Rejigging layout of bedroom and WC

drummer_666

Hello,

I'm a property developer, I buy, renovate and sell.

My latest property is not selling, it's been on the market since Mid Nov, had around 30-35 viewings. Up for £112, had an offer £102, didn't come back with a counter offer, one £102, upped to £105, then went AWOL. I dropped asking to £108 about 3 weeks ago, more viewings no further offers.

The feedback is:
It's on a main road which put some people off.
People love the downstairs - new kitchen, bathroom, general decor
People don't like the two smaller bedrooms upstairs.

Lots of investors have been looking, some say the expect the third room to be a box room but the second room is too small. Some say both the smaller two rooms are too small.

I've done a full renovation, inc new carpets etc so would rather not completely re-do the upstairs as it would be a waste of the new carpets etc, and I don't want to put much more money into the place but I'm thinking it might be worth a bit, seeing as it's just not shifting. Could be worth spending up to another grand to shift it, rather than potentially after god knows how long take a ridiculously low price

I can't do a great deal about the second room, other than get the chimney breast and fireplace removed (though some people comment on loving the fireplace), but I'd rather not unless I know for sure it'll make a big difference, as there will be quite a cost involved.

I could rejig the upstairs wc to make the third bedroom bigger.

What are everyones thoughts?

Current layout (master bedroom the right at top of stairs):


Proposed re-jig


I'm not sure what door I could get to work with the new wc

This would mean I could leave the toilet in the same place and I'd just need to pay a chippy to hang two doors and a plasterer and do the rest myself.

There has been no bed in either of these two rooms.
But, I could buy a small double and put next to the fireplace in bedroom 2.
Do you think this is a good idea and would help show the bedroom can fit a double?

If I then did the rejig, do you think that I should move my double bed from the master bedroom into this room? To again show the room fits a double bed or would the room look bigger empty?

Thank you so much
I'm just in a nightmare situation here (next door sold pretty quick last June and is very similar to how I refurbished mine).

Doozergirl

I can't have an informed opinion if I can't see the whole house. I would like to see the layout in context. Where is this third bedroom? How big is it? Why does the large bedroom have two doors and the stairs go the wrong way?

Can we see the Rightmove link, please?

On the face of it, it's seems sensible but you seem to have only given yourself 72cm including frames and architraves for the larger bedroom and toilet doors.

The fireplace needs to go from the larger room. A double bed pushed against the wall in a room 4m long is unacceptable.

I can help properly if you give more information.

chappers

I agree with DG the first thing that should have happened is the fireplace should have gone.
Also find it hard to visualise with only half the layout. how do you get into that cloak room in the re-jig

Before you go throwing more money at it, how much does it owe you? You have been offered only £7K below the asking price which equates to just over 6% of the asking price.
You are going to have to spend what a minimum of a couple of thousand and probably more and then even if you achieve your asking price you will only be 4 or 5k better off.
If you can break even at £105 then maybe you might be better off grabbing your money and moving on to the next one, if you can't then I would seriously wonder if the maths ever stacked up on this one.

For £7k less fees and taxes I wouldn't even consider buying an under priced property and sticking it straight back on the market.
You have already reduced it to £108k, price it to sell and move on to something better.

MisterBaxter

I'm struggling with the layout of the stairwell so assume it is actually a landing that serves the bedrooms.

As the others have said to make the larger of the two small rooms significantly more usable the fireplace should come out.

The alterations to the upstairs WC could be made accessible by some sort of folding door but it seems that it is now so small it wouldn't be particularly comfortable to use which means it wouldn't be desirable although I suppose it isn't much worse than some understairs cloaks (the larger individual wouldn't stand a chance). There is almost a case that says you may just as well do away with the upstairs WC, does the master bedroom have en-suite or WC?

I'm with Chappers, I would be tempted to look at shifting the property for the best price you can now get; £7k below asking wasn't an insult in the first place and having to spend another £2k-£3k plus any financing costs you are incurring at the moment probably just isn't worth it. Even if you throw money at it the other factors that you mentioned may still make it less desirable than other similarly priced properties in the area. Other than the fireplace in the second bedroom I wouldn't have said that there was anything fundamentally wrong with the current layout, the smallest bedroom is really only ever going to be a box room/nursery and I would imagine most people would have seen it as that.

drummer_666

The only thing missing is the master bedroom - that's good and not changing. Big enough as it is, not big enough ensuite. All done up and lovely.

