Are bungalows out of fashion?

sassylou how is your bungalow selling going?

We noticed this morning that two bungalows a few miles from us that have been up for sale for probably over a year are still for sale. They both look a little bit rundown and I suspect have been priced for where they are rather than condition. Once the price goes low enough they will get bought up by developers and turned into houses.

pascal30

It's probably been sold by now.. but great ideas Oopsadaisy

It’s still being advertised on Rightmove

It's probably been sold by now.. but great ideas Oopsadaisy

I would get the Agent to take another photo of your Mums bungalow, maybe from the other side so that only a peek of the garage is showing, and make it your main photo, maybe add one of the conservatory too.

Can you put a table and chairs on the patio at the rear and maybe some pots of flowers? Outdoor areas sell properties as well as the insides and get some photos added online, whilst we still have some Summer left.

Can your agent mention how close you are to Sandringham? Local beaches or areas of interest?

You are fairly close to a main road so not ‘countryside’, so easy to access other amenities.

As ever though, it all comes down to the price and getting interest generated by that first photo. Maybe say ‘offers over’ a bit of a lower figure, there are a lot of bungalows on the market in that area.
How many viewings has your Mum had? Has she asked for honest feedback? Are there any problems that she can easily sort out?

How flexible are you and your agent with viewings? We have viewed a property recently and had a problem with the Agent having time to show us ( and others) around it. I’m still trying to get a second viewing, they say they are short staffed and it’s a problem.

Anyway that’s my 4 penneth, I hope it sells soon for your Mums sake.

I know people who live in bungalows and love them and I was considering one but realised now I don't want one. We used to stay regularly with family that had one but I felt penned in.
The bungalow in the picture dwarfed by a huge garage and a high maintenance front garden, the garden is going to put a lot of older people off, paricularly lije me on their own.. I don't know what the back garden is like but if that's large, you have a small bungalow with a lot of land round it to look after each week. That's only going to a couple really, so I would have new pictures done more of the bungalow, less of the garage and front garden. Are there schools nearby for families? If so I would aim for that market as there's scope for improvement. As you get older you want good bus services, access to shops etc. these are the things I am looking for.
Everything sells and your bungalow will in time, in fact you could end up with several people interested. Good luck.

sassylou - I'm wondering if you've had any ideas.
I know that lots of things are out of your control - such as location - but you could do some of the other things.

If your mum really wants to sell are you able to have her stay with you for a while whilst some things are sorted out at the house?

With energy rating G it’s ripe for refurbishment it will sell easily if the price is right. Many older bungalows in this area are demolished and replaced by newbuild, outdated construction, small rooms and lacking services make replacement a much better outcome.

energy rating is a very poor G, does not meet `new build!` regulations

ceilings are horrible, very dated

It would appeal to a big family with deep pockets for the refurbishment.

I can see it being a difficult sell and it definitely would not appeal to the retired

road noise could well be a problem too

Hi
A while ago I posted on here about relocation to Lincolnshire or Suffolk/Norfolk. After many threads I left it where we were going to go back to Suffolk where we initially said we wanted to go.
Our house is going to go on the market imminently and we have seen a property in Kessingland Suffolk. We didn't actually visit this area but can't find much in area we like so was just wondering if any of you know anything about this area or even live there?
Many thanks
Fringe

Bungalows here often sell the same day. You usually get a bigger plot and have the opportunity of building up subject to planning.

Oh no not old fashioned i literally just moved into mine a year ago tomorrow lol i been trying to find one for 3yrs before i found mine. Best thing i ever did was downsize from my house much easier to look after and great neighbors. Maybe it’s not the bungalow it’s the area it’s in that is putting ppl off. I looked at a few and it was area on hill etc that put me off but it will sell if you give it time.

Location, location, location!

Partly it depends on who wants to live in the area and therefore who wants to buy.

Nearly all the bungalows in our area have been bought up by property developers and made into 4/5 bedroom houses - there are two just 200 yds away from our house. It's a 'family' area, with brilliant schools.

When we moved here it was mainly an 'older people' area, with houses full of people whose children had grown up and moved away. Their houses have all been bought up and modernised and enlarged to suit the younger generations.

I do think that estate agents can be helpful - some properties are not worth 'tarting up' - they are likely to sell to people who want to change them anyway. Others are more likely to move if they look a bit fresher.
I would repeat that looking at likely planning permissions might be interesting.

The bungalow seems perfectly pleasant. Not keen on the ceilings but ours were horrible until we had them ‘flattened out’. We were lucky that we could have it done before we moved in. It made such a difference.
Seems to me that you get quite a lot for your money in that area.
Bungalows here seem to be beginning to sell now. The only two for sale in our village have been sold STC in the last month.
BTW I think you only get bungalow legs if you sit down a lot!
My mum is 96 this year, lived in a bungalow for about 30 years and is still pretty agile.

This has been an interesting thread and I hope OP comes back to let us know if any suggestions have been helpful. The 'detectives' seem to think it on the Lincs / East Northants / Cambs / Norfolk borders. I know that area well and think it lovely (although a bit less 'fashionable' than some!). Of course I couldn't speak to the exact location of the bungalow.
Neither does OP say where her mum wants to move to - if she lowers the price (that is not a high-priced area generally) she may not afford to move to her chosen location.
I recently had 2 friends, not known to each other, who were 'swopping' areas - between South Lincs and Surrey. One bought a much bigger house and funded an early retirement. The other is much less comfortable!
I do hope that OP & her mum can sort out something suitable

I've lived in [and enjoyed doing up/refurbishing] bungalows for 29 years now. I do not have bungalow legs. I'm 75. Maybe because I enjoy walking, gardening and exercise. I've no trouble going up the stairs in either of my son's homes.

Here bungalows are very popular and usually snapped up. It's a buyer's market at the moment though, I think due to high mortgage rates/fewer first time buyers.
Some are priced way too high. A drop in price usually gets things moving.
One is built into steeply sloping gardens and not near shops or other amenities so obviously is taking longer.

I think this bungalow is in an area where there are a lot of bungalows up for sale. I found 14 bungalows within a mile and 13 houses (not counting terraced houses). I think this is a "top end" bungalow for the area.

Did you have a conversation with the agent as some of us suggested?

They usually get snapped up around here and then super modernised. They are then bought by families or couples who like open plan living. Maybe it's the prices?

OldFrill

Josean - it's Lincolnshire - the NN postcode confused me.
Readily found on Rightmove. Maybe she'll find a buyer on GN

Not that it's got an NN postcode 😕

Josean - it's Lincolnshire - the NN postcode confused me.
Readily found on Rightmove. Maybe she'll find a buyer on GN

Compared to Bungalows available locally to me I can't see too much wrong with it. That said I have never bought a property in move in condition. Yes it's dated but not in a hideous way, it needs redecorating but not by the current owner or you just get more of the same. The ceilings definitely need skimming which is a messy job. It may not be in the country but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Personally I just think you need the right buyer to come along, put it this way there's nothing there that would put me off and when I showed my Son he agreed with me.

It’s not in what I would call ‘the country’, but perceptions differ.

petra

It’s 9 miles from Kings Lynn station.
I won’t put up any more details as it’s a private matter but it’s all there for people to see.

Aha, so I was right! It's on the edge of Lincs, not Northants.

They’re scarce and relatively expensive around here - outer SW London. An ex colleague was looking for ages and ended up buying one that needed loads of work and still commanded a premium. Any around here were generally built pre WW2 and tend to have large gardens.