Why won't our house sell?

quantumlobster

SallyDucati wrote: »

I would check the lease before stating hard standing can be put down - there may be covenants restricting what can and can't be done to ensure a uniform 'look' to the development.

Mrsburg wrote: »

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Thanks I think we have free reign to change the front because we sorted out the front garden.


What are plastic or metal mess frames? Thank you.

Might be worth confirming explicitly that the terms of the lease do not constrain the leaseholder from doing groundworks etc.

getmore4less

from the pics I had two issues(on top of the no parking).

Kitchen diner needs to look like one, the way you have it the patio doors the door into the room and the utility off make it look like you can't get a table for 4/6 in the room without issues.

Living room the way you have the furniture makes it look like you can't make it work with a big TV in a decent location, from the plan it looks like the only option is the wall opposite the window, or maybe with some chairs rather than a monster sofa on the only other plain wall.


agree with the others the parking could have been improves when the front landscaping was done.

these are mesh grids that can be use to stabize gravel to make it suitable for driving on.

with moveable raised beds the front garden could have been dual purpose for extra parking.

definitely check for covenants on putting up fences at the front.

What you need to do is the more like this test of what is SSTC to see what people are buying.

first stab get 3 fro sale and 6 SSTC.
move out to a mile

10 and 19 SSTC.

drop the price to 130

17 and 25 SSTC

Nobody buying is not the problem.

look what £10k more gets
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-72221084.html

or a corner plot for similar(accommodation a bit more compact)
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-74096918.html


Without looking more closely I suspect the issue is there are just better value places available in the price bracket.

westernpromise

Well, I think your house is lovely. You have nice well-mannered taste, it's well kept and I don't feel like I'm looking at hours and £ to remove someone else's bad taste and replace it with my own. Great kitchen, great bathrooms - these are big-ticket items I don't want to have to replace. The only thing I don't like about is the occasional use of wallpaper, but that's just me; I grew up in a house festooned with fussy wallpaper and now I can't stand the stuff no matter how tasteful. It wouldn't stop me buying your place. There's little of it, it's and one can paint it.

I would only make three suggestions. One, I agree with those who say acquire some pot plants. These are not sunk cost (they come with you) and they bring a garden to life (yours is a nice low maintenance garden - another plus). Maybe a couple of grasses in matching pots by the front door? Two, extend the principle indoors and acquire a few house plants. Zamioculcas zamifolia (Zanzibar Gem), clivia miniata (Kaffir Lily) and in fact most bromeliads, or a good old rubber plant, will grow just about anywhere; Aeschynanthus pulcher (Lipstick Plant) is low maintenance, needs sunlight but trails red flowers very prettily. Again, these come with you, but they jazz the place up. Three, you have one or two bare walls; rather than more pictures maybe try a carving or something, eg on the stairs - it sort of catches the eye and draws you in.

You did ask why it's not selling, and this I guess is why you got the comments about location / new build etc. You're right that these aren't things you can change. I don't know your area at all so I don't know if that's the problem but I see little wrong with the gaff itself.

Mrsburg

westernpromise wrote: »

Well, I think your house is lovely. You have nice well-mannered taste, it's well kept and I don't feel like I'm looking at hours and £ to remove someone else's bad taste and replace it with my own. Great kitchen, great bathrooms - these are big-ticket items I don't want to have to replace. The only thing I don't like about is the occasional use of wallpaper, but that's just me; I grew up in a house festooned with fussy wallpaper and now I can't stand the stuff no matter how tasteful. It wouldn't stop me buying your place. There's little of it, it's and one can paint it.

I would only make three suggestions. One, I agree with those who say acquire some pot plants. These are not sunk cost (they come with you) and they bring a garden to life (yours is a nice low maintenance garden - another plus). Maybe a couple of grasses in matching pots by the front door? Two, extend the principle indoors and acquire a few house plants. Zamioculcas zamifolia (Zanzibar Gem), clivia miniata (Kaffir Lily) and in fact most bromeliads, or a good old rubber plant, will grow just about anywhere; Aeschynanthus pulcher (Lipstick Plant) is low maintenance, needs sunlight but trails red flowers very prettily. Again, these come with you, but they jazz the place up. Three, you have one or two bare walls; rather than more pictures maybe try a carving or something, eg on the stairs - it sort of catches the eye and draws you in.

You did ask why it's not selling, and this I guess is why you got the comments about location / new build etc. You're right that these aren't things you can change. I don't know your area at all so I don't know if that's the problem but I see little wrong with the gaff itself.

Thanks very much. These are excellent and really useful tips that we can certainly implement easily, cheaply and quickly. Will take on board - thank you :-)

westernpromise

You're welcome. By the way, one useful trick with plants outside is don't have them all at the same level. If they're all on the ground, you'll tend to look over them. You can get frostproof wall sconces that you can fit at eye level, or at different levels, so you might have two like this, one either side of your garden doors
https://cdn.notonthehighstreet.com/system/product_images/images/000/570/820/original_100_4814.jpg

and a third to the right of the kitchen window (I like odd numbers as I think too many pairs can look a bit OCD / matchy-matchy, but that's just me). With something trailing out of them. Google "trailing annuals" for ideas or just go to whichever nearby Homebase / B & Q has the best garden section. Annuals grow fast this time of year. And all this is stuff that comes with you...

peachyprice

SallyDucati wrote: »

I would check the lease before stating hard standing can be put down - there may be covenants restricting what can and can't be done to ensure a uniform 'look' to the development.

Of the houses opposite OP's one has a lawn, one has block paving and another has fences. They all look much more 'inclusive' than OP's.

Looking at the surrounding streets it seems this little block has the worst deal with the 'drive' situation, all the other houses seem to have obvious drives.

hb2

I have read the listing several times and cannot see any mention of leasehold? Clearly it is, cos the Op has confirmed it. What am I missing?

If I had viewed thinking it was freehold and then discovered it was leasehold, I would be peed off and not consider it further.

seashore22

They are talking about the leasehold house scandal on radio 4 at this minute. It is becoming more and more a negative in buyers minds.

chrissie83

I’ve not read the other comments so sorry if I’m repeating anything.

I’m quite local to you & know where this is.
A few things stood out to me. It’s leasehold- I wouldn’t buy it for this reason but you did & someone else will.
A few pictures, flowers etc would make it feel more like a home.
I would get rid of the hall/ door pictures- really put me off & I don’t even know why, they are a bit ‘council house’ I think.
Reduce the price if you can a bit. Having said all that I quite like it.
Our house took 8 months to sell & we were so fed up but everyone said it would sell & it did

Crashy_Time

seashore22 wrote: »

They are talking about the leasehold house scandal on radio 4 at this minute. It is becoming more and more a negative in buyers minds.

Yep, so scattering a few pot plants around isn`t going to do much good...:rotfl:Get the price down until people show interest if you are serious about selling IMO.