Loads of viewings but house not selling.

Detroit

I think your house looks lovely, tasteful and as neutral as could be achieved without making it bland. With those amazing views too, I wish it was in my area!
Yes, the garden may not be ideal, but unlikely to be the deal breaker for 32 people, who all viewed after seeing it on the photos.
Given the number of viewings, people are clearly not put off by your presentation. However, I was wondering if the pics are a true reflection?
When I was looking recently, I viewed several houses that looked perfect from the pictures, but found the reality different; rooms much smaller, strange features blocked due to camera angles, and even a drive where grass verges had been airbrushed out. The disappointment put me off completely, and made it hard to see the positives in the houses.
As others have said, to show the steps and positioning in the pics would filter out those who felt this an issue (which incidentally, wouldn't bother me) and avoid wasting your time.
I was interested in your comment that neighbours use the back of the house as the front, as I think the back of your house looks more attractive, and possibly less steps to the door? Could the concrete yard become a drive and the grass at the front the back garden? People may also like the idea of access via private road. Just a thought.
I don't know the area so can't comment on price, but if this was the problem Id expect low offers, not no offers. You haven't been listed that long, so in your position I'd wait it out a little longer, especially as your prospective vendor is in no rush.
Good luck!

jjj1980

I have to be honest, most of the bits I'm not so keen on are cosmetic. Including the back garden. I like how "empty" the kitchen looks as I can see straight away there would be plenty of counter top space.

What would put me off is the stair access but mostly the fact the front garden appears to be shared/open plan. I personally would want to see this sorted so to access it would have to be either via the house or a gate. I like my privacy at home and that front garden, to me, would be a compromise too far.

Clutterfree

Now I've looked at the Street View I think the steps may be a problem.
My first thought was imagine lugging your groceries down there every week! :eek:
Although, perhaps it would be easier via the back gate but you'd still have the walk up the garden each trip. Do you have parking at the back?

SternMusik

jjj1980 wrote: »

What would put me off is the stair access but mostly the fact the front garden appears to be shared/open plan. I personally would want to see this sorted so to access it would have to be either via the house or a gate. I like my privacy at home and that front garden, to me, would be a compromise too far.

See, this wouldn't bother me at all. My front garden (which is a really good size for the inner city location) is open plan to my attached neighbours' front garden. We have a lawn, a small apple tree on my side, roses and other shrubs on both sides and three mature, evenly spaced out lavender bushes along the roadside. I also have a large pyracantha growing up the neighbours wall (houses are slightly offset). Our road is a quiet cul-de-sac, and the open plan nature of the front gardens contributes to the welcoming, friendly atmosphere of the road. Many people who visit comment on it. Neighbours and I love it. We treat it as a single garden for jobs like cutting the grass and trimming the lavender bushes.

The other front gardens in the road are also open plan (except for one :mad:) but not necessarily 'shared' like ours are.

(Edited to add that we all have good-sized, sunny back gardens which are enclosed, so there is no lack of garden space. The front gardens are a bonus.)

SternMusik

Clutterfree wrote: »

Now I've looked at the Street View I think the steps may be a problem.
My first thought was imagine lugging your groceries down there every week! :eek:
Although, perhaps it would be easier via the back gate but you'd still have the walk up the garden each trip. Do you have parking at the back?

The street view is of the rear access road (the one with caravans). OP's house is on the right. Rear access via steps. Front access is also via steps down from the actual road, which is parallel to the one on the streetview.

melstar11

To add to the great advice you've been given and to echo one of the pp, don't leave the conservatory empty. Every room needs to have a purpose and the empty conservatory is just compounding the issue with the back garden. If it's empty viewers will think it's useless and needs to be removed or work doing to it to make it usable.

Clutterfree

SternMusik wrote: »

The street view is of the rear access road (the one with caravans). OP's house is on the right. Rear access via steps. Front access is also via steps down from the actual road, which is parallel to the one on the streetview.

I know, I followed it round yesterday and recall the steps at the front but couldn't remember the back!

Flyingpig

Thank you for all of your advice. We spent the weekend clearing the whole garden and anything that shouldn't be there has gone to the tip.

The person who took the wooden playhouse on free cycle gave us a load of pot plants for it. We also brought some bigger plants and hanging baskets at a boot fair yesterday too. We have jet washed the whole garden down and it already looks a lot better, and moved the shed to the corner of the patio. We put new pebbles down in the borders around the patio too. Painted all the garden walls cream. Weather permitting tomorrow the 'borders' around the concrete side where the shed was are being levelled off with concrete, and we have a roll of artificial grass coming tomorrow to be laid on that side (thanks mum!). We were going to lay pea shingle stuff but this actually worked out cheaper.

The difference alway is amazing, and it looks twice the size! I will make sure I put photos ups when it's all done. I will get the agent to update the listing photos when we have finished it too :j :j :j

moneyistooshorttomention

SternMusik wrote: »

See, this wouldn't bother me at all. My front garden (which is a really good size for the inner city location) is open plan to my attached neighbours' front garden. We have a lawn, a small apple tree on my side, roses and other shrubs on both sides and three mature, evenly spaced out lavender bushes along the roadside. I also have a large pyracantha growing up the neighbours wall (houses are slightly offset). Our road is a quiet cul-de-sac, and the open plan nature of the front gardens contributes to the welcoming, friendly atmosphere of the road. Many people who visit comment on it. Neighbours and I love it. We treat it as a single garden for jobs like cutting the grass and trimming the lavender bushes.



The other front gardens in the road are also open plan (except for one :mad:) but not necessarily 'shared' like ours are.

(Edited to add that we all have good-sized, sunny back gardens which are enclosed, so there is no lack of garden space. The front gardens are a bonus.)

Just a cautionary note here - there have been cases more than once of where someone has thought "Oh the neighbour is doing me a favour mowing my grass - or the like" - only to find that, some years down the line, the neighbour starts talking about how "we've treated the garden as our own/maintained it etc....and now we're claiming adverse possession" and some daft official has awarded it to them. I nearly fell foul of what previous owners of my house had allowed myself - whew!

Hence - I would be refusing to let anyone else tend my garden and make sure they stayed out of it...just in case...

Flyingpig

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

Just a cautionary note here - there have been cases more than once of where someone has thought "Oh the neighbour is doing me a favour mowing my grass - or the like" - only to find that, some years down the line, the neighbour starts talking about how "we've treated the garden as our own/maintained it etc....and now we're claiming adverse possession" and some daft official has awarded it to them. I nearly fell foul of what previous owners of my house had allowed myself - whew!

Hence - I would be refusing to let anyone else tend my garden and make sure they stayed out of it...just in case...

Our neighbour and my husband are on less than good terms (personal differences rather than anything to do with the houses), so trust me there will never be any shared tending from either sides. 90% of the street have their front gardens undefined like this. It is very common around here.