Advice on Selling My House

SuperMoose

Ribena1987 wrote: »

I've got two viewings already booked for tomorrow. They are both cash buyers. Should i cancel until I have made all the changes or just go ahead (I can only get so much done today though).

Go ahead. The photos obviously didn't put them off as they've booked viewings.

Good luck

Cheeky_Monkey

I definitely wouldn't cancel them if I were you.

If they're cash buyers, they may be LLs in which case they will probably not be as fussy

FreeBear

The house looks fine. I'd agree with comments on the garden, fence, and conifer out front.

Don't get involved in an argument with the neighbour about the fence - It would have to be declared at a later date and could put off a buyer. Bite the bullet and get it fixed.

Decor is neutral, and as you say, the next owner would probably rip out the kitchen anyway - That said, the floor & units are OK in my opinion. Tiles are easy to replace, all be it a messy job.

Don't go canceling the viewings you've got booked - It is a family home, not a show house, so a bit of clutter is to be expected.


P.S. If you really want a project home - https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-73605890.html - Probably well over your budget and in the wrong area, but that cellar.... I want.

lessonlearned

Let the viewers come. If you get no offers then it's time to make a few changes.

But, Generally a nice house, at a fair asking price, although expect to haggle down a bit. It just needs a few tweaks. Pretty much as others have suggested.

Add a small table and chairs to the kitchen.
You could paint the kitchen tiles, but I'd be inclined to leave them.
Dress the bathroom a bit, it looks a bit clinical, some nice toiletries, a couple of plants maybe, get rid of the candle thingy.
Fix the fence, chop down the conifers and get rid of the concrete thing.

What is the patio made of ......slabs, or concrete.....either way you can paint them. A less obtusive colour. And then maybe add an outdoor rug on top, then place the furniture nicely. Add a couple of pots with tall greenery round the edges to define the space and make it feel more private. You can't easily get rid of it so dress it and make it look and feel like an outside room or proper designated entertaining space.

getmore4less

You can move the furniture around for a pic move cot take pics of a bed put it back.

People are still coming so it can't be far off on asking.

For what it's worth I could put up with clean ugly tiles.
painted shouts bodge and work.

Patio color distracts and draws attention to location, maybe a sheet of artificial grass is a cheap temp fix looking at old Google it was not pink.

Trees don't bother me but might a younger buyer.
The weed between the drives get rid.

Pull the washing line tight it should bring that post back upright.

blannweil

If I have a house in good location, I would not sell it that fast. The value might increase in few more years and the demand for such house in such location could also escalate, thus, increasing the rate of my investment. Good luck to your endeavor.

TBagpuss

Ribena1987 wrote: »

We used to have the living room configured as you have suggested. The TV and unit was where the mirror is. The sofa faced the TV. The bookshelves were on the same wall but pushed together. We changed it because we have a baby and she has more space rolling and crawling. She can just go from one side of the room to the other. It is also feels more spacious to us how it is now. i am getting rid of the CD/DVD towers though as they are unnecessary. The mirror is no longer there (no longer safe as baby now crawls). i will move the pictures behind the TV. The photos on the wall are of the baby. Do they look unprofessional?

That darn fence. pain in my a***. So angry.

Any suggestions about the bathroom. Do i need to have towels and soap out etc so it looks more lived in? There is now a plant in the window. I don't know how to make it less clinical.

How nice to have a poster who is polite and willing to take on board suggestions!

The Bathroom - I think a plant or two (maybe succulents in bright coloured pots?) would help, and if you can, some nice fluffy towels, just so that it looks a bit more inviting. If you can, then for photos and visits, consider having some good quality hand wash etc - chose something in a bright colour that complements the pots for the plants.

Pictures: If I were coming round to yours for tea, pictures of your baby on the wall would be cute and appealing. But on the estate agents photos you can't see them, so it's visual clutter and I think contributes to making the room look a bit cramped. For viewings, ideally you want people to be thinking about the place as somewhere they can put their stamp on and make their own, so too many personal photos and things like that can detract from that. You want them to be imagining it as their home, not yours!

