Unable to sell house

moneysaver1978

A bit late to this but it all sounds like your estate agent is useless.

When we viewed properties last year, we were put off by a couple of estate agents who seemed uninterested and/or in a hurry which was a bit unfortunate for the sellers.

Empty house = musty smell so if you can, ventilate via windows.

Your house looks good and just needs a bit of polish. The room with the green radiator covers doesn't look great but I am sure it has been hoovered up since.

Unless stained, tattered or there's a real pet smell, I wouldn't spend money on replacing the carpets. The only things I would consider addressing now is the rusty radiator and maybe give the garden a bit of tidy with the spring coming (if you want to stage, look at second hand garden furniture as your garden looks like a good decent size!)

sheramber

A local house for sale is empty. The estate agent photos show the empty room and then an A1 picture of it with furnishings, which states it is a virtual picture. 

Viewers know the house is empty but , for those with no imagination, it gives an idea of wjat it could look like.

Ady87

Am I going mad or has the house been painted yellow outside since you bought it? Cant tell if it’s the summer lighting on the original photos you posted or not. Hard to say if this is putting people off, assuming no if you’re getting viewers but it would personally stop me from pursuing the property.

Interestingly, I’m not put off by anything cosmetically inside in the way that some others are.

There is an EA in our town that is head and shoulders above everyone else in terms of marketing. Drone shots, highest quality images and framing. I’ve seen houses sit for months before being relisted with this agent and selling very quickly. It’s getting all the serious business these days and it’s no surprise. It might be worth looking at how other local properties are being marketed including those selling quickly just to see what tricks you can pick up.

Agree on the EA spiel, bit nauseating, I’d rather see a short list of reasons to buy than that description which disguises what may be a short list (and perceived that way by almost everyone). Hope it sells soon, market might pick back up in the summer if we get a rate cut.

strawb_shortcake

We've started browsing online and lots of houses aren't moving, some of the ones I'd like to view if still available in a couple of months, have been on since last summer in a few cases. 
Some I feel are overpriced, some have other aspects which are off-putting to me and others I'm surprised are still available. The market by us seems quite unpredictable and we are seeing price drops, long time on the market and then some being snapped up in days.  

I'd be really tempted to get the opinion of other estate agents to se what their advice is before spending out too much and dropping the value. 

BobT36

I've seen some (in the north!) be dropped by £100k and STILL not selling because even with that, they're still too stupidly overpriced (despite being a lovely house that would be perfect for me, if priced appropriately!). However with it being prices SO silly, there's not even the prospect of a cheeky offer. 

So there it sits, after being listed in January 2023, LOL. So many like this. 
I swear most are double what they ought to be. 

Bailey1980

Ady87 said:

Am I going mad or has the house been painted yellow outside since you bought it? Cant tell if it’s the summer lighting on the original photos you posted or not. Hard to say if this is putting people off, assuming no if you’re getting viewers but it would personally stop me from pursuing the property.

Interestingly, I’m not put off by anything cosmetically inside in the way that some others are.

There is an EA in our town that is head and shoulders above everyone else in terms of marketing. Drone shots, highest quality images and framing. I’ve seen houses sit for months before being relisted with this agent and selling very quickly. It’s getting all the serious business these days and it’s no surprise. It might be worth looking at how other local properties are being marketed including those selling quickly just to see what tricks you can pick up.

Agree on the EA spiel, bit nauseating, I’d rather see a short list of reasons to buy than that description which disguises what may be a short list (and perceived that way by almost everyone). Hope it sells soon, market might pick back up in the summer if we get a rate cut.

No you aren't going mad, we had external wall insulation installed and had to select a colour for the rend and went with a yellow colour as we thought it would be nice, bright and welcoming. We had intended to always stay there and not sell but life has had other ideas unfortunately. 

annabanana82 said:

We've started browsing online and lots of houses aren't moving, some of the ones I'd like to view if still available in a couple of months, have been on since last summer in a few cases. 
Some I feel are overpriced, some have other aspects which are off-putting to me and others I'm surprised are still available. The market by us seems quite unpredictable and we are seeing price drops, long time on the market and then some being snapped up in days.  

I'd be really tempted to get the opinion of other estate agents to se what their advice is before spending out too much and dropping the value. 

We have had the advice of other estate agents - another three, all of whom have said that the price we have it on for (£179k but willing to accept £175K) is absolutely fine, they have suggested just a few minor tweaks, including improving the kerbside appeal as the winter hasn't been kind to the front of the property - fallen leaves, weeds etc but otherwise nothing too damning. 

It does seem that some houses are lingering and others snapped up in days. 

The estate agent we are going to change to are going to market it for both rent and for sale as they do both and at least if we can rent it out, even for a few months it will cover the bills we are still having to pay out on an empty property we aren't using and then maybe in another year or so put it back up for sale. 

cymruchris

Bailey1980 said:

Ady87 said:

Am I going mad or has the house been painted yellow outside since you bought it? Cant tell if it’s the summer lighting on the original photos you posted or not. Hard to say if this is putting people off, assuming no if you’re getting viewers but it would personally stop me from pursuing the property.

