Tracking Down The Most Unsightly And ‘Unsellable’ Listings | The Unsellables | House to Home

first-time buyers often make the mistake of biting off more than they can chew when it comes to renovations they run out of money time energy projects get left unfinished so when you're selling your house in a tough market no matter how great the location is you've got to put your personal preferences aside and finish the job you've started [Music] carmelina's three-bedroom bungalow is on the market for three hundred and fifteen thousand nine hundred she bought the house eight years ago and attempted a flurry of renovation projects but she now wants to go back to school and change careers and needs to sell the house to finance her tuition it's been on the market for 22 days without any offers and she needs to find a buyer far but that's why we're here to turn this house from unsellable to sellable this was my first house it was exciting and so scary but i wanted to do it i wanted to do it on my own i love this house i don't want to leave this house but there are other things that i have to accomplish i'm gonna get my finances in order go to school and start my new career i can't register for school if i know this house is still hanging on my shoulders i don't know when it's going to sell if it's going to sell and for how much and it's a little scary the house is situated on a quiet residential street close to parks and the super trendy lakeside district because it's an up and coming neighborhood it's still quite affordable which means first-time buyers and young families should be flocking to the door but it hasn't received any offers whatsoever [Music] when carmelina bought this house eight years ago it was a first-time homeowner's dream but then her enthusiasm for diy waned and so did the maintenance levels and that has been putting off buyers in droves so what we've got to do is revamp the enthusiasm in diy and finish all the jobs she started it's a cute little bungalow but first things first i could barely see the house for the trees anyway let's get started there's quite a lot of big items of furniture in here the fish tank the sofa the ginormous television but i love the way there's a lot of light the jury is out on the glass bricks so that's all i'm going to say we should move through to the kitchen you know kitchens are really important and this kitchen looks a little grimy the table is almost as big as the tv it is it's a beautiful table just not right for this kitchen did you put these in i did this is a do-it-yourself job so you're kind of do-it-yourself fan i'd like to try and uh sometimes a disaster and sometimes it's a passable job but it's always fun it's just the mishmash of styles that i think some buyers are going to struggle with because you've got slate in here and you've got one two types of different laminate and then you've got the wood which does make it look a bit haphazard i have to agree with you there now where to next so let's go to one of the three bedrooms which i turned into a computer room it's great to have a computer room but from here it looks old and grimy you forgot who he is i wouldn't disagree with you but that's why we're here and other than that good size third bedroom fantastic teaser as an office space and it's lovely that goes out to the garden yeah it is so there's positives in every room we just gotta push out the positives okay then so this is bedroom number two that we use as a guest room where'd the guests leave in the cupboard there was a bed here but i needed it elsewhere well no bed is good for now since it turns this room into a blank slate which brings us to the master bedroom there's a big brown splodge of plaster on the white door so that's not a great entry into the room it's not a bad sized room and the furniture is in proportion which is great but my eye is immediately drawn to the dog bed well that's where my sasha sleeps well that needs to go so now i've done a tour of the house i know what the problems are and i've got some solutions up my sleeve good stuff so should you go and have a chat that's brilliant i am all for diy but you have to finish the job i mean look unpainted front doors tiles are peeling off the ground it just looks really unprofessional and as for that kitchen it is just grimy and grime it don't sell this house has the potential to be really charming attractive retro bungalow but at the moment the one thing is lacking in is charm now i really admire your spirit for like going full throttle for the diy and taking on projects on your own i think it's really brave but the problem is a lot of these diy projects have been left unfinished the front door is unfinished the big hole in the door to the master bedroom the flooring is coming up in so many places these are things that people notice instantly they just think themselves why should they have to pay top dollar for this house then fix it up when they could probably take a house down the road that's in move-in condition that makes sense which leads me to the outside there's no point in looking lovely inside if the curb appeal is lacking because people are just going to drive straight past we need to sort out that spruce and you take off some of the lower branches so people can actually see the house i'm thrilled i can't wait to see the outcome fantastic when you're undergoing major renovations it is vital to consider how these are going to affect the resale value of your house now carmelina she started a lot of diy efforts to reflect her taste but trying to find another buyer that shares the same taste is gonna be like finding a needle in a haystack now i'm off to meet barb carmelina's real estate agent to get her views on why this house isn't selling bob who do you think is drawn to this neighborhood and to this house particular i would see maybe first-time buyers or second-time buyers with a young family now it's been on the market for seven weeks yes and it hasn't had a single offer no nothing for two open houses yes what's holding it back what's stopping it from selling it needs updating it's very dull and lifeless because carmelina had good ideas i just don't think she had the time and the energy and the money to finish them off and that's exactly what did happen she wanted to try minimal money and just clean a little bit and obviously it hasn't worked because we've been on the market far too long with no success in an offer right and first-time buyers don't have extra money so if they can get a house that's move-in ready that's going to be much more desirable absolutely yes if the house was in a sellable condition it certainly would have sold by now because the house has so much potential so we need to address the curb appeal finish the diy jobs absolutely the price is good so i think there's a good possibility brilliant carmelina's house is a great example of how some do it yourself projects to be left the experts and that's why i'm bringing her to this comparable house because i want her to see the standard of maintenance and cleanliness that buyers expect in this current market the presentation of the room is immaculate yeah i'd have to agree and i can't see a single scuff mark i can't either i don't even want to sit down anywhere the floor is gorgeous i love the floor don't want to walk on it well floors are made for walking so let's hit the kitchen okay welcome to the cleanest kitchen in canada i'll say wow i think the colour choice in this room is very clever which makes