Help me sell my house!!

[EuroCountry]

NC for this for privacy! My house has been on the market for just over a month and has only received one low ball offer - does anyone have any tips on how to get it sold?!

House

Whilst this is a great selling point usually, unfortunately this house is on a very busy road where parking is an absolute nightmare. The park directly opposite has football pitches, an athletics club, cricket pitches and is generally very busy. That being said, it’s a well priced house near good schools and close to Bolton town centre.

Right. I thought it was strange to say that there wasn't a kitchen, when there is one! Probably the configuration.

The advice we were given by a very good estate agent is to keep everything as decluttered, impersonal & neutral as possible because potential buyers will be subconsciously working out whether their furniture and belongings will fit into the house

Decluttering gives the impression that there is sufficient storage

Making things impersonal (removing family photographs and limiting personal possessions) gives potential buyers a better chance of envisaging the house as their home

Keeping things as neutral as possible maximises the chances of potential buyers seeing how their existing furniture etc will fit in

He also told us to make sure the kitchen and bathroom were sparkling clean and said that people noticed taps in particular!

We did all this and it worked!

Viewers are always aspirational. The living room/diner doesn't look great in the photos, a bit thrown together and mismatched. Viewers like clean lines. Also get rid of any clutter, especially stuff like shopping bags. It automatically screams not enough storage.

There’s no fitted kitchen there’s a freestanding larder unit and a small worktop with a sink and massive cooker
on moving in day you’d have an empty room with one single base cupboard a sink and a worktop to put your fridge under

Only read the first page but will add: My pet hates are wires and extension plugs...hide them. The wierd picture on the bedside table? Get rid! Clean the kitchen window. Draw the curtains properly.

Looks like you have a pet..get rid of evidence! I hate the smell of dogs, not saying g your house smells but the thought would put me off viewing.

Does the third bedroom even fit a bed in?

This, mine took five months before I got a decent offer.

Well most people would want a fitted kitchen and the PP is right, there isn’t one, there are free standing things in a room but the style and layout is terrible. It’s a small room with a massive oven, the washing machine barely looks accessible and there aren’t any overhead cabinets. Is there a freezer?

The first thing I would do is put in a new kitchen and utilise the wall along the back where the huge cabinet is. I would put the washing machine over there and have it intergrated. And I would put the fridge back nearer the sink and oven.

I think the PP means, most buyers would spend 10k straight away on a new kitchen, and that is a big layout after buying a house.

It gives off student /shared house vibes . Messy and not looked after .
If I looked at this house I would be very concerned about any hidden costs to put things right .

You can get an idea of the lovely view through that empty room's window.

It looks quite cold too to be honest. Needs to look warmer.

I don't think that matters. looking on to a busy or quiet park is an asset.
Many people aren't concerned by busy roads, they like the access they provide. It actually surprises me how quickly houses on really busy roads sell as I drive around. Parking - it looks like you have parking at the front of your house. If I'm correct then that is an asset too.

I knew someone who moved house several times. Her advice to me when selling was that:

1. The price. Anything will sell at the right price.
2. People want to see a show home. ...
3. Removing clutter. Including putting appliances like toasters into cupboards. Tooth brushes, shampoo bottles bleach bottles etc put them away so they can imagine their lives there, not someone else's. (Even put things into boxes and stick in your car if you don't have the cupboard space for both photos and viewings.
4. Stage your house.. iron that lovely tablecloth etc... tiny, adjustments that are free but help improve the aesthetic. Maybe remove the extra chair and coffee table (?) to create space or stage the coffee table. See how a blind could be added the the one bare window. Paint the pink skirting white. I love pink but not everyone does.
5. Fresh flowers, open windows.
6. Basically it is removing the feel that someone else's family lives there. They need to mentally imagine what will work for them which is better with a blank canvass.
7. If you look at each of those photos as if it is someone else's house, mentally see what can be removed to create space.

Wishing you all the best. I found moving house incredibly stressful but took the advice and it did sell.

It looks tiny. Too many sofas/chairs in the lounge, how do you even open the dishwasher door? Agree messy bags and clutter makes it look like there is no storage. And no proper shower.

It looks like it needs quite a bit of money spent on it

There is literally one single cupboard and barely any worktop space, so I think that’s what people are referring to.

I'd move sofa from the lounge to the large hallway as a seat area for putting shoes on etc
The lounge is very cluttered and looks quite suffocating.
But...
It's the price.
It's always the price 🤷‍♀️

Sorry but I’m not surprised it’s looks untidy! Declutter, make beds and make the 3rd bedroom with look like a room or turn it into an office, then ask the agent to do fresh photos! The astroturf is a turn off for a lot of people! It’s a good sized house but the picture alone would put me off viewing.

It's only 710 square feet. That's not a good size for a 3-bed house.

The other issue with this particular park is that it’s constantly being used by Travellers which causes lots of problems for the residents. I know this road very well and have friends that live there. The weekends are worse than mid week because of all the sports that take place. My friend can often not get on or off her drive because of the terrible parking.

As everyone else has already said, declutter, tidy, sort your curtains out, remove sofa throws, remove evidence of dogs (dog bowl in bedroom, throws, scruffy looking dog toy on the day bed). I know you've said your carpet downstairs is clean, but it doesn't look it in the photos and the rugs under the table looks like it might be hiding something. Move the daybed into the empty room and dress it nicely. New bedding, keep it just for the photos and viewings. Jetwash the drive. Maybe get some spring plants in those empty planters.

Think about how a showhouse is staged for sale. That's the look you need to try to achieve. Neutral, aspirational, ready to move into. It needs to look like that for the photos and every viewing.

Curios on these threads - when people say "get new pictures done", do estate agents actually willingly do that? I can't imagine any agent happily getting a full set of pictures re-done - not for free anyway. They'd have to pay for the photographers time.

For me the issue would be the kitchen. It seems very oddly proportioned with very little workspace. As the cooker is in the description I'm assuming you're leaving that there? I would personally hate that and see it as a ball ache to deal with and then have to pay to get the kitchen redone so it flow better.

The astro turf wouldn't be a deal breaker for me and as it's a 3 bed home, it should appeal to families - lot's of whom would appreciate the astro turf. You can't please everyone, but I see gardens as long term projects. If someone wants to get rid of the astro turf, that's something that can be done over time, it's not a "problem" like the kitchen is - in my mind anyway.

If on the off-chance you do get more photos taken, I'd think removing the small sofa out of the living room (I know that's hassle) would help make that space look much bigger. Or maybe get rid of the coffee table and arm chair for the sake of photos.

That maybe an error,

Is it? That's a strong negative, then.

I'm hoping so, but if it is, that definitely needs to be fixed.

Yes likely to have to pay a couple of hundred quid but worth it when it’s like this.