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?

Third bedroom is tiny - I agree make sure that the blurb highlights a loft ripe for conversion.

Kitchen is fine once you realise it’s attached to open plan area - I’d get a new photo done if possible showing how the kitchen is straight of the dining area.

Selling a lifestyle might mean doing something to show how the back garden can be used as a “room outdoors” - how does it work with the downstairs space; where can you sit and eat or soak up sun or whatever

I think it looks like a lovely house, and for London it seems very competitively priced.

I don't think this comment is going to help as you can't do much about it, but one of the streetview pictures is on bin day which adds to the run down thoughts from the front garden images. Also, it appears you are right next to a bus stop which, although very handy, probably puts viewers off a little as you it's just a big compromise for some people.

I would need to think about planting a bush or some kind of privacy plan.

So you're saying your nephew cannot lie horizontal across the width of his room? Because this room is only 6ft wide.

I think it looks lovely, which could be part of the problem. If people are expecting a three bed two bath house, they're going to leave disappointed.

The kitchen/dining layout seems odd to me. You have a lovely big space there but a tiny kitchen.

Round here "nice" three bed houses without an ensuite just don't sell. You can sell an ex council terrace "starter home" without one, but not a more up market place. So, if your price comparisons are against places with an en suite bathroom, you're way off.

There are literally hundreds of these styles of houses. Two bigger rooms and a cot room. It won’t be a shock to someone who goes to view such a house.
The OP is getting viewings.
Something is going wrong with the viewings to offer.

London house prices have dropped significantly in some areas from their 2021 high, and higher interest rates are making the mortgage installments a lot higher than perhaps yours were when you bought. Salaries have not kept up . If you dont have to move, sit tight and take the house off the market until next spring. otherwise you may have to lower price further to make it mortgageable to another couple. You should how er pay less for what ever you are buying elsewhere than you would have done in 2921. Be wary of leaving it on Rightmove indefinitely as some buyers are put off by an apparently ' hard to sell ' property that has beena marketed without serious for over 6 months . Make sure you have all the building regs and party wall paperwork for the extension in this order as well.

The market is terrible at the moment. Few people have money to move up.

The house looks fine to me. My thoughts are thr kitchen is tiny and the 3rd bedroom is a cot room but it's a good move up for a couple with a baby.

The outside lets it down. Clearly neither of you is green fingered. The house is quite small so ideally you want the back garden to be an extended living space.

Instead, it is uninviting and bleak, and the front, while perfectly serviceable, could do with a good clean (difficult with a hosepipe ban) and some interest - two very large pots with minature fruit trees or even standard hollies would make it more cheerful.

Look online for easy to create front gardens. Keep is simple and it will be welcoming & straightforward to look after.

I'd strip the back garden, lay turf in early October, find someone local to look after it for you, and add some planting around the seating area so it doesn't feel so exposed.

I think the market is terrible at the moment. Only thing I'd change is offers over as everyone hates that

Looks like a lovely house. I'm really shocked how low prices are for that part of London? My house is smaller, crapper, more dated and a hour from Waterloo and would sell for that price point ( unfortunately I rent or I'd sell up and buy yours in a flash). The market has really changed

Personally I'd get a new gate too when you spruce up the outside

You can't power wash as there is a hosepipe ban.

For me its mostly the kitchen. It's basically a through corridor, too narrow with not enough direct natural light. Not much room to move around when cooking, and it looks like it would be uncomfortably hot to cook in.

Also the 3rd bedroom, doesn't look like it can fit a single bed, a desk and a wardrobe. Plus there's no scope for it becoming a teen or adults bedroom as a double bed simply won't fit.

Just too expensive for a 2 bed and a box room.

to be honest the garden would put me off - are they two flag poles?? your garden and one in the neighbours?
I would worry about what flag is flying and how big it is.

Bus stop right outside definitely major negative and you can't do anything about that. On that basis, and if you are under pressure to sell, I'd drop the price. Anyone who wanted the house wouldn't care about fences and flower pots. I'd personally save the money and effort and just adjust pricing down a touch. Its a v tough market.

A professional company is exempt as it’s their livelihood so I would definitely say this would help with the kurb appeal and worth the investment.

The front of the house photo makes it look small. Get them to retake at ground level and after some kerb appeal.
Your back garden needs those brown leaves tidying away and the lawn needs cutting.

The house is neutral but sofa looks untidy and too close to the wall making it look squashed and unfriendly. One of the beds looks far away as they've tried to make the room look big but it looks odd.
Better lighting and another declutter maybe generally.

I don't know if its just the photos, but your carpets look dirty and gross. The garden is scruffy. Painting the fence would help. I think the front of your house also looks tired.
If people are saying your house looks 'lived in', I would assume they mean scruffy. Do you have marks on the walls? Chipped and dirty skirting boards? Is the grout in the bathroom stained? Do you put fresh towels and bathmats etc out for viewings? Is your house cleaned thoroughly for viewings.

It's over 7' long though, so one would assume the bed could go along that wall?

I wouldn't set that room up as an office, OP. You need to show it can fit a single bed - people will be well aware it can be used as an office if need be. It can't be listed as a 2 bed + box room either, as obviously that won't work on Rightmove for somebody who would accept a small bedroom or is looking for an extra bedroom for office space.

Houses in my area have similar sized box rooms, some even smaller, as they contain the bulkhead, and they all have been used as bedrooms and sold to be used as the same. My neighbours 3 bed is one, has sold in under a week to a family with 2 children.

🤣 They're clothes props for old fashioned clothes lines, in keeping with the period of the house.

Bus stop right in front of house would put me off. The idea of people hanging round in front of the house, nosying through windows and blocking the drive entrance.

I'd also change the carpets to refresh upstairs if you're serious about moving and want to find a buyer who's not going to put in a low offer.

Personal view - the garden definitely let's it down on photos, it looks like it needs properly landscaping (hard with the weather tbf), I think it needs some beds put in to give it some shape and some zones so people can see how it can be used. Do the front too, it just doesn't look appealing, maybe jet wash and some hanging baskets or potted trees.
Also, is the carpet on that 1st bedroom showing some wear? It looks stained but can't tell from a photo - I'd get it cleaned if so.
I personally hate a galley kitchen, but you can't change that so it is what it is.
If you're getting viewings but not offers, that to me says the price is right and they're coming in, but what they see isn't what they'd hoped. "It looks lived in" to me says lots of little bits of wear and tear that need fixing/doing. Take a hard look at scratched woodwork, chipped paint, finger marks on walls, any tired electrical, stained flooring etc etc. It's a tough market and I think houses have to over deliver right now.

Just to add, I noticed a few comments at start of the thread saying you really need an extra bathroom. I get that it shouldn't be listed as having 2 when 1 is just a loo, but when has it been the norm for a 3 bed to have 2 bathrooms? A 4 bed, yes, but a 3? People are getting too used to seeing these newbuilds with tiny ensuites crammed in left, right and centre I think!

I would say the look of the accessories is quite dated. The lamps etc have gold dtail which makes them look old.

When we sold our house we were in a similar situation, we eventually had to invest in new lampshades, a lick of fresh paint and a new sofa to spruce up the look, keeping the decor neutral but the finishing details with a modern twist and a splash of colour.

I would also make the price specific. I hated the "offers over xxx amount" I thought it was a bit silly.

Just say what you want the price ro be as a wishy washy statement might put people off putting in a starting offer.