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 👍

The front driveway is awful to be honest. Why do builders get away not putting any shrubs or flower beds in?

There is a bathroom upstairs as well as an en suite.

You've not been there long for your Mum to settle. Have you looked into carers and activities to keep her occupied?

My Dad has dementia and lives with us. its really hard. This week he spent hours packing up and wanting to go home. He started to wander too. You may find the same issue wherever you are.

Looking at where you are the area looks flat, if she wanders, which is good but perhaps the beach is a risk especially if the tide comes in fast.

However if you want to move now to be closer to family for greater help and support, I don't blame you! Here it's just me and my husband and it's hard as dementia progresses.

Join the alzheimers charity website online support group.

Good luck selling.

The floor plan shows an upstairs family bathroom and an en suite

The aerial photo would put me off it looks crammed in, I’d ask the estate agent to remove it. As the garden photo doesn’t look like that. I’d hide the table clutter and ironing board. It looks like a small 3 which may put off families. I also think the walkway photo looks crammed in and pointless and ask them to remove.

It’s a lovely house.
Could you try a different estate agent?
I’d clear the dining table, the pink rug on the landing and any other “personal bits”.
I’d be suspicious of buying a new build only built 6 months ago, especially when you’re selling for more than you bought it for (if I’ve read that correctly).
I’d also include a lovely summer’s day photo of the beach as a selling point.

Pics are dreadful, definitely redo. The stretched images are really obvious and th angles are very unflattering with items in the foreground looking cluttered.

I'm afraid the house looks soulless - all white, and grey with nothing on the walls etc. Can you paint / paper? Put up some art or photos? Personalise it a bit. I know painting new walls is not always recommended but it's not standing out as attractive at all.

Get the driveway pressure washed, it's still muddy from the build and tbh it looks rough and unfinished. Is there more work to be done on that?

Why is there no door on the cupboard to the bottom left of the oven? I'd add one, it looks unfinished or broken with everything stuffed in it.

Put away things like the ironing board - it makes it obvious that storage is lacking.

Exactly this.

I was an estate agent for a few years in the late 70s/early 80s. The rule of thumb was that a newly built house would lose 10-20% of its purchase price as soon as it was bought, and that it generally took about 3 years for the value to recover to the purchase price. (Less in times of galloping inflation, obvs.)

And selling a new build so quickly arouses suspicion that there is something amiss with either the house or the area.

Can your estate agent market it as a rare opportunity to buy almost new build at a good price as someone is selling early due to a change in family circumstances? Straight away that allays concerns about problems with the house and they could even make a feature of the slightly 'sterile' look - an opportunity to acquire the house before anyone has put their own stamp on it.

I agree with removing the piles of clothes & ironing board and sorting/ disguising the cupboard with the missing door but, otherwise, I think your house looks neat and tidy. And yes, definitely a photo of the beach!

I was about to say i wouldn't want to be in the middle of an estate like that even that cost to the beech, but then I saw the price! You can't even get a really grotty flat around here which needs a complete overhaul, be windows, boiler, no central heating etc for that!
I don't think it's the ironing board stopping people viewing....
I do think it's people suspicious of you moving after 6 months, your agent needs to put the work in calling people who he has on his books to buy explaining your moving because of your mum's situation. This is also a situation where you advertising on local FB groups etc saying why you are moving might help

As a side note :
Move that pink runner carpet from the upstairs landing otherwise your poor Mum (or you) are going down those stairs the quick way

As others have said, it's too expensive for a 6 month old house; the value goes down not up for new builds. 140 would be more realistic.
The clutter in the kitchen makes it look as though there's a lack of storage space so clearing that would help.
Personally I would not want to live so very close to the sea, with the likelihood of storms and severe bad weather being so unpredictable nowadays.
Sorry about your reasons for moving. I hope you find a buyer soon and it works out for your family.

It does look crammed in.

Honestly though if there were no annual fees, I'd snap your hand off at that to retire to!

The pictures scream no storage (pile of clothes in the living room, pile on the dining table and the ironing board).
The driveway looks unfinished.
No one is going to pay you more than you bought it for such a short time ago.

I think your first photo is misleading as it looks like the garage on the left belongs to you and it's only when you look through and see the other pictures that it's clear it doesn't.

The house is very bland - yes there is a blank canvas but some pictures - especially 7 of the bathroom are just entirely white. No artwork or anything on any of the walls, white bedding. It looks clinical and unloved. No blinds at the bathroom windows. Bare bulb over the dining room table which is cluttered with stuff.

You are fighting an uphill battle to try to sell this property so soon after you have bought as a new build, and you are going to have to try super hard to make it look as appealing as possible. There is a LOT you could do relatively cheaply like buy a couple of cheap, brightly coloured roller blinds for the bathrooms and a lampshade! Or something to brighten up the plain white walls.

Where are you seeing the annual fees? It says freehold unless I've missed something?

OP's post an hour ago

Having had a parent with dementia, this is spot on. In fact, when my dad talked about "home" he didn't mean his current house, or the house me and my sibling grew up in, or the first flat he had with my mum, he meant his childhood home with his parents.

The only reason to sell in this situation is to move to be closer to other familly members who can share the burden of caring for someone with dementia.

Yes I've paid £218 for the year for the estate fee.

I've assumed that's not just a one off.

To me the house has a weird layout and weirdly shaped room with the doors angled in the corners.

Also, the floorplans dont match the house. They seem to be a mirror image of your layout.

You must see the issue though?

People will be wondering what is wrong with the house that it would be back on the market 6 months after being built.

I would try to convince your mum to stay at least a year before trying to sell the house as this is likely to affect how much you can get for it.

The pictures do t really do it any favours you shouldn’t be presenting a house with piles of clothes, stuff pile on table kitchen door missing it looks like you couldn’t be bothered. A lot of estate agents are now presenting with a virtual tour rather than pictures. I would be taking everything back to bare minimum not excess furnishings no clutter and ask for new pictures.

Are there still similar brand new houses for sale on the site? I agree with all the folk saying it's suspicious you are moving so quickly even though you might have good reasons. I'd expect to get the house at a substantial discount not more than you paid for it.

That's a blunt way of putting it, but yes. There's no such thing as 'the price this will go at'. We had a similar claim by our agent last time we moved and had to make a big reduction before we started getting offers. Expecting the value of any house to go up a few percent in a 5 months is optimistic, let alone a new build.

I appreciate you want to sell Op, and there are lots of feedback / comments that will help you.
But patience ! I have sold many houses over the years in good times and not so good, but 4 weeks is no time at all, really. Give it a few weeks before you start reducing prices/ start to worry.
( I am also shocked you have to pay an estate fee as well that is something I didn’t know about new build these days!)