the cupboards stand out it does doesn't it they're simple but they've just got slightly more modern handles on because they're not that different from yours no they've just cleaner slightly the guest bedroom two main differences beautifully finished floor and also a bet function and you get an idea of the space of the room yes definitely do you go into the master bedroom what do you think about this room i can see that it's simple it's uncluttered it's freshly painted it's clean and very inviting it's lovely carmelina i heard you say a few times as we were going through the house bit too scared to cook in this kitchen don't want to walk on the floors why is that it's so perfect i wouldn't want to mess a thing when you're selling your house there's a difference between living and selling yes and for that two weeks three weeks you've got to be in a limbo between selling and living and you've got to make sure it's in moving condition no one has to do anything all you need is the keys in your hand open the door and you're away that's it and this house sold in 10 days holy cow 10 days now this should make you be hopping and skipping around i am motivated and let's go to it let's go and finish those diy projects yeah okay okay okay then well carmelina's ready to get to work and so are we and to tackle all those forgotten diys that been holding her back we've called in general contractor anthony says to get the job done when i said we need to put the love back in the house this is the man to do it the love guy the love guy okay so take it away okay the front of your house we just need to make it a bit more inviting so we'll start by cutting the lawn maybe trimming back the trees so you can actually see the front of the house and the front door needs to be painted so i noticed that you tried to do some projects of your own yes looks great but uh we just need to finish it off okay first thing is the glass block wall it needs to go really it's a little miami vice and we'll break the wall right down to the floor open it right up all together we'll also change the lighting because the house is just dark and feeling dingy yes going down to this slate floor that you have it just doesn't go with the style of the house and the color is a little off and i noticed that you have peel and stick towels in the rest of the room it's not very good at sticking at the moment let's take a peel and unstick dial so we just need to make it a more uniform look throughout so we're going to put a nice laminate flooring all the way through all the rooms in the hallway and create a nice flow and once the outside is looking smart and the inside is looking smart yeah i think you've got a hot property on your hands you think i think oh yeah let's get to it okay [Music] oh my nail spa glass block wall is gone oh no yeah sorry i had to go there it did have to go i thought that there was going to be nothing in its place i was going to take the wall right down to the floor but it was going to open up the space too much and expose the bathroom door as soon as you walk in from the front door not the best first impression so instead i'm gonna create a faux japanese style screen with these slots of wood we're gonna put a top plate and a bottom plate here and these pieces are gonna be spaced enough that a baby's head won't be able to go through because to code is four inches and then this will wrap around the corner and end at that point right there this costs under 100 but it's gonna make a nice impact and it's gonna add style i think it's gonna look fab i think so too [Music] sophie said it was grimy and she's quite correct so we clean [Music] this is a new laminate flooring as you can see it's beautiful it's economical especially made to look like hardwood great because it's work resistant wear resistant stain resistant recommended for people with dust allergies because it doesn't have any harmful substances fairly easy to install you actually just hold it up snap it in click it's done with the flooring all sorted out we're on our way to fixing up carmelina's unfinished diy projects which were holding this house back this comparable bungalow in a similar neighborhood is diy free and full of charm each room is properly laid out with scaled-down furniture that fits the space perfectly the hardwood flooring is consistent throughout which gives a great flow from room to room this kitchen has a similar retro feel to carmelina's but instead of scuffs and grime you're greeted with clean and fresh surfaces and a smaller table that's nested quite comfortably in its place the bedroom feels airy and spacious with simple but stylish decor that is inviting and fresh the master bedroom is doggy bed free and simple decor accents add a pop of color stylish linens and accent lighting evoke a feeling of calm the office in the third bedroom is similar in size to carmelina's but a clean and well-lit workspace is enhanced by the addition of a single bed which also shows off the versatility of this room most importantly every detail is finished and the house looks bright fresh and groomed from the inside out removing the mismatched flooring has made a vast difference we've replaced it with this beautiful faux hardwood laminate flooring which looks tip top and now my eyes aren't drawn down to all the perfections but instead i can appreciate this really nice open plan space the curb appeal of carmelina's house was anything but appealing and with that big ungroomed tree in the way her bungalow was hidden to potential buyers but now the house shines from the outside and draws you in from the road the garden is groomed and blooming and the front door which was horribly cracked and unpainted looks brand new a much better first impression that has gone from curber pool to definite curb appeal the living room was bland and overrun with extra-large furniture that looked squished and randomly placed so we bought new cozy pieces that carmelina can take with her when she goes including a charming portable electric fireplace the outdated glass brick wall was not doing justice to this open and airy space so we replaced the glass with wooden slats to create a sleek and modern screen like effect the once grim and dim outdated kitchen is now brightened up and cleaned we scrubbed every grimy surface in here which made for a big job but one that will pay off in spades clean kitchens are a must when you're trying to sell the old scruffed up cabinets were hard to overlook but a major clean and paint job and the addition of sleeker looking hardware gave them a more modern feel that buyers will be looking for to show it off properly we decide to rent a table and chair set specifically sized for this kitchen so bars can get a good sense of the space the only focus in the office before was the cracked floor and dirty and tired blinds so we've cleaned up and repaired the mess around the beautiful sliding doors it's crucial to address all repairs no matter how small because those details will stick in buyers minds and will turn them off if they're not finished especially for young families showing buyers the potential for an office space is always a bonus so we've repositioned a desk for maximum functionality the guest bedroom was in need of some serious tlc and we gave it the works the new serene blue walls now serve as a backdrop to the main feature of this room the bed you can't show a second bedroom without the most important detail and the fact that this room can accommodate a double