Interestingly, I’m not put off by anything cosmetically inside in the way that some others are.

There is an EA in our town that is head and shoulders above everyone else in terms of marketing. Drone shots, highest quality images and framing. I’ve seen houses sit for months before being relisted with this agent and selling very quickly. It’s getting all the serious business these days and it’s no surprise. It might be worth looking at how other local properties are being marketed including those selling quickly just to see what tricks you can pick up.

Agree on the EA spiel, bit nauseating, I’d rather see a short list of reasons to buy than that description which disguises what may be a short list (and perceived that way by almost everyone). Hope it sells soon, market might pick back up in the summer if we get a rate cut.

No you aren't going mad, we had external wall insulation installed and had to select a colour for the rend and went with a yellow colour as we thought it would be nice, bright and welcoming. We had intended to always stay there and not sell but life has had other ideas unfortunately. 

annabanana82 said:

We've started browsing online and lots of houses aren't moving, some of the ones I'd like to view if still available in a couple of months, have been on since last summer in a few cases. 
Some I feel are overpriced, some have other aspects which are off-putting to me and others I'm surprised are still available. The market by us seems quite unpredictable and we are seeing price drops, long time on the market and then some being snapped up in days.  

I'd be really tempted to get the opinion of other estate agents to se what their advice is before spending out too much and dropping the value. 

We have had the advice of other estate agents - another three, all of whom have said that the price we have it on for (£179k but willing to accept £175K) is absolutely fine, they have suggested just a few minor tweaks, including improving the kerbside appeal as the winter hasn't been kind to the front of the property - fallen leaves, weeds etc but otherwise nothing too damning. 

It does seem that some houses are lingering and others snapped up in days. 

The estate agent we are going to change to are going to market it for both rent and for sale as they do both and at least if we can rent it out, even for a few months it will cover the bills we are still having to pay out on an empty property we aren't using and then maybe in another year or so put it back up for sale. 

Good that you've got another pair of eyes in to have a look and try a different agent. I wouldn't go near rental with a bargepole though - it'll cost you fee after fee - certificate after certificate - and then you may find the tenants don't want to move out when you want them to. Focus on a sale. Unless you have every intention of becoming a long-term landlord - just sell!

RHemmings

BobT36 said:

I've seen some (in the north!) be dropped by £100k and STILL not selling because even with that, they're still too stupidly overpriced (despite being a lovely house that would be perfect for me, if priced appropriately!). However with it being prices SO silly, there's not even the prospect of a cheeky offer. 

So there it sits, after being listed in January 2023, LOL. So many like this. 
I swear most are double what they ought to be. 

Out of curiosity, could you post a sample listing or two of houses you think overpriced. 

uralmaid

As an estate agent in a previous life I have sold (and viewed) lots of property. For me, personally I much preferred how the house looked when you bought it.  Full of colour and cosy features in keeping with the house.  Nowadays the trend is to say to everyone - get rid of the colour, paint it white so it's a blank canvas.  It looked for more interesting in the pics from when you bought it. Now it looks like most other bland white and grey offerings.  Not everyone has the vision to see what they can make of a property.  If it had been me, I would have had it redecorated in some colours and dressed it with toning curtains and rugs.  Also added some pics on the walls to give it a bit of character and a suggestion of what it could be, without breaking the bank.  It's amazing what you can find in local household auctions too.  Even without redecorating at this stage there are lots of ways to inject some colour and personality into it. I appreciate you don't live nearby and have other time constraints, but it would be worth it to try and go there yourself for a few days and try and inject some personality. Definitely get another estate agent as the one you are with has lost interest and is not enthusiastic about the property which means they aren't going to promote it properly.  Good luck - hope you get a sale and can move on with things.

BobT36

RHemmings said:

BobT36 said:

I've seen some (in the north!) be dropped by £100k and STILL not selling because even with that, they're still too stupidly overpriced (despite being a lovely house that would be perfect for me, if priced appropriately!). However with it being prices SO silly, there's not even the prospect of a cheeky offer. 

So there it sits, after being listed in January 2023, LOL. So many like this. 
I swear most are double what they ought to be. 

Out of curiosity, could you post a sample listing or two of houses you think overpriced. 

When I find the next batch. I usually just monitor postings in the last 24h and laugh & skip over the silly ones. The PropertyLog addin is great though, being able to see the history of reductions for over a YEAR and then it STILL being too expensive lol. 

As to EA's appraisal of prices, they're just having a guess. It's a decent guideline but only YOU can truly decide, and that's also based on what the BUYERS are willing to pay. If you're getting none, then that's a clear indicating that something is "off". If the rest of the property is alright and there's no environmental issues (including crime or bad surrounding area) then it's likely to be the price. (This isn't just to the OP, just a general comment). 
The EAs can say the price is "great" and "accurate", but the only proof of that is getting viewings / sales.