No offers after months on the market, are we house blind?

[Dandelionkiller]

Been on the market for a few months now, loads of viewings but no offers! I honestly can’t see the problem and I’m worried I’m house blind at this point.

this is the listing: https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/88856211

i honestly don’t think it’s the price. There are unextended, unrenovated houses on for £20k less the next road over.

it’s also a fair price - we paid 550k in 2017, based on inflation it would be 750k now but that just isn’t supported by the area.

weve done lots to maintain it in that time - new boiler, washing machine, dishwasher, fridge. We replaced the laminate floors downstairs with wood. We changed the purple vinyl bathrooms to nice tile. It was meant to be our forever home so none of this was to make a profit.

bits I know are of; we’re a bus ride away from a train station, but I think this is reflected in the price. The carpets upstairs need to be replaced - this was the case when we moved in but we kept putting it off as we were planning a loft conversion.

tbe feedback has been perplexing - one viewer said we’d made the house too traditional and they would have to redo the kitchen / bathrooms to modernise, but I think they are pretty neutral?

what can I do? Is the market just a bit rubbish at the moment?

Just to add, I’ve asked the agents to be extremely blunt with me, I was worried there was a smell or something - the only bits of feedback there are it looks ‘lived in’ and to tidy the garden more, I‘be booked the garden but I feel like we already aren’t too bad for clutter?

Oh and please don’t worry about being blunt! I’d rather get this place sold than feel good about it but not manage to move. Neighbours are really nice as well, young families or retirees.

Your home looks very neutral, which seems to be recommended but can come off as cold.

If you’re getting viewings but no offers then something isn’t matching up in the buyers expectations when they see it in person compared to the photos.

My first thought was that the third bedroom is tiny, so if I wanted a 3 bed that’s not what I would see your home as being.

Condition is hard to tell from photos, it looks nice but maybe it is a little tired in person? Could anything quick and easy be repainted to make it fresh?

Other than that, it is a tough market right now.

I think it looks well presented internally - not cluttered and photos are fine
the outside front and back looks tired tho - fence looks old and mismatched and not much kerb appeal; metal gate with the wood behind looks old fashioned but that’s being picky
only one bathroom is off putting in a family home
it will inevitably be the price

The market is rubbish for sellers at the moment. There are houses near us that have been on the market for over a year, reduced several times and aren’t selling.

It always comes down to price ultimately. I noticed the carpet upstairs, the third bedroom is small and the garden looks a bit bare. I think it’s a house that would probably have sold easily in previous years. I disagree that the kitchen and bathroom need replacing too.

If you really want or need to move, the price will be the deciding factor.

Get the paving front and rear power washed, it looks grubby and gives a ‘down at heel’ first impression (sorry, that sounds really blunt, but I think it would make a big difference, without spending mega money).
Also, the textured wallpaper and style of banister in the hallway make it seem a bit dated.

It's nice bit nothing exciting. I think some areas are small and some are made to look smaller (big sofa in the living room and a tiny kitchen cooking area, the third bedroom).

It's not a big house so I think you need to give the illusion of more space, and make it look more inviting (the garden).

The market is brutal though so it may well be the price.

The front looks a bit unloved. Can you pressure wash the drive to brighten it up and plant some really nice planters. Ditto the back garden.
Other than that, the agent should be advising you on price as that has to be the main sticking point.

The market is slowly correcting, think of it like this. If you put your property on the market tomorrow for £1 would it sell? If the answers yes, then your most likely priced to high right now against the current market expectations. Just because other properties in worse condition are listed slightly lower, if there not selling either then can't really base your expectations on there prices.
You have a choice hang on at your current valuation and hope that at some point someone bites, maybe a week, maybe 2 years. Or you reconsider the price to make it more enticing for perspective buyers

I would say that yes there are some issues but they are minor and anyone with an ounce of vision could rectify them.

The front looks quite dated (e.g. the lamps in the window from the front look ugly and like an old person's house).

