How can we sell when buyers keep raising the same issues?

[E2026]

We originally listed our 2-bed terraced property in September 2025. It is priced in line with other properties and we are located in the East Midlands it was put up for 180k. We were happy with the photos and not had any issues with the Estate Agent.

We had an offer November 2025 but our buyer pulled out last minute just before a completion date was set due to personal reasons.

We relisted the property April and have had 6 viewings in 4 weeks. Our house needed renovated when buying it 5 years ago and we did all the work straight away so we have had all new flooring , a new kitchen, replaced the boiler, new front door , a few bits done in the bathroom (but it is getting tired , it’s a 3 piece white suite though) it isn’t perfect but it’s a lot better then it was and looks relatively modern now.

When we originally had a buyer we had an offer accepted on a property and all the paperwork was completed the same as ours. The seller is happy to wait for us to find a new buyer but didn’t say how long for… we also wanted to move before September as we need to move our daughter schools.

the problem is a lot of our feedback is the same negative points and we don’t know what else to do know to sell again.

the same points are normally

• Access issues - to access our house u drive uphill to a shared drive way, there are 5 garages and 3 visitor parking spaces. The houses are located directly behind. It is not suitable if you have mobility issues.

• The gardens - back gardens to small , front has no privacy (all the neighbours use their front ones, but ours is just grass and pathed)

• The parking - because there are 3 visitor spaces it is tight to get your car into the garages but several neighbours do.

We don’t know what else to do at the point because these are things we can’t change. We bought the house because we could afford it at reduced price due to it needing work so these issues were okay to compromise on to get in the property ladder at the time. We have dropped the price now from 180k to 170-180 guide price. Any advice welcome because I don’t know what else to do at the point.

So depressing when a house doesn't sell OP, you have my sympathy. It looks nice inside. I think it's a buyer's market at the moment. BIL is currently looking nearish to us at present for what you are selling and at the 180-210k price range and there are so many to choose from. He looked at five houses this weekend and he won't be offering the asking price, especially as he is a cash buyer. Three of the five he looked at are ex rental properties as small landlords seem to be selling up. These houses have minimal work needed and no chain. As you've said, I think that the only thing to do if you need a sale is to drop the price.

The main issue is that you’re not seemingly willing to accept that the renovations you’ve done don’t matter. Unless you’re fundamentally changing the fabric of the house (I.e. an extension), you won’t add value to the house.

This all day long. What you've done is brought it up to a nice but basic standard. People won't pay loads more for the fact it's no longer a dump. It still has the fundamental problems that it had when you bought it and it always will have, because as you say they're not fixable. So I'd see the money you spent on it as what you paid for yourself to make it liveable there, not as investment to regain. You will find a buyer when it's a bargain, as it was for you, but you can't price it in alignment with other 2 bed terraces that don't have these big ballache issues. Put it on for 150k and get it sold before you neighbours make it so much harder.

I clicked on your title expecting to advise you to change the things you can change, even if you can't solve every issue.

But in your case, there doesn't seem to be anything you can change apart from the price. Sorry!

Edited to say, the house looks lovely. If you get the price right for the current depressed market, I'm sure it will sell.

Yeah thats fair to be honest im gonna drop the price.

The dog thing could be potentially even more than that, because even if there's no dogs living either side now that could change any time. So people who don't have a dog, or only have a tiny one, might still be put off by the fact that a decent sized dog could obviously jump it. I know you can always put your own fence in, but if I were going to pay 50k more than the 2021 price I'd expect to move into something that needed no work whatsoever.

What figure are you thinking?

Drop the price , if it has unwanted features then needs a drop in price . Unfortunately you probably overspend a bit so won’t get much profit

I don’t like guide price. Pick a price.
The front garden with the mismatched fences. Your eye immediately is drawn to grey in right - why are posts so high? Was it initially higher. Left brown is broken and fallen down. I assumed it’s steep steps at bottom to garages?
Pic 12 back garden. Is it communal? It’s not clear at all what usable outside space. It looks overgrown and uneven slabs. Where do you sit outside?
People are very wary with shared spaces and access (potentially neighbour disputes)
It’s clean and bright inside but nothing nice. Bathroom would look better with colourful towels etc. kitchen is fine but eye drawn to washer and chopping board - you could have a few nicer accessories.

I’m not in a position to buy but have been watching a bungalow in west Northampton on RM. It started at £280k last year. It’s now offers over £230k and still sitting there. It’s a comparatively small two bed with a small garden, it would suit me down to the ground but buyers aren’t taking it up, because in my limited experience, the price is still too high.

I sold a flat last year in London at auction for £220k. I had to settle a divorce. There were a lot of problems with it. Ex was huffy because he had the idea it was worth £400k. Well the lease was ridiculously short for a start, so was unmortgagable. But I found out the hard way that the days of two bed flats going for £400k are long gone. It’s a buyer’s market, and they are choosy.

