Why is this house not selling? Constructive criticism needed
Discussion
A friend of mine is trying to sell her house.
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/prope...
I have tried to give her some advice as to the presentation of the house and that maybe with a lick of paint here and there, it would VASTLY improve the house. It is all in an effort to sell, not to live with permanently. Appealing to as many people as possible has to be the priority.
I would very much appreciate the opinions of the people on here as to what recommendations you would make, to present this house in the best possible way.
To give an idea of the competition, this house is literally within a thousand yards of my friends house, and is FAR more appealing on the photos.
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/prope...
And please, be harsh, honest, and constructive.
Many Thanks
Hythan
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/prope...
I have tried to give her some advice as to the presentation of the house and that maybe with a lick of paint here and there, it would VASTLY improve the house. It is all in an effort to sell, not to live with permanently. Appealing to as many people as possible has to be the priority.
I would very much appreciate the opinions of the people on here as to what recommendations you would make, to present this house in the best possible way.
To give an idea of the competition, this house is literally within a thousand yards of my friends house, and is FAR more appealing on the photos.
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/prope...
And please, be harsh, honest, and constructive.
Many Thanks
Hythan
jdw1234 said:
Price.
If it was priced at £1 it would sell within the hour.
If it was priced at £1m it would never sell.
Somewhere between the two levels is your magic number. I assume it is currently priced too high.
Most likely, yes. And I have expressed this view on many occasion. What I am trying to convince my friend of at the moment though, is about the presentation of the house. If you compare the two properties I've linked, it's a no brainer, you'd view the one at £370,000. I'm keen to hear from others if they think the presentation is an issue also. If it was priced at £1 it would sell within the hour.
If it was priced at £1m it would never sell.
Somewhere between the two levels is your magic number. I assume it is currently priced too high.
I'm not convinced that I would view the second one based on the photographs. Your friend's property looks bigger. It's poorly photographed, the dining chair stuck out in the middle of the photograph for instance. The kitchen photo she needed to clear off the work surfaces, it looks cluttered which makes me think that there is little storage.
If it was what I was looking for I think I'd view, regardless of the photographs, is there anything else wrong? It's on a corner, how busy is the road?
If it was what I was looking for I think I'd view, regardless of the photographs, is there anything else wrong? It's on a corner, how busy is the road?
I thought your friend's house looked OK. Bit cluttered in the kitchen, the bedroom and the bathroom but not too bad. No major decorating issues IMHO. Clear all the stuff off the kitchen worktops (even though you couldn't actually live in the house like that). Get rid of the draining board plastic thing. Lose some towels from the bathroom. Get all the dust collectors off the wardrobes and bedside units in the bedrooms. Etc. Lounge looked nice.
The comparison house's decor looks much more modern in its style though. The photos are wide-angle to give the impression of space and there's much less clutter.
We waited almost a year to sell our first house and got almost the asking price. You just have to wait for the right buyer to come along.
EDIT: The bed linen in your friend's master bedroom is horrid. It's like old lady bed linen. Get some nice tasteful stuff on there, and dress the divan base properly with a decent valance.
The comparison house's decor looks much more modern in its style though. The photos are wide-angle to give the impression of space and there's much less clutter.
We waited almost a year to sell our first house and got almost the asking price. You just have to wait for the right buyer to come along.
EDIT: The bed linen in your friend's master bedroom is horrid. It's like old lady bed linen. Get some nice tasteful stuff on there, and dress the divan base properly with a decent valance.
Edited by threadlock on Monday 22 December 17:19
I think the way it is presented is fine, in all honesty the photos don't really make a lot of difference to me, I would only be interested in area (streetview) and the floorplan, the photos are a secondary concern to be honest. Photo 7 may look a bit "old" to some people, but it won't stop people viewing. Everyone will decorate it anyway and I don't need a photo to show me what a 3x4m room looks like.
If it's not moving it's just too expensive I'm afraid.
If it's not moving it's just too expensive I'm afraid.
As mentioned, de clutter first of all, the master bedroom needs decorated as its 20 years out of date, the bathroom is ok if you remove the pink and toilet mat, the kitchen units are ok but the worktop and cooker are a bit yuk, fitting new worktops and a built in oven/hob would transform it for not a lot of money. The layout doesn't help as many people now want kitchen/diner which could be another reason for it not selling.