bed is a huge selling feature now the master bedroom needed the most love of all so we said goodbye to the furry dog bed and reoriented the furniture to maximize the space in the room with the bed repositioned it shows bars that this room is big enough for a large bed and two side tables but it also eliminated the cluttered corn of the room so that it now feels pulled together and shows as a proper master suite and finally the new laminate flooring is sleek and modern but most importantly continuous which for a small investment shows bias this house is moving ready all in all an astonishing job at a total cost of four thousand five hundred dollars was a lot of work but it needed to be done to get this house up to market standard replacing carmelina's unfinished diy projects with upgraded details will hopefully give this charming bungalow the chance it deserves it getting sold do it yourself it's fine if you can pull it off but a house full of half finished jobs tends to make most potential buyers run for the hills so don't start what you can't finish there is absolutely no point spending time and money making the inside of your house look fabulous if no one can see it from the road so if you've got any trees or shrubbery obscuring the view you better do some pruning selling your home is emotional but then so is buying and a lot of people they think with their heart before their head so make sure the first impressions of your house are warm and inviting we have updated cleaned re-floored carmelina's house and i think we put a lot of charm back in this bungalow but in the end it's what the people who come around the open house think i think we successfully took carmelina's beloved bungalow from diy disaster zone to family friendly retreat so hopefully the open house will highlight the updates to get this house sold come on in it's not a bad size room not the floors the floors are fantastic they're very nice actually just shows that the room is a good size the fact that you can fit a piano in it and you've still got room for two big sofas and three tables come on through to the kitchen wow this is much nicer than it was you've seen it before i did i've been here before my wife hasn't the floors look really good mm-hmm that's beautiful i'll show you through to the study which could also double up as a third the bedroom is huge very nice nice backyard actually okey-dokey well let's go and see the guest bedroom okay i like the color it's beautiful isn't it it's a nice color yeah it is it's a good size because you could definitely get two kiddies beds in here easily or one bed one cot yeah should i show you the master bedroom now this is bedroom for me yeah this is the size i need oh that's the nicest beautiful very nice no this is perfect yep okay very nice well i like it i'm glad you like it yeah very nice so is this big enough for your family for our family yes i think it is yeah are you coming back for second viewing absolutely fantastic absolutely the house is fine we have no kids this is for two people more than enough room i'm very pleased you like it [Music] so bob first of all what do you think of the changes i am absolutely amazed it's fabulous it's a complete transformation the flooring is spectacular they had no flow but now everything flows from one room to the other the paint colors are fabulous it's wonderful how do you think the open house went i think the people that came in were extremely impressed with the house it's beautiful 3 15 with a house looking this good i don't think it can possibly stay on the market that long no there's no way this house will sell so that's fingers crossed for multiple offers for sure i'm excited well the open house is over and i think it's fair to say we put the love back in this bungalow we've added value with a fantastic floor we've finished off the diy projects and created curb appeal to get this house noticed so i think we've turned this house from unsellable to sellable oh my god look at this i can't believe the transformation this is not my home i didn't visualize it but the colors really actually pull it together the lines are so that's my furniture oh wow this is how we're supposed to be in the first place the love's back in i think lucky buyers that's all i can say lucky buyers lucky buys indeed since we've given carmelina's house the update it needed to attract those buyers interest levels in this charming bungalow picked up significantly just as expected with the burden of the house behind her carmelina is one step closer to registering for school and starting her new life and career when you're selling your house the faster the better the longer your house is on the market the longer you're living in limbo as a property expert i've seen people make the same mistakes time and time again but usually all it takes is an outsider's point of view and a bit of elbow grease to make the difference between no sale and a big sale but it is tricky to know where to start as no two houses or homeowners are ever the same dave and susanna have a stunning house in a beautiful and popular part of town it's listed at 1 million 29 000 now they've got one son liam another baby that they're expecting in a matter of days so it's time to move to the country where they're building the house of their dreams the only problem is their city house isn't selling and well juggling two houses and a newborn baby is no one's idea of fun when i bought the house it was i said 11 years ago the thing that really sold me is the gum wood and all the beautiful unfinished wood the house has been on the market for three weeks now i love my house so i don't understand why it isn't selling the house continues not to sell it's gonna be very stressful first of all this baby's gonna come any day so it's gonna be very difficult to have a little baby have liam and try and accommodate all the showings the other house we're having built is going to be ready anytime so we have to start focusing on that and getting that prepared david and susannah live in a super exclusive neighborhood known for its traditional architectural style houses in this neighborhood typically go for over a million dollars in under a week but they've had no offers so something has got to be up but that's why we're here to turn this house from unsellable to sellable hi come on in wow that was a jolly doorbell i kind of like that music as you come in so guys your house is so beautiful on the outside so it can't be curb appeal that's stopping this house cell do you mind if i have a snoop around and absolutely let's go through so this is obviously the sitting room yes it is a gorgeous room nice and bright so i'm sensing a theme what theme would that be wild west wild west you got it well it's definitely a southern vibe david's a little bit of a cowboy okay now did you put this paint effect in yourself yes i did the fireplace is definitely quite a big feature in the room the exposed brick there's quite a lot of textures with the wall and the brick and the wood it's definitely got a lot of character so this must be the dining room the stained glass window and the wayne scotting that is what everyone wants to see and although the radiator is quite charming as well i think it could use an update to modernize the room the light fixture blocks the view of the garden there's quite a lot of wood and different tones of wood which is a touch overpowering but i see a snazzy kitchen wow this is really really nice this is a massive selling point