why can't I sell my house?

brasso

Sorry, I've not read the whole thread but just bits.

I have to say that people making silly, b1tchy comments sound like people who watch too much 'property !!!!!!' on TV and think they've 'learnt the secrets of property selling'.

I've bought a property 4 times in my life, and something like a purple room or a piano in the hall would not put me off. The piano, erm, wouldn't actually be there when I moved in, and I always assume I'm going to have to redecorate a place over the first year or so of moving in.

Personally I wouldn't bother redecorating/redesigning the place even though that's what they tell you do on the telly. That's fine if you have a TV company supplying designers, labour and, most important, money to help you, but otherwise it's a waste of time and cash.

The one thing I would make an effort on however, is the appearance of the front. Some really striking architectural plants, window boxes/hanging plants, perhaps an ornament or two. Something to give it some character and colour would make a big difference. The secret is to get them to view. Once people are inside they start making calculations and seeing for themselves how they could fit their own stuff in and how they could redecorate etc. But you have to get them there, and it's possible that the rather plain exterior just isn't grabbing people enough.

Good luck though, it seems like a reasonable property apart from that.

PS - edited because I just read HugoSP's post. He does make some interesting points, but I have to say that I don't agree with him. Maybe it's just a personal thing then but I have never bought a place on the basis of how other people have/haven't decorated it. I always see right past that. In fact, I think it's a real shame if people spend too much money and effort on repainting/decorating just before moving out because many new arrivals will just repaint/paper it the way they want it. Maybe some people really are too dumb to visualise the hall without the piano.
That's sad though!

dealornodeal_3

My opinion only, and ive just sold a property. I painted all the rooms a magnolia colour. I think thats what clinched the deal, as it brightened the home up! And made it look warmer.It was on the market from August until December. That time was taken up with surveys and Solicitors!

Good Luck

Gorgeous_George

Yes brasso, I agree with much of your sentiment but OP would do well to receiver the feedback in good faith.

Of the 4 houses that I have bought over the years, 3 were not particularly attractive and needed me to do considerable work to make them home. As a result I had little/no competition from other buyers and thye purchases went smoothly at discounted prices. On selling, my homes have been on the market for 1 day, 2 days and three weeks respectively and two of the three made asking price.

Generally, people do not want to buy a house that needs a lot of redecoration. If I bought the OPs house, the crazy paving would have to go and I'd estimate £6K to do the front garden.

As I said earlier, houses do not sell because the price is too high.

Good luck OP



GG

Gorgeous_George

dealornodeal wrote:

And made it look warmer.

...and bigger I guess.



GG

space_rider

I would paint the kitchen units, take off picture showing the dated bedroom or actually paint the bedroom units and also change the colour of it. I would also change the light fitting in the bedroom. I think the pictures on right move need to encourage people to actually come and view rather than let them see the bedroom and kitchen and get put off. The garden and living room look great but the kitchen and the bedroom could actually put people off. If you neutralised the colours in those rooms and got them to take new photos I think it would make a difference.

Gorgeous_George

Would it be easier to doctor the photographs digitally?



GG

TTMCMschine

brasso wrote:

Sorry, I've not read the whole thread but just bits.

I have to say that people making silly, b1tchy comments sound like people who watch too much 'property !!!!!!' on TV and think they've 'learnt the secrets of property selling'.

"property !!!!!!" is exactly what most people making the comments hate. I can assure you. Having looked round a few houses myself recently, Catty comments are exactly the type of comments i've found myself making. I do so, not because i can't see the past the decor, but because house prices are so high, yet we are also expected to find the cash to do the house up. It's alright if you're leaving somewhere that's outdated, but moving into it is a different matter, especially when you look at the price. The other problem is people decorate their houses with things that outdate very, very quickly, and often aren't made to last much longer than they've gone out of fashion, because they've bought them cheap from somewhere to make the house look nice for the sale. Hence it's just about ready for replacement when it's up for sale. So this is why your fellow posters are critical. For what it's worth i can see beyond a piano, and purple.

Whether or not you think the comments should have been toned down, that is exactly what people think when looking at it, and you need a realistic veiw of what people are saying. ~In this case i think it is called for.

The last house we looked at said it was owned by "exceptionally house proud owners". Talk about misleading - it was full of botch diy jobs.