Piglet said:
I'm not convinced that I would view the second one based on the photographs. Your friend's property looks bigger. It's poorly photographed, the dining chair stuck out in the middle of the photograph for instance. The kitchen photo she needed to clear off the work surfaces, it looks cluttered which makes me think that there is little storage.
If it was what I was looking for I think I'd view, regardless of the photographs, is there anything else wrong? It's on a corner, how busy is the road?
It's a lovely house, and typical of the area. It is on a housing park that is fairly quiet. Nice area, lots of young families. If it was what I was looking for I think I'd view, regardless of the photographs, is there anything else wrong? It's on a corner, how busy is the road?
The house has an awful lot going for it, but as you've said, the photos just don't do it justice.
Take the master bedroom for example, the decor is over fifteen years old. I'm trying to suggest to my friend that by just giving it a lick of paint, and some neutral bedsheets, the 'feel' of the room would change a huge amount.
I'm trying to tell her, that a small amount of effort, could really help get viewers in.
The other poor point for me is, the room that has the desk in it. That room is an extension off of the living room, it has loads of natural light, and is being wasted. I've suggested moving the dining room table and chairs into that space so people can actually visualise how it can be used. Her response was "oh but that means it's further to walk with food etc at dinner". It's about an extra EIGHT steps!!! She's great, but sometimes it's difficult to get through to her.
I wanted the opinions of people on here, so I can explain to her how people will have different ways of living, and different tastes to her. It's important to try and present the house in the best way possible, to achieve a sale, rather than for her to live in.
southendpier said:
Nothing wrong with photos.
When selling price and exposure to buyers is key.
Why are you that bothered?
Because she's a friend of mine and is forced into selling due to the breakdown of a life long relationship, and because I'm a friend who offered to help. She also suffered a bit of a breakdown, or which I also helped her through, so am not going to stop helping now. When selling price and exposure to buyers is key.
Why are you that bothered?
Before I read everyone else's responses, my immediate thought was that the house looks cluttered. I'm sure my own place probably does as well - you have to live in them - but that was my gut reaction and probably a major part of what she needs to address (and then have the photos re-done, of course).
Clear kitchen worktops, declutter bathroom.
Dining table to office as you've said, and spread lounge suite out to use the extra space.
Wide angle lenses for the new pics - but maybe not as fake as the other house.
Redecorate master bed.
Not cheap in Maidenhead is it?
What's the agent like - consider switching if they're not even managing to get viewings. Speaking as a recent buyer there's a yawning gap between the go-getters and the also-rans. Eg email mailshots that are relevant, regular and interesting followed up by a phonecall from same the person who always calls you to twist your arm into a viewing of a hot new property vs a generic 'here's a property you may be interested in that we can't shift' email that's exactly the same as last weeks dross.
Dining table to office as you've said, and spread lounge suite out to use the extra space.
Wide angle lenses for the new pics - but maybe not as fake as the other house.
Redecorate master bed.
Not cheap in Maidenhead is it?
What's the agent like - consider switching if they're not even managing to get viewings. Speaking as a recent buyer there's a yawning gap between the go-getters and the also-rans. Eg email mailshots that are relevant, regular and interesting followed up by a phonecall from same the person who always calls you to twist your arm into a viewing of a hot new property vs a generic 'here's a property you may be interested in that we can't shift' email that's exactly the same as last weeks dross.
My suggestion would be that nobody wants to spend £350k+ to live in an 'orrible 3 bed place on a charmless estate in Maidenhead. Seriously. People of the SE - the writing is on the wall.
That said I don't believe anyone walks away from such a big purchase because of a lick of paint or some photos, the reality is that you could sort that out in a weekend and most people would, if she's not getting views it's overpriced if she is and people aren't making offers it's either overpriced or the kitchen/bathroom needs more than a lick of paint. Looking on right move's own recent sales tab shows #14 went for £285k last year, and #12 went for £314k more recently - you can advertise them for whatever you want it's the ones that sell which set the market.
That said I don't believe anyone walks away from such a big purchase because of a lick of paint or some photos, the reality is that you could sort that out in a weekend and most people would, if she's not getting views it's overpriced if she is and people aren't making offers it's either overpriced or the kitchen/bathroom needs more than a lick of paint. Looking on right move's own recent sales tab shows #14 went for £285k last year, and #12 went for £314k more recently - you can advertise them for whatever you want it's the ones that sell which set the market.
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