Why isn't my flat selling?

[mynamechange94]

I've name changed for this, for obvious reasons. It's been on the market since June, we sold it at one point for £440k but the buyer pulled out. We're out of exclusivity with our agent next month so trying to work out if it's worth doing anything different with the flat before we move agents. What do you think?

Here's the listing...

Haven’t read the thread but have you had many viewings? I tried to a view a flat as a buyer via that estate agent and they were AWFUL.

Photos: the sofa makes the lounge look very small, the american style fridge freezer is too big for that space, the kitchen looks very small in the photos, the bathroom is very basic, better photos of outside space would be nice (even if just communal), no photos of the 2nd bathroom. The photos just don't show the space well.
I think you've tidied so much for the photos that it looks like your property has no soul or character.
And general things you can't change: it's a leashold (this would be an immediate no for me) and it's a tough market (cost of living, high interest rates, less likely to get a mortgage, etc).

You need to get rid of that American Fridge freezer and sofa and buy stuff that makes the rooms look bigger and ask a mate or pay for storage if you want to keep them. It’s an outlay of a few hundred quid, you may balk at that thought but the other reality it still being there with a baby. Also get rid of all those black floor lights and spotlights and the coffee table.

You can't find a buyer if you can't get people in to view the property in the first place. The photos and video do not do the property justice. For example, in the video the kitchen looks dark and dingy, but the photos are taken with the lights on so it looks much more appealing. The photo of the table, looking out the window is the best opener out of all of the photos in the listing - I saw it and immediately thought ' oh cute aspect'. It it light and bright and gives the impression of space. I think you need to style your apartment better as well. Get some throw cushions for the couch and beds, and some bits and pieces to put on the dining table, coffee table etc. Even just a large, interesting platter with a candle or similar. So it doesn't look like bare student digs. I would also think about making the beds look more luxe - plain coloured duvet covers with plumper pillows, a few interesting throw cushions and a throw rug at the bottom of the bed. Google 'styling property for sale', have a look at some photos and try a few things.

Sofa, coffee table and fridge are too big. Also your pictures are a bit dull and you’ve got too much Kallax. It looks a bit soleless to me. More air bnb than home.

Sorry that was a bit brutal.

Haven’t I seen this somewhere before?

I would presume it's the huge service charges often associated with conversions and especially of 19th century buildings.
I've seen many point out to this and OP hasn't addressed it.
These conversions also often have very poor lease terms.

As born and bred Londoner and someone who has lived in different areas of London, I would not pay this amount of money to live in Woolwich Arsenal or in a block of flats. You can buy a house in plum stead for around that price or less.
I think most properties will sell at the right prices - have you considered lowering your price?

The photos look different now I'm on my phone. How on earth does the living room look so spacious in the first photo but so cramped in the other photo? Get an agent who can take good photos.

To the posters who say the ceilings look low, the ceilings are low - note the absence of ceiling lights. That's why they need floor lamps. Does the second bedroom have any lighting? I don't see a light switch or lamp.

Why no photo of the second bathroom? (And why did the developer put in a second bathroom when it could have been a toilet and larger kitchen?)

And OMG the stairs! If you fell down them you'd land against the glass window. I really don't understand how this development got planning consent, what with the internal bedroom windows too.

You need to put the oversized furniture in storage and buy/rent some smaller replacements that fit the size of your space. Add some home comforts and design elements that sell a lifestyle. At the moment it looks unloved and like a short term rental. There’s nothing distinctive or memorable about it at all to make me want to come and view it.

As others have said it’s a slow market in London at the moment, particularly if you have no outdoor space. If you can’t offer outdoor space then the interior needs to make up for it. You’ve got to make a bit more effort to make your flat stand out because so many in your price bracket are sitting on the market for months so buyers can pick and choose.

The photos you have aren’t great - they’re confusing and don’t give a sense of the layout and flow from one room to another. They need to be redone and ordered in a way that helps the viewer to understand the layout.

I’d take it off the market, spend a bit of money on jazzing it up and making it feel fresh and stylish, and then get a new agent to take some fabulous photos before putting it back on again. I think the price is right for the area and development, but with a lot on the market at the same price point, your flat is not going to be the top of someone’s list to view because it’s got nothing about it to excite a viewer.

