Is it hard to sell a link detached house?

Explaining what a link detached house is, what problems they come with and how hard they are to sell...

To most people, a link detached house is a real mystery, which can add a lot of confusion when you’re trying to sell your property, and no one can understand why it’s neither attached nor detached.

In fact, a link detached house is its own category!

To help you get the answers to your buyers’ potential questions, we’re going to talk you through all things link detached, including what a link detached actually is and the potential problems that come with living in a link detached house.

We’re also going to give you some other selling options, besides the open market, for when you’re struggling to sell your link detached house.

What is a link detached house?

A link detached house is a residential property that doesn’t share any common walls with surrounding properties but is ‘linked’ to the property by a garage.

Sometimes a link detached property can be linked through the foundations rather than through the garage, which gives a link detached house the ‘detached look’ from the street side.

Often in America, you can find link detached houses are linked by the basements, meaning the walls underground which divide the basements are common walls, or in other words, are shared with your neighbour.

Is link detached as good as detached?

Often the word detached in ‘link detached’ can be confusing as it makes people think that the property is as good as a detached house.

This is misleading as regardless of whether the property is linked through a garage or through the foundations, the house is still linked to another and therefore can’t be thought of as detached.

Whether a link detached is as good as a detached house will depend upon what you want your house to be. If you’re looking for a bridge between a semi-detached and a detached house, then a link detached is a great solution.

Generally speaking, link detached houses sell for a lower price than detached houses, meaning when you’re looking to sell your link detached house, you can’t expect to get as much for it as you would for a detached property.

What is the difference between link detached and semi-detached?

The key difference to help you differentiate between a semi-detached and a link detached house is that semi-detached share a common wall of the house’s living area, meaning from the street the house looks attached.

A link detached, however, doesn’t share any walls of the house’s ‘living areas’, with the garage being the link between the two houses, which can give the property a detached look from the outside.

What is the difference between a detached and attached home?

A detached home will sit on its own, with no shared walls and its own land, which as the homeowner you will be responsible for.

On the other hand, an attached house will share walls on one, or both, sides of the property, meaning there could be multiple properties in a row.

As attached homes all effectively share the same building, they may also share the same land, which the owner of each home will have shared responsibility for the upkeep.

If one side of a property is attached then it’s known as a semi-detached or end of terrace, whereas if both sides are attached then the property is known as a terraced house.

As a general statement, a detached house will offer more land, privacy and floor space compared to an attached house, which is why when selling a detached house you will attract more of a premium in the price.

Link detached house problems

With a link detached house comes more problems than you would get in a regular detached house. If you’re looking to sell your link detached and you’re worried about the problems your buyers may come up with, you’re going to want to pay attention here!

We’re going to go through the most common link detached house problems, so you can be prepared what to expect:

• Extending the house – Although you’re not sharing any common walls, when wanting to extend a link detached house most want to extend above the garage, which affects both properties, due to this being the ‘link’. As well as extension work affecting both properties, you also face the potential worry of the extension decreasing the value of the property. Extending a link detached property brings the two properties closer together, making them appear as though they’re fully attached, causing a likely drop in value

• Noise levels – A link detached house is likely to offer less noise compared to a semi-detached or terraced house but will bring a lot more noise when compared to a detached house. In some cases, the owner may decide to convert their garage into a kitchen or living room. Due to the garage being the link between the two properties, this will lead to noise travelling easier into the neighbouring property

• Driveway confusion – As link detached properties are normally linked by a garage, this tends to lead to the two properties sharing a driveway, or at least confusion over which drive belongs to who. A shared driveway can quickly become an issue when your neighbour is always blocking you in or out of the drive, or they have different ideas about what they want to do with it

• Nightmare neighbours – In a link detached house, you’re at a higher risk of having problems with your neighbours, compared to a detached property. As you have the element of a decent amount of shared area, the risk of problems with neighbours is increased, meaning it’s important you try to build a good relationship with them from the beginning

• Lower price – In comparison to a detached property, a link detached property will have a much lower value, leaving you with less room to make any profit on it, which can make it more difficult when trying to get funds together to buy a new property

Is it hard to sell a link detached house?

