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?

There is only one bathroom, the third bedroom isn’t really useable for someone older than a toddler or as an office, the kitchen looks very tight and the garden and exterior in general looks tired. Whilst you can’t do much about the first points you can about the others.
To action:
Pressure wash the patio and driveway
Add some nice planters
Tidy up the lawn
Paint the fencing

Exactly, in today"s market with purchases from the last ten years or so the challenge is breaking even, of course with a mortgage you also have to pay interest on the losses but I guess people thought the risk was worth it?

This - I wouldn’t worry about the textured wallpaper, I’d focus on a good first impression. Wash the drive and shove some plant pots on it, the bushier the better. Couple of the carpets upstairs look tired; can you get them professionally cleaned?

I don’t go for neutral decor myself, but yours looks very nice.

I deliberately haven’t read any other comments, so apologies if these are repeat observations.

I think the house is lovely. The only downsides for me would be the textured wall paper and 70’s bannister in the hall, and I think much more could be made of the outside space. Even a power hose of the flags, spray paint the rear fence, and some large pots would help.

The bedroom carpets are what they are and wouldn’t necessarily factor into my decision making.

i was amazed this is London, this seems pretty reasonable to me, but I’d guess that possibly the viewings no offers are that it all feels a bit cheap/tired? I find beige everywhere really off putting. Freshly painted is much more appealing and not mega expensive. I think the kitchen and bathrooms look nice. I like the layout. I guess I also wonder if it’s styled nice when people view? Make it feel nice, nice scents, decluttterd, high end soup. Fresh flowers, fruit etc. I once had 91 viewings before an offer…we’d made it look way better in pics than the reality I think some of which was beyond our control (think dark, views of communal bins etc)

Trying to think of easy & cheap ways to “spruce up” the front & back. In the back garden could you cut back the tree that’s by the house? Then pivot the L shaped seating so the long part along the back wall (and therefore looks out onto the garden. The move the other bench to either have the back against the fence or if not space then along the grass like? And pop a small table in the middle. It will create more cosy seating area, and remove corridor look/need to walk through the seating area to get to the garden. As others have said give the front drive a quick clean, and I hate to say repaint to grey but I think making it a colour that matches what you else is there could automatically smarten it up.

In general your house looks very good. Clean, stream line, not full of just but enough in it so looks like a home not just a house. Have you got a large picture you could but up in the sitting area off the dining room? Above that row of books? Will give it more of a focal point. And maybe you could just have the 6 clear chairs round the table. Keep one of the wooden ones in the dining room in the space next to back door and sideboard. And the other wherever it works in the rest of the house.

The market is pretty crap atm. But hopefully yours will be snapped up soon. Good luck.

If you are getting viewings but no offers it’s one of two things:

• There is something off-putting that is not clear from the listing (noisy road, third bed is smaller than picture shows, yes bus stop outside)
• The price

Tbh if it is the first then that is about price as well. A house on a noisy road will sell if it’s sufficiently cheaper than the same house on a quiet road.

Those who quibble about the third bedroom (I’ve seen this before on MN) are they living in palaces? Every three-bed semi I have ever known or lived in has a small third room over the hall. Tho yours is really quite small @Dandelionkiller. But still it’s a three bed. And you do show it with a bed in! Agree not two baths tho. But even here, a downstairs loo is good.

Overall the house looks nice inside tho I am also not a fan of the galley kitchen and I agree with comments about the outside looking tired. Could that be putting people off? The fact that it’s not the first picture suggest you know this too. Somewhere there is a mismatch. In fact the flow of the pictures is odd as it would be better to be outside-inside-upstairs. The windowless room downstairs is a very late image. Still those are all issues with the listing, ad it is getting you viewings.

Most likely tho it is a case of – reduce and sell or hang on and sell in due course – which could be years. The things you have done do not add value. No one ever added ££ to the price they were happy to pay for a house bc of a previous owner’s choice of washing machine. Used white goods are usually a freebie!

Could well be the outside. The front looks really old and scruffy compared to the inside. Same with the entrance hallway, that banister and the lumpy wallpaper is very 80s and would immediately put me off. Neither of these things are terrible in themselves but as they're the ones that create the first impression, it may be worth addressing them.

