedroom on top of it?

Might be cheaper than moving and you get what you want.

Its a nice house!

BuzzieLittleBee · 18/12/2024 15:22

MikeRafone · 18/12/2024 15:14

It’s not the price, it’s the estate possibly

and what a weird thing to put

walking distance to Bp garage on Coventry road

better to put ideal distance to Warwick hospital

house in Redford Semele recently went for more money and was a semi. Immaculate house but smaller than yours op

I hadn't clocked the 'walking distance to BP'! Especially since there's a little parade of shops on the estate with a Co-Op which is much better than the BP garage! And proximity to the hospital would be a plus.

MikeRafone · 18/12/2024 15:22

PartTimeModel · 18/12/2024 15:20

have you considered converting your garage into another reception room and adding another bedroom on top of it?

Might be cheaper than moving and you get what you want.

Its a nice house!

It’s a linked detached, not sure you can build like that

ClementineChurchill · 18/12/2024 15:42

Aha! There is a dog! This could be the answer to my question ‘what has put off 19 of the 20 buyers you have had through the front door?’

I know you’ll say your dog doesn’t smell. That’s what all dog owners say. But they do and it’s really offputting for some people.

Merryandnotsobright · 18/12/2024 15:47

Hi, I think you should remove the cat obstacle course from the wall. I love animals but lots of people don't. It's the main thing that stood out for me.

Gekko21 · 18/12/2024 15:51

Contrary to some other comments, I don't think the kerb appeal and astroturf are dealbreakers. They are easy enough to fix. I can see why you did the astroturf (my sister did it for the same reason) but your pets will have peed all over it and that's a bit minging with plastic.

Personally, I'd ditch the sitting area in the kitchen / diner. It's not needed as you have a lovely sitting room (I'd probably get the EA to re-label the photo to 'living room' or 'sitting room' rather than lounge). Then you could shift the dining table nearer the patio doors (nice aspect out on to enclosed garden whilst eating) and move the fridge freezer against the wall where you have the coats and shoes. The fridge freezer is a massive eyesore so I 100% think you need to solve that somehow.

Re decluttering. I think the process goes - declutter, and then when you think you've decluttered, declutter again. I speak from recent experience. If it's not essential to your daily lives over the next 6-12 months it needs to be gone even if it's into storage.

I love the colours and think the floors and doors are good. I'd want to see storage though. Where are the wardrobes? Where are the cupboards? In bedroom 1, that curtain thing at the bottom of the bed is weird. You need to go simple as it's a small room. Get rid of that suspended shelf - it's just clutter and serves no real purpose. I want to see more angles on the bedrooms. I want to see the shower so I know there is one and it's not knackered. The bath is fine - not very trendy but it looks clean so can be replaced in time. In the study, get a simple smaller desk - will the room fit a futon? That way, it looks like you can have a guest to stay. What's in that space next to the downstairs loo? Is it storage?

I don't know the area at all so can't comment on the price, but I wonder whether it might suit downsizers? It's small to maintain with neighbours around and amenities close. The sort of thing I can imagine my mother moving into if I can persuade her to downsize!

I did also wonder what the hallway looks like. It's the first impression you get when you open the door and if you are getting viewings and it looks like you are, are viewers put off when they open the front door and see a dark hallway and just a set of stairs directly ahead? It looks like there's no natural light.

Finally, I'd be tempted to relist with another agent. I think the photos don't do the place justice and the copy is terrible. Opening with the words, 'extended to the rear' for a start. The house is clearly small so it's advertising the fact that the original footprint was even smaller and any additional space has already been eaten into. The 'open plan social space' onto the garden is a small dining table and a sofa - not exactly a fabulous entertaining space (although it could be). 'The house briefly comprises' - pointless sentence as you can tell what rooms it has from the floorplan. Also, the repetition of 'three well sized bedrooms' in the first paragraph is just shoddy writing, especially given they are not that well-sized. Did we already say it had a garage and a 'private rear garden'? Well yes, I think we did, two sentences ago. Second paragraph, ditch the word 'development' - sounds functional and 'neighbourhood' would be better. The house is a mile from Warwick train station - that's seems like a great selling point to me so should be made more of. Ditto, the M&S, Co-Op, pub and countryside. Location sounds pretty ideal so they need to shout about it.

The more I read the copy, the more I want to shoot the person who wrote it. It's lazy. You have a lovely house. It needs someone to earn their money by marketing it appropriately for the right type of buyer. Once you've done all that, you may need to consider dropping the price, but I'd get a couple more agents in after Christmas to get a second opinion.

BarnacleBeasley · 18/12/2024 16:03

I didn't even notice the cat wall - I had to go back and look for it!

ElaborateCushion · 18/12/2024 16:19

ThePandoricaOpens · 18/12/2024 14:33

@ElaborateCushion yes they do - they love it! The garden is east facing so the sum moves from one corner to the other during the day. Astro is because we have a dog that loves digging and we thought it looked neater.

