Why isn't this house selling?

[Ftb09i7]

It's been on the market since Sept 2024, firstly on the open market with an asking price of 207.5k, then in a tradition auction. It hasn't sold with a guide of 155k in 2 consecutive auctions (July and Aug 2025). It's been vacant all this time and vendors have moved into a new build (they'd initially wanted to sell this house as a part exchange). They purchased the property for 188k (asking price 195k) in Dec 2021 after being on the market since July 2021 and having 2 offers fall through (1 after a day and the 2nd after 2 weeks). Is there something I'm missing? FTB and love the house but trying to do due diligence before taking the plunge. Grateful for your thoughts.

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/163269674#/?channel=RES_BUY

Also is that a private drive with 2 garages or a shared access area with other houses? It's not very clear (or I've missed it). Shared access down the side of my house would put me off.

Flood risk is very low - had checked myself

Round here NOTHING was selling autumn winter of last year and I watched some neighbours drop asking price by as much as £100k, but 50k at least off became a norm and they still weren't going. It's picked up again now houses are moving, but a new listing will always get more interest than an old one

Maybe there's something wrong with the house

Or maybe as it's been on so long due to the shitty market it was launched in, that people just see that as a red flag.

@KievLoverTwo I actually felt sorry for the people owning it as was a lovely place and beautifully cared for too - it made me very aware of buying anywhere backing onto fields in an urban built up area with facilities - nice as it is to have -

Small rooms, third bedroom more a box room, tacked on bit of land bottom of garden looks a bit suspicious.
Kitchen looks recently done, but tiles and flooring wouldn't be to everyone's taste. Garage looks rickety to me too.

At that price point though it's going to be that or a small flat!

I don't think anyone at that budget is going to be disappointed by the physical space they're getting in that house

It'll be something else putting people off

Like the fact it went to auction (which indicates to me there's a reason they might need cash buyers) or the length of time on market (bad luck? Or?)

I only had a quick look, and those are the things that would make me scroll on to the next house!

Not being awkward but would there even be many houses to scroll onto at that price? And not just small flats?

I would have thought that would be one of the bigger properties if you were scrolling in that budget range

The land at the back is earmarked for development according to the Local Strategy for Cottingley. So that's probably it.

Tbh, I wasn't even looking at the price.

Binley Mega Chippy is near Coventry. This is Bingley (as in ‘Bradford &’) in West Yorkshire!

Looking at the sold prices in that road the auction guide price seems a bit ambitious to me cf what #55 sold for in Jan 2024.

I guess it depends whether "guide price" = "start price".

Thanks so much for all your suggestions!

I've found 2 things: first that the land to the rear is greenbelt land but has been earmarked for development in the next 6-15 years and they've suggested provisionally this will involve 155 dwellings. The plot doesn't extend to the back of the property in question however, but one side of it. Map below. Is this likely to impact the value of the house significantly when I choose to sell on and move? The house in question is to the left of the 146m line on the map.

Second thing I found out from the legal pack is that the house is in a high radon area. How much of an issue is this and might this be putting buyers off?

Thanks again for your responses

I would run a mile from that planning proposal - noise, dust, disruption during construction. It won't be directly behind you but you'd be able to see the properties at the back of your house. Increased traffic along your road and impact on local services and facilities e.g. schools, doctors, dentist etc.

Yeah that'll do it

It's not the actual buildings for me, it's the stop start of developments and all the associated problems like dust, security, workers pissing against your border etc

@Ftb09i7 my own personal view is it’s quite cheap anyway and at that price point a development at bottom wouldn’t bother me much unless it was 250 homes plus. It’s not as if you are going to get anything leasing I would have thought at the price. My own concern at auction is can you survey or are you committed anyway?? Can you survey before? Never dealt with auctions so am no help on that!!

Radon is fine they just fit something ( I forget what )

The monitors don't do anything, they just monitor

And the more insulated your house is the higher the risk, so draughty old houses with open fires that draw, not necessarily a huge concern. Newer houses tho..

I'd also be concerned that the property is at the bottom of a hill which is about to be covered in concrete, tiles and tarmac. Where's the run-off going to go?

Yeah that would put me off. I lived opposite what was allotment site which got taken for new builds. Two years of noise and disturbance and trade vans parked nose to tail outside the house. The only respite was Saturday afternoon and Sunday!

The house doesn't have much going for it. It's very ordinary and the size of the third bedroom would be a bit off-putting. It has dropped a huge amount in value in four years which is ominous. My first impression from seeing the pic of the land is "Oh no, something will be built on that soon". So I would scroll on to look at similar courses a bit further away and wouldn't bother contacting the EA. It's nothing to do with the price, it's that stretch of land that's deterring people.

Check the neighbours, hang out for the day, ask people who live around there what it's like. And see what developments are in the pipeline.

Check the neighbours out.

The house itself looks dark, the third bedroom is really only a study, the steps up would help protect from water run off but would put off the elderly and people with a buggy. The EPC is poor but it says double glazed - check if all the windows are as that would help with the noise. A big development is going to take a couple of years and you'll still have the noise and fuss even if it's not directly behind you (yet, that may get developed later).

Get a survey done.

Going the auction route always looks desperate to the average home buyer. And I'd expect to get (I'm guessing!) at least 25% less than a reasonable open market price as consideration for the certainty of an auction sale.

" drop asking price by as much as £100k, "
Something wrong with the original valuation I think if that is happening.