I agree with what people are saying about the garden and front. The fence panels look a mess; people won’t know which side they belong to and whether they can replace them etc etc and it can be off putting. The third bedroom looks far too small to be a bedroom and the two workstations (one upstairs and one down) basically make it look as if there isn’t enough room for 2 adults and one child if someone works from home. That’s all staging. And the stairs wallpaper looks like hard work to remove.
But your estate agents are really letting you down with the ‘full description’. It’s shit. I like it to go through room by room, detailing dimensions, storage etc. Why haven’t they done that? A lot of people can’t ‘see’ past what is in front of them when they visit a house, and your estate agents aren’t helping them ‘pre vision’ at all. Even the ‘well presented’ is mediocre.
Can you be there during viewings (or at least a viewing) to see if the estate agent is actually helping to sell or literally just opening the door and saying ‘here it is’?

Looking lovely.
Crap housing market right now

I do one day a week in an agency, nothing is selling...only cheap flats....interest rates are predicted to rise again and keep rising, people are nervous. We have a few houses on the books that have no interest at around 650k and few years ago these would have gone fast for over 750k.

Also the attached full brochure still has the old price on

Do people not look at the street view when they are thinking about a house?

There was a house near me I felt really sorry for them because the street view showed two massive lorries struggling to pass each other which is the sort of thing you would like to hide from potential buyers but was fairly typical of what it would be like to live on that road

I think a new front door would work wonders tbh!

Though you’d think people would look at the layout first to see that the third bedroom really can’t function as one- maybe they don’t realise until they’re in the space? I agree with power washing the back and front pavers.
Other that that it’s a buyers market and it cines fíen to price. I had a flat in fur a year and with two price reductions it was shifting. I think I missed the market by about three months as the flat above sold just before for what I finally reduced my flat to and it had one bedroom (mine has two). I can afford to wait as it’s an investment property I let out. Yes I’m a landlord and the result was I had to increase the tenant’s rent for the first time in seven years but all my expenses had gone up. She was happy though! She knows she’s got a bargain.

Its the layout downstairs for me, the kitchen is now a gallery kitchen and then you have all that sapce for the dining table under utilised and a second reception room thst isnt really necessary as I would prefer a bigger kitchen.

Not much you can do now but definitely jetwash the patio, paint the fences so its one colour at least, remove those wooden chairs behind the outdoor sofa needs to look more of a lovely space to sit in.

I would personally just out the 3rd bedroom as the office tske your computer out of the main bedroom and put it in that small one.

I’ll apologise in advance, but here is my honest opinion which would put me off of buying the house.

1. The mismatched fence panels / general look of the fence panels in the back garden. The rest of the house seems to be to a high standard and the back garden feels a little bit left behind. Additionally, the tree at the bottom would worry me slightly. Is it yours, or the neighbours? I can’t quite tell from the photos if it’s over hanging or on your side.

2. The bathroom feels a little off, it’s very modern and then the two side lights and orange rug make it feel quite dated, for me personally it just doesn’t feel quite right.

3)The kitchen is incredibly narrow and often the heart of the home, the photos of the dining room which extend from the kitchen are not shown until well into the listing so flicking through the rest of the photos all I had in my mind was how small the kitchen looked, it could be worth putting the dining room photo with the kitchen so it is more cohesive when looking at the pictures.

4. The price. This is probably irrelevant as I know nothing about London pricing compared to up north, but when comparing this to my 3 bed semi detached it feels quite small and has a lot less garden space and I’m not sure I could justify the price.

I'd say it lacks kerb appeal for sure. But at the end of the day, it is always price. And just because the estate agent's over valued it to get your businesss, doesn't mean someone will pay that. Looking at the other property nearby that another poster put up which is cheaper, that has far more kerb appeal and is bigger. This is what you are competing against and you won't succeed.
The inside of your property is fine. It's not really my taste but it's clean and tidy and in decent condition. Adding a bit of colour might appeal to some people but it won't make them pay over the odds for it.
The problem you have, is that people who can afford to pay what you are currently asking want more for their money. If you reduce the price, you will find a sweet spot in the market where people feel it is good value.
When people say the market is difficult they mean you can't just put a huge price tag on something and it will sell because people are chasing themselves trying to get an offer in before someone else does. In the current market there are less buyers and they can be choosy. They can also take their time and look at the alternatives. But priced appropriately, anything will sell. That's the very definition of a financial market.