The fencing all needs replacing so I suppose that's 15k of work in London? Absolutely nothing nice in the front garden - what about some pots of olives/bay?

It's minor stuff. It's probably the price.

It’s not really 3 bed 2 bath. It’s 2 bed with a box room and a downstairs loo. House prices don’t track to inflation and lots of people don’t like “offers over”. The front room is lovely but the rest of the house feels quite sterile and the things you say you have done don’t add this sort of value: washing machine?!

It’s the price.

I like your taste, but the layout would put me off. All the main activity of cooking and prepping food takes place in a cramped dark corridor, while there is a huge area of open plan which could have been used, so whoever is cooking has space, light and can socialise. Given how massive the garden is, I would want to extend out further, turn the galley kitchen area into a utility and create a bigger kitchen diner in the second living room and open plan area.

Also the third bedroom is minute. I know that's true of all those houses but it would put me off.

It might be worth putting a small single bed in the boxroom (if you can) so that people can see that it is possible to have it as a single room?

It’s nice. But the front lacks kerb appeal. I think I’d be put off by that.
the third bedroom is tiny so it’s not likely to appeal to people needing 3 bedrooms.

It looks great op. Compared to similar properties for sale in your local area yours has the narrowest kitchen and smallest 3rd bedroom. Also the big desk in the master bedroom highlights the lack of office space.

The others either have a garage to the side, a conservatory or a loft room which means yours is probably the smallest. There's a terraced house for £50k less which looks more spacious too. If I were looking at yours to buy I'd be thinking it needs a loft conversion or a garden room adding which would be costly. I think you may need to drop the price a bit to sell or pay someone to build a garden room or conservatory and create an office or playroom.

It's a nice house and agree the price isn't crazy. I wonder if it's what Blackheath buyers are looking for or if it's bit far from that, closer to Kidbrooke and a fair trek to transport as you say. These are all compromises people make, but less so when the market is as tough as it is right now. Same with the small 3rd bedroom and the galley-ish kitchen - know it opens out with the extension, but it's still something people have an issue with. I think Blackheath buyers can be aspirational about such things, whereas this is a good solid home for the right family coming up from less nice spots. Not a lot you can do presentation-wise as it's not offensive in anyway. You might need to budge on price if you need to sell.

I think it’s lovely inside and a great location near Greenwich Park. As others have said, it’s the front that lets me down. It just looks a bit bleak (but then I’m in to more greenery and not a huge fan of this semi-detached style of home).

The pictures are in a funny order going from downstairs to up to downstairs, that makes it harder to get a feel. The front looks a bit tired.

All the main activity of cooking and prepping food takes place in a cramped dark corridor, while there is a huge area of open plan which could have been used, so whoever is cooking has space, light and can socialise.

Also this. What a strange thing to do.

Absolutely this / make sure people see it’s a bedroom

It's a lovely house, and actually a great price for the area in my opinion.

It is really a 2 bed house though with an office room.

I think the market is just crap at the moment. A lot of things that would put me off as a buyer (lack of curb appeal, bus stop right outside, tiny 3rd bedroom) you can't really do anything about.

Why are you moving?

It also has absolutely no storage space. Where do you keep a hoover?!

The thing that struck me is the front too. It looks a bit unloved. Power wash the paving and just zhuzh it up a bit.

As pp said get front and back paving stones powerwashed as those areas do look a bit scruffy. Buy some some small trees in pots you can take with you but will make the front and back look a bit cosier. Apart from that it's a nice house so assume it must be the price.

It's got a bed in it.

But, the photos aren't the problem if they're getting views, it's something mismatched when they get there. Or needs more work than people thought.

For me, it's the galley kitchen and second living room - feels pointless. I'd make all the back an open kitchen, diner, day room. Leave the front room as a snug.

I probably wouldn't go and view for this reason, but I might to see if I thought it was worth doing all that work. If it isn't (small third bedroom, no second bathroom, etc, being more of an issue than first obvious) then I'd not be interested.