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Property/DIY

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House not getting interest

270 replies

sausagetheorangecat · 09/07/2026 22:08

Friend’s house for sale, she’s said she’s had 8 viewers in 2-3 weeks but no interest at all. ‘Nice but not for us’ generally being said.
any advice/opinions why?
price is correct as per area (affluent) and from different estate agents.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/89691198#/?channel=RES_BUY

Check out this 3 bedroom semi-detached house for sale on Rightmove

3 bedroom semi-detached house for sale in Barnston Road, Heswall, Wirral, CH60 for £400,000. Marketed by Hewitt Adams Ltd, Heswall

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/89691198#/?channel=RES_BUY

OP posts:
myrtleberry · 10/07/2026 07:42

There's a very large tree to the front right of the house in a neighbour's garden. You can see it on streetview and also in picture 1 where it's shading the drive. Picture 14 shows this tree from the back garden.

Tortephant · 10/07/2026 07:52

I haven’t read all the comments so sorry if I mention things you or others have mentioned already.

Great she is getting viewings, on that basis the photos and details are doing their job.

You know the property, why do you think people aren’t offering?

I don’t know the area so won’t comment at all on price but it’s possible “offers over” is stopping less confident people offering less.

that would be an easy tweak to test.

Looking at the details, I see a two bed property with lovely garden and off road parking that is being presented as “ready to move into” but for me needs decorating right through, and carpet /flooring is expensive. So I’m either adding that to or taking it off the price so it works for me. not superficial expense, what I categorise as capital expense (the big things).

it doesn’t feel coherent. By that there is the lovely old hall floor, then the stair carpet is completely the wrong tone to sit next to it, that space feels clunky rather than beautiful.
the kitchen living space then has two disjointed floors that don’t sit comfortably with each other and look cheap, particularly when viewed next to the hall. The walls throughout are all the wrong colour for the carpets, you can warm up grey, make it look less grey and take the coldness out of a room with good colour, I’m certainly not suggesting grey walls, just colours that work with not against the flooring.

shower/.bath not difficult to update. Quick and easy would be new shower head. Full bathroom 5-7k.

the biggest point is really it’s a two bed. That wont work for a family, and most likely the reason your friend is wanting to move.

DrySherry · 10/07/2026 07:52

Aluna · 10/07/2026 07:21

The house is fine, the market is crazy slow and it’s the summer. 2-3 weeks is nothing in the current market. The main take home is that they’ve had 8 viewings which is good.

You don’t drop the price after 3 weeks. The only thing they need to do is delete “offers over”.

Agree with you about deleting offers over. I think that is off putting as it suggests to buyers the seller isn't open to the market rate - but has a minimum fixed figure over market that they require. Fine in a hot market, not a good idea when its tough to sell.
I think three to four weeks probably is the time to start thinking about a reduction. All the "hot buyers" interested and in positions to move forward have seen it and not felt it was not good enough value to offer on. Viewings will tail off now - if its not reduced imo.

MiddleAgedDread · 10/07/2026 07:58

Take the offers over off and just list the asking price.
declutter the kitchen as there’s a lot of stuff making it seem smaller
cut back the bush that’s overhanging the living room window
id take a chair out of the living room as it looks quite cramped
no garage would be a deal breaker for me personally

Jayinthetub · 10/07/2026 08:02

I think the house looks well presented but agree with others that it’s small. The photos are taken with a very wide angle lens and I wonder if people feel like it’s very small in real life compared to how big the photos suggest it is? 8 viewings is brilliant so nobody is put off by the presentation - definitely something to do with expectation vs reality when they view.

