Please take a look at my house .... Honesty required!!

donnaessex

The only thing I think is missing is a dining table - looks a bit empty where you see the patio doors.

I think its a beautiful house though.

In December 2009 a detached house (number 36) sold for £160k, and then in October 2009 a semi sold for £210k - why is your house worth so much more than those two (asking objectively).

savvy

retireby50 wrote: »

The house is a bit stark/too neat - doesn't look very lived in, which may put some off? No pictures on the walls for example, gardens very bland. But to be fair this could be attractive to those who like a "blank canvas".

The open front garden may put people with young kids off, but then the rear garden is nice and safe.....

Ahh some of what I was going to say when I first saw it

I don't have kids but I certainly wouldn't like such an open frontage due to people letting their dogs come in and carp all over the lawn. The property doesn't ooze any kerb appeal at all and looks so bland with no character at all to distinguish from next door, I'd roll up and go "WOAH a tad boring for that price tag" and then drive off....so wondering if that's happening?? For not much money you could create a 'boundary' along the front. I'd also move the plant pots from the back garden that look lost in the big space of garden and put them along that quite imposing porch wall to soften it a bit and I'd move the hanging baskets to either side of the front door if poss as they aren't doing much there but highlighting the imposing add on

The back garden looks great with the clean lines and is a lovely looking blank canvas to personalise, but as someone said, the patio is quite imposing in that pic, so how about borrowing some nice garden furniture to break it up a bit and 'create' a lifestyle feel

As retireby50 says the inside feels quite stark and therefore cold, which you don't need at this time of the year for viewings :eek: You want to present a warm, cosy house with winter round the corner, are you able to add a couple of sets of curtains? I know it's added expense but not everybody wants a complete blank canvas and adding curtains (or swathes of nets which are cheaper) to 50% of the house (and maybe blinds in bathroom) and offering them as an extra to buy, might help and then recover some of the cost??

As a buyer I'd want to see a pic of the little room and gets ome idea of what would fit in there, have you anything in there at all? Even a desk etc and present as a study might help? Same goes for the dining area, I think a table would help, it's nice to see such space but hard for buyers to picture their furniture in there and how it would work manouvering around it etc.

LOL I went a bit mad there...........sorry, feel free to ignore :o

Leory

oldMcDonald wrote: »

True

It just seems a little too neutral and impersonal to me!

i looked again at the bedroom and see what you mean now.
we have neutral walls too, but bedding/ornaments etc bring the colour in

savvy

Ha ha that'll teach me for taking so long to write it all out........some have beaten me to some of my points :rotfl::rotfl:

Stowmum_2

I think its a gorgeous house! Well done you for doing it up so well. x

serious_saver

Hi,

It looks like a very nice house but like some of the others have said, it looks quite cold and clinical. For me I think it's because there are no curtains. I agree with adam1982, the paving appears to take up more of the garden than the lawn and the only plants are planted in pots in neat lines. The whole thing (inside and out) is lovely and neutral but it doesn't look 'lived in' and some people (without imagination) might find it difficult to see themselves in there.

Are there any new developments near you? I am looking at buying and have been round a lot of show homes. Show homes are often dressed with just enough items to make a house look like a home without making it cluttered. You've obviously done it to a degree but there still seems to be something missing.

I know I'm always advocating market research on here so I'm sorry if I repeat myself but I would suggest you visit a couple of show homes. Take a note pad and paper and write down the different items they have to dress each room. Once you're armed with this knowledge, go to some charity shops and see if you can pick up anything on the list that is missing from your house. For example it looks like it could be a great family home but I can't see anything that shouts out kids!

Also, you've said it's on for £235 but the listing says £237. Are you hoping to get £235? If not, it might be worth looking at lowering your asking price.

serious_saver

savvy wrote: »

Ha ha that'll teach me for taking so long to write it all out........some have beaten me to some of my points :rotfl::rotfl:

Ditto :rotfl::rotfl:

goldbyron

Well first off my partner is trying to sell her flat in NE London at the mo so we can buy and the market is completely flat with all viewings dried up. However we did sell her mothers house under probate in June this year after 18 months of it being on the market. The house was in Spofforth - a couple of miles outside of Harrogate and was a 5 bed semi with small garden and immaculate inside. It was on for 440k originally and finally went for 367k.

Your house is beautiful inside and well presented. For a Londoner the garden isn't that small but it is relatively small for a place outside of a big city. The house from the outside isn't as attractive as some houses in Harrogate - which is a lovely area I know. I have just searched for similar properties at your price range in the area and it doesn't seem over priced although I personally may have been attracted to some of the older properties.

I think to be honest the market is your biggest problem and not your home. It is just very very flat with almost no movement at the moment at the bottom and therefore FTB's can't buy as there is no finance (or they are too worried about the market) and second homers can't buy (like myself) until things sell. We are just having to sit it out and hope that things pick up. I don't think there is much else you could do unless you fancy letting it out and can afford to buy in this situation. Good luck - at least you are stuck in a nice part of the country!

themull1

i think the inside and the garden is stunning, but the outside just looks a bit like an ex local authority house with a porch stuck on the front. but the decor is stunning. i didn't know prices were that high in the north, our semi's in Newcastle are about 100 grand cheaper.

iolanthe07

For almost a quarter of a million quid I would expect a detached house, tbh.