With the lay out of the room, maybe experiment with photos from different angles?
We can only how it looks on estate agents pictures, which is what your potential buyers get their first impressions from. It they start by thinking 'looks a bit narrow and cramped' then they are probably not going to change at view even if 'in person' it feels more spacious.
If you can work out how to photograph it to get a less corridor-y feel at first glance you may decide it works best with the layout how it is.

If you can get rid of the computer and the desk for the photos and viewing s (even if that means stuffing them in the car and parking it just far enough down the road that it isn't obviously yours, ) and the other things like the SC towers which you've already mentioned, you may find you can get a much more spacious look.

I think you asked about plants in another comment - lavender might be an option - you can buy it in pots and take them with you when you move, and it tends to be pretty hardy. fuchsias are also quite robust and are nice and bright.

Anything you see planted on a roundabout or in hanging baskets in your town is probably a good bet, as they tend to pick things which thrive on neglect!

I *personally* would not paint the tiles in your kitchen. The styles isn't to my taste but it is not particularly dated or unappealing, and my experience is that tile paint doesn't look the same as actual tiles - I'd leave well alone, if I were you.

Good luck with your viewings.

Crashy_Time

Sunny_Intervals wrote: »

Since a couple of folk have picked up on the tile thing, I'll admit it isn't ideal, but Ribena asked for suggestions for how they could make changes and it is a cheap and fast way of prettying up ugly tiles.


I still think that since viewers are still coming and offers are still being received, that accepting a lower offer is the way forward, rather than spending a lot of time and money on little tweaks which won't necessarily bring the price up. Tweaking and retaking the photos seems more like the solution for when you're not getting any interest, rather than when your expectations for price aren't in line with the offers?

Very good advice IMO.

franklee

Ribena1987 wrote: »

There are two 2 bed semis literally a few streets away that have sold in the last 3 months. I am going to keep an eye on Land registry as they were up at £125k but don't know what final offer they accepted.

Good idea but the land registry data may take a while to come through. For an initial heads up could you ask the EAs who sold those houses round to value yours. If they are any good they should bring those house details and give you chapter and verse on how quickly they sold them and at what price as a comparable to yours. I would hope they wouldn't exaggerate the achieved prices.

Ribena1987 wrote: »

The conifers at the back that came with the house add a lot of privacy and block it out mostly.

Ah, is the school directly on the other side?

Surely the conifers do not need to be anywhere that tall to be effective. I feel sorry for the gardens on the shady sides of such tall hedges. It would hint anti-social neighbour on one side or the other otherwise why the need for such obliteration.

Whose hedge is it?

I would want the height halved but would that bring relief or complaints from the other side and how much would it cost. It looks beyond DIY to me.

Pity really as otherwise, as you say, the garden is really big for a two bed house. It's a versatile blank canvass which should otherwise have wide appeal.

The patio looks as if it would be OK for any buyer to remove. Meanwhile perhaps the pinkness can be softened by more pots with colourful planting.

Agree with everyone above about the fence.

Don't like the conifer at the front, have just taken one that size out, wasn't too bad. Almost missed our house as the conifer made it easy to scroll past on rightmove. Maybe add some colourful planting in pots out front too? At a pinch you could even move the same ones from back to front for the photos then leave them out front for first impressions on viewings.

Internally, apart from the kitchen walls the rest of the house looks fine to me.

Be sure to tidy the net curtains before taking photos.

I would delete pic 2, of the stairs, as I would not over emphasise stairs up from the living room.

getmore4less

franklee wrote: »

...................................
Ah, is the school directly on the other side?

Surely the conifers do not need to be anywhere that tall to be effective. I feel sorry for the gardens on the shady sides of such tall hedges. It would hint anti-social neighbour on one side or the other otherwise why the need for such obliteration.

Whose hedge is it?

I would want the height halved but would that bring relief or complaints from the other side and how much would it cost. It looks beyond DIY to me.
.....................

there is a big gap the other side with a path and grass leading to the school.

google image but a bit old as there are still 2 trees at the front and small

https://www.google.com/maps/@52.9947109,-1.2137135,91m/data=!3m1!1e3


The long morning and afternoon shadows when the sun is lower will miss the houses opposite.