The bedrooms would put me off straight away. Terrible feng shui energy.
Bed , especially the head under beams , is one of the worst bed placements ever.
Put the head / bed where the storage unit is.
Second bedroom with no external window, a total dealbreaker for me but at least have the bed face the window, so you don't look at all walls and wardrobes. Wardrobes should not have the best placement, 8 hours sleep in bed , they are the main focal point.
It's claustrophobic looking out towards a window.
Remove some of the grey storage baskets in living room and replace with books or something homely, even a plant or two.
Or even empty shelves
Same in bedroom, use a mix of baskets or leave some out.
In kitchen put microwave on counter top and add something , a few jars/containers to make it look a little more inviting. Even some fridgemagnets with recipes stuck in fridge. Kitchen looks as if no one cooks in it. Open shelves would be better than all those wall cupboards.
The whole flat looks clinical and unloved, sorry, like an airbnb or short term rental.
2 taps on a sink in bathroom, too basic.
Put a big rug on floor there, paint it an apricoty /nude pink even and put some towels on rail. Don't have it all
white, make it cosy as no
window.
Not everybody is into interiors , get it.
Agents photos are awful as is lack of info on service charge/lease length. It's the first thing you check, even before photos.
Don't stick
price on at from - to. No one will
offer the highest in this market.
Change agent and try and sell the history of the place too. Good luck, stressful times atm.

I actually think the second bedroom must be the major sticking point. It’s more like a 1.5 bed than a 2 bed, really, since I’m not sure anyone would really want to live in that second bedroom full-time. So if there are similar 2 beds in the area, for a similar price, but with proper windows in both bedrooms, then I can see those winning out over your flat every time sadly.

My flat is actually similar in that it was sold as a 3 bed but the third bedroom is not suitable for use as an actual bedroom. So a family looking for bedrooms for 2 kids would never buy it. But it works very very well for what we wanted to use it for. So you never know, you might eventually get a buyer who loves that space and has the perfect use for it! But the unusual set up probably does narrow down the pool of potential buyers a bit, at least at that price.

Does that bedroom get very hot in summer? The lack of proper ventilation would make me so nervous!

It’s basic and not homely, too much Ikea furniture, so it doesn’t feel like a permanent home.
An injection of colour, would help, perhaps some plants and paint over the pastel bathroom walls.

The photos are truly horrible.

First photo in particular.

You need new photos.

People are making decisions on whether or not to view your flat based on your photos. There are three challenges that you need to overcome. One the lower level spaces are very cluttered and appear small, two decisions will be made based on your furniture, e.g. hate that sofa, I could never live there… I kid you not… and three few people can visualize the potential of a space beyond what they see.

I would recommend, if you can get rid of as much furniture and possessions as you can, at a minimum

1. the sofa
2. coffee table, it’s too big
3. black lamp
4. office set up under the stairs - work at kitchen table
5. bookcases and books in living-room
6. White unit left of the fridge
7. any furniture that is not a basic requirement, get it out
8. bedroom closets, don’t have them crammed, e.g. box out summer clothes, clothes you dot regularly wear, create the illusion of space

if you can, the credenza in the living room too. If you can borrow or rent a small loveseat and chair to create the illusion of space in the living room go for it

you want someone to come in and feel the space, open closets and think not crammed, this is fantastic, my stuff will fit with room to spare.

Good luck!

Agree with others, way too much furniture for space. A storage unit if you want to keep the furniture for after the move. Living room for instance, sofa, coffee table, TV stand, ottoman, bookshelf, unit next to window. That's a lot of furniture for a not huge room. All of the furniture is also large scale. A two seater sofa and a small scale armchair with a side table between them would look more spacious. Put the books and bookshelf in storage, wall mount the TV

Main bedroom, I think it would look better in pictures (not sure in real life?) if you stored the IKEA drawer units and put the bed on that wall. Put the bedroom TV and unit in storage while you are selling too.

Can you put in under cabinet lighting in the kitchen to brighten it up?

Bathroom needs a more neutral color and plants. Would it be in the budget to upgrade the sink to one in a cabinet?

Your bedsheets could be more neutral with a nice throw and pillows. Look at higher priced hotels for inspiration on what appeals to people.

The photos are not great. Soft toy on the sofa gives of real student vibes. Sofa cushions are squished and studenty. Photos make the room look tiny. Kitchen should not be in the video without lights on. Microwave is so high I'd not be able to reach it suggesting this kitchen is too small, so many cheap ikea storage units suggest lack of good storage. Pink bathroom wall with no accessorising to pull it together looks like you are trying to polish a turd. Obviously the lack of window in the second bedroom means it needs to be way cheaper than comparable 2 bedroom but currently you are providing no wow factor. I think you may need to pay for good advice in this area. People will only buy this with their heads not their hearts. You need broader appeal.

