Help! House on market, little progress, feedback needed!

[IcyCoralMaker]

So, my house by the sea has been on market for 4 weeks, had 3 viewings, no offers.
The house was built December 2024 and I'm selling to move into a detached house, closer to my family.
House has been reduced by £5k to bring it down to the search point on Rightmove and to attract first time buyers.
I think the photos are good and agent says they'll continue to push it but when asked how they were doing that, they didn't answer my question.
Any suggestions on what I can do to attract more views?
Thanks 👍

Sorry you’re having difficulty selling and with your DM’s health.

I know the area very well and think there is a glut of properties on the market and also better choice on the Headland. You could get a 4 or 5 bedroom with more features and character within spitting distance.

i also think economic uncertainty is perhaps putting people off and why pay for a second hand new build when they could probably get a brand new one?

I agree that need to add a bit of kerb appeal and declutter to show space and storage and perhaps consider dressing the garden too,

It is a popular place to live in the area but you are sadly in a situation where there is more supply. Agree that sea and beach not an issue but for locals traffic to The Headland may be an isdue

good luck

The average of “all” homes. Not the average of three bed terraces, end or otherwise. This really isn’t an unusual house. I wouldn’t buy it but plenty would at the right price and in the right area.

@IcyCoralMaker As others have said and you disagreed - the actual floorplan is NOT the right one to go with the photos of the inside of your house. You can clearly see your front door has the downstairs loo to the right of it, from your first picture - but the floorplan is showing the downstairs loo to the left of the front door So something is wrong somewhere!

I agree with other posters, though. Houses are still being built in that area and you have barely been in the house before you are selling it again - so it's neither a new build or an older property and you will have paid a premium for the new build in December. If you had bought really early in the development, you would have paid less than you did in December - early buyers will have paid much less for the same house. ( When we bought a New Build house in 2004, we paid £97250. The earliest adopters paid £15k less than we did. The houses built after we did, the highest price for the last ones built a few months later went for £120k. You won't get back what you paid for it 5 months ago.

It also looks as if there is no storage space, with all the stuff you have lying around everywhere, not in their proper place. Piles of clothes on the Dining table, the ironing board, etc.

It's a nice enough house if you are in the market for that size of house, but it is small house and people looking for 3 bedrooms may want something bigger.

This is a small, perfectly formed house, great for a couple of first home with a baby. Having the beach is a bonus.

I think ‘staging’ it would help.

I would empty each room, by packing up all clutter from all surfaces (including the rather bizarre table lamp on the kitchen worktop) and carefully put back one or two pieces.

Remove any surplus furniture (pink dressing table, half of the white drawer unit that doesn't seem to open because of the bed).

Dress the beds ( the thick throw makes the room even more cluttered).

Put some tasteful, matching large planters, lots of greenery, beside the front door. Remove the odd collection of random planters in the garden. Put in a garden chair or wooden deck chair given proximity to the sea.

The furniture and clutter make it look small and a bit unloved. More like a six month rental than a home.

@IcyCoralMaker Did you buy this house when you already lived in Hartlepool? Are you staying in the town?

The house is fine, the market is dropping. You may lose money on This one unfortunately.

It's a crazy market. EA agent friend showed a couple around a new development five apartments..they were viewing the first floor one. 500k. Asked to see the penthouse £359k more and bought it on the spot.

It’s not the house, it’s the market. Give it time but also consider changing agents if you aren’t entirely happy with yours.

I think you could personalise it a little bit more. You need to distinguish it from the new houses by making it look a bit more welcoming. Maybe a potted olive or bay tree by the front door?

But don’t panic, it looks like a nice house and you only need one offer!

This one is Clearly bigger than the others, and given the thread is about this property and not your parents @Boohoo76 ….

how long have you lived in Canada in your 2700 sq ft property (why did you mention this? Genuine question)

And think how many studios 1 and 2 bed houses and flats there are in the Uk

many many multiples more than 4 and upwards

If you bought in December
and it’s already been on for a month

that means the op actually only purchased 4 months ago!!

Have you given your mother time to settle? Another move is going to seriously confuse her further.

my father had dementia. Not settling is precisely one of the horrid features of this disease

But you pointed out it isn’t average

it is below average

this is weird

Agree. Also close the blinds when interior shots are taken so that the houses close by dont dominate the photo.

Buy or borrow a couple of plants, neutral warm throws, pack all toiletries away apart from a stunt handwash for photos - and then on viewing days stage it exactly the same (you can keep all the props in a cupboard).

It's a new build terrace house, it looks fairly average size for what it is, years ago they didn't shoehorn a downstairs toilet in but they probably have to nowadays.

DH and I owned a two bed flat that was bigger than my mum and dad’s three bed terrace. And then think of all the bigger four and five bed houses. My own house is more than three times as big as this one. Houses of the size I live in bump up the average.

Tried to edit. You don’t live in Canada

I think the poster upthread just wants to brag about their large house

Of course they do

but the ratio of 3 bed properties and smaller to 4 bed and over…. Is huge (weighted to the former)

• **11.4% (2.8 million) of households had one bedroom (down from 11.8%, 2.8 million in 2011)
• 27.1% (6.7 million) had two bedrooms (down from 27.6%, 6.5 million in 2011)
• 40.4% (10.0 million) had three bedrooms (down from 41.6%, 9.7 million in 2011)
• 21.1% (5.2 million) had four or more bedrooms (up from 19.0%, 4.4 million in 2011)

just 21.1% have 4 or more in the UK

No I don’t, I live in England. I was responding to someone who lives in Canada because houses in the UK can be surprisingly small to people from North America. When my DH’s US relatives visited him as a child, they commented on the small size of his house. When my neighbour’s US family visited their current house for the first time, they expressed surprise at the size (because they were used to visiting them in a much smaller terraced house). They said that they didn’t think houses were built like this in the UK!

It’s already been said a number of times but I would also hide evidence of the cats and the washing ect - even though the house looks very tidy. I would also wonder about storage space and buyers don’t know that you are probably busy with your mum.

Bloody hell… they weren’t very worldly were they?!

And many of those 21% will be three or four times bigger than the OP’s house. As I said, it pushes up the average. I’m not the only person on this thread who has said that the size of the OP’s house is normal for the house type. It will be price and/or location that is stopping this one from being sold.

It’s basic maths…. The many smaller 1 beds and studios will push down the average

either way this OP’s property is below average.

so I’ll leave you to it @Boohoo76 no need to share more family details about your property sizes and parents property size and neighbours views on them!

It will be price (op hasn’t clarified whether any interest following the reduction in price! )

and hesitation when they realise vendor has barely unpacked boxes given moved in 4 months

Not when they are more four and five beds than there are one beds. And here is a modern three bed terrace which is less than 800 square foot.

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/160817336

And you are giving up your dream because your mum won’t settle? You’re mad! This is YOUR life, your decision and, let’s face it, your mum won’t be around for ever.
You might not settle if you buy where you don’t want to just to please her. Suppose that happens, and then your mum doesn’t like it after all, or passes away!
i don’t usually say this but, please do what you want to do regardless of pressure from your mother. She has presumably done what she wants to do over the years. Now it’s your turn! Be brave!