Why is it so hard to sell a 3 bed semi in Leeds?

AdrianC

Out,_Vile_Jelly wrote: »

Make a placard with enticing photos of the carpeted kitchen, 80s bathroom and bedroom tumble drier and walk round the nearest town centre shouting that it's available for £130k and anyone who doesn't want it is a massive idiot and ungrateful !!!!!!.

Can we please arrange for somebody to be there with a video camera?

ReadingTim

I'd wade in with my own comment of "it's too expensive" if I thought the OP would take any notice, but as this is clearly not the case, I suggest the following:

1 - ask the EA what price it should be marketed at for a "quick sale" by a "motivated seller". It might involve the digits 1,3 and 0, but probably not in that order.

2 - look to see what's selling locally. In the last year, 44 properties sold within 1/4 of a mile of the OP's, but only a handful are comparable (post war 3 bed end of terrace/semi):

18 Wellington Gdns - £164k, but has conservatory and separate carport/garage not in the garden
26 Ganners Lane - £87k
11 Ganners Lane - £104,950

I appreciate the OP does't want to hear it, but the property is closer in style to the Ganners Lane ones than Wellington Gdns, and should be priced accordingly. This is based on actual sale prices, not someone's best guess at what might happen....

Marvel1

For me if I was viewing on Rightmove, the wreath in the back garden is off putting.

Coud you remove all the furniture.

Sexyscorp66 wrote: »

Over priced at £130k in this day and
age?please serious replies only.Do people expect things to be given away????
It's the buyers responsibility to make any changes-and I am SORRY but what the he'll do viewers expect when my parents were in their late 80s/90s???
Well I won't accept less than £125 no matter what.Similar houses have gone for 130 to 140k not a chance. The quick sale companies offered me £125k if I left it on the market for a minth;the estate agent valuations are 135 to 140;
People really are taking the liss suggesting £108k.

Oh well, you wanted advice, you got it, don't like it, good luck trying to sell at the price you want.

nkkingston

If the OP is wondering, we went for a mid terrace in Burley for more than his asking price, mostly because the kitchen and bathroom were both less than five years old, and because we shared a lot of tastes with the previous owners. They had the same books on the shelves we'd be bringing with us, the same board games, the same food in the kitchen... They were us in five years time. Your market for your dad's house is (a) people just like your dad or (b) those rare buyers who can genuinely see past a house's decor (who will low ball you because they don't want to pay to redecorate on top of the house price).

bmthmark

Sexyscorp66 wrote: »

Look guys
If you are just going to insult me for the sake of winding me up-don't bother!!
108 is taking the absolute puss for a 3 bedroom semi/terrace whatever and I'm sure you wouldn't even consider it if it were yours.
What I was expecting was sensible suggestions about how to sell it for 130k not people acting like !!!!!! and insulting me.
If you are really such professional punters how come you know so much more than the agents who put it on for 139 originally?-don't you think they would have told me if it was I being unrealistic at 130?

I personally think everyone is wrong and its worth £150k and if I lived around that area I would buy it :dance:

TBagpuss

Sexyscorp66 wrote: »

Look guys
If you are just going to insult me for the sake of winding me up-don't bother!!
108 is taking the absolute puss for a 3 bedroom semi/terrace whatever and I'm sure you wouldn't even consider it if it were yours.
What I was expecting was sensible suggestions about how to sell it for 130k not people acting like !!!!!! and insulting me.
If you are really such professional punters how come you know so much more than the agents who put it on for 139 originally?-don't you think they would have told me if it was I being unrealistic at 130?

If you want to sell it for £130K then you need to redecorate, replace the bathroom and possibly the kitchen.

In realation to agents, no, I don't think they would necessarily tell you. It is not uncommon for agetns to give unrealistically high valuations to try to persaude sellers to sign up with them.
When I was marketing my last house, I did my research (which was not hard, as it was one of a large numbr o near-identical properties so cmparison was easy. I knew the range they were selling for was £110-£130K and that mine would be at bottom end ofthat range because it was dated and needed a new kitcehn and bathroom.

I had one agent swear blind that I could market it at £130k and get that. It was utter b******ks. And not a single one of the agetns I had look at the proeprty mentioned the bathroom or kitchen until I did. Agetns don't get work by critising the properties they are being asked to sell, because people are defensive about their homes.


You've said "what do people expect" given your parents ages. Buyers don't know, or care, aout your parents ages. They are looking at the proeprty and thinking bout whether they could live there, and how much work would be needed to bring the property into a condition where they could live there.

You can spend the money and update the property yourself, or you can price it realistically taking into account that whoever buys it will then need to spend a fair amount of money on it.

I'd suggest that you consider:
- getting some estimates done - how much would it cost to rip out the bathroom, retile and replace the suite with a white one.
- How much it would cost to redecorate throughout
- How much it would cost to replac ethe bathroom
- how much a rewire and replacment of the boiler will cost

Becaue tose are the things that any buyer is likely to be planning on, and they will be factoring those costs into their offer.

Get a couple of different agents to come and look at it. Say to them that your recognise that the property is pretty dated and ask them what, realistically, they think it would achieve.

Then ask whether they would advise you to update it before you sell, and how much difference that will make to the price.

That will give you an idea of whetehr it is cost effective to get the work done.

I suspect it won't be. But the quotes will allow you to work that our for yourself.

warby68

OK OP (even though you have been incredibly rude) how about this for a plan?

Take it off the market now

Spend £1000 - a bit of garden planting, clearing away all the personal items, the surface clutter, knick knacks etc and a lot of the furniture. Replace some (if not all carpets) with neutral and a lino for the bathroom, add some modern bedding and perhaps curtains. While you are doing this say a proper goodbye and try and detach yourself so, along with achieving a more neutral house, you have more neutral feelings to come back to market with. The current set of photos shriek of sadness, abandonment, end of life etc and that IS offputting and people DO buy with emotion - heartbreaking for you possibly but if you are not prepared to sell at any price you might have to go through it a bit . This cosmetic work won't change the fundamentals but it will change the 'mood' of the house and make it look bigger, and this might help a wider pool of buyers take a look.

Then revisit the agents (especially those that have sold something nearby) and get an honest view of what price is needed to sell in the timescale you want and take it from there.

PS Its not what I would do - I'd take the £108k subject to them clearing the house. For me a year is long enough to know not many people want the house. But it might help OP feel they have properly tried to get a good price for dad's house without wasting too much time or money.

sheff6107

1. Watch any episode of Phil Spencer's Secret Agent.
2. The badly Photoshopped blue sky doesn't help.

Crashy_Time

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/property/article-3729680/Families-t-afford-rent-mortgage-month-lose-job.html


Could this be the reason, or maybe a "Three bed semi" never was worth North of a 100k? My advice to the OP would be stop wasting time on here and get the price cut before it becomes unsellable.

tykesi

spadoosh wrote: »

The brick is recessed which suggests its paneling and not much of a conventional wall, i would doubt there is brick under the tiles. The neighbouring houses also suggest its NSC. As mentioned a frined in leeds has a similar property and hers was NSC, although as mentioned, no issues with mortgages but she did buy it cheaper than other properties nearby that were traditional brick.

I don't think this is a NSC property at all.

The concrete types are quite prevalent in North Leeds and originally looked like this:

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-34610124.html

Recently the vast majority have been upgraded with an extra external wall to create a cavity which has been filled with insulation. This was done to increase their efficiency and knowing a friend who lives in one which has been upgraded it has made a huge difference.

The upgraded ones look like this (much nicer and prices tend to be higher because of it):

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-41446848.html