Ah - you have a digger. Spaniel?? My poor parents had so many holes in their garden! As I say, I'm not a fan, but it wouldn't stop me buying a house if it had it in a garden your size. Easily sorted if the buyer wants to change it.

We have a bit cat tree in the corner of our living room, but putting bits on the wall might look a bit better. They never use the bottom bit anyway and it's become a dumping ground!

We have an East facing garden and I really like it. I'm not a sun worshipper, so I appreciate my shady patio in the afternoons!

mathanxiety · 18/12/2024 16:44

You need to take most of the pictures off the walls in the living room. The larger ones are nice; the plethora of smaller ones should be taken down.

Lose all but one or two coats from the coat rack.

Move the fridge somewhere better.

Get rid of the papers/ inbox/ clutter in the office room, including the bits and bobs on the shelf atop the desk area.

Move the garden furniture off the grass and onto the patio.

Lose one of the gray storage units from the bedroom.

Get rid of the small storage unit by the loo in the bathroom. Also the cleaning caddy.

Put a plant or two in the kitchen/ remove from sitting room.

Maybe move some potted plants from the rear to the front or near the front door.

You need a second photo in the bathroom to show the shower, and a few more views of the bedrooms, kitchen, and living room, with a view to showing more of these rooms as opposed to your furniture.

Need photo of downstairs loo.

Need photo of house showing garage.

Need photos of stairs and landing.

Need a photo of the front door/ side of house.

The astroturf isn't great.

Overall, the house looks good.

I'd call the third bedroom a flexible space rather than a bedroom.

ButterCrackers · 18/12/2024 16:52

Was it built with the two rooms downstairs? I’d close off the kitchen and make a separate dining/family room or get sliding doors. The Astro turf needs removing.

mathanxiety · 18/12/2024 16:59

ThePandoricaOpens · 18/12/2024 11:49

@Doris86 no we don't want a new build - that's the feedback people are giving, so I don't know why they're bothering to look at ours! You can't really compare our house to the price of others when you don't know the area - this house is at the back of us and 25k more. Personally I don't think it's as nice as ours. Yes it has a slightly bigger garden and a conservatory, but I don't think that is 25k more? Also we're not expecting to get full asking price! https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/155099891?utm_campaign=property-details&utm_content=buying&utm_medium=sharing&utm_source=copytoclipboard#/&channel=RES_BUY

Edited

That house has a garage that could be converted into living space, and it is also presented with zero clutter. It's too bare, imo and the gray is bleak; your decor is way nicer, but you have too much stuff in the photos giving an impression of no space.

I don't think it's worth £25k more than yours, but neither house has sold yet - there's a difference between asking price and what a house will actually sell for/ what it's worth in the market.

zingally · 18/12/2024 17:00

It's a nice house, nicely done up (we have the same kitchen cabinets!), but it's quite small for a family home.
You could get the same house in Northampton, which isn't that far away, for 70-80k less. I bought a 3-bed in September with a larger floor area for £80k less.

I wonder if the two main roads either side are putting people off? The A40 is probably within earshot, and that Coventry Road looks busy and probably quite loud.

Parker231 · 18/12/2024 17:07

If I was a buyer I’d be calculating the money I would need to spend and factor that into any offer I made - replacing the plastic grass with turf, a new bathroom and the fact that the bedrooms are very small. The fridge seems to be in the middle of the room and the coats hung up in the dinning room?

hummingbird12 · 18/12/2024 17:24

The first photo isn't doing anything good for curb appeal. I would request a new one.
The fridge looks really awkward and to be honest, it's might sound silly but that would really put me off.

The house is well kept but I would try clear more things like clutter, coats shoes etc.

We sold out recently in 5 days. Lost our buyer and sold again within a week. It was tough going getting the house viewing ready with kids but our agent advised try make it look like nobody lives there so coats bags shoes etc just shoved in cupboards if you can. It made a real difference and the photos look great!

I do think if it's sits for a while it could be price too op.

PickledPurplePickle · 18/12/2024 17:35

Overall I think it’s a nice house but the furniture is too big

You need to move the fridge and the coats, etc

Is there any space in the storage near the downstairs loo for coats? If not can they go upstairs out of the way?

Can you get rid of the sofa in the dining area, move the table out to make it feel bigger and move the fridge to where the sofa is? It makes it feel really small as it is

loveyorkshiredales · 18/12/2024 17:43

There are lot of new build developments in your area, FTB are most likely to buy new builds.CV 34 is desirable post code.

user1471538283 · 18/12/2024 17:43

It's almost always the price.

Particularly because the new buyer will want to refit the bathroom. Having coats on display implies there's no storage. The kitchen is great but there's seems alot packed into it.

I don't think it's a great time to sell but it's good you've had viewings. Could you reduce the price but insist you will only accept buyers who can proceed?

Seas164 · 18/12/2024 17:46

Redrosesposies · 18/12/2024 12:16

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.

This is spot on what I thought too

Tiggywiggypiggy · 18/12/2024 17:55

It’s lovely.
The listing needs a photo showing the shower, lose the coats, weird bed thing and declutter a bit more.

Swipe left for the next trending thread