Struggling to sell?
Here are the most common reasons why your house might not be attracting as much interest as you hoped, and how you can address them.
1. Subsidence
If your house is – or has ever been – affected by subsidence, buyers might be scared. Certainly, subsidence can affect a property’s value quite considerably. However, it’s by no means impossible to sell a house with subsidence and the best approach is honesty. Have a full survey ready and don’t be tempted to conceal anything.
2. Leasehold issues
If you’re selling a leasehold flat with less than 80 years remaining on the lease, buyers (and mortgage lenders) will be concerned. If your lease is nearing 80 years, the best thing to do is either extend it yourself, or negotiate with the freeholder to extend it on completion of the sale. Again, it’s best to be upfront with buyers about the length of the lease from the start. There’s no point proceeding and risking a sale falling through.
3. Unappealing gardens
A messy garden is off-putting for everyone. On the other hand, a garden that’s well cared-for and used as an extension of the living space is a major attraction. It’s worth putting some work into your garden before listing it for sale, so tidy up, add some attractive flowering plants and create a sitting or dining area in a sunny spot. Especially in the spring market, gardens can be dealbreakers.
4. Noisy neighbours
Selling a property when your neighbours are noisy can be tricky. Anecdotally, undesirable neighbours are said to reduce a property’s value by as much as 10%. You must declare any neighbour disputes when selling your home: if you don’t, you risk being sued later when past problems come to light. Installing soundproofing might be your best bet.
5. Number 13
Do you live at number 13? Some people are going to rule out buying your house immediately for fear of bad luck. There’s nothing really that you can do about this.
6. Open plan layouts
Of course, open plan layouts can attract buyers, and often they look great in photographs. But if you’ve enthusiastically removed all walls and are left with a large single space, you might be putting off buyers who know that it’s hard to make home life work when there’s no separation between cooking, watching television, working, piano practice, yoga and socialising. Families need defined spaces for different activities – and open plan layouts can be expensive to heat too. Think twice before knocking through.
7. Clutter
This is an obvious one. It’s hard for a buyer to imagine themselves living in your home if it’s full of clutter. Empty surfaces are much more appealing. If your home is messy and disorganised, embark on a big clearout before putting it on the market. If necessary, rent a storage unit and put lots of your stuff in it. You never know, you might not want it all back.
8. Damp
Another obvious one. If your home feels damp, it’s likely to put people off. Address the issue – make sure there’s adequate ventilation and that the heating is working. There’s no point in trying to hide damp patches: you need to address the cause, or ensure that buyers are fully aware of any work that needs to be done.
9. It’s a listed building
There are lots of people for whom a listed building is an attraction. However, living in a beautiful old building with lots of character carries a lot of responsibility, and not everyone is ready to accept draughty old windows and English Heritage regulations. Make sure you market it accordingly and find buyers who will love the place for its charm.
10. Bad extensions
You will need to produce building regulations certificates for all works carried out to your home. If you can’t – maybe because you built your kitchen yourself – this will become a problem at some point during the sale. Ensure that all works adhere to planning and building regulations, and be ready to prove that they do.
