Any suggestions - trying to sell?

claire16c

googler wrote: »

Pic 2 - remote control and TV guide on the couch, coffee mug 'in progress' on side table, something red on back of other couch, cushions should have been plumped up....

Pic 3 - aprons etc on back of door, WAY too much stuff on top of cabinets, WAY too much stuff on worktops, including sink drainer etc.

Pic 4 - cluttered shelves and top of fridge. Who wants to see a photo of the OP's bin and compost bin?

And the bathroom...... do we really NEED to see the OP's toothbrushes, spare toilet rolls and everything else?

Not that cluttered? Are you sure?

No but I know those things would not be there if I were to buy the house. That type of thing doesnt bother me at all.

Infact Im more suspicious when theres hardly anything in a room because theyre trying to make it look bigger

googler

claire16c wrote: »

No but I know those things would not be there if I were to buy the house. That type of thing doesnt bother me at all.

They may not bother you, but there must be a reason why developers' and builders' show homes don't have used toothbrushes, part-used toothpaste tubes, spare toilet rolls, and other detritus lying around in the bathrooms.

There must be a reason why they don't have aprons, dishtowels and other items hanging on the doors.

No?

GDB2222

googler wrote: »

They may not bother you, but there must be a reason why developers' and builders' show homes don't have used toothbrushes, part-used toothpaste tubes, spare toilet rolls, and other detritus lying around in the bathrooms.

There must be a reason why they don't have aprons, dishtowels and other items hanging on the doors.

No?

Yes. They are not actually living in the place.

DianneB

House no.2 is amazing!! I'd buy it for the views alone. Is the price competitive for the area?

googler

GDB2222 wrote: »

Yes. They are not actually living in the place.

OK, I'll re-phrase that/expand on it - there must be a reason why showhomes don't have dirty dishtowels, toothbrushes and toothpaste lying around to give that lived-in look .......

Yes, these are the residue of someone living in a house; that doesn't mean that you have them on show for the property's sales photos, or for viewings...... the virtue of them being there doesn't make them a selling point.

For the photos, you do the dishes and put them away. You finish the washing, iron the clothes and put them away. You tidy the bathroom. You put the spare toilet rolls somewhere they won't be photographed. You clear the bathroom of half-used toothpaste, shower gel and soap, so that they don't get photographed. You wash the shower cubicle till it sparkles. You clean the windows till they sparkle. You don't leave a dish towel over the oven handle. You don't leave shower soap scum on the shower screen. You don't leave the windows dirty. etc etc etc

GDB2222

googler wrote: »

OK, I'll re-phrase that/expand on it - there must be a reason why showhomes don't have dirty dishtowels, toothbrushes and toothpaste lying around to give that lived-in look .......

Yes, these are the residue of someone living in a house; that doesn't mean that you have them on show for the property's sales photos, or for viewings...... the virtue of them being there doesn't make them a selling point.

For the photos, you do the dishes and put them away. You finish the washing, iron the clothes and put them away. You tidy the bathroom. You put the spare toilet rolls somewhere they won't be photographed. You clear the bathroom of half-used toothpaste, shower gel and soap, so that they don't get photographed. You wash the shower cubicle till it sparkles. You clean the windows till they sparkle. You don't leave a dish towel over the oven handle. You don't leave shower soap scum on the shower screen. You don't leave the windows dirty. etc etc etc

Do you do all that every time somebody comes round to visit? If not, you'll have people looking at the photos and expecting the minimalist look, then being confronted with reality when they come round. The shock might put them off.

There's a cost within a family of keeping a house looking like a show house, that you're not taking into account. Also, provided it's reasonably clean and tidy, people can look beyond some modest clutter to how it will be when they move in. Some people may even be put off by the totally clinical look.

I've been underwhelmed by the show homes that I have seen, knowing that as like as not it's a lie with 3/4-sized furniture and so on.

Mallotum_X

Layout would be useful in the first one, and picture 6 has a big bed in a small space. Is that the second or third bedroom? If you can change it to a normal single it would look better.

A bit of clutter here and there really wont put people off that much, so unfortuanelty its going to be down to price. If a price drop hasnt worked then it maybe that the drop wasnt enough.

How is the local market doing, how do you compare to similar houses for sale, and has anytihng sold close by recently to compare against?

JenE_2

Mallotum_X wrote: »

Layout would be useful in the first one, and picture 6 has a big bed in a small space. Is that the second or third bedroom? If you can change it to a normal single it would look better.

That's our bedroom (Bedroom 1), with a kingsize in it - but most of the people who have viewed have said "oh, it's bigger than I thought it would be" of that room. Maybe if we dress it just with a duvet cover pulled tight it will look better.

There just haven't been many sales round either house recently to compare with, but I think they both compare well on price with others in each area.

Thanks all for your input!

Owain_Moneysaver

PasturesNew wrote: »

I can't believe that two people, owning those houses, could have anything in common. First one's messy/cluttered.... 2nd looks like somebody's offloading a posh holiday home

Man and Woman / Opposites Attract.

leewigan

I've just accepted an offer on my house which I'm quite chuffed about because others around me have been on for ages!
The following tips were extremely useful to me....

1) A coat of paint in every room goes a long long way. Keep to neutral colours such as magnolia especially in the bedrooms. Keep everything clean and simple. Re-glossing also makes a massive difference.

2) Look at your competition. What does your property have that others around you don't. Ensure that these points are emphasised in the agent brochure and pointed out during any viewings

3) Use cars for storage during viewings. Get as much out of the house as possible during the viewing process. You need to create as much space as possible to make the rooms look bigger.

Good luck