Market state for selling

ianG

hazyjo wrote: »

Will go through pics.

1. ...13

Know it's not easy hearing negatives, but it's been proven on this board that listening to advice can make a huge difference. I know you're not going to want to redecorate, but you can improve it greatly.

Lots will say 'price' and invariably it does come down to that. Unfortunately I agree with copperclock that it's currently a 'mild project' so it depends how you're pricing it compared with other 'done' properties. Don't know the area to comment on pricing.

Not trying to be negative and pick fault with your house - hope you're able to take some of it on board and look objectively rather than personally.

Wish you lots of luck!

Thanks for your time and constructive comments hazyjo. It is difficult to see things you've lived with for years so this exercise has proven very useful, thanks to all who have pointed things out.

Some of those issues have been addressed but others will need doing and then a whole new set of shots taken.

Cheers

pinklady21

Before you address the price, you need to get people in to view it. Some really appealing photos will do that. It is not a tiny house, but it does seem a bit like that from the photos and this might put potential viewers off. What sort of buyer are you aiming for? A couple? A young family? Downsizer? Someone who want something to move straight into, or a bit of a doer-upper?
Think about who your buyer is, what they might be looking for and aim everything you do at attracting them.
You could go an look at a couple of houses int the area and see how they are presented too which might give you some ideas. Best of luck.

hazyjo

See if you can find the 'Tunbridge Wells' thread. The owner took everything on board and sold really quickly after making some small changes to the flat and photos. One of my (and others') fave threads on here! Was within the last 6 months or so. Thread went on to several pages!

JoJo1978

Sorry if this has been covered in previous replies. Six weeks on the market at traditionally the slowest time of the year is not long, regardless of house appeal.

The market in the south is slowing as buyers are more cautious and price sensitive. We had a 3 bed semi on the market in London suburbs for 14 weeks before getting an offer and that was over the spring and summer.

We also changed agents, is it time for you to reconsider the cheaper online agent versus a high street agent. Worth it if they sell it, no? Their advantage is that they can cross sell properties to anyone on their books and aren't solely reliant on RM leads etc.

Our second agent (both were high street) got us three offers in a week, a good team makes a huge difference. The person who bought was actually from agent 1 days and had been 'watching and waiting.'

Think about the pricing logic, why do you expect an asking price offer from an agency valuation - they build in the likelihood that buyers will offer lower when they suggest a figure. What RM and Zoopla brackets does your house appear in searches for - will tweaking that vastly widen your viewing audience. Agents have access to data that can help with that, or at the very least make an educated guess.

Say you leave the price as is and someone comes along and offers 98%, so 7k under. Will you still reject them because it's 7k less than someone else told you it might fetch? Maybe not if it means it's sold.

lincroft1710

I think there are more serious problems than decor/tiredness.

Sorry but the house is unattractive from both front and rear. There is no cloakroom (but possible if you use part of the garage). Kitchen is too small and the living room is too long for the width. Access to the garage/drive looks as if it could be awkward if neighbours park inconsiderately. Seems too close to the house at the side.

It's well over 12 yrs since I last visited Bideford Green and it always struck me as being rather hemmed in (despite the green areas) and soul-less. Personal opinion I know

Plus point - bedrooms are a fairly good size.

Can't comment much on price. £300K plus being asked for 3 bed semis in a very pleasant area of Bedford, 6 months ago.

Cakeguts

Remember location, location, location? Well there is another one to add to this and that is position. That house is not in a good postion in that road. It is poked in at the end. I would think that although technically speaking the parking space could take two cars it would actually be very difficult to get them on there because of the proximity of the parking space for the house at the side.

If this is a family house then most families who are going to buy a family house have two cars. That is not suitable parking for two cars and the access at the front is onto the parking space of another house not the road. I wouldn't buy it for just the reason of the parking.

So taken together will all the other problems that it has it is much too expensive for the position. The only way you are going to sell it is if it appears to be cheap for what it is. You will sell it to someone who wants a detached house but can't afford one that doesn't have a problem. You aren't going to be able to sell if for the same amount of money as a similar detached house in a much better position.

Lokolo_2

Wow what are the chances of stumbling across this thread about a house I have looked at on Rightmove!

I live in Linslade, Leighton myself but looking to upsize and your place falls about mid range of my budget. I will be honest about why I didn't consider this property, though most of the reasons have been mentioned before.

• Kitchen, this is one of the main things that put me off, it is far too small and dated.
• Only one bathroom, most properties in your asking price have an en-suite to master.
• Carpet on stairs and flooring in kitchen put me off.

My conclusion was that for the price I can get a bigger and more modern place that doesn't need doing up, as I am also considering the nicer bits of Milton Keynes and Bletchley.


On the plus side, your Garden is lovely and big and I do like the living room despite what other people say. I didn't see any mention of it being in Linslade, I would definitely mention that as it is an appealing thing, the nicer part of Leighton Buzzard, also maybe write the room dimensions on the listing description and not just on the floor plan like many other listings do.


Hopefully you manage to find a buyer soon.

HappyFrog

Don't underestimate the value of a clean-up and a set of professional photos. We had our house on the market for two months in Sept/Oct last year and had one viewing. Changed agents, tidied up a bit, and paid for a professional photographer. Re-marketed in January. Had 14 viewings in first week with two offers. Asking price was the same in both cases.

Now looking for a property to buy. And personally I would be put off by anyone using an on-line agent.

ianG

Lokolo_2 wrote: »

Wow what are the chances of stumbling across this thread about a house I have looked at on Rightmove!

I live in Linslade, Leighton myself but looking to upsize and your place falls about mid range of my budget. I will be honest about why I didn't consider this property, though most of the reasons have been mentioned before.

• Kitchen, this is one of the main things that put me off, it is far too small and dated.
• Only one bathroom, most properties in your asking price have an en-suite to master.
• Carpet on stairs and flooring in kitchen put me off.

My conclusion was that for the price I can get a bigger and more modern place that doesn't need doing up, as I am also considering the nicer bits of Milton Keynes and Bletchley.


On the plus side, your Garden is lovely and big and I do like the living room despite what other people say. I didn't see any mention of it being in Linslade, I would definitely mention that as it is an appealing thing, the nicer part of Leighton Buzzard, also maybe write the room dimensions on the listing description and not just on the floor plan like many other listings do.


Hopefully you manage to find a buyer soon.

Thanks so much for that feedback, exactly the information I need from someone who knows the area. I will amend the description to mention Linslade as well as adding the room dimensions.

For others that have contributed,:I have removed the shelving unit and nets in the entrance, re-photographed the main room with furniture 'staged' and removed a ton of junk from the kitchen and have a shot of that as well. The coat hanger is now in the entrance area and it looks a lot more spacous but may well remove that image from the web site. Not updated on-line yet.

Lokolo_2

ianG wrote: »

Thanks so much for that feedback, exactly the information I need from someone who knows the area. I will amend the description to mention Linslade as well as adding the room dimensions.

For others that have contributed,:I have removed the shelving unit and nets in the entrance, re-photographed the main room with furniture 'staged' and removed a ton of junk from the kitchen and have a shot of that as well. The coat hanger is now in the entrance area and it looks a lot more spacous but may well remove that image from the web site. Not updated on-line yet.

No problem! My guess is that the market is also just slowly starting to pick up again after Christmas so hopefully you will have a lot more interest over the coming months. If you push the good points about the House combined with some new pictures from the feedback of others on here I'm sure you will get more interest in the House!

Wishing you best of luck:j