Why is my in-laws' gorgeous house not selling?!

[irisetta]

What is wrong with this listing? Some back story - my in-laws have been desperate to sell up for a while to be nearer to us. They live near Portsmouth, we are in St Albans. They have a beautiful house! It's 5 minutes walk from the beach in Lee-on-Solent, it's right next to the High Street but super quiet. Huge back garden. Beautifully renovated home, when they bought it it hasn't been touched in at least 30 years. It looks immaculate. No it doesn't have the open plan kitchen diner, but what there is, is perfect.

For the first 7 months while they were listing the house, the estate agent was effing up the RightMove listing quite badly - they were only appearing for people looking for bungalows, when it is not a bungalow 🤦 I noticed this recently. 🙄 After pointing it out, it's since been amended to appear to anyone looking for a 3 bedroom detached property in Lee-on-Solent.

Anyway, now that it's appearing to everyone who might want it, AND they've reduced the price (too much, IMO), my mum-in-law is somehow still convinced that the lovely estate agent is now doing his level best for them - still no viewings after a couple of weeks. And they've only EVER had 3 viewings, ever since it was first listed those 7 months ago - none of which were even proceedable. Thoughts, lovely ladies of Mumsnet?

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/173477669

I wouldn't want to walk through a utility room to get to the sun room, makes no sense.
The under stairs is cluttered. Your inlaws would do well to put unnecessary furniture in storage and have the photos redone.
Only 3 bedrooms means young families will be less likely to buy it.
It's a pretty front but ruined by astro turf.

Ah thank you for that! That's something I'd never have known to bring up 😳

They have done a lovely job of upkeep and maintenance so it’s not all bad.

I think it’s the price. Other properties in that area, in that price range, are 4-5 bed detached houses.

There's no way I'd pay £630k to live in Lee, sorry. Lee on Solent is in Gosport, not Portsmouth. Also, it might be a reasonable ask for the area within Lee on Solent, but the average sold price for a 3 bed in the overall area is £316,567 according to https://www.getagent.co.uk/area/lee-on-the-solent, so it's still pricey.

Oh! I feel so sorry for them. My mum-in-law has a very set vision, and they made their home perfect for them. She struggles with seeing different perspectives (yes, we do have neurodiversity at play, no nothing I can do about it) so here we are.

Oh! What would you pay then?

I imagine a house in St Albans will be very expensive.
Have your inlaws got anything in mind if they have to reduce the price?

Going against the grain, but I think it looks like a really pretty and well kept home. Nothing about the photos would put me off.

So for me, it is just (as often is the case) purely price.

Are they in a rush? If so drop, if not, they could keep waiting and hoping the perfect buyer comes along.

The garden does look impressive, so I don't really like how that is kind of relegated in photos to being just one at the very back. More emphasis on that would be good if I was the buyer.

Do you reckon that a Lee address is much less desirable than Portsmouth then?

They started off at 675, as advised by their estate agent 😭 Then dropped to 650, now down to 630... they're looking to come to St Albans now, to be closer to us. St Albans prices are among the highest in the country. I'm getting worried for them. They don't want a flat either 😭

More garden photos is a great idea. Maybe first photo should be the back of the house where the first floor bedrooms have full size windows? and that sunroom?

It’s the price, and the decor! They need to strip back and declutter. Paint some walls natural, if there serious about selling they need to make it desirable

Most of the things that need changing are just cosmetic and easy (like those super strong colours!). Astro turf would be a deal breaker for me, but if it's just out the front I'd find out how much to remove it. If the back yard is astro turf, it doesn't matter how good everything else is, I'm walking away. I don't think it is though?

I think it's lovely. Could they spin the double bed to under the window, and yes remove some furniture. Rip up the astro turf and get a landscaper to bring in soil and easy care plants? Taller plants in the 2 front pots. More photos of the back garden.

No, no, they only astro'd the front. The garden (thank god) is absolutely stunning, and totally natural. It's a nature lover's delight.

Astroturf is not helping. Big faff and cost to remove and set right.

Thank you! It's what it is. I personally do not have the bandwidth to get my in-laws' house repainted, however they are not my parents, I may have to prevail upon their actual son to get that done 😆 They need to understand that they are selling a shell, NOT their home.

Can't tell if the flag out the back is theirs or the neighbours, but it would give me worries about how welcoming the area is.....

I agree with rearrange the photos. The current front of house one is nice but doesn't sell it, it's not attention grabbing and makes it look like a very small bungalow (e.g. can't tell there are upstairs l rooms or the sun room)

The listing is uninspiring with no measurements on it and the corresponding floor plan is fussy and hard to read.

The green conservatory canopy roof is weird and off putting.

The decor and furnishings look generally old fashioned.

Who is the target buyer? A family? Older people? Its not clear tbh and therefore I cant see who would be attracted to it and why?

I live here (hence the name change) & is it overpriced by at least £100k.

There is no way a 3 bed dormer in Lee is worth anywhere near what it's up for, especially considering the size & layout of the property

Lee is part of Gosport & property sales here is completely flat.

Its also up against houses in Alverstoke which is a 10 minute drive from Lee, arguably nicer or at least on par with Lee (depending on your view) which also has a beach - Stokes Bay.

Its up against houses which are bigger, built as a 'proper' house & are cheaper.

A bungalow isn't most people's first choice of house either & when its priced as this one is the market is incredibly small.

Honestly, I think it should be reduced to under £550K & then they might see more viewings but I doubt it will see for over £500k.

I dont want to sound mean but they really need to to look at the current market & understand that anything other than first time houses are incredibly difficult to sell right now here.

In case you're not familiar with the area, look at rightmove for property in Lee in Solent as well as Alverstoke to see what the competition is as they are comparable areas within the same borough.

An exampe of the competition against your in laws dormer for anyone looking for a 3 bed+ property in the local area.

I found this property on the Rightmove Android app and wanted you to see it: https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/165186722

I would scroll past because of the exterior. That extremely strange front portico is not to my taste at all.

I should think that style of house would really only appeal to retired people and, as someone fast approaching that age myself, the very large garden would also rule it out for me.

Well, there’s a lot of pressure on landlords now when it comes to rentals so a lot of them are just getting rid of their investments! There are just too many houses and not enough people buying.