i love this eating area i think it's really snazzy i think there's nothing for us to do in here which just leads us upstairs so this is our master bedroom i'm not a fan of this i'm sorry david i'm presuming this was your idea yes it was it's a bit saloon door for me it's almost a clash of culture or time because the blue is very modern the bed is lovely so i think we can just make it a bit more cohesive a fantastic room which will look even better this is our son's room i love the crib it's not like everyone else's cribs it's different but i think it's beautiful we fell in love with it as soon as we saw it we might want to advertise this room as a second guest bedroom and this is our home office it's a good size quite a lot of furniture in here we might want to change the function of this room so we've done the tour now i think it's time to have a little chat downstairs okay okay do it after you this is a million dollar house but at the moment it resembles the interior of a western-themed hotel i stayed at when i was 10. the cowboys the bulls horn the fake rock tables they all have to go we've got to get the rest of the house to look as chic as the kitchen otherwise it's going to remain unsellable i want to start by saying i really love your house that's probably one of the best planned out kitchens i've ever seen the stained glass windows the wainscoting that's what everyone is looking for when they come around a house like this they want the period details so those are all huge selling points what i would say though is at the moment the southwestern theme is too strong and it is pulling buyers off this table is very original i don't think it's what people are expecting to see when they walk into a dining room in this neighborhood i'm with you on that one it's time to let it go i also wanted to discuss with you the fireplace i do want to make it a bit more urban and a bit less ranch i've never liked it anyways yeah i don't have to i know you love the wood but my feelings about the wood is sometimes you can have too much of a good thing and i get the impression you disagree with me getting rid of all the wood that's kind of scary for us you're still gonna have the beautiful paneling it's just gonna be painted a different color what if you trust me on this one for just a little bit see how we go okay but if we don't like you'll change it back we'll consider it i am so confident having seen this house that once we've made these changes it's going to look incredible i just think that we need to refunction her bedroom upstairs tone down the wild west theme and consider toning down some of the wood so we're all on the same page nervous about it but yes that's what i like to hear david and susanna have a lot on their plate they're expecting their second child in a week and they're trying to sell their house but unfortunately the western theme is really putting potential buyers off because for a million dollar price tag people are expecting more cosmopolitan than cowboy i'm off to meet kevin their realtor now to see what he thinks is going wrong how many viewings have you had at the property we've had approximately 20 viewings booked by real estate agents a number of open houses that have been very busy so all in all sophie we've probably had 100 people through the house wow that is a lot okay so it's a fantastic location fantastic house on a fantastic lot what's dragging it down well sophie once people leave the great kitchen that's where their expectations start being underwhelmed as you've seen that the house is very well entrenched in the southwestern style of decorating it's just too much for people and that's not the look that people expect to see in a million dollar plus neighborhood but i'm confident that when we give the house a more refined look it will really make a difference i think they're going to just love it and it'll sell quickly [Music] david and susanna want to start a new phase in their life but to do that they got to sell their home which at the moment is more ranch house than townhouse and that is why i want to show them a comparable house in the neighborhood so they get a better idea of what people are expecting to see for a million dollars plus very nice similar size room to yours i want to point out the window because the trim is painted white but they continued that theme throughout and i think it looks really nice even though it's painted you still know it's wood and it still stands out what are your thoughts on the fireplace very traditional but it's nicer looking than ours i love the way you have a wood-burning fireplace it's very nice especially in cities where most is gas and electric i just want to make more of a feature of it let's go through the dining room then i know it's a bit more traditional than suits your taste but it's slightly more in keeping with the million dollar price tag do you like the radiator covers i do they blend nicely that's what we want to do in your house cover the radiators downstairs that mirror the wainscoting so they look like original features should we go upstairs i was in the suite what they've done here is they've made the baby's room the smallest of the three rooms okay now this is the second bedroom which is good because that means you do have three bedrooms the last bedroom left this room is a similar size to your room i do think it feels a bit bigger and i think it's because you the dark doorways along one side of the room is quite oppressive so that's why i'd like to get rid of them and i think your room will then look bigger should we mosey on downstairs what words would you use to describe this house traditional and classic bingo now this might not be your cup of tea but it's quite neutral and as you said classic and it sold for over a million dollars well i guess that's what we want isn't it i'm glad david and susannah finally realized that we're here to help them get what they want so to speed things along we've called in our very own cowboy contractor anthony sayers anthony's in charge of construction so he'll go through with you what changes we're gonna make great um walking into your house i notice you have like a huge southwestern theme going on you noticed and a lot of wood it's a little too much actually so we need to just carry the painted trim throughout the room right so instead of breaking it up your walls have like a faux finish is it supposed to be some tobacco stained tobacco whiskey all the good stuff we just need to make it one color throughout your fireplace is nice but it's a little dated but i really like this it's really nice so what i was thinking is maybe uh using marble and going around the perimeter of it and then transitioning to wood that comes really so i'll i'll reuse this i'll just bring it forward so that's going to give a much more cosmopolitan feel which i think is is important so we just need to repurpose the rooms that are upstairs make all the rooms bedrooms yeah because i think for a million dollars you've got to maximize the bedroom space upstairs so usually i say at this point that all hands on deck but i think you should sit down and we should start herding up them [Music] cows oh my god [Music] the house is starting to take shape already the horns are gone the big boulders are gone it's really starting to look like a different house already i'm glad this is getting done before this one comes along because it'll be that much more difficult holding a babe and trying to do this this paint color