ShanghaiDiva · 10/07/2026 08:06

I think it’s nicely presented. No Garage would be put me off and the lounge feels very small - too much furniture. I also dislike offers over.

backformoreofthesame · 10/07/2026 08:08

Plenty of viewers but no sale suggest it isn’t then photos

you say the price is probably correct ( agree get rid of offers over ) - but the third bedroom is tiny - perhaps people are looking to see if it could be a single bedroom making it a 3 bed house

guess the cot is still in use and so the vibe is “baby is fine in here but we need to move so baby gets a proper bedroom not a box room “ - reinforcing the idea this is a 2 bed at a 3 bed price

if that room could be reconfigured with a cabin bed and wardrobe it would sell easier I think

but it is a slow gently declining market and a slow time to sell

OneLimePombear · 10/07/2026 08:12

Apart from the downstairs hallway which looks a bit funny it’s nice. It must be the price, it’s always the price.

AgnesX · 10/07/2026 08:17

Small 3rd bedroom and no second bathroom for £400k? Admittedly I'm used to seeing London prices but I don't feel that the buyer would be getting a lot of bang for their buck really.

persilasper · 10/07/2026 08:21

8misskitty8 · 09/07/2026 22:48

I looked up the previous sale. Your friend changed the garage to a study and utility. Made the kitchen bigger (which it didnt need) but in the process lost a seperate room downstairs.
Its also the same kitchen and bathroom from previous owners.
Sorry, but Its the price.

Do you mean these photos? https://www.rightmove.co.uk/house-prices/details/cae33c8a-f69f-4a97-938a-f7758ecea608

I think they're from a previous attempt to sell in 2024-5 by the current owners. Same furniture, presumably some of the changes already made (but pre garage conversion).

House Price History

View house price history reproduced using Land Registry and Rightmove data.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/house-prices/details/cae33c8a-f69f-4a97-938a-f7758ecea608

Yamyamabroad · 10/07/2026 08:22

Besidemyselfwithworry · 10/07/2026 00:08

I think the open plan living room is cluttered with an extra sofa personally there’s a lot of furniture in there plus it’s maybe good to remember that if people are looking at a property like that (eg not new build) then people maybe are not all into open plan, they like separate spaces sometimes which is maybe what buyers were expecting perhaps.

The mirror in the hall way pretending to be a fake window spoils a really nicely decorated room.

Bedroom 3 is tiny and is more an office size.

I don’t know the area but looking at the last sold price I’d say they are being a bit ambitious.

My thoughts too. The kitchen looks messy, with towels, bags, etc hanging off handles and everything packed in to the room. Try and streamline that a bit. The hall is spoilt by the mirror, it needs a normal mirror or a painting. At first glance, it looked like some kind of a lean to.
Other than that, the market has tanked

garlictwist · 10/07/2026 08:26

I think it's nice and very well presented. The garden is great. I am not a fan of the open plan downstairs but I expect I am in a minority in that.

hididdlyho · 10/07/2026 08:28

How quickly does your friend need to sell? I agree the offers over is possibly putting some people off making even a low offer or booking to view in the first place. There's a house I've shortlisted to potentially view (if it's still available once I've sold) but it's an offers over and my offer would be much lower. I think buyers are being more cautious at the moment. Unless you're living on an extremely sought after street where houses rarely come on the market, houses are no longer getting snapped up within days of going on the market.

I wouldn't go to the effort of stripping wallpaper and repainting etc, someone will come along and either like it or want to redecorate themselves. 8 viewers in 3 weeks sounds strong for the current climate, so I think it's a case of waiting for the right buyer to come along. We've been on the market a month, but our house is just over half the price and more of a FTB house; we've had 20 odd viewings which has translated to 4 offers/intention to buy. I'd expect the pool of buyers for your friend's property to be smaller as it looks to be an upsizer house rather than FTB.

gingermice · 10/07/2026 08:32

I have no idea if it is overpriced as I don't know the area.

But it's quite dated so I'd be looking at spending quite a lot of redoing it. And the size/position of the furniture in the living areas makes it look small and cluttered.

The main issue for me is that there is only one bathroom, and not really anywhere to add a second. I wouldn't buy it for that reason alone. My last two houses have been 3 beds, 2 bathrooms.

