Lots of viewings - no offers - advice please

Anatidaephobia

It really doesn't look steep at all but I suppose the photos and Street View must be misleading.

My main thoughts when looking at the listing was that although it seems like a nice house with a lot of rooms, they all look on the small side and are mostly crowded. The photos of the living room, dining room and master bedroom are all dark.

WeAreGhosts

Mine is much, much steeper than that and it's not been a problem. Maybe it's 'fixed price' that is really putting people off ... it would me.

lessonlearned

For a start I suggest you remove the "fixed price" tag.

This will put off a lot of potential viewers. It just makes you sound extremely inflexible and maybe unrealistic about your property's actual worth. It is always guaranteed to raise my hackles.;)

I appreciate that photos can be misleading but if it really is a problem then I second the idea of digging out the drive, lowering the parking level and adding some form of terracing and retaining wall.

This is a classic case of needing to turn a negative into a positive, with the right kind of landscaping the garden could look stunning,with areas of terraced planting.

Then I would convert the garage into valuable living space, as it is integral to,the house anyway it wouldn't be too expensive a job. Some people might be put off by the lack of a garage but a lot of people no longer use garages for their original intended purpose. A lot of modern cars don't even fit into older syle garages anyway. As it is your house lacks balance, 5 bedrooms and only one sitting room. A house that size would benefit from a second reception room.

For the price per square foot, the average unused garage is a total waste of money, just very expensive storage for tat and clutter.

I cannot comment on the price but I do agree some of the rooms could do with thinning out a bit, some of the rooms do look rather crowded and dark. Some of the wall colours are very overpowering.

It's a very pretty house, and looks like a nice street.

lessonlearned

Ps I also notice you have two agents. I am not convinced of the value in doing this.

1. It sends out all the wrong signals. You can't sell, you are desperate, the house is overpriced, it is a "problem house".

2. With the best will in the world the estate agents won't be quite so pro-active. Your house could languish on their books for a long time due to their inertia.

Old_Git

greenwoodlad wrote: »

Photos are misleading, trust me to get a car in you need to reverse down to the garage and it it steep = but some older viewers have found it steep up and down walking to the front door - note the handrail on the wall !!

and thanks for all your replies

I assume the viewers didn't park in the drive so they had to walk to and from the road .This only highlights the steep drive .Get them to park in the drive close to the house .Also viewers may just not like the house and the steep drive is a good excuse when asked for feedback .

rosie383

TBH I doubt many pensioners are looking for a five bedroom house. The photos are very deceptive. I can see a small handrail at the end of the wall but I don't think steepness is the problem. Where I live a lot if the town is built on very steep hills with some really steep drives and they sell in days or even hours.

Davesnave

I would worry that house in that sort of position might suffer from flash-flooding, but I doubt if many viewers would consider that, unless they'd seen what can happen with their own eyes.

I think there might be a sub conscious reaction to 'being looked down upon' going on, which, coupled with the practical constraints,could be influencing judgement.

In the final analysis, if they have much of a choice, people want to 'love' a house, so subtle emotions are in play.

DianeBlack

Maybe the price is too high

booksurr

per Rightmove there are only yours (@£300k) plus one other 5 bed house (@£340k) for sale within a 5 miles radius of you in the price range 260k - 350k and the other one is under offer. So unusually for these boards price may not be the issue, it would appear to be demand

I too think that "steepness of slope" is just an excuse for the real reason viewers did not like it. Yes the photos are misleading, yes when pointed out the handrail suggests a slope and the gradient is 4 stones from top to bottom so not inconsiderable, but all the same that slope is only about 1 car length.

Nonetheless, for those in the market for 5 beds it appears supply is lacking and they are not prepared to compromise on yours. Increase the search range to 10 miles and there are only 15 x 5 bed houses in that price range and yours is the cheapest. There is only one other cheaper property @ 243K if your drop the search criteria to >200k < 10 miles so price is not your issue. Look for 4 + beds and the supply situation is solved, if people do not need the 5th bedroom then they have a choice of a lot more than just your property

sorry no solutions offered, you will just have to be patient as someone will buy at your price eventually

lessonlearned

The thought of flash flooding had actually occurred to me.

Yes I had a garage flood once because the water board had not maintained the storm drains and water just backed up through the street drains. The slope down to our garage was almost imperceptible so water ingress was the last thing we expected, until we had one of those 50 year event storms......:rotfl:.....What a mess........luckily it was only the garage and not the house.

Given what I know now about flash floods, when looking at the OP's property and the fact that the garage is unusable for its intended purpose, I would simply reconfigure the downstairs layout, incorporating the defunct garage into the main body of the house and turning it into usable living space.

The area immediately next to the house could be levelled off to make a small feature terrace and then put in a retaining wall and create a parking area at street level.

Someone will spot the potential and fall in love with it. I think externally it is a very pretty house and it would make a lovely family home.

I wouldn't be too concerned about steps and slopes, although I agree it would make wheelchair access very difficult. However, it's not a house for retirees. As long as the steps had a safety handrail that should be enough.