makes such a difference because now it doesn't look like a sort of saloon it looks like a sitting room i don't think that tobacco colored paint was very nice [Music] this is looking considerably better than before that brown was the killer yeah it was awful this is just primer that we've put on so far have you ever tried painting any of these luber doors nightmare really yeah it takes a really long time and if you're not careful it drips and just makes a huge mess how do you stop the paint getting stuck under there the best thing actually for this is to work with another person one rose and the other will brush stroke the door out okay so you can roll and then i'll just follow you and brush it out but this makes it so much faster for sure or else you stand here for a good four hours doing one door honey i can't stand here for four hours i've got places to be people to see well we've done this one we've got another five to do so we better go and take them off the handles okay [Music] now that the room has been painted out and it looks spectacular the red not so nice so what i've done is made up these nice decorative boxes decorative aluminum and some molding that i have made up i'm gonna attach the aluminum to the back of the boxes and then close it off with the trim paint it out nice white to match the trim put a nice lid on it so that you can put pictures and make it a design element in the room [Music] all my beautiful wood i know my gum wood doesn't just make you want to cry yeah yeah you missed a spider well the house is coming along nicely we've taken out all the cowboy knick-knacks and the whole ambiance of the place is changing it's becoming a bit more sophisticated but i'm not cracking open the champagne quite yet because well we still got a way to go [Music] this is gonna look like a million bucks when it's finished it already looks like a million bucks no um i say more five hundred thousand dollars okay i can work with that so remember before we had the red towels in the hearth so i broke it out and put this nice ceramic tile i had to put the marble first because you can't have combustible material touching the actual fireplace so the marble first and then transition to wood piece of mdf that i cut up we need to just close off the red brick that definitely does not match with that no i drilled a hole through the marble so that we can still open the fluke it looks much more million dollar pad now how much did all this cost the ceramic tiles the marble the woods the glue everything i would say 200 maximum wow i'm off now anyway i'm going to leave you to it because i don't want to stop a great work in progress excellent see you later okay upgrading old features like tired looking fireplaces doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg but small updates will make a big difference when you're trying to sell this house in a very comparable upscale neighborhood has similar characteristic elements but they've been superbly updated modernizing the house to match its million dollar price tag this fireplace isn't even wood burning like david and susanna's but its design is classic with a modern flair small additions like the marble surround paired with a fresh white paint job on the wood moldings and cabinets make this a selling feature all the wood paneling and trim have been painted out in a crisp white you still get the benefits of the old timeless wood but with a freshness that carries throughout the house the dining room is steer horn free and shows beautifully a lovely dining table grounds the space and updated elements like the modern light fixtures and chairs enhance the room and show off those spectacular white molding into the master bedroom where the continuous white trim light color palette and simple styling makes the room feel larger than it actually is this house has all the class of a million dollar home including two extra bedrooms i know our plans for david and susannah's home will bring it up to the same level of elegance giving the southwestern theme a send-off into the sunset david and susanna's house is in a great location and it's on the market for 1 million and 29 000 potential buyers are being put off by the cowboy theme so we got rid of that we've made the house look a bit more elegant with some clever use of paint painting the wood a beautiful and crisp white was definitely the right way to go the room now looks updated and classic but with a modern flair we've reused the same furniture in the room but it's astonishing how transformed the space looks with newly updated fireplace and paint job for such a small investment the new fireplace is sure to get tons of attention the dining room was a sea of dark wood which overshadowed the old world elements of the room now totally brightened the room shines with elegance and the stained glass windows can finally take center stage a brand new dining table and raised light fixture create the sophisticated look that bars expect to see and anthony's custom made radiator covers looks original to the space finally the entire main floor feels as top notch as that gorgeous kitchen the master bedroom felt dark and ranch-like but changing the wall colour painting the dark wood white and banishing the themed decal completely brightened it up changing the baby's room into a guest bedroom was the perfect way to show off the potential of the space and the neutral styling will definitely appeal to a broader range of buyers but we didn't forget baby liam what was once the office has now been transformed into a charming baby's room without any of the clutter disguising the size of the space the total cost will be worth the effect in the end because a house of this caliber needs to fit its million dollar expectations in a competitive market extra effort always pays off though where open houses are concerned nothing chops up the flow of a room like different color paint and that doesn't just apply to walls if your baseboard wainscoting trim are painted make sure the same paint color continues throughout make sure a design theme doesn't overshadow your house because whatever your own personal style is potential buyers are here to see bricks and mortar when the price tag goes up so the expectations of potential buyers and for a million dollars people are expecting perfection no detail is too small i love the new living room and dining room there it looks awesome the fireplace before i definitely think it was dated it needed a facelift and i love what they did with it actually i'm sure that uh it'll spark a lot of enthusiasm this house has finally earned its million dollar price tag it's sophisticated it's elegant and it's much more in keeping with the neighborhood now we just have to see if potential buyers agree the open house is just around the corner and it is looking fab in there we've purged the house of the wild west theme and it's looking like a million dollar pad again but the proof's in the pudding so we'll have to wait and see what the potential buyers think so we've got family room this is beautiful it's quite the difference so you've been here before then what were your thoughts before i thought it was a little too santa fe this is me i love these colors i love the combination of the the aqua and the cream it's a gas fireplace or wood burning a wood-burning fireplace looks fabulous i'll show you through to the dining room this looks so much nicer it looks like a totally different room the wainscoting was a totally different color wood