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Advice on selling

124

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  • Cakeguts
    Cakeguts Posts: 7,627
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    edited 17 March 2017 at 4:04PM
    Llerryt wrote: »
    Thanks for some feedback cake, I guess taste is where some view and some don't.

    Yeah, no shower over the bath, however there is an en suite with shower with shower cubicle, so didn't feel the need when we moved in,small bedroom has a full sized day bed in it already, so would probobly look a similar size with a bed in it as it does now. Yes, but of bamboo screen around decked area, but there to prevent dogs jumping from the decking into the neighbours garden, not because of an eye sore. Chicken wire, yeah, easy way to stop dogs from ripping up plants, used to separate parts of garden. Guess our taste isn't gonna be for everyone, but then again, how hard is it to walk into a house that is perfect for you?

    Get more4less, agree, thought the master bedroom in that house was a bit on the small side
    too,

    So you are waiting for someone who has the same taste in decoration as you have? How many viewers are you prepared to lose in order for that to happen?

    What is your target market? Is this a family home? If it is a family home do you think that the children might want to shower in the bathroom? If they do how far do you think the water will go?

    You say that your small bedroom has a small size bed in it so what is the room in the photos with the sofa and television in it that looks like a bedroom? Where is the photo of the master bedroom or is the room with strange cupboards in it the master bedroom? If that is where is the other bedroom? I assumed that the room with the sofa and television in it was the 3rd bedroom is that not correct? Your photos are supposed to market your house to people to get them interested enough to view.

    Going back to the decorations. Did you know that it is advised that you use neutral colours to sell a house? Do you know why that is? Not everyone has the same taste in colours so you use a colour that is the least offensive to as many people as possible. If someone doesn't like the colours and wallpaper that you have used not only can they not visualise themselves living in your house but they will also work from the basis that they will have to spend money redecorating immediately because they can't live with what you have done. When they think of redecorating they are thinking of spending money and that will make them want to offer less.

    The other reason for neutral colours is that you don't know what colour the furniture is going to be of your buyers so another reason for them to want to decorate straight away. This is what I mean by people not wanting to pay more for your taste they could quite easily want to pay less.

    Who owns the front garden? Is it owned by the local council as part of their grass verges because it has a street light on it? Do you not think that the street light affects the way the house looks?

    The most important thing though is that you bought this house cheaply. You say that it needed work done on it. However if you put in the kitchen in 2012 how old is it now? 5 years? Is it still new? Is the bathroom still new? You are not selling a new house. You are selling a house that needs the kitchen and bathroom updated.
  • Cakeguts
    Cakeguts Posts: 7,627
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    Penitent wrote: »
    The sofa is a day bed. They're typically smaller than a single bed and not really appropriate for everyday use as bed. It looks like it just fits, so I'm left with the impression that a proper single bed wouldn't fit (and even if I did shoehorn one in, there'd be no room for storage of any kind). I would consider it a boxroom or a study rather than a bedroom from looking at the photo.

    (That's assuming that blocky shape I can see at the edge of the photo is the door or a wall. Is it actually storage? If so, the photo really needs to be redone as it's giving a false impression of the size of the room.)

    That bedroom doesn't have a bed in it. You can't tell from the photos whether you could get a single bed in it or not. If you can't then this is not a 3 bed house. It is a 2 bed house on the market for the price of a 3 bed house. Unfortunately the only time you will find out whether you can get a bed in it will be when you own the house. I think that this bedroom would be better to have a bed in it to show that it can actually be used as a bedroom. No one would want their child to sleep on a day bed for any length of time.
  • lessonlearned
    lessonlearned Posts: 13,337
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    EA descriotion states bedroom 3 dimensions are 11ft 10in x 6ft 8 in.

    Standard single bed length is 6ft 3in so should be no problem, unless there is a radiator or something similar in the way. However, I do agree it is always best to present a bedroom as a bedroom with a bed.

    Lierryt. When you come to sell a property you need to try and take your emotions out of the proceedings. You need to be objective. You are not selling "your home" you are selling a commodity, which has to be prepared for sale, marketed and priced competitively.

    I'm afraid you are failing on all counts.

    (I am an ex estate agent and have over 30 years experience in the business. I have also worked for developers).

    1. The price is too high.
    2. You have overpersonalised the decor.
    3. You have not spent your renovation budget wisely.
    4. You have completely neglected the rear garden, leaving money on the table.
    5. The house has no kerb appeal.
    6. The marketing is poor.

    Assessing the value of a property is not an exact science. I'm afraid Your EA is rather too optimistic. You need to pitch your asking price nearer to your competitors.

    If you bought this as a flipper then you have made quite a few mistakes.

    If you want a quick sale then drop the price.
  • cyantist
    cyantist Posts: 560 Forumite
    Llerryt wrote: »
    Thanks for some feedback cake, I guess taste is where some view and some don't.

