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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
HorribleLhistoire · 19/12/2024 12:44

LazyArsedMagician · 19/12/2024 12:36

Significantly bigger maybe, it's definitely not nicer Confused

And needs probably £50k+ worth of work to make it habitable

ThePandoricaOpens · 19/12/2024 12:49

@MopTopInAHop that's hysterical 😂It was the other way around with the tall bit against the wall, but I have a bit of a thing about TV's in bedrooms, so it kind of hides it! Think I'll flip it around again though!

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ThePandoricaOpens · 19/12/2024 12:52

Office is going to get a serious de-clutter over Christmas. I'm also going to take the corner desk out and put a smaller one there. Paint it in a light colour too then hopefully it'll look bigger?

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OdeToBarney · 19/12/2024 12:52

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 is almost 400sq ft bigger than yours- almost 1.5x the size!

Your house is priced at half what mine is worth, yet it's less than half the size and I also live in zone 6 in London. It's the price.

When we sold our last house in zone 2, the estate agent was very clear that it doesn't really matter how nicely the house is 'presented', buyers will want to put their own stamp on it anyway. It's location, size, and the fundamentals like the kitchen and bathroom, that matter.

BarnacleBeasley · 19/12/2024 13:01

ThePandoricaOpens · 19/12/2024 12:52

Office is going to get a serious de-clutter over Christmas. I'm also going to take the corner desk out and put a smaller one there. Paint it in a light colour too then hopefully it'll look bigger?

I have a bedroom smaller than your office in my house (though mine is more rectangular), and have in the past fitted a small double sofabed and a fold-down wall desk a bit like this one in there: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Folding-Convertible-Floating-Area%EF%BC%8Cable-Restaurant/dp/B0CSVBL34N?th=1
You could probably at least get a single bed in yours and set it up as a bedroom for viewings, and an office the rest of the time.

ThePandoricaOpens · 19/12/2024 13:03

@OdeToBarney it is bigger, but they've also added the garage to the square footage, whereas they haven't to ours - ours is extended. The garden is smaller, it's a few feet from a main road/bus route. The bit that makes it much bigger is the conservatory, which would actually put me off buying a house. They're either to hot or cold and they're a wast of space. I do understand where you're coming from, but again if you don't know the area it's difficult to comment. Houses are VERY expensive here, I know where you are houses are probably more expensive, but for example one has just sold a few streets away - 4 bed detached £850,000. For context, there's a tiny 3 bed semi character property just up the road, ever so slightly bigger than ours, no garage and it's gone for £595,000. I keep saying I am going to lower the price and people keep jumping on me!

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OdeToBarney · 19/12/2024 13:09

@ThePandoricaOpens yes it is definitely difficult to tell without knowing the area, and your reply does seem to put your local prices in a similar category to mine. I think our house would fetch somewhere between 800 - 900k, which is a very wide range but that's because nothing similar has sold of late on my road. People stay for years! I just can't get away from the fact that one could buy a 2000sq ft house (4 bed, detached, extended with large kitchen, separate utility room, double garage and large garden) in zone 6 for probably 800k. But that is probably showing my london-centred view and not everyone wants to live in London!

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ThePandoricaOpens · 19/12/2024 13:14

@OdeToBarney oh yes I completely agree with you! Prices just seem to be going up and up around here for some reason. Think I might just move to Wales and live in a mansion 😂

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Mademetoxic · 19/12/2024 13:15

The garden, the fake grass. :( to remove it could be quite a pain. I wouldn't go for a house with artificial grass.

Other than that, good luck finding somewhere and moving :)

Tupster · 19/12/2024 13:17

As others have said here, the thing you need to come to terms with is that so much work that you do to a property at huge cost, adds absolutely nothing to the value. It hurts and I absolutely feel that pain because I've have also had to learn to accept this. Loads of that solid, maintenance type stuff literally no-one cares about. New gutters, fascias, even boilers, shutters etc will literally add zero in value. Loads of things create a good impression, but might also alienate as many people as they attract - your garden is a good example in that you've spent lots of money on it, think it's really nice, but posters here are saying it would be a dealbreaker for them. Even things like that nice shiny kitchen will have some people doing calculations in their head on how much it will cost to change those units to shaker style with an island somewhere.

The difference in value between "dooer-upper" and "done up" is always far smaller than the cost to "do up" - not least because some of the "it would cost £100k to do that up" kind of comments being thrown around here are wild. Very often a deep clean and a pot of white paint will turn it from hovel to perfectly liveable and any further glamourising can be done as and when.

OdeToBarney · 19/12/2024 13:18

ThePandoricaOpens · 19/12/2024 13:09

It's bigger? And it has two bathrooms. The bedrooms also look a lot less cramped.

Mademetoxic · 19/12/2024 13:23

heldinadream · 19/12/2024 12:21

AstroTurf- sorry but I wouldn't even consider it. Automatically takes it out of the running for me. I'm not trying to be critical just pointing out that for many people it's a massive turn off. As far as I understand it's actually either hard to remove or expensive to remove or both, hard and maybe expensive to properly dispose of, and it will leave a polluting plastic residue in the soil that I would find it hard to forget about.
Any chance of you removing and replacing with actual grass?
I just wonder how many of your potential buyers are being put off by it?