do you remember yeah yeah absolutely my favorite thing about this house is these wooden floors it's a space i think that a lot of people would feel very comfortable in this is the second bedroom i can remember thinking it was small and all of a sudden it looks a lot more spacious that's because before they had a cot a changing table and a couch and the furniture wasn't big but the amount of it made it looks much smaller or wait till you see the master bedroom oh i love it [Laughter] was this the wood before i can't believe the difference it really brings out the color of the floor i think you'd be very comfortable in this room the last bedroom this room was something else and the baby's room was baby's room was there okay and this was an office if you're going to go over a million dollars you really need three bedrooms now you initially said that when you first came round you were unsure about the size of the bedrooms yes how has that changed they definitely seem larger especially the master bedroom it just looks a lot more inviting and you can sort of start to picture your own furniture being in here do you think it now has the look of a million dollar house oh yeah absolutely i think it's beautiful it shows really really well i love everything about the house from the spaciousness to the functionality to the colors let's move in sophie i'm absolutely blown away the feedback that i received from the from the guests today was very positive i think some of them will be back and my hope is is that one of them will be interested in putting an offer on this house fingers crossed the house looks amazing it looks so different painting out the gum wood i thought was going to totally ruin the the warmth of of that room and i'm surprised that it has making the other room back into uh an actual bedroom i think it adds more appeal the way the rooms are flowing is really nice i'm pleasantly surprised with the way that they put everything together i think the house looks like a million dollars yes i do think so i just hope other people do as well after transforming david and susanna's house into a sellable property interest in this stunning house definitely increased which means these proud new parents will soon be able to move into their country dream house without looking back in today's real estate market houses can be bought and sold in a matter of days and bidding wars are common so if your property's been on the market for an extended period of time you've got problems and now is not the time for timid baby steps you've got to find out what's wrong act fast and act boldly because in real estate if you snooze you lose [Music] wendy and matthew and their two daughters have been living in this detached bungalow for 11 years but the kids are growing up they need more space so it's time to move on the house was on the market for 629 000 and it's been reduced twice to 579 000 and even that hasn't generated any offers so there's obviously a problem to make matters worse wendy and matthew lost out on their dream home because they couldn't sell this one and that risks happening again but that's why we're here to turn this house from unsellable to sellable hey amanda get back in line [Laughter] it is a mystery to us why the house hasn't been selling because when we bought this house as a couple had everything that we wanted we've decided to buy a bigger house because we have two bedrooms upstairs and with the girls getting older i think they need some more privacy space and so do we the house is just just too small for us i'm ready to move on it's important for us to sell this house because we found a house that we all really like and we're going to put an offer in next week it's definitely stressful we're basically closing the door on this house and we want to move into our new house this cute little bungalow is on one of the best streets in a really desirable area close to shops restaurants trendy boutiques so it should be a bit of a no-brainer selling it hello hello i'm sophie wendy nice to meet you i'm matthew so you definitely need some help we do need some help it's funny coming straight in from the outside into the kitchen it's not a bad size could do with a bit of an upgrade yes yes definitely i love the floor that's what sold us yes the floor and we walked into the house see and that's what i want someone to do when they come in so sitting room the orange not gonna lie to you it has quite a bright orange this is a wood-burning fire isn't it yes yes it is love that it's a really great selling feature but the orange is kind of drowning out the paintings and also the stove through here's the dining room again it's pretty orange but you've got all the features that people look for you've got the baseboard you've got the cornish things but the whole vibe of this dining room it's kind of country cottage it's lovely but it's not really what people are expecting to see so where to next down the hallway down the hall bedroom ah interesting what's with the stars on the ceiling this used to be the girls room and then when we put the house on the market we switched so that this would be the master bedroom okay i had stars on my ceiling when i was little as well they're very difficult to get off oh okay [Music] blue another very jolly color so whose room is this this is the girls room but where do both girls sleep amanda the younger one sleeps on top and michelle sleeps underneath it's a trundle you pull it out so she sleeps on a bed that is underneath another bed wow hopefully we can get this house sold so michelle can move to her permanent house into the basement where wendy has been running an actual daycare center out of the house there's so many toys this is the daycare this room is a good feature i think we should make more of it no one really wants a daycare centre in their basement and a lot of people might not want to put this much room aside purely to the children so it's a really big size and it'd be great for a family room less kid stuff more adult stuff i've had a look at the house now so i know what we need to change so if we go upstairs and have a bit of a chat this house has real potential and on paper it should have sold but potential bars being put off by the daycare theme that runs throughout i mean who wants purple walls and glow-in-the-dark stars you want chic sophisticated clean modern lines to match the neighborhood this house has great bones it's in a lovely area the rooms flow well together and it's got a lot of the features that people are looking for but i think the problem with this house is that the decor is very cottagy i like the old world antique theme but it's more successful in the country whereas this is a young trendy neighborhood and i think the majority of potential buyers be wanting to see a slightly more modern updated look but to do that we're going to have to upgrade the kitchen the second problem is the slightly overwhelming daycare theme i think it starts with the playground feel outside the master bedroom with the stars and the lavender and then obviously the daycare downstairs so we just need to d-day care and make the decor a bit more cosmopolitan urban and then i think this house is going to look fantastic okay great sounds good potential buyers first impression of this bungalow is that the kids from daycare have just taken over i'm going to meet vito vezio the realtor to see why he thinks this house isn't selling vito how long has wendy and matthew's house been on the