Feedback on house listing......

FinallyStoppedLurking

mortgage2020 said:

FinallyStoppedLurking said:

I hadn't noticed the conservatory situation but this would massively put me off.

If I was you I'd replace the fence panels for 6 foot ones (or erect your own fence if it isn't yours). Putting up the fence has the potential to cause a dispute and if I was buying the house I'd rather the previous owners have that battle than me. 

I considered replacing the fence but didnt know if the added cost to me would make a difference to a sale.
However if we did put the fence up and get into a battle then the new owners would bare the battle and not me anyway???!!!!

I don't think they would. Leaving something in place that was there when you bought a house would be easier than putting something new up. 

mortgage2020

Davesnave said:

Next door have really taken the pee with those windows on the conservatory, and by letting them you're now paying the price. People  considering buying will think " If we do, we'll be in a dispute pretty soon""

I cant exactly do anything about it now, so your comment isnt particularly "constructive"

cattie

I don't find anything much wrong with the house that would put me off viewing. Yes the rear garden could do with a bit of a tidy & perhaps a few cheap plants in tubs (even fake ones will soften the look) & whilst minor points, I'd have cleared the stuff from top of the f/freezer in kitchen & taken the disposal bin out of the shot before pics were taken to give a more streamlined look.  

I don't know the area as I live down south, but price & size of property seems pretty good to me. You'd not even get a one roomed studio for that money here! 

Viewings are probably slow as the virus continues to cast doubt on the future & even here, where properties were selling fast not many weeks ago are now coming onto the market with reduced prices. In the past I found the months leading up to Christmas were not the best time to sell either.

mortgage2020

cattie said:

I don't find anything much wrong with the house that would put me off viewing. Yes the rear garden could do with a bit of a tidy & perhaps a few cheap plants in tubs (even fake ones will soften the look) & whilst minor points, I'd have cleared the stuff from top of the f/freezer in kitchen & taken the disposal bin out of the shot before pics were taken to give a more streamlined look.  

I don't know the area as I live down south, but price & size of property seems pretty good to me. You'd not even get a one roomed studio for that money here! 

Viewings are probably slow as the virus continues to cast doubt on the future & even here, where properties were selling fast not many weeks ago are now coming onto the market with reduced prices. In the past I found the months leading up to Christmas were not the best time to sell either.

Quite possibly the closest comment to my thoughts!!
In hindsight, id remove the bin from the kitchen photo but im not convinced people wont view based on that kind of small element.
and id agree, garden needs improving and some other clearing up!

I also think as its a first-time buyer type house, i think its a "niche" market and im under the impression there arent many lenders doing 90% mortgages so the "pool" of buyers just might not be as high as id hope

numbercruncher8

Just looking at the same postcode, there are modern-style 2-beds cheaper, or you can get 3 beds as well, again for cheaper.

The conservatory situation is off-putting, sure you can't do anything about that now, but it's gonna require a purchaser that doesn't care much about it. At the moment there seems to be a lot other options available.

I think the thing is from the pics of the roof, it needs modernisation but is priced against houses that do not need modernisation, that is why it hasn't gone.

mortgage2020

numbercruncher8 said:

Just looking at the same postcode, there are modern-style 2-beds cheaper, or you can get 3 beds as well, again for cheaper.

The conservatory situation is off-putting, sure you can't do anything about that now, but it's gonna require a purchaser that doesn't care much about it. At the moment there seems to be a lot other options available.

I think the thing is from the pics of the roof, it needs modernisation but is priced against houses that do not need modernisation, that is why it hasn't gone.

the "same postcode" (LS28) covers a wide area that sits outside my specific village. There is a difference to this village than others in the LS28 catchment so its not an apples for apples comparison.

However, it does need a buyer who specifically wants to live in the village as there options further afield for cheaper (but not as nice as this village)

