Early days but why is my house not selling? Any suggestions welcomed

tweet86

I agree with others. The lack of a floor plan is an issue for me as it’s often hard to see how the place flows. It really annoys me when EAs don’t put them up straight away as often I look at the floor plan first. 

Your house is lovely, it’s got wonderful views and although the garden is small, you have a balcony (from what I can see) also so outdoor space is maximised. I would say that there’s a lot of competition during a time when lots of people are selling. 

OldMusicGuy

It's all about competition. You are most likely overvaluing features that most buyers aren't interested in. We did the same when we sold last year. We had a lovely location in a private road with a lovely mature garden. We priced optimistically, got loads of viewings but few offers. Problem was that most people aren't that into gardens these days and there were lots of new builds in our area offering all sorts of incentives. We wanted to sell so had to drop the price. You will likely have to do the same if you want to sell quickly. 

Being very harsh, your house has a quirky layout, very little kerb appeal and is in an odd position perched on the top of a steep hill. The views are nice, but you are looking into/over a row of cottages so it's not that private. It's also a bit of a stretch to call the garden "landscaped". You've got a few raised beds around a small piece of lawn with very little in the way of planting. Best of luck with it though.

getmore4less

Not sure the view is worth much, as said it is over houses.
means house expososed to the elements on the hill

The main viewing space is at the lower level (no view).

GaleSF63

theoretica said:

It probably wouldn't make a difference to the sale, but I think I would call the side of the house with the views the front, and the boring side on the street the back.  My parents' house is that way round and they always enter through the back door.

"This is the back door; the front door is round the back"

getmore4less

There is only one door on the level you park your car.

You could call the door you carry the shopping through the carport down a spiral staircase through the conservatory into the kitchen the front door. 

Bonniepurple

GaleSF63 said:

theoretica said:

It probably wouldn't make a difference to the sale, but I think I would call the side of the house with the views the front, and the boring side on the street the back.  My parents' house is that way round and they always enter through the back door.

"This is the back door; the front door is round the back"

This is what we have.  Our house was built in the 60s, and so the “front” (facing on to the road) is the pedestrian entrance and the “back” (which the postcode and street gives) is the car entrance.  We don’t use the front.

NinjaTune

moneysavinghero said:

cabbage said:

GDB2222 said:

I bought a house in 1992 that had dreadful photos on the blurb from the estate agents. It was not a pretty house, but it was a lot better than their photos. I was one of the very few people to view it, and mine was the only offer.  It turned out to be a fabulous family home, and a tremendous bargain. 

Yes its not a 'pretty' house from the front, looks nice inside but the beauty lies in the fabulous views at the back .  Its in a quiet area, not on an estate etc so like you (and us) we saw beyond the brick frontage but not everyone can and I appreciate that.

But you can also get the views with this property (and without having to look over the the tops of houses):

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-96128630.html

As an added benefit you also save £25k, get an extra bedroom, can enjoy the patio without being overlooked, get a balcony, can park several cars without having to go single file and get a bigger garden (admittedly terraced so not perfect but still an improvement).  

Now I would definitely book a viewing for that property as opposed to the OP's.  Again, not the prettiest frontage but lovely views from the back.  Good sized garden with a beautiful outlook. 5 'proper' bedrooms including a lovely master suite and one room with a roof terrace/patio and all at 25k less.  Floor plan clearly sets out what's what and where's where.  I like this a lot, very family friendly.

@tweet86 - the 'balcony' in OP's house is at the back of the car port; took me a while to work it out as I initially thought it was a roof terrace (hence needing a floor plan)

getmore4less

moneysavinghero said:

cabbage said:

GDB2222 said:

I bought a house in 1992 that had dreadful photos on the blurb from the estate agents. It was not a pretty house, but it was a lot better than their photos. I was one of the very few people to view it, and mine was the only offer.  It turned out to be a fabulous family home, and a tremendous bargain. 

Yes its not a 'pretty' house from the front, looks nice inside but the beauty lies in the fabulous views at the back .  Its in a quiet area, not on an estate etc so like you (and us) we saw beyond the brick frontage but not everyone can and I appreciate that.

But you can also get the views with this property (and without having to look over the the tops of houses):

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-96128630.html

As an added benefit you also save £25k, get an extra bedroom, can enjoy the patio without being overlooked, get a balcony, can park several cars without having to go single file and get a bigger garden (admittedly terraced so not perfect but still an improvement).  

not obvious at first, but the steps up to the garage are a clue 

looking at plans for the house 3 doors down they are split level houses the rooms at the back are lower than the front.
you can see it better on this floor plan, I think these also used had a hall from the porch to the stairwell

rik111

It’s a family house with no garden to speak of. Can kids play football or ride their bike in that garden ? It needs to be priced much lower than other houses with decent gardens as this is a massive issue that needs to be reflected in the price.

GDB2222

cabbage said:

GDB2222 said:

I bought a house in 1992 that had dreadful photos on the blurb from the estate agents. It was not a pretty house, but it was a lot better than their photos. I was one of the very few people to view it, and mine was the only offer.  It turned out to be a fabulous family home, and a tremendous bargain. 

Yes its not a 'pretty' house from the front, looks nice inside but the beauty lies in the fabulous views at the back .  Its in a quiet area, not on an estate etc so like you (and us) we saw beyond the brick frontage but not everyone can and I appreciate that.

I like your house, and I would definitely have a look if I were in Belper. The same house round here would be at least three times the price. 

However, you asked for feedback, and several opinions seem to be that the house is not well presented. There’s nothing you can do about the small garden, except wait for a buyer who is as unkeen on gardening as I am. But, you perhaps should splash out on a professional photographer to take better pictures. You should also have a floor plan, as it’s not a straightforward layout. 

The market is red hot at the moment, so you should be getting viewings. That’s unless there’s a problem locally with big layoffs. So, if the market is buoyant but you’re not getting interest, it’s either the listing or the price. Or both, but it’s cheaper to work on the listing first.