The door inside the second bedroom is to the over stairs cupboard - which can be used as a wardrobe.

I could break even at £105, I would've made profit on that which would have given me an ok salary for the labour. But as I said, he went AWOL. Since then I have had no further viewings.

The house next door, with the shared communal entrance sold for £110 in June 2015. The house the other side, normal front door sold for £118k summer 2014 as a two bed, but AMAZING quality. This house was priced at £112, to achieve £108-110k.

Changing the WC would cost me around £1k, and I could just about fit a 610mm standard door, but no point if won't make a difference. The house isn't shifting and viewings have dried up so that's why I'm thinking of making some changes.

I go away for 3 weeks in a week otherwise I'd get on with a new agent but I'll to wait until I get back now I think as for the last week at least I will be uncontactable.

http://www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/38576451?search_identifier=932f76a941f00412631694820bdfb752#etuG7I1sM2wpbJBK.97

Doozergirl

I had no idea you could buy houses for that little anywhere near here. We work on the 'posh' side of the Hagley Road.

I'm honestly not sure it's worth it for about 60cm more bedroom. I'm not sure what people expect for that price level. Have you looked at what is available around you?

The roof looks a bit dodgy in the photos. Is the guttering missing?And the front looks like it needs a lick of paint as there's clear evidence of rainwater pouring down the front sides at some point. Next door looks like the one that has been refurbished in that photo.

You'll save money by not using a Countrywide estate agent. Why not go with House Network, Tepilo or the likes?

chappers

To be fair, it's not quite the most active time in the market at the moment, but were not far off.
If it's not costing you too much to sit on it maybe hold tight. I wouldn't bother chasing the price by doing any further work. The gains are going to be so small against the risk and the time spent, might be better employed waiting for another offer.
I agree you may be better off getting a fresh set of eyes on it via another agent. Price it to sell and move on.

Comments on the property, looks pretty decent with a great finish and I can see your thinking to keep the original fireplace in the bedroom.
From another developers point of view, I probably wouldn't have bothered with the bathroom upstairs or more likely would have stuck at two decent doubles with an en-suite. Sometimes less is more

MisterBaxter

Doozergirl wrote: »

I had no idea you could buy houses for that little anywhere near here. We work on the 'posh' side of the Hagley Road. ..............

That's the difference between Birmingham and Sandwell!

I would say that it is priced about right and based on the sale prices of the other properties I don't think that the asking price is unrealistic. They aren't the best looking properties but they are what they are, not sure what impact the proximity to the Academy has on price but it could just be the general location that is putting people off. It's not the most attractive looking property from the outside, but others have sold.

It would be easy to throw more money at it and still not really attract more interest.

drummer_666

I didn't put the wc in,, it was aalready there, I just spruced it up.

It's the fact that I've had so many viewings, even before I dropped the price.
though most have been investors and not interested as say they'd need to change the layout upstairs.

The most I've sold a house for has been £118 and that was asking price in Erdington. Birmingham is cheap!

I'm just going to have run out of money if it doesn't sell soon.
I don't do mortgages (wouldn't be applicable) so most of my money is tied up. I flip houses, live in them as I do them up you see.

I'm more drawn to the bigger agents as most smaller ones don't advertise on both Zoopla and Right Move and do the viewings themselves. Unless you have any recommendations?

Doozergirl

Tepilo definitely does!

drummer_666

I'm wary of using an internet only company.

My house has had 40ish viewings, presumably people looking on Zoopla/Right Move will have seen the house already

I would've thought if I went with someone like Connells they'd have a database of people to show my property too, so the people that don't check online so much, or check and my house doesn't show up (might be they're looking for 2 beds only, or 1/4 mile down the road) can see?

Do you only market through Tepilo?
Or else, who else do you use?

I've used Connells and Oulsnam in the past