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?

Yes, the media are desperately trying to play it down but higher interest rates and more expensive mortgages are coming.

It's less about the house I think. You're getting viewings that aren't converting to an offer. Putting it on at offers over means they won't try to negotiate if they think it's not worth that price.

One thing no one has mentioned is to ask if you are present for viewings?

We once looked at a lovely house and BBC the elderly owners were there when we were showed round.

They were very sweet but told us why they were moving. For example the local bus had become less frequent and unreliable, there were steps to the outside and the kitchen needed doing.

All things were were concerned about but I'm sure the agent would have been less open about them.

They confirmed to us why we shouldn't buy it!

Are you showing people round?
Sorry, you did say be blunt.

You’ll have to drop the price. No need to spend any money, I consider the house to be a 2 bed. I’d be put off by only one bathroom. Move the work desk out of the bedroom into the box room to create a study. To make it appeal to home workers.

Sorry. Ignore BBC

In fairness, that works out at less than 2.5% per year.

Just to add. Can you suss out what the planning permission is likely to be for a loft conversion or kitchen extension - because that is something that could be a selling point. and might appeal to people looking for more space. My neighbour actually got an architect to design a loft extension and applied for permission to help sell his 3 bed.. and the new people went ahead and did it.

Or you may not need to do that, looking at your road and seeing how many others have done it already would give you a good idea.

We did our loft first... and the kitchen extension a few years later as that was easier to get.

zero kerb appeal - I would probably just drive past. The back garden needs serious attention - it’s a rough piece of grass . Where are the shrubs and flowers - make it an attractive place to be.

Definitely power wash the front, it really isn't appealing and lets the house down.
Painting that fence and improving the garden with pots you can take with you.

Expecting 100k more than you paid in 2017 is a bit steep in the current market (I understand that is less than inflation). Sorry. It's just rubbish at the moment.

Our place in SE England is on the market for the same price paid for it 10 years ago (not even adjusted for inflation at all). It's all in good condition and has had work done to improve it. We've had two viewings in over a month.

It's rotten.

Echoing others that the back garden is letting you down. I see you're planning to jet wash, I would additionally reposition your seating, get a couple of big cheap pots to put either side of the furniture, even if you put ferns or yukka plants in them it will look a bit more loved. Definitely repaint the fencing a uniform colour, you'll be surprised how much that improves things on its own
Personally I would move the office to the front reception room, it will give that space more of a purpose, and agree with sorting the small room to look more like a usable bedroom.
I do think the galley kitchen is probably putting people off. While you can't fundamentally change anything now, could you dress the units by the patio doors to suggest more kitchen? Have you got a coffee machine and some nice mugs you can put there for example ?
Wishing you the best of luck with achieving a sale in the not too distant future 🤞

So what?

I can afford less per month than I could back in 2017, horrifically enough, and Im far from being alone. CoL has risen, and salaries have not been rising with inflation in all sectors.

The garden isn't fine and really lets the house down; in my opinion it will be off-putting for people who don't know anything about gardening, who will assume that it's going to be expensive and time consuming to improve.

For me it’s kerb appeal. Love the inside, the outside shocked me in comparison.

Get nice large planters and fill them with geraniums, all in one colour, they look lovely and pretty easy to look after, water them and dead head them regularly and they’ll keep coming back

I think it’s a lovely house. The third bedroom size is very normal in that style of house, and that wouldn’t put me off. I also think the galley kitchen element is also fine. I much prefer it that way rather than having all the kitchen completely exposed to the living areas. The bathroom and kitchen are nice. I do think the description of it having two bathrooms is misleading, though. It’s the garden and front area that let it down. The garden is huge but lacks plants and the front looks scruffy and also needs plants

I love what you have done with your home. There are a few things that jump out at me…
The front of the house is very uninviting. Needs a pressure wash and a planter either side of the front door. Artificial ones from B&Q or similar would be fine.

Kitchen is beautiful but deal breaker for me being a galley. Maybe the estate agent can tell potential buyers they could knock through to the seating area.

Front room feels cramped from the photos. Sofa too big? Maybe declutter the shelves in there,

Could your daughter move to the other double and utilise her room as the office space. Don’t like the office in the bedroom set up.

And obviously you know the back garden needs sorting desperately. Good pressure wash and tidy up.

Good luck 🤞

the inside and the outside don't match. Do something at the front, like nicer pots and jet wash whatever you can.
Inside is lovely

Good advice!

yeah the offers over thing is a bit annoying. Moving is stressful enough without knowing you are entering a bidding war.

Presumably the other house is still on the market is because of the downturn. Your house won't sell until you reduce the price, no amount of pot plants, painting fences or hosing the driveway is going to change that. Your house is nice, the pictures are fine, price in this market is the issue.

When pricing a house you have to account for interest rates not inflation, general inflation, if it is high, just makes it harder for buyers to buy property, they will want proper price reductions when inflation/interest rates are higher.

There won"t be a bidding war in this market.

Your house is lovely, the market is a killer. Do you know what you're up against?

I'm sorry but this one is bigger and also nice, I know nothing about the areas though

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/89729583#/?channel=RES_BUY

I think the house looks gorgeous on the inside but the outside doesn't reflect that at all. It wouldn't bother me actually but for some people 'kerb appeal' is a deal breaker (my DH is like this - he wouldn't go for your house because of how it looks from the outside, yet would love the inside - I don't get it either!) Jet wash the drive and add some more planters that are colourful and make sure they are very much alive! Dead looking plants give off bad vibes.

Galley kitchen would put me off a little but it opens out into that lovely space - there's not much you can do about that but I imagine it will put some people off. I'd probably take away the desk in the dining room and just take the lap top out onto the table when you needed to use it.

Main problem is the garden I think. I can imagine people thinking it will cost a fortune to landscape it, get new fences etc and make it a nice place to relax. 100% jet wash the patio, get some bit old pots with plants and flowers and add some bright cushions to the outside sofas. I'd probably even dig out some borders and add some plants too. You can probably get some quite cheaply now as we're in mid summer. It'll take time and effort but shouldn't cost a lot and could make all the difference and make sure all the hedges and trees etc are all cut right back. Perhaps even add in a few garden play things (we got some recently from our recycling centre for our DGS for just a few pounds - you can also look here for pots and garden stuff too if you have one near you) to make it look like a good place for kids to play without it looking like a playground. You need to give some people ideas on the lifestyle they could have there as not all are able to visualise.

It's a beautiful house though. I think eight/ten years ago it would have been snapped up but the market has been very strange over the past few years. Good luck!!