8misskitty8 · 10/07/2026 08:33

persilasper · 10/07/2026 08:21

Do you mean these photos? https://www.rightmove.co.uk/house-prices/details/cae33c8a-f69f-4a97-938a-f7758ecea608

I think they're from a previous attempt to sell in 2024-5 by the current owners. Same furniture, presumably some of the changes already made (but pre garage conversion).

No, zoopla has the schedule from.when they bought in 2019. It also sold in 2007.
It was listed a couple of times between those sale too.

So you can see what it looks like when OP friend bought it.

persilasper · 10/07/2026 08:35

8misskitty8 · 10/07/2026 08:33

No, zoopla has the schedule from.when they bought in 2019. It also sold in 2007.
It was listed a couple of times between those sale too.

So you can see what it looks like when OP friend bought it.

Ah Ok - could you share the link please?

Flossyknicks · 10/07/2026 08:35

Offers over annoys buyers but not sellers. Offers over doesn’t put viewers off viewing but it does help the vendor achieve the best price for their property.

I can also confirm properties are selling for over the marketed price.

It is a very good strategy when selling a property, for the seller, who is the client.

XVGN · 10/07/2026 08:42

Area360 advises that it is a high noise location so I wouldn't consider it. Perhaps some of the viewers were not aware until they viewed.

Properties are still selling so this will too if the price is right. Remove the offers over tag - the market sets the price - not the vendor or EA.

fundamentallyauthentic · 10/07/2026 08:44

It’s not really a three bedder, is it? More like two and a half bedder.

Your friend is asking too much - have they really put in the work that justifies a huge 36% increase over seven years in the house price they’re now asking for?

If I was interested in a three bed semi in that area I could easily buy one for £375k or less that isn’t on a main road.

mnareshatrantee · 10/07/2026 08:44

Is the Wirral expensive? I don’t know the area. In my midlands/southern ignorance I thought housing was generally cheaper more north (I know not always!) but I’m pretty surprised a semi detached house with one bathroom could get that much, I’m in the midlands an hour from London by train and that would be at least £70,000 cheaper if not more here.

XVGN · 10/07/2026 08:49

mnareshatrantee · 10/07/2026 08:44

Is the Wirral expensive? I don’t know the area. In my midlands/southern ignorance I thought housing was generally cheaper more north (I know not always!) but I’m pretty surprised a semi detached house with one bathroom could get that much, I’m in the midlands an hour from London by train and that would be at least £70,000 cheaper if not more here.

I've mentioned before but this North South agenda being pushed by some politicians is a tired old trope. Of course the richest area is in the south and the poorest area is in the north (just!), but many areas in the north are much more expensive/desirable than many areas in the south.

justasking111 · 10/07/2026 08:53

mnareshatrantee · 10/07/2026 08:44

Is the Wirral expensive? I don’t know the area. In my midlands/southern ignorance I thought housing was generally cheaper more north (I know not always!) but I’m pretty surprised a semi detached house with one bathroom could get that much, I’m in the midlands an hour from London by train and that would be at least £70,000 cheaper if not more here.

Heswall is a very nice area which does bump prices.

mnareshatrantee · 10/07/2026 08:55

XVGN · 10/07/2026 08:49

I've mentioned before but this North South agenda being pushed by some politicians is a tired old trope. Of course the richest area is in the south and the poorest area is in the north (just!), but many areas in the north are much more expensive/desirable than many areas in the south.

I do know this, I’ve watched enough Location, Location, Location to know this, but I was surprised quite how much that house is trying to get.

I guess the key difference is you probably don’t need to travel very far, or even go to a “bad area” to get a lot more for £400,000, which will reduce your buyer base.

wishingonastar101 · 10/07/2026 08:58

Sometimes using a wide angle lens to make rooms look bigger - has the opposite effect.

MotherofPufflings · 10/07/2026 08:59

Apart from the carpets I really don't think it's dated, interesting that people think that. I'd say it's very "Instagram-traditional done in a modern style."

I think the wallpaper is a very personal taste but if she's getting viewings I'd guess that it possibly feels more cramped than the pictures show. And the busy road may well be putting people off.