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?

Why haven't the vendor's reduced the prices to sell?

Good idea; or, you want something a bit more unusual, op, you could ask ChatGTP for planting ideas.

I think kerb appeal.

Does the downstairs loo really open straight into the kitchen?

The outside areas are shocking - very unkempt. And the inside is really boring (which is not the same as neutral). It would be very hard for anyone to imagine and project themselves into this property.

Agree with most, inside the house is lovely but not keen on the outside. Saying that, most people can see that from the photos so am guessing if they are viewing it then it will be something like a busy road, loud pub/neighbours - anything you can't tell from a photograph?

There is nothing wrong with your house OP. Nobody looking at a traditional 30s semi would expect it to be anything other than two double and one single bedroom and a downstairs loo and one bathroom are also fine for its size. It looks clean and uncluttered and the neutral decor offers someone the choice of either living in it as is or easily adding their own decorative flourishes without too much effort. It's a shit market at the moment which is now further exacerbated by the usual summer loll. The price looks about right for the area, so unless you can afford to lower it, it's a case of sitting it out. Hopefully, things might begin to move again in the autumn. As a veteran of 14 house sales I know how frustrating it is, but when the market picks up, it will sell, so keep the faith. Good luck!

What do you see driving the market "pick up"?

Because unless they really have to move, people are waiting in the hope that the market will pick up. They only realise that their own pricing expectations are unrealistic when they find themselves wanting to make a low offer for their onward purchase.

so why even bother with the offers over thing?

I understand why it is being marketed as a 3 bed house and why it technically is one. But - if I was a buyer in your market, I wouldn't classify it as a 3 bed but as a 2 bed with a nice room suitable as a home office.

Lots of people who need 3 beds have probably discounted in on account of bedroom 3. They can see that if you put a proper single bed in there, there would be very little room for any other furniture a child might need. It's a buyers market at the moment which means that buyers can afford to be fussy, unlike in a sellers market. I would be comparing the price of your house with the best 2 beds - some of them may have office space too - and that may be your competition as much as other 3 beds in the area.

Apart from that, it is a lovely house internally. The garden could look a lot better but some people will see the potential and enjoy planting their own stuff to make it look better for those into gardening.

Honestly, the kitchen is in the wrong place, the smallest of the three adjoined spaces and a huge space for dining, this needs to be switched round ideally. I know it’s a big job but that kitchen is far too small for me.

You need to inject some colour or element of lived-in-ness, it’s too clinical all white, it doesn’t present as a family home.

Also the exterior needs tiding up, even just pressure washing.

Hope this doesn’t sound critical, you’re brave asking but it is the best way to get feedback. Hope I have the stomach to ask when selling.

Single bed in box room to show size and potential. Other than that the only minor criticism I personally could make is that the kitchen is rather dark, but that’s not something that could be changed, and I doubt it’s the reason it’s not selling. I can only assume it’s the price.

A new washing machine, dishwasher and fridge don’t add value to a house and is not maintenance either

Clean up the patio and drive it doesn’t look good. The back fence needs replaced. Mow the lawn, it looks like it’s covered in weeds or something.
The bannisters aren’t great they are the old 70s council house look.
I would take out the office desk set up out of the bedroom and incorporate it into the reception room off the dining area.

Garden looks messy and uncaredfor. Redo and take new photos. CUshion has a big stain...

The garden would normally pull me in but yours kind of drags the house down (sorry). You say you're not a gardener but don't worry about that: make a nice outdoor room in one area with a couple of plants rather than so much random looking furniture. Even just two big fatsias in pots might do it. Water them every morning early or evening between about 5.30 and 7 and they won't need feeding for six weeks after you've got them in compost.

karcher the patios

It’s a challenging time to sell at the moment. I think of that area as Kidbrooke and the crime map calls it Kidbrooke Park, so my first impression would be that you are trying to maximise the selling price by saying it is located in Blackheath. One of your nearest primaries is performing more than 20 percentage points below the LA average (Greenwich performs above the national average) and the other has high rates of persistent absence, so interesting you mention a school offer as one of the reasons for your move.

Do you feel safe walking home at night? Kidbrooke previously had a bad reputation and a young family member got threatened/ mugged walking up to Blackheath Village from Greenwich some years ago. Looking at the crime map I can see some sexual violence in the adjoining roads.

The inside of the house looks generally nice and light. Do you have some hot air heating? Looks to be hot air vents in some rooms and is that a portable heater / fan?

Because one couple had a much higher valuation a few years ago and are sticking to that price so wont sell, the other is just difficult chap although i told him the flat he wants is also a lot cheaper. An agent in Richmond is advising vendors to price property at 20% below 2022 prices to get a sale.

Narrow kitchen and only one bathroom would put me off. Add on the tiny 3rd bedroom and it looking like an ex council property it would be a no go for that price. It’s a buyers market now, my sister has spent a long time trying to sell her home and people will not pay these insanely high prices.

Well exactly, it just potentially flags "difficult seller" and buyers move on, but the reality is that buyers are stepping back anyway, there isn"t a massive pool of buyers out there any more looking to overpay for average houses.

Kitchen is too narrow for me.

Not nearly enough of course but good to see some agents waking up a bit, of course many many agents are going bust so this could have something to do with their shift in attitude.

Its the kitchen that would put me off and also the hallway with the old bannister and painted wallpaper. It also needs new radiators and a lot of work on the outside.
What is the building covered with tarpaulin next door but one?

It is lovely but the demographic - young families - probably won't be able to afford it.

Some of the photos are really obviously distorted from too wide an angle lens being used. This gives a false impression that there is more space than there actually is.

The reality is set up to disappoint and it will appear cramped.