To give a short answer, yes, it is hard to sell a link detached house. The reason you will find a link detached harder to sell is because it will be priced higher than a semi-detached, or terraced, due to it having a more detached look and feel, yet it still attracts the same kind of problems one would face owning and living in a semi-detached or terraced property.

This makes buyers more likely to go for an attached house, or a detached house if they’re able to afford a higher price.

As a result of this, there are rarely buyers on the market looking for a link detached house, which can leave you stuck for a long period of time.

If this sounds like you, then don’t worry – you do have other options to find yourself a buyer…

Auction

If you’re struggling to sell your link detached house, then an auction could be a good alternative for you.

At auction, you’re met with lots of buyers who are looking to buy a property fast and will be ready to exchange on the day of the auction. A high number of buyers means a higher chance that you will find a buyer looking for your type of property.

There’s also minimal work required from you – all you need to do is host an open day prior to the auction and then let your auctioneer do the rest of the work.

However, although at auction you have a higher chance of finding a buyer, due to there being a high number, there’s still no guarantee your house will sell.

Even if you manage to agree on a deal and exchange on auction day, there’s still no guarantee your buyer won’t change their mind and decide to pull out of the deal, leaving you at square one.

Also, due to the fast nature of an auction sale, potential buyers will be looking for a hefty discount on the sale price. You will also be responsible for paying legal fees, marketing costs, room hire and the auctioneer’s fees, meaning you’re left with a lot less than you will have originally hoped for.

There are also no guarantees your reserve price will be met, meaning your link detached house won’t sell at all.

Part Exchange

Another alternative for selling your link detached house is by using a part exchange scheme. This scheme is where you trade your current property into a developer as part payment towards one of their new build properties.

Essentially, this leaves you with just paying the difference between the cost of your current property and the cost of the new build.

Using a part exchange scheme allows you to avoid selling on the open market and therefore means you can avoid estate agents and their fees.

Part exchange also allows you the chance of having a chain-free sale, meaning you can avoid the chance of being stuck in a complicated chain that could fall through at any time.

However, to take part in a part exchange scheme your developer will need to say that your house is eligible. In most cases, the developer will want a house that will be easy for them to sell on, meaning it’s likely your link detached house won’t be able to take part in the scheme.

Even if your house is eligible to take part, there’s always a chance that your developer may decide to withdraw their offer at any point, leaving you needing to find a buyer ASAP in order to be able to proceed with your new build purchase.

Ultimately, you will only want to use a part exchange scheme if you’re wanting to buy a new build. Otherwise, this scheme isn’t going to be an option that is suited to you.

Cash house buyer

Your final selling option is to use a cash house buying company. As the name suggests, these companies act as a cash buyer would on the open market, meaning they have the funds available to purchase your property and they’re a chain-free buyer.

As cash buyers have the funds readily available, they can also complete in a quicker timescale and there’s less paperwork involved, with most cash buying companies just asking for your signature.

The sale is a guaranteed sale, and you can choose the timescale, leaving you feeling largely in control of the sale at every step.

If this sounds like the right option for selling your link detached house, then we’re able to help you out!

Here at The Property Buying Company, we’re a cash buyer of houses buying any property in any location. We can complete in a fast timescale of your choice, and we will cover all the fees for you – even the legal ones!

As we’ve mentioned, the timescale is up to you, but our average completion time is between 2-3 weeks, although that doesn’t mean we haven’t completed in 7 days before…

We will only require one quick viewing to check our cash offer is accurate and we’re a guaranteed buyer, meaning once you’ve accepted our cash offer that is the amount you will get in FULL in your bank!

Also, we can’t forget to mention we’re a member of the National Association of Property Buyers and The Property Ombudsman, as well as being rated excellent on Trustpilot, with over 1000 reviews, allowing you to feel safe in our hands.

Forget putting up with the struggles of trying to sell a link detached house and give us a call or fill in our online form for a free, no-obligation CASH offer which we could have in your bank as soon as you choose…