The last house we bought had been on the market 18 months, and was empty. When we went to view, the estate agent wrinkled her nose and said ‘brace yourself’; while trying to persuade us to look at another house they had for sale down the road instead (she’d brought the keys just in case!). It was basically too much work for most people. We were ‘that buyer’. You’ll get yours.

So if your house had been in a good state in 2021 it likely would have sold for £140k? A 20% increase on £140k is £168k, so £170k is roughly expected. But is your house exactly the same? You say that your front garden has a problem with privacy whilst others are nicer, so maybe yours wouldn't have sold for more than £130k in which case £155 - £160k may be a more expected price for your property.. if you need to move for schools you may just have to take the hit.

The only reason is that it’s too expensive.

Forget what it should be, you are being told it’s not cheap enough to ignore the issues.

The issue is the price, but only indirectly.

When you bought it, interest rates were probably lower than now. So the cost to service the mortgage would have made the price more acceptable than now.

Meantime income for many people hasn't changed and/or their outgoings have risen.

Have a look at what the monthly cost would be to you if you were now a first time buyer - does that seem affordable and reasonable to you? Would you pay that?

What's with the guide price? Just put it on at £170,000 if that's what you want and then still be prepared to take an offer.

Ultimately, you might get someone who isn't bothered about the issues you have mentioned if you wait. If you want a quick sale, you may need to drop the price further.

I know you gave the example that your neighbours property has a blue bathroom and your has a white one but is tired (and so presumably may need replacing although could manage for a bit). The cost to them to replace is the same though if that is what they intend to do, regardless of the colour they are ripping out.

Drop the price if you want it to sell quickly and don't put offers over, guide price or anything else that doesn't make it clear what the price actually is. Just put a price - or be prepared to wait for the right buyer.

You have to price to sell .
Mine sold to the first person viewing
But it was priced to be competitive,it was less than neighboring houses .
You either want to sell ,or you don't

I would definitely fence off the front with a gate across the path. Paint all the fences the same colour and put out garden furniture and pots. People will have some negative feelings when they approach (uphill, garages in your face, limited parking) so an inviting front garden might mitigate that somewhat. The inside is fresh and bright. Do you have a private back garden? Tidy/pretty up and more photos perhaps? Ditch picture 15! Who wants to see that! Hope you have some luck soon.

I think the 20% on top of what you paid, so £150k, that’s been mentioned, sounds more realistic.

It’s a fairly modern house so people won’t be prepared to pay £45k more than you did, as there’s only so much work you could have done to that property.

Bah there’s nothing you can do about any of that! I had a woman come view my house THREE times but kept saying the garden faced north so wasn’t suitable. Well that’s not going to change! Another house it was because of the road being busy - well duh if it wasn’t on that road it would be considerably more! And it was the main road into the town. It was like going to view a house on the A3 (of course my house was a small town not a major city) and then being surprised that there was road noise!
Price. That’s the only thing you can change.

Might be worth asking David James to take out the bit about it being perfect for those downsizing and wanting an easy homr giving the access issues.

I wosh you luck OP. Used to live just down the road from you, and bought/sold that house with DJ and hope for your sake that they have improved in the last 20yrs!

Yeah I was looking at the listing waiting to see what market worth £170k! I’d say £140-150 is more realistic

It is a pleasant but unremarkable house inside and while it is nice you have made it more liveable in, it isn't the kind of quality improvement that someone is going to pay a lot for. Some nice towels or a fence or a selection of small bushes is not going to make any difference. No-one buys an awkward house because the towels are nice. The house has setbacks that you were willing to overlook for the price. You need a buyer who is in the position you were in. If I were you, I would consider 150k-ish (but obviously take advice from those who know the area first).

24months ago my mums was listed for offers in excess of 550k that was based on 4 estate agents coming over and we didnt go with the highest.... it ended up selling at auction 18 months after listing for 225k!! Bearing in mind hers was the biggest detached on street in the nice area of cardiff with garage 5 bedrooms etc... literally couldnt get a 3 bed in rough area for that!. But no one was paying even when price was dropped over the 12 months to 300k... a developer bought it and has ripped out all old bathrooms and turned it into 2houses and has each one listed for 750k! One of which has had offer! As people say its heart breaking but it really is only.worth what someone will pay and they need to look at costs.

Point to add half the house someone paid more than what I had listed the entire house for and even with work inside new bathroom kitchen flooring etc as it was dated wouldnt have been 750 so people look as though they dont want to do a lot of work imo unless its sold cheap to someone who flips them if that makes sense

What a shame if the back garden is unusable due to noise.

I think I have found the listing & if it's the one with the neighbour's washing out in the front I wouldn't view at all.