@mynamechange94 I used to live in Building 22 and sold a flat similar to yours. A couple of things- the flats in that building are unusual, because the building is listed and the way they had to convert them etc. They were completed in the 2008 meltdown and I know Berkeley Homes (the builder) scrimped on the final finish ( we had the same kitchen, wood effect Lino etc). therefore even if you get viewings, I think you will struggle to sell it as the kitchen will be needing to be replaced soon.
Due to their design, the ceilings are low, especially in the sitting room area. Do you have a double height living area? I thought most in that building did. Either way, I think you would be better off chasing a cosy feel rather than light and airy due to the low ceilings.

The cover photo should be a picture of the lovely listed building itself. Gym/concierge photos and mentioned. Include the service charge but also say what it includes! The concierge is great!

Finally, the price. This is why it isn’t selling. Not only is the flat market bottomed out in London, flats without a balcony are definitely less desirable. You are competing with thousands of new flats on that development that don’t cost much more. Building 22 is one of the less desirable buildings due to lack of balconies etc. Due to huge supply of flats in the development, there is a natural ceiling on the price and you are asking for more than that.

Use one of the agents located on site- I think Royal Arsenal Residential used to be located in the building. They know your target market and people who want to move to the development will be known to them. Good luck x

We had a kitchen like yours in our last flat, and we replaced the dark worktop with a nice white and grey granite one. It really opened the room up. I agree with the other posters that the fridge is too big, and that the microwave is in a weird place.

Overall, the place looks a bit like a student flat. There's too much cheap IKEA furniture for a start. And there's too much furniture overall. You could do with removing some of it to make the place look bigger. You could also fit a desk in one of the bedrooms.

When you're selling a house or flat, you are really selling a lifestyle. I can't imagine who you are marketing your flat to. Maybe a single man? If it's a couple, you really need to make it appealing to a female buyer.

I dont care what part of London that's in, I'd rather double my travel time than pay nearly half a million for something that boxy, sorry OP. I'd pay 350 for it

Kitchen: sell or put F/F in storage and buy a second hand white slimline F/F that doesn't stick out. Put the Kallax unit in storage. Paint the units white or light grey. Buy plug in under unit lights that you can take with you.
Livingroom: sell or put the big sofa in storage. Buy a small secondhand sofa and sit it across from the TV. Get rid of the coffee table and buy 2 small side tables. Put the big lamp in the corner or put it in storage and buy table lamps for the side tables, or put the grey lamp from the bedroom and L/R lamp, either side of 'new' small sofa. Get a nice light rug, big enough to go between the sofa and TV. Paint the coloured beams white or dark grey. Get rid of the vase on the dining room table, keep it clear or set it for dinner. Put your rucksack and briefcase away for the photos.
Bedrooms: Get rid of the wooden side table and get a white bedside table from ikea. Could you replace the Kalax boxes with drawers? Where do you put your clothes? Iron the bedding and get coordinating throws and cushions for both beds. Do you have mirrors in the bedrooms?
Pink bathroom: paint it white or pail grey. Paint the bath panel white. Get a nice big print in a frame for the space on the wall. Get towels and some "quality" co ordinating showergel/soap/bubble bath (blag empty bottles from friends and fill with cheap stuff)
Get a friend who is good at dressing houses to help you. Look on Pinterest and YouTube, search "How to dress a bed" "How to update a kitchen"
Once you've done all this, get new photos taken.

The reason it's not selling is the price. End of. Interest rates are going up plus cost of living crisis, people don't have the money available they once did

Are buyers truly fooled by all the primping being suggested in this thread?

@Scrambledbeans has given good advice. I also lived on the RA and I think unfortunately the high mgmt charges will be off putting for many at the moment.

There is some good advice about better dressing your flat but I would ask a couple of the on site agents to come and value it for you and get their advice on what to do / prioritise if anything in terms of dressing the property before you do anything drastic.

One thing that might be cheap / easy is going on Etsy and buying legs for your sofa / kallax units- furniture off the floor helps the room feel bigger.

London Stone Properties sold my flat and I would recommend them albeit it was a good few years back now. Their pictures were great- they moved stuff around, took things off counters etc and just showed off the rooms as best as possible.

Lounge is very small and the large sofa makes it look cramped, photos aren’t good at all, taken from odd angles, bathroom & kitchen are basic but most people will replace them. Property always sells at the right price OP, can you reduce at all to stimulate more interest? Good luck.

For around the same price you can get an end terrace with garden in your area, albeit one that needs work doing. The pictures make the flat look pokey and uninspiring. If I were going to buy a flat that needed work and had nearly half a million, I'd buy somewhere nicer, like Balham.