Click 'similar properties' and sort by price ascending, there are tens of 3 and 4 beds for much cheaper in the area, including semis with a garage, and including some places with nicer open plan kitchen extensions. And they're also not sold yet and may accept an offer under asking.

Not sure what the OPs house offers to make it worth more than them.

Then look at places nearby sold / under offer. There are places under offer that look nicer, that were on for 550k...

Living in London, but an hour from central and a good walk from the nearest station (which also is not the tube) is a more difficult sell in 2026 with WFH. Much fewer people have to do it at all, and taking a train in for 1 or 2 days a week at most means people have the option to live in naice places across about 2/3 of the country if they want.

As far as actual problems with the house; I'd only say that opening up the kitchen diner fully into a more square space, and adding a utility in the dark windowless area in the middle (on the right opposite the downstairs loo) would've made it more practical and appealing.

Front garden looks grubby - get it jet washed as no kerb appeal

Kitchen is really let down - looks very very narrow then a huge area with a table in?

Third bedroom looks very small - could be angle of the photo?

Back garden looks unkempt - needs a tidy up, pots of flowers?

I agree with you OP! Dark grey is so overdone. Personally I much prefer your green, much warmer 👍
For what it’s worth, I really like the inside of your house, it’s beautifully light, bright and warm and the work you have done is obvious. I would hazard a guess that the things some people are objecting to are the galley style kitchen and one bathroom. As you say, not much you can do about those things though.

I agree with PPs lovely house but disappointing as far as front and back gardens is concerned. They could be looking well maintained and colourful at this time of year. I'd get them both sorted and then get the outside photos redone. You're missing a trick there.

the third bedroom really can’t function as one

Honestly @Dandelionkiller I infer you use it as a bedroom. My ds1 had the small bedroom (approx 7ft x 7ft) in our three bed semi until he was 13. He was fine with it, as his siblings had to share a (bigger obvs) room. Luckily we were able to move to a four-bed (tho he still has the smallest room - again he is fine with it).

In the real world lots of people live in homes that mean DC need to share a room, or have a very small bedroom of their own. Anyone who has more than one DC will be familiar with this. Most of us in that position cannot afford to buy a house with an extra bedroom just to avoid putting a bed in the small one (and there is almost always a small bedroom, especially in modern houses).

Sold a 3 bed in March originally on for £620k sold for £500k was on market 11months . Estate Agents are not trustworthy, they can’t be in this market , it’s dead. So don’t trust what they say. It will sell for the right price for the buyer! Remember this when you are buying! Buyers in very strong position. Good luck.

I see a few people saying the description doesn't quite match, so maybe sharpen that up. Overall I think its a very nice house, its clear that there's already been a lot of work done, nice wooden floors and kitchen.. so its a move straight in house.....

I can't see that there's much point in re doing the bannisters...that would cost a lot, other than a bit of paint if you think it needs it.

I thought from the inside that you had the clutter ./decor balance OK...and it looks fresh in the pictures, but I think the front and back let the inside down as they both look drab I agree with others that a good power wash and some decent pots./planters in the front well laid out and well planted up and well cared for would really make a difference ( and you can take them with you) design wise,The ones in the front at present look drab and cluttered (sorryx)

Back garden, obvs you don't want to spend too much but I've noticed that a lot of sellers "stage" the outside sitting area, so it might be worth trawling for budget inspiration. Power wash.. and some decent pots/planting/lighting.... Maybe some shade? umbrella / or canvas sail shade? with some solar lights? (again you can take it with you) . Also.. Could you plant a few (It would be expensive to dowhole garden ) hedging plants or climbers along the fence portion nearest the seating area.. so that buyers would see how much that could change the garden if they did more planting. You can get quite realistic fake greenery panels (which you can take with you) to put in places nearest the seating area.

It's a nice house. I hope you get a good offer soon x