Property !!!!!! hater.

brasso

TTMCMschine wrote:

"property !!!!!!" is exactly what most people making the comments hate. I can assure you. Having looked round a few houses myself recently, Catty comments are exactly the type of comments i've found myself making. I do so, not because i can't see the past the decor, but because house prices are so high, yet we are also expected to find the cash to do the house up. It's alright if you're leaving somewhere that's outdated, but moving into it is a different matter, especially when you look at the price. The other problem is people decorate their houses with things that outdate very, very quickly, and often aren't made to last much longer than they've gone out of fashion, because they've bought them cheap from somewhere to make the house look nice for the sale. Hence it's just about ready for replacement when it's up for sale. So this is why your fellow posters are critical. For what it's worth i can see beyond a piano, and purple.

Whether or not you think the comments should have been toned down, that is exactly what people think when looking at it, and you need a realistic veiw of what people are saying. ~In this case i think it is called for.

The last house we looked at said it was owned by "exceptionally house proud owners". Talk about misleading - it was full of botch diy jobs.

Property !!!!!! hater.

Oh, be as b1tchy as you want when looking round someone else's house. I've always done that (privately of course). Other people's taste in furniture, carpets and colours never ceases to amaze me. My point is that they wouldn't seriously prevent me from putting in an offer on a place if I liked the house enough - based on the really important criteria. For me, these include (apart from price of course): the location and transport links, garden, size and number of rooms, height of celings, condition of structure and woodwork, parking/garage facilities, and so on. Compared with these truly important things, I'm afraid the piano in the hall or the purple bedspread is a total irrelevance.

It would be a miracle if the sellers decorated a place exactly how I'd like it to be, and to the standard we'd all like; and installed a kitchen and bathroom that matched our taste and needs. But I've seen enough houses to know it just ain't gonna happen.

What I much prefer is to use the need to redecorate as a (tactfully expressed) reason for offering a lower offer than the sellers would like.

Rachman_2

scorpio_princess wrote:

Well said Doozer.

Whilst I'm all for straight talking, the Simon Cowell-esque judgements were totally over the top. People should remember that we're all human, nobody's perfect (and a whole heap of other cliches!). It did seem like some were almost poking fun at the OP - definitely NOT in keeping with the spirit of this conference.

Please stop heckling, folks - if you need to be honest, maybe even blunt, do it without resorting to cheap shots about laminate floors and 'council' style gardens.

you are missing the point - the property's not selling - the OP wants to know why - what is the point in not telling the truth - I am sure they would rather hear the harsher truth and have sold up in less time for more money than sit around because no-one had the balls to tell them the truth.

The laminate floors do look cheap (assuming it's not just bad photos and they are actually laminate) - the outside does look like it's municipal parking - sorry, but it does - what good does it do to deny the simple truth ? If you say the front's poor - the next question is why - because it looks like council owned property or on a main road..... - why beat around the bush by avoiding it ?

Almost everyone has offered constructive advice and criticism - the OP seems to accept what's been said, so why do we have people trying to defend someone from the truth who does not want to be defended (and I have no doubt is perfectly capable of defending themselves) ?

I offered straight blunt comments from looking at the photos - I've always bought at a discount because of condition (often sizeable) and I've always sold properties that are done 'right' - I have (touch wood) always been under offer at 98% plus of asking in less than 7 days and have always been lucky enough to be able to push the local ceiling whilst still pricing appropriately - but the harder I work at it the luckier I get.

I am also amused by the people who say they can see through the less attractive features - of course you can, but A) you are in a minority and will you still pay top whack for it in that condition or will you bargain money off because of it ? Yes it will still sell, but price and speed may be affected..... - which is where we started....

undercoat11

I haven't read all of this thread, but your house looks fine to me. I don't like the red room, but that is easily solved with a brush and a pot of paint. (You probably wouldn't like my "green" room either!) The kitchen looks like a kitchen to me - for goodness sake don't take people's advice and paint the cupboards - what a terrible idea as you instantly put gloss or eggshell paint onto a surface that will chip and get dirty. Leave them as they are - not everyone is looking for the latest orange worktop.

I am looking to move house within the next 12 months for a variety of reasons. I thought I would tell you what I will be looking for. A nice situation in a convenient location, a good price, heating, a pleasant garden (I don't mind if it is a mess, but I don't want concrete because I would need a digger to remove it), a kitchen that has clean units so that I can replace at my leisure if I need to (and yours looks absolutely fine), recent electrics, a good roof. In other words I am looking for a house that is in fairly good repair at a decent price. I don't know if yours is a decent price since I don't live in Romford, but it looks sound enough and a family could move in without too much difficulty.

It is easy to criticise in my experience, good luck with your sale - what about £299,000? I think a lot of people are looking to buy under the stamp duty limit of £250,000, but of course, this may not be feasible for your area.