Ideas needed please to help us sell our house

japmis

lindens wrote: »

I think the property is absolutely gorgeous but the listing is pretty dire. There is not enough detail , I am having trouble working out the layout of the land and the house to be honest. I think one of those photos from a plane would help with the land layout. and definately a floor plan of both properties.
Also there is certainly not enough detail about the potential of property 2.

Absolutely agree, it's really hard to get your bearings as to the layout of the house(s) and garden.

pmlindyloo

Bit confused here.

You say that you aren't renting out the cottage in case you sell and this has been going on for 5 years?

Can't you find someone who would be willing to do the 'changeover' for you - seems a terrible shame not to be getting some income from this. Plus if you've got a For Sale sign up then you might be missing out on potential buyers who stop in the cottage.

As regards the sale.

1. First the pictures. Agree that there are no pictures of your lovely view. The street view does give an indication of how beautiful it is. You need to maximise the benefits of those views.

2. Offers over £250000 will never attract offers over because of the stamp duty threshold of £250000. Stick it on at £250000 and see if you have more interest.

3. You need to advertise this in a way that attracts your potential buyers. Write an advert with a picture (use the views) and stick it in a few London newspapers and main city local newspapers.

It is not a 5 bedroom detached property. It is a 3 bedroomed detached property with a 2 bed annex with potential for holiday lets/business income/granny annex. Make the most of the isolation but emphasise the main road for potential B&B customers.

There are potential buyers out there but you need to target them. Ask your estate agents to give you ideas. Are there property magazines that they /you could advertise in?

Moneybot

I agree about the photos they need to be changed. Could you go back to a previous agent if you have run out of new ones?

Is the map actually pinpointed on your house on the listing and the same for street view does it actually show your house?

Are any of the photos of the front of the house?

borkid

Are there any shops/ post office in the village? How far to drive to the nearest town/ city? Write it in minutes as driving 30 miles in a built up area is completely different from the same drive in the country. It takes me 25 mins to the nearest city here ( 20 miles away) where I used to live it took 30 mins to drive 10 miles. City dwellers perception of distances is very different from a country dwellers.

Werdnal

Firstly, as others have said, Agent works for you, not the other way around, You either get heavy with them and tell them what you want in the advert, or choose another agent!

I think you need to stress the income potential of the place. The holiday let is mentioned in the overall write-up, but on a quick scan through its easily missed.

Also, it is described as a 5 bed detached - is it, or is it a 3 bed with attached annexe? Is the "cottage" accessed through the main house, or is it totally separate? I think the whole description needs a complete re-write to show it as a 3-bed with a 2-bed attached cottage.

You need to stress the holiday let potential more.

You could also draw up an advert and put in publications like Country Life Mag, Horse and Hound, Period Home etc. Try to sell the "lifestyle" of a quiet rural escape with built in income on the doorstep.

I'd also get a full new set of photos done, now the weather is improving, as natural sunlight goes a long way to "selling" a place.

I also agreed with the comment about decluttering the conservatory - move the stools infront of the chairs and the cat equipment. Take the photos on a good day with the sun streaming in to show it at its best.

Mallotum_X

Floorplans and new photos would help.

But if its been on for 5 years then it comes back to price. Has anything sold locally at all to compare to?

If you are really keen on a move then I think you are going to have to drop the price, forget the offers over idea and try 249,995.

Ask the agent why there are not even any viewings, what is he saying is the problem?

maninthestreet

Picture 5 - what is that on the walls in the corner by the sofa??

BitterAndTwisted

The listing is inaccurate and the photos are not helpful. Plus, there aren't enough of them. What are you trying to sell: the house or the TV, light-fittings and furniture in it?

If there is potential for an income from the annexe why isn't there any mention of how much that could be?

I'd want a floor-plan and I'd want to know how much garden is included. There obviously is a garden but not any dimensions.

The only photos of the exterior appear to be of the rear of the property. Why is that?

"To the fore of the property is a lovely secluded private garden comprising a patio area, lawns, trees, mature shrubs and an ornamental garden pond and wishing well."

For pity's sake, there needs to be a photo of the front if it's as attractive as it sounds.

Honestly, it could be a truly lovely house but there's not enough in those photos to tempt me to find out.

PasturesNew

ordinaryangel wrote: »

We are unable to let the cottage either for holidays or short term in case we do sell.

There are some websites you can put it on at the last minute for specific dates. e.g. ebay or bigger sites like LastMinute.com you can do this. That way you culd rent it only ever 1-2 weeks ahead.

If somebody's interested in viewing they'll view it without seeing the holiday let (get lots of good photos of it) - and any 2nd viewing can be organised for a changeover day or give the holidaymakers some cashback in exchange for a viewing where somebody really IS a potential buyer.

You can also do a video walkround of the holiday let to show relevant parties to get round viewings issues.

motherofstudents

I think it looks lovely and it is in such a beautiful part of the world. It is not being presented as well as it could be but even so, I would have thought you might have had more interest as there are not many properties with a 'granny annexe' which is what I have been looking for recently. Could you start again with your own photos and write up and try to market it online, in newpapers etc. You couldn't do any worse than your agents have done.

I agree with the comment about offers over £250k, it will never happen with the stamp duty threshold. It doesn't look overpriced to me but I don't know the market where you are. Where I live there are similar properties (rural Lancashire) which are fairly comparable, although maybe not as isolated as you are. This would be a selling point for some people.

Has the market not improved at all in the past few months ? Things are picking up here a bit but apparently in London and the south east, properties are flying off. I hope you can manage to sell soon, it must be very disheartening.