market on market approximately 50 days so just under two months correct what is the average in this neighborhood approximately 30 days okay have you had a lot of people through the door we've had about 12 to 14 open houses and through that probably averaging about five to six couples come through so we've had pretty good exposure on it vito how would you describe this neighborhood very affluent there's a lot of first-time buyers wanting to come into this particular area and there's a lot of people who are also looking to downsize so what we're saying is a lot of people are downsizing from these big houses so presumably they're used to a slightly more sophisticated look and at the moment wendy and matthew's house lacks that yes it does well i know that when we get rid of the daycare feel and get it looking more urban it's going to attract a ton of new buyers but yeah i think that should make the difference from eventually selling it thank you it's obvious that the daycare feel in matthew and wendy's house has to go this house has got to grow up and it's got to go out quickly if it wants a sale that's why i'm showing them a comparable house in the neighborhood so they get a better idea of what they've got to do to their house to get a sale this house is slightly more geared towards the adults they do have children but you wouldn't necessarily know it what do you think about the color palette nice and soft and warm this is the kind of style we're looking for and speaking of style i want to bring you right through to the kitchen now the general effect is modern expensive clean and that is what we're going to do in your kitchen okay and it's especially important in your kitchen because you walk straight into it so it has to have a very powerful first impression right okay now down to the basement [Music] this room is smaller than your room but it's more of a selling feature and i know they do have kids because i can see all their kiddie stuff there right but this room is definitely geared more towards the grown-ups right [Music] they do have a babies room but it's the master bedroom that has the most impact now i know that you didn't decorate your own room to have purple walls and stars in the ceiling but for a lot of people walking into a house and seeing the master bedroom obviously being a kid's room is a massive turn off but here balance between children and adults is the right one and it's sold for slightly under asking price within 12 days [Music] wow but once we've made the changes to your house your house has every chance of selling quickly i think i've managed to shock wendy and matthew enough to kickstart the work that needs to be done but to do it right i've called in general contractor anthony sayers so anthony is the man with the plan the kitchen is a first impression and at the moment i'm underwhelmed so what are you going to do well right away you want to make something dramatic happening right so big impact nice backsplash some under counter lining to highlight the backsplash you have some cabinets on the side maybe cut out the wood and put some nice glass in it just to make it a feature and handles on the doors nice neutral color and make a huge impact soon as you walk in that door in the living room you have orange on the walls so we just need to tone it down and put more focus on the fireplace make it more of a focal point and what about the master bedroom yes the purple room upstairs we need to get rid of the colors that are in the room take the golden stars down it's just a little overwhelming so give upstairs a more sophisticated elegant urban look exactly and as for the basement i know you have a special project planned which is well built a divider here to just pretty much separate the two rooms so you'll have like a kitty corner if you want office entertainment room well we've got quite a lot to do so should we get to it yeah [Music] wow it's coming along in here what do you think i like the color it's nice and neutral i see what you're saying like it makes a difference already i think yeah and it makes the room look well bigger and more grown up yeah well i'll leave you guys to it see you in a bit [Music] wow this has come on leaps and bounds coming straight into the kitchen is a downside people don't really like it so we've got to turn that on its head make the kitchen a real selling point the tiles pretty sleek and sophisticated yes i think they're absolutely beautiful glass towels transition to subway white subway tiles what's this this is a balance that is going to hide the under counter lighting the lighting is going to highlight the backsplash the cupboards are really coming along as well what i've done is taken pieces of molding primed it painted it same with the cabinet doors and then just nailed them on like three inches all the way around to keep a border these handles really nice we're just adding a little bit more sophistication to the kitchen hopefully the new potential bars will walk through the door and fall in love with it like matthew and wendy did i think they're gonna be wowed when they walk through the front door [Music] hey there hi how's the lamp assembling going not bad they look pretty smart really smart i really like them so what do you think of it down here i think it's fantastic yeah what a different feel like totally grown up totally grown up but it must be a bit emotional for you because the daycare is now closed i mean this was your office your home where your kids grew up they're gonna make me cry oh no am i going to make you cry it's just emotional because we've been here for so long and to see it changed so much is i love it it's great i'm happy to move it's just um it's just it's emotional it's emotional so we're mainly happy yes we're mainly happy that's good ninety-nine percent happy one percent sad but i'll be 100 happy when the house sells yeah and we move on when you move on yeah [Music] so what i've built is just a couple dividers that we're gonna put in the basement it's gonna section off the downstairs by separating the entertainment room from the kids area as well as the computer area so all it is is just a couple two by threes that we've just mitered the corners together and once they're finished we're going to paint them white and then hang them from the ceiling to section off the tv room from the rest of the space it's a very inexpensive project creating a style element in the basement along with the built-ins that are there small projects that add decorative flare are always a good idea when you're selling your home to make it look as updated as possible this comparable house in a neighborhood close by has just that kind of updated feel the living room feels spacious but comfortable and the styling is grown up and modern the couches look new and the wall color is extremely neutral so the furniture and layout take center state the living room flows right into the dining room where the neutral tones are carried through the space is simple clean and uncluttered which is precisely what buyers want to see this room has only the furniture that it needs to show it off as a proper dining space a simple table and chair set and one accent piece ensures the focus is on the space as opposed to the furniture itself walking into this kitchen the immediate feeling is modern and new whether they're first time buyers or downsizers everyone wants a kitchen that looks this stylish the backsplash is modern and interesting and immediately draws attention and