    Yeah, no shower over the bath, however there is an en suite with shower with shower cubicle, so didn't feel the need when we moved in,small bedroom has a full sized day bed in it already, so would probobly look a similar size with a bed in it as it does now. Yes, but of bamboo screen around decked area, but there to prevent dogs jumping from the decking into the neighbours garden, not because of an eye sore. Chicken wire, yeah, easy way to stop dogs from ripping up plants, used to separate parts of garden. Guess our taste isn't gonna be for everyone, but then again, how hard is it to walk into a house that is perfect for you?

    Get more4less, agree, thought the master bedroom in that house was a bit on the small side too,

    Then you need a picture of the ensuite! I wouldn't want a shower only in the en-suite though as no one else (visitors/kids etc) can have a decent shower. Getting a shower screen and attaching the shower to the wall can't be that hard.

    And definitely have a picture of the master bedroom, even if it looks a bit rubbish as I also assumed the one with the double bed is the master.

    You can see there's something approx single bed sized in the third room, but doesn't look like there's any furniture there. Dress that as a proper bedroom not a tv room and have some storage in there otherwise is doesn't even seem a 3 bed house. Also if it's 6ft8 wide (doesn't look it), then a bed should fit across the room which would I think make it look a lot wider and allow room for proper bedroom furniture.

    Personally your house is the only one I've seen for a very long time where I wouldn't have to knock over 10k off straight away for ripping out and redoing a kitchen. I like the colour of the lounge wall and the bedroom paper, though I really don't like the fire surround. But I wouldn't not view based on the fact that I had to change a fire surround or paint a wall anyway.

    Also the house cakeguts posted that they thought was nicer I think is horrible compared to yours. Why would they have a photo that shows nothing but a tiny radiator next to a loo?!

    But I wouldn't pay that much more than someone else paid for the house a few years before. There is nothing 'wow' enough about the house to justify such a price increase and even with just the small things I'd need to change it's just too expensive.
    Because of that I wouldn't even view because I would know that the amount I'd be willing to pay would never be accepted and I'd just be wasting my time.
  • Cakeguts
    Cakeguts Posts: 7,627
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    Have you reduced the price of this house from offers over £215k? Why did you do that? Who suggested it? Was it the agent? Did you get any other agents to value the house? If you have reduced the price already doesn't that suggest that the agent got the valuation wrong in the first place? How do you know that they have got it correct now?
  • Lioness_Twinkletoes
    Lioness_Twinkletoes Posts: 1,573 Forumite
    edited 18 March 2017 at 9:31AM
    If I were looking I'd rather buy a bigger 2-bed semi detached - like this one. It's cheaper, has much greater kerb appeal and looks bigger. Your home is detached, but really, only just. You are still quite close to neighbours so for me, a semi detached would fit the bill.
  • Crashy_Time
    Crashy_Time Posts: 13,386
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    If I were looking I'd rather buy a bigger 2-bed semi detached - like this one. It's cheaper, has much greater kerb appeal and looks bigger. Your home is detached, but really, only just. You are still quite close to neighbours so for me, a semi detached would fit the bill.


    I`m guessing that one has been reduced a few times, with more to go?
  • Cakeguts
    Cakeguts Posts: 7,627
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    If I were looking I'd rather buy a bigger 2-bed semi detached - like this one. It's cheaper, has much greater kerb appeal and looks bigger. Your home is detached, but really, only just. You are still quite close to neighbours so for me, a semi detached would fit the bill.

    That one is in a much more desirable area and it is still bigger and cheaper.
  • GwylimT
    GwylimT Posts: 6,530
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    edited 18 March 2017 at 11:53AM
    My first thoughts.

    Who owns the front garden? The street light suggests the home owner doesn't, therefore no front garden.

    Is the garage wide enough for a car? If not one parking space isn't really adequate.

    I think the fridge looks over powering, the angle of the second kitchen picture needs changing so you can see what is next to the fridge. The photos also highlight that the wall cupboards are too shallow to be much use.

    Bedroom one, as I can't see beyond the foot of the bed I assume the room is very small.

    Bedroom two, firstly I can't believe people don't know what a day bed is! When you factor in their frames they are the size of a standard single bed. Looking at the description the day bed can be moved length ways, this way the room could also fit some bedroom furniture. Until I read the details I assumed it was too narrow to even have a bedside table, people will also assume this as you wouldn't move onto the details at this stage.

    Bedroom 3? From your photos I assume bedroom 3 is the smallest room and so not shown, other people will assume this and not bother reasing the details.

    Bathroom, where do I shower?

    Garden, very messy, a view of the back of the house is probably preferable to obscure the housing behind, as sadly that would put some people off viewing.

    Its a new build, a lick of paint and a new bathroom (which looks identical to this builders basic bathroom kit), wouldn't really increase value.

    The description
    Rental income, this suggests it isn't suitable as a long term family home, I would get rid of that bit. Archway to en-suite, this tells me there isn't an actual door, which makes this invisible master room seem more dodgy due to a lack of photo.

    I like your colour schemes, however a good lick of magnolia would be better.
  • Crashy_Time
    Crashy_Time Posts: 13,386
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    Cakeguts wrote: »
    That one is in a much more desirable area and it is still bigger and cheaper.


    Case closed, basically the OP needs to reduce their price?
This discussion has been closed.
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