to wonder why nobody wants to buy our flat?

[pimsandlemonade]

or to even see it?
We are trying to sell our 2 bed flat in London zone 2.
We have already found a lovely house we like (out of London) and our offer is not officially accepted until we get an offer on ours.

When we listed the flat the estate agents made it seem like it will be superfast considering a fairly central location, very good condition of the flat, lovely views etc.
Before the listing was up on Rightmove we had 2 viewings booked - 1 was a rental investor, made a very low offer which we won't accept. The other one cancelled the viewing and now, nearly 2 weeks later we have not had anyone to even see it!
I just don't get it!
We have already dropped the price a bit as we thought maybe the initial asking price was too much (again, the initial price was recommended by the estate agent, I suppose to get up to choose them), but still nothing.
The estate agents are saying that because of the election everything has slowed down and they expect it will get better next week...
I'm struggling to believe anything they say at this point.

Any advice, comments?

I hate it when floor plans don't have a total square footage on them.

I'm from London but not there now, anyway here's my view:

• The in excess of would put me off. It implies to me a kind of bidding war and I always prefer an actual price
• Need bathroom photos. I like a bath and a shower, so if it's not obvious there is one I wouldn't bother looking.

The bedroom looks small, which makes me think the second bedroom must be tiny

For the price, which is higher end (and in excess of implies you want more) it needs to be in top condition. Most people are willing to do improvements if the price reflects that. I'd be adding 'new bathroom' onto the price in my head as I can't see it

That might be an option for photographing the bathroom on the above flat, you can see where everything is without being seen in the mirror, looks like it has been taken at a low angle

Dining table?

Everyone one else has pointed out what I was going to say as well. Plus have a good look at the competition - what makes you go 'wow' and what make you go 'meh', and do the same and have a look at interiors websites to give you ideas.

Good luck x

Wow glad I don't live in London!

Sorry but your flat doesn't look all that. Bed dominates the bedroom, your lounge is set up a bit weird and there is no pic of the bathroom.

PrimalLass

This is the exact same layout - mirrored.
We have the same "dining table" extended from the counter.
It definitely looks bigger!!!

Oieo would put me off too. Jut price it and then do the negotiations. In excess of is an unknown quantity and would make me think you were going to squeeze more and more out of me. What's the point of it when your asking price is alrefy pretty high for the property?

Right you don't need a new bed/bedding - you need a colourful bedspread or throw that covers the bottom third of the bed that crucially you TUCK in, tucking the duvet in all the way round. It makes the bed look made, it shows more of the floor, makes it look hotel roomy but also smart.

The other flat in the same block looks better and they managed to get shot of the bathroom by crouching down!!

I think you need to do something about your sofas. I would write this property off straight away as I dont want to sit like that with my
family and friends in my main room!

The bed does look a bit odd, maybe a better photo would help.

I'm sure you have a lovely home but 'the in excess of' would massively put me off. It also looks a bit unloved (which I'm sure it isn't!) and awkward with the mismatched furniture and fittings.

Perhaps a bit of the old 'house doctoring' would help! Show people how they could live in it, proper seating, somewhere to eat, nice bathroom etc.

Good luck!

Not read all comments so apologies if I'm repeating but you need to get them to state that it's on the first floor in the description.

Also you need to declutter, get rid of shoeboxes in bedroom if thats what they are, borrow a smaller double bed or something for the time being so it looks more in proportion to what the person viewing is likely to have. Maybe even move out one of the sofas. New picture of the kitchen without the pendant hanging down (is that a Joseph Joseph bread bin? We have that!).

And yes, insist on a bathroom pic. And a pic of the other bedroom, if there's no picture one assumes it's going to be tiddly.

Good luck! I saw an infographic recently that said in the seven weeks leading up to a general election the property market takes a nose dive. Still, your agents need to be working harder than this. It also doesn't seem to be priced competitively compared to the flat that 19lottie linked to.

It's a lovely flat, OP I just think the photos are letting you down. It isn't very 'memorable' or eye catching.

My advice would be:

1. Change the sofas around it looks like you have no space in the living room and that it is really cramped.

1. Get the Estate Agent to update the floor plan to show that you have a second toilet.

1. Get a photo of the second bedroom up

1. Put a photo of the balcony in the second bedroom up (nice plants, and a small table and chairs)

1. Draw the curtains in your bedroom to maximise the light. Get rid of the shoe boxes. Also, put some plush cushions on your bed.

1. Take another photo of the kitchen. It looks very cramped but the floor plan makes it look a bit more spacious.

1. Show the living room window and what the view is like.

Just taking pictures of a clean house, even relatively clutter free like yours, is not the same thing as selling the house via photos. Your agent has done a very pedestrian job, which is a shame as you are 'motivated' sellers and with better photos, a faster sale at your original price would have been better commission.

You can take better pictures yourself if you cant get him back in with a commitment to work on them as more than a box ticking exercise. Study websites to get good ideas of angles and lighting, hope for a sunny day. You may need to buy or borrow some set dressing items, like bedding. Dont use your phone unless you must, even a small digital camara would be better. Plan to devote a whole Saturday to this. Get somebody to take DCs for the day, get someone who can help move furniture. Your goal is pictures that make the rooms look best, not to document your furniture layout.

You dont need to buy a bed. Do you have a full size bed in the other room? You only need to borrow or buy a second set of bedding to fit that then. Or if you have neighbors you know well enough to borrow a bed, and bedding, do that. Maybe someone would loan their bed if you bought them a nice duvet set since you wont need it after. (Set a price limit! )

Move your bed into living room. Move second bed into bedroom. Make up bed nicely. Consider what else needs removing /improving. Should there be a lamp there? Move one in from another room. Take pictures, a LOT, from severy corner, high and low. The current picture is out of focus, poorly lit, and seems to gave been stretched in photoshop. All are bad things. So, now you have better bedroom shots. Swap everything back where it belings.

