Critique our house please

Doodles

You have a lovely house.

My thoughts are (which echo others really)

Too many photos

1 bathroom to 6 bedrooms - this would be the deal breaker for me.

The garden is a bit of a let down (sorry!). Your house is lovely, decor to a high standard so if I was walking around being pretty pleased with what I was seeing so far, to then go out in the garden, I would be a bit like "oh!"

victoriavictorious

It's no big deal to add another bathroom or shower room / get the garden landscaped if any future buyer wanted those things done.
The price is probably the sticking point.

Mutton_Geoff

The problem with too many pictures, even "plenty" of pictures, all showing everything nice and organised after being house doctored by the armchair experts on the internet is that you miss the biggest point about marketing.


It would be rare for a house to sell directly via an internet listing. In the same way people overdo their CVs when job hunting, the purpose of a CV is to get to an interview where you can then shine and convince the recruiter face to face why you should have the job.


The purpose of the Rightmove listing is to get viewings, not sell the house. Too much detail at this stage could write off most of your potential buyers as they then don't feel they need to visit to answer any questions.


Get the listing just right to tempt people in, not provide a warts and all comprehensive documentary of your house through a few clicks of the mouse. I'd say "less is more" which will drum up curiosity and therefore visits. It's during a visit that a potential buyer will fall in love with the place and buy it.


Not too long ago, estate agents had to fit house particulars onto a double sided sheet of A4, mostly photocopied in black and white. Houses still sold with minimal pictures and information because of human nature to be curious. Build some unanswered questions into your listing and get the viewers back.

getmore4less

Not looked at the house but have read the opinions.

start with the more like this and adjust to get a decent sample

amount/amount inc SSC

£325-£425 5+ 1/2mile
2/2

1mile
7/9

3m max £400
9/14 thats an small but ok sample to start.
look at what people are buying
£345k 6 bed 3 bath
£360 5bed 3 bath
£365 6bed 2bath

and this has come up on the street at £400

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-54236106.html

Someone went for this 4 bed detached at £389
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-66010388.html

if we change to 325-375 and 5+ 5miles
23/37

That's a good sample of 5 bed+ same price or lower with 14 SSTC to compare to.

Drop the min price and there are a lot of much cheaper 5bed+
many £100k cheaper

westernpromise

Crashy will be along any minute to say it's worth flumpence.

TBagpuss

I agree with others that there are too many pictures, the pictures themselves are not very good, and they are not labelled so it is hard to see how they fit with the floor plan.

I'd suggest that you ask the agents to amend the floor plan so that you have Bedroom 1, bedroom 2 etc, and then label the photos to match.

I also agree that the lack of another bathroom is probably putting people off. maybe consider re-writing the description to suggest that the small study room and/or storage on the 3rd floor could be converted into additional bathrooms if desired.

I would also get the outside photos redone. The garden looks very bare, and also it makes it immediately obvious that the property has been on the market for a while, as the pictures are so clearly taken in winter!

I think the decor will probably put some people off, as it is is fairly distinctive - If I were looking at this house with a view to buying, I;d be factoring in the cost of having to redecorating throughout, as well as putting in at last one new bathroom, and i would be adjusting any offer to take that into account.

hammy1988

My first thoughts on the photos are too many tight doorways and such. Would be a nightmare for furniture (well mine anyway) LOL

getmore4less

Lots of photos seems to be the norm there.
some properties don't have floor plans.

Smodlet

I still want to know where the sixth bedroom is. Can only dead people see it?

Agree about the lack of bathrooms; surely it must be possible to fit a shower cubicle in that cloak/utility room for far less than the potentially necessary price reduction, isn't it? I know this has already been suggested.

I would not change the decor; how do you know what your future buyer's taste will be? They might like floral wallpaper. Personally, I find all-white properties cold and off-putting. Only a little imagination is required to look beyond mere cosmetics.

The harsh fact, as always, is that it will sell at the price people are prepared to pay for it. This may be rather less than it is currently offered for due entirely to its location, which you cannot change.

OP, I think your house is beautiful but, for that money, I know I could buy a really nice detached with a huge garden in my chosen location. I do not know your area at all but your EA should be able to guide you regarding what sells and what does not, and at what price. If they care more about their commission than selling your house quickly, it might be a good idea to check out the links to similar properties provided by getmore4less and try to be objective about their relative locations: You might love Wallasey but try to put yourself in the position of someone from outside the immediate area. Are they going to care more about post codes or price?

I wish you luck.

westernpromise

The trouble is that people looking for 6 bedrooms will lose interest when they see only one bathroom, while people looking for four beds and three bathrooms will probably filter it out of their Rightmove searches, even though that's what it could be turned into.

IKEA has a bathroom planner tool into which you can input room dimensions, window and door locations, etc. There might be some mileage in designing a bathroom that would fit into a couple of those rooms, to prove it can be done, and adding it to the photos.

The strong points are the very roomy downstairs and I love the entrance hall, which is a proper space. It's amazing how many houses have a passageway rather than a proper hall.