That was the first thing which stood out for me as well. A massive deal-breaker.
They're ugly as hell.

Sorry OP.

Crikeyalmighty · 19/12/2024 13:25

Nicely done OP but really only the size of an average new2 bedder- so for reasons you want to move that's why most families will think it too small-which is why it needs to appeal to singles, couples or maybe a family with 1 small child and needs to be priced accordingly- I think people have become far more conscious of costs in constant moves or extensions and are factoring that in far more on last 5 years.

Crikeyalmighty · 19/12/2024 13:42

@ThePandoricaOpens I would also say honestly Asa casual party , it's a prettier exterior with more curb appeal - and a similar size - to be honest wouldn't buy that either unless I was a couple - too small

Tupster · 19/12/2024 13:49

The master bedroom in yours is only marginally bigger than the small single bedroom 3 in the one you've linked to. I'd agree your downstairs is better and the detached plot with garage adds value, but I'm never going to pay premium price for a house where all bedrooms are what I'd consider to be single size. It puts a ceiling price on yours that no amount of nice decor will overcome.

BuzzieLittleBee · 19/12/2024 14:07

ThePandoricaOpens · 19/12/2024 13:09

I know that location well (and the location of your house). I'd expect a house of similar size on Campriano Drive to be more expensive than Woodloes. It's an easy walk into both Leam & Warwick, it's small development of very attractive houses (lots of kerb appeal). It's right by St Nick's park, close to Tesco, easy access to the primary school, nice cafes just a short walk down the road...

I wouldn't say it's 'just down the road' from you - it must be almost a mile away. There's a big difference between the 2 locations.

Doris86 · 19/12/2024 14:08

ThePandoricaOpens · 19/12/2024 13:09

And it also hasn’t sold.

GasPanic · 19/12/2024 14:08

ThePandoricaOpens · 19/12/2024 13:09

It's a different style of house. It's prettier and on a much nicer development. It's much more of a lifestyle house.

I notice they have already reduced price once.and it looks like that little has been done to it from what I can tell since it was last sold in 2022, and it's on a 45K uplift.

It also hasn't sold yet either.

BuzzieLittleBee · 19/12/2024 14:21

@ThePandoricaOpens The 'tiny' character property you mention for £595K isn't this one, surely?

There's no comparison between that and your house. If it wasn't so close to the A46, it would be WAY more than this.

I can't see anything a few streets away from you at £850K but it may have gone from Right Move now. But there's nothing on the Woodloes higher than £525K. You can't really compare Woodloes prices to the houses in Warwick itself - that's not comparing like with like.

Check out this 3 bedroom cottage for sale on Rightmove

3 bedroom cottage for sale in Woodloes Lane, Guys Cliffe, Warwick, CV34 for £595,000. Marketed by ehB Residential, Warwick

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/153288005#/?channel=RES_BUY

ThePandoricaOpens · 19/12/2024 14:46

@BuzzieLittleBee actually Campriano Drive is 0.6miles away. I cross the Coventry Rd, down Nelson Lane and I'm there! 14 minutes. I know people have moved out of there due to build quality, it's very cramped and you can't drive to a lot of the properties.
I actually don't understand why some people are getting so ratty with me! Obviously haven't read all my posts where I said I'm going to lower the price.

And of course you can compare our house to other houses in Warwick - why ever not? Chase Meadows is very similar, but very cramped with narrow roads and very overlooked gardens. Ours is very private. A vast majority of houses in warwick are Victorian Terraces so you can't compare those. I recently sold a character 2 bed near the racecourse for £300k - much smaller than this one and with no parking.

I've had some great advice and feedback on this thread, but some people just seem to want to start a fight and tell me off for taking my EA's advice 😂

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Abcdefghijklmh · 19/12/2024 14:50

@ThePandoricaOpens I think some people like a pile on. I agree your house is lovely- maybe the bathroom needs a little updating and the fridge, coats moving but it is what it is! It’s a home and that’s what you’re selling. With regard to the fake grass- people can just take it out if they need to. You needed to put it in and they can take it out or you might have someone who’s chuffed it’s there!

I would say it’s more to do with the overall market at the moment and it’s a always a bad time to sell before Christmas

BuzzieLittleBee · 19/12/2024 14:53

I definitely don't want to pick a fight! But I do think you need to compare apples with apples. And Woodloes vs a 'character 2 bed near the racecourse' or vs Campriano drive (which isn't an estate and is a location with a completely different vibe) isn't comparing apples with apples. Compare away, of course, but you have to factor everything into the comparison - not just the CV34 postcode.

Hopefully lowering the price will do the trick - but you said you were only going to lower by 15K, which people have pointed out probably isn't enough to make a difference.

FWIW, I think your house is very nice (if you get rid of lots of stuff, so people can see past it), but the fridge and the astroturf would be big issues for me - but enough people have already pointed that out to you!

ThePandoricaOpens · 19/12/2024 14:53

@Abcdefghijklmh thank you so much! I get that people have opinions and I appreciate most of them, but some people get so narky!

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