coachman12

We have a sort of unwritten code on MSE when commenting on people's houses for sale---to be as pleasant as possible because we are talking about family homes that mean a lot to them.
But I see quite a few points which are not encouraging about your house as shown in the photos----and the photos are half the problem : they have been taken on a poor weather day and the photographer is hopeless. But it seems as though you have made no effort to prepare for the photo day ( 4 ugly bins scattered over the main front view, together with foliage and ugly cracked concrete and flagstones, all of which indicates someone who never bothers with any kind of gardening ( as the rear garden pics confirm----it's an easy-maintenance garden and yet you have made even that seem positively off-putting---it is a bit of an eyesore, as is the whole back view of your house).
The best feature is the lounge, which is very nice and somewhere that looks roomy, light and welcoming. Same for bathroom. IMO you have a very nice kitchen but the photos show too much of the overlooking houses and, in particular, the ugly "lean-to" with what looks like rotten wood situated just outside the window---the photographer needs to be a bit "creative" with the pics of your nice kitchen because the present pics do it no justice.
The main bedroom has good and bad points : pics show its very good size, especially showing there is room for a desk and chair; but the mixed furniture, part dark wood and part white, just don't look 
"right". 
I was surprised at the many different types of housing in Upper Carr Lane ( detached, semis and terraced) , most of which---whether large or small look good from their pics. There is a 3 bed-semi   (with planning permission for extension), admittedly not in great condition but for only £40k approx above your asking price; and there is an immaculate 4 bed,2 bath semi with extension already built, priced at £375,000.
I cannot see you getting £170,000 unless you do a great deal of work in the gardens, get the best photos ( both inside and outside) that you can possibly get and make prospective buyers feel that this is a home that is cared for and is welcoming to a stranger.
I am sorry to be candid ( and hope I have not offended) but you asked and I have said it as I see it.
I wish you all the very best and hope that my comments might be of some little help. Best of luck.

mortgage2020

coachman12 said:

We have a sort of unwritten code on MSE when commenting on people's houses for sale---to be as pleasant as possible because we are talking about family homes that mean a lot to them.
But I see quite a few points which are not encouraging about your house as shown in the photos----and the photos are half the problem : they have been taken on a poor weather day and the photographer is hopeless. But it seems as though you have made no effort to prepare for the photo day ( 4 ugly bins scattered over the main front view, together with foliage and ugly cracked concrete and flagstones, all of which indicates someone who never bothers with any kind of gardening ( as the rear garden pics confirm----it's an easy-maintenance garden and yet you have made even that seem positively off-putting---it is a bit of an eyesore, as is the whole back view of your house).
The best feature is the lounge, which is very nice and somewhere that looks roomy, light and welcoming. Same for bathroom. IMO you have a very nice kitchen but the photos show too much of the overlooking houses and, in particular, the ugly "lean-to" with what looks like rotten wood situated just outside the window---the photographer needs to be a bit "creative" with the pics of your nice kitchen because the present pics do it no justice.
The main bedroom has good and bad points : pics show its very good size, especially showing there is room for a desk and chair; but the mixed furniture, part dark wood and part white, just don't look 
"right". 
I was surprised at the many different types of housing in Upper Carr Lane ( detached, semis and terraced) , most of which---whether large or small look good from their pics. There is a 3 bed-semi   (with planning permission for extension), admittedly not in great condition but for only £40k approx above your asking price; and there is an immaculate 4 bed,2 bath semi with extension already built, priced at £375,000.
I cannot see you getting £170,000 unless you do a great deal of work in the gardens, get the best photos ( both inside and outside) that you can possibly get and make prospective buyers feel that this is a home that is cared for and is welcoming to a stranger.
I am sorry to be candid ( and hope I have not offended) but you asked and I have said it as I see it.
I wish you all the very best and hope that my comments might be of some little help. Best of luck.

Thanks for the feedback - The garden is a common theme, which is fine and can be rectified.

the other houses you mention are of a different market and price range entirely. The 3 bed semi is another £40k but needs a LOT of work - so a first time buyer with a £200k budget just wouldnt see that as an option. (this was listed at 250 originally)
And comparing a 4 bed @ 375k to a 2 bed at £170k isnt really a fair comparison.

Black_Cat2

Not put off by your internal house pics and I would view if I lived your way.  Many have commented on the outside and perhaps that could be your main focus... but I think you know that anyway!

A little tidying up at the front and a little more attention to the rear.  I really think you should get your fascias etc cleaned - shouldn't cost much and you can get the windows cleaned at the same time if needed.  I would spend an hour pulling the weeds from the purple gravel area and removing what looks like a pile of paving slabs.  The fence looks like it is falling in towards the end of the side bit of garden so can you support that maybe?  Not sure you can improve the situation with next doors conservatory but maybe you could brighten the area with some strategic planting in pots etc.

I wish you luck 🤞

coachman12

Thank you mortgage2020 for taking my comments in the spirit they were meant. Thank you for clearing up the question of the 3 bed semi----I said it looked in poor condition but you have confirmed that it is really bad; even so, it could be seen as an investment with some work + an extension in order to make a tidy profit; and you are unable to do that with your house.
That's why I mentioned the immaculate 4 bed, 2 bath semi which already has the extension built---it wasn't to compare with your house but to compare it with what profit could be made over time from the 3 bed semi in poor state now and only £40k over your asking price. Sorry I was misleading.
I really do wish you every best wish and good luck in selling your house. And thank you again for replying to my post in such a kind way.