Why isn't my flat selling?

[ratemyflatplease]

Not really an AIBU sorry.

I'm selling my flat at the moment and not getting much interest. I know that ultimately it'll come down to price. But that aside, is there anything in the description or photos that would put you off?

It's in SE London. 3 fair size bedrooms, one tiny box which is only big enough for a single but perfect as an office (which is how I currently have it).

Top floor, so no chance of outside space, which I think lots of people are looking for. Lease has been extended.

Taking a deep breath and posting Rightmove link: https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/139866227#/?channel=RES_BUY

Of course she can... nearly every suggestion has been to utilize the space better.

Only a completely blind person would think this terrible layout out as an attempt to squeeze it to '4 bed' (when no one is looking for a 4 bed flat anyway) is 'unfixable'.

This was my first thought and that bedroom isn't even the nicest room. I looked at it, thought, 'That's a bit pokey. Looks like a student flat' then looked at the price and thought omg!!! 🙀🙀🙀 you would have to look through the full details to see is was 4 beds and again I would assume from the 1st photo they were all of a similar standard and not look further.

That's a shame because all the other rooms are lovely if somewhat a bit soulless although I'm assuming that's due to the fact it's in selling mode.

I thinks it’s a lovely flat and the price seems quite good for the area.

I would see if you could put the sofa against the back wall in the living room, with the sideboard along the long wall with the tv on it, then the two armchairs from the bedroom be bought down and placed opposite the sofa so it creates more of a sitting room.

It took us 5 months to get 1 offer on our flat not too far away from yours when we sold, but when we had that 1 offer it was close to asking and we sold and moved quite quickly. Don’t lose heart!

The living room is very narrow. A squarer room with same square footage would be more appealing. The flat is top heavy, which suggests there is another flat on the lower floor.

It's lovely and looks pretty cheap for a 3 bed in London. I love the built in book shelves.

Why is the downstairs so much smaller than the upstairs?

You have a lovely home but I agree the living room is too small and the tv needs to be moved off the stand and onto the wall . The bedroom with the bookcase would be my living room

I had the same thought.

The main bedroom