Get nice pics of the other bedroom, and the bathroom while you are at it. If 2nd bedroom is DC, remove ALL toys and things like boxes of nappies. Dress the room with minimal stuff, take pictures, put stuff back. Ditto bathroom. Nothing should be visible except fresh towels and a fresh bar of soap. Make sure the toilet lid is closed.

Consider rearranging living room to look less crowded, including moving some furniture out entirely. Doesnt matter if the TV cant reach the cable point or that you dont want to face that way. Set it up to look spacious, take pictures from multiple angles. Be sure to use the window bay as, from the right angle and including that, the room could look huge. Then move on to the kitchen. Get a picture of that without the lamp in the way! Looking the other direction, and including the bay would make it look larger. Should the bay be 'dressed' as a dining area?

It's a lot of faff, and there will be the trouble or expense of borrowing or buying some stuff. But if you want to sell fast, the expense is probably worth it.

You have been given lots of good advice, which I agree with.

I would start with sorting out the floorplan and photos, then think about making the interior more sellable.

I agree, more pics. I also think that the photo of the bedroom could be better...another angle perhaps. And it's a very small thing, but pull back the curtain properly before having the photo taken, you'd show the view off a little more.
Lovely flat though. Sit tight and I'm sure you'll find someone soon.

I'd get a storage unit and put Big Bed, shoe collection and one of the sofas in it. Get a standard double and a small armchair from ikea to replace the bed and sofa. Also have some photos of the communal areas if they're as snazzy as you say. Photo of every room and one of view from balcony.

Sorry not read all - my first look is at schools you have inf and senior both with ofstead 1 right on your doorstep - needs advertising. All kitchen pic is rubbish.

Deliberately not read other posts .

My thoughts are:

• Sitting room looks very cramped. Need to get rid of one sofa. It doesn't loo very 'loved' either.
• rogue wire in the kitchen shot looks like the socket arrangement is strange which is offputting
• bedroom shot is really unappealing. Is it a massive bed or a tiny room? Bed need nice linen and he room needs to look more welcoming.
• no bathroom shot suggests there's something wrong with it.

Photos generally are of a really poor quality, I think. Your agent isn't doing you any favours.

Good luck!

The shoe boxes just makes me think there's no storage. The sofas are too big and dark. Get rid of one. I'd also remove all of those pictures - the frames look quite old fashioned. It's all a bit beige and bland whereas fashion is now for grey and bland Bedroom two is really small and bedroom one isn't particularly big.

I've seen new build flats with 10 more square metres and better transport links for less money I'm afraid.

Pictures aren't good!

But it's a double aspect flat which is rare!

In short, drop the price and it will sell.

I'm not going to comment on the price because I live in Northumberland where half a million gets you a five bedroom house and a huge garden :-)

The pictures are awful. As a buyer, I want to see pictures of the rooms not the owners furniture. It does look a bit soulless. I agree with the people who say it needs a clear out of oversized furniture. If you're moving to a bigger property you'll need to buy extra anyway so it's not an unnecessary expense just an early one. The cloakroom should be cleared and marked as such. Photos of all rooms and the communal areas. Are they shoeboxes in the bedroom - get rid if possible as it looks like there's no storage. Room sizes on the plan. Can you make more of that little area in the living room? Lovely views. Kitchen and bathrooms sell houses and you have one poor picture of your kitchen (nice kitchenaid by the way) and none of the bathrooms.

I think the flat is lovely but the details aren't doing it justice. Whether the photographer was late and trying to catch up isn't your problem. You're paying for a service and you haven't received what you paid for. People may be waiting until after the election to see what happens with stamp duty but since that's not due until contracts are exchanged, I don't see why it's a factor in the low number of viewings. I suspect the estate agent isn't actively marketing the flat either. Give 'em hell!!

There are so many positive features (hardwood floors etcetera) that you've told us about but which aren't mentioned in the details. This needs to be rectified (as well as all the other suggestions!)

I used to know someone who lived in this block - it is indeed lovely

The furniture layout and the angle of the photos makes your flat look small.

One thing I noticed when we were looking for our house was the impact that the height of an estate agent photographer had upon the impression images gave of rooms.

You can really see this factor in your images. The photographer must have been fairly tall, and you can tell the internal images have been taken with a downwards angle. This makes your rooms look diminutive. The images really need taking on a horizontal plane to get more of a feeling of space.

As pp have said, you need to change the furniture layout. Your sofas make the living room seem cramped and narrow. I would store away the sofa that backs on to the internal wall and move your TV unit to the internal wall between your living room and kitchen (it doesn't matter that it is away from sockets). Then I would flank the remaining sofa with decent plant stands and medium sized plants to get some green into the room and create "height marks" to "pull" the room upwards.

Your bedroom -- hire a smaller bed and make sure the curtain are fully open. You should have two photos here showing both length and depth.

You definately need a photo of the bathroom and the second bedroom.

pims - what is the view behind the closed curtain in the bedroom? Did they shut that side to obscure something ugly? It looks really messy to have the curtains like that !

What's on the wall opposite the large sofa? currently looks like you can't fit both in comfortably so the smaller one is wedged in a space that's it's unsuitable for.
Bedroom looks like it's massive out of proportion, but I accept that's because of your huge bed. Sort you curtains, they look unkempt. Same with your bedding, get a nice duvet set and accessorise accordingly, and move the boxes out the room.
Definitely need a pic of the bathroom, but otherwise I think it looks like a nice home.