the cabinets have been dressed up with contemporary handles to give the impression of the newly updated space the master bedroom looks quite large because they're scaled down furniture simple styling always helps when you're trying to show buyers the size and functionality of a bedroom the final space in this house is the basement and it's a great comparison to wendy and matthews because it's quite similar in size but it really shows as a secondary adult living space the room gives the sense that it can be used for just about any purpose and the only toy in here is the one for the adults wendy and matthew's home should have sold it's a great little house in a very desirable neighborhood but potential buyers around here are looking for elegance and style rather than swings and playsets but i think the changes we've made are going to turn this house from unsellable to sellable from the front lawn wendy and matthew's house look more like a daycare and potential buyers don't want to see that so we got rid of the toys and did some grown-up grooming for a first impression right through the front door the kitchen was seriously lacking that wow factor to draw buyers in but now we've turned it into a real selling feature [Music] the modern backsplash makes a huge impact and the stylish subway tiles will appeal to urban buyers and as for those old cabinet doors the updates we've done actually make this kitchen look brand new saving you a major renovation job and proving that sometimes just a few clever tricks of the trade are all you need the living room was too much cottage and not enough class so we've toned it down with some simple paint and accessories to save on costs we've reused an old sofa but added a custom slip cover to make it look like new we got rid of that loud orange color to let the fireplace speak for itself when you're trying to sell always highlight original features instead of hiding them in the dining room we've modernized by pairing down the furniture and smoothing out the color tones to feel more airy and urban spaciousness is important when buyers are trying to picture their own furniture in the room the master bedrooms grapey walls and ceiling stars needed to grow up fast so we infused the room with a color palette that's sophisticated and warm buyers want to see a master bedroom that's as neutral as possible so they can start picturing themselves in the space and we've definitely achieved that here the second bedroom was too crammed with kids stuff so we've graduated this room to a space that looks livable the daycare basement needed the most care of all too many toys were masking the true potential of this huge room so we defined and separated the space with anthony's custom room dividers which now make a feature out of the grown-up living area while still maintaining a space for work and playtime creating a contemporary tv room made this basement feel more like an additional living space something that young families will appreciate and downsizers will value updating this once kiddy playground may have come with an adult price tag but at a total cost of three thousand dollars it's what this house needed to attract buyers looking for a property in this urban neighborhood and appealing to the target market is what it's all about so open houses have to follow suit if your house has an unusual layout like the front door leading straight onto the kitchen make sure the decor and fixtures are first class so the first impressions won't be weird they'll be wonderful by maximizing the space in your house you maximize the value so create usable functional living space the heart of the house is the kitchen so if you spend a little more on lighting fixtures tiles decor it can make a real difference as i've said before sometimes you've got to spend money to make money well this day care is officially closed this house's new styling is elegant and adult i think has a much better chance of selling but we'll have to wait and see what the potential buyers think well the open house is here and i'm hoping our new grown-up elegant styling should really generate some interest so to really get a good market opinion we've arranged viewings with realtors representing a range of potential buyers hello i'm sophie nice to meet you hi nice to meet you well come on through the kitchen what are your first thoughts it's quite nice actually nice and bright nice mexican tiles on the floor nice backsplash come on through to the sitting room have you viewed this property before i came to the first open house right so how do you feel it looks different in here the whole atmosphere is different come on through the dining room lots of room in here we wouldn't even have to repaint this is beautiful it's giving it a modern feel with the new light fixtures the warmer colors some of the detail well you will see a big change in the master bedroom oh wow this is great space it's a good sized master bedroom yep the colors are quite warm do you think it's a good enough size it seems so now yes yeah and relative to the house i think it's definitely a nice master bedroom but i'm going to show you the guest bedroom okay nice very nice the difference in the colors the light colors makes all the difference okay i'll come and show you the basement [Music] so here is your tv room very nice very nice remember this more uh with a lot of kids toys but now you've separated so it's nice you're real estate agents yes so you know the market you see a lot of houses how do you think this one compares to other houses in the neighborhood i find this one finished off nicer than most of the ones that i see somebody could move in here tomorrow and be quite happy right i believe it is competitive now especially for a two bedroom fully detached there's not many fully detached in this neighborhood at this price point so i think mostly people like that's a very modern look and i think you've managed to accomplish that with this right so you think this house is sellable most definitely i would say well lovely to meet you the house is gorgeous the colors are beautiful it just flows better because all the colors are unified between the two rooms it's relaxing inviting it's perfect the feel of the house is upscale and i think definitely the new people that move into this house are going to really enjoy all the changes that have been made to the house and some sense i'm going to miss it now but i think i'll take some of these ideas and take it into my new house i'm hoping that we'll have a quick sale if not multiple offers and it will be off our hands and we'll be able to move on to a new house [Music] since we've given wendy and matthew's house that first-class sophisticated feeling it's been receiving the adult attention it deserves interest levels have increased which means they can finally get ready to upgrade to a bigger house for a fresh start [Music]

Channel: House to Home

Views: 207,399

Keywords: House to Home, House to Home YouTube Channel, house to home interiors, interior design youtube channels, interior design programmes, interior design ideas, real estate videos, home makeovers, home makeover shows, real home makeovers, The Unsellables, the unsellables cast, where to watch the unsellables, the unsellables full episodes, the unsellables youtube, the unsellables season 1, sofie allsopp, the unsellables mega marathon, Are Unsellable Houses true?, unsellable houses

Id: PH8bPR-94eg

Length: 63min 21sec (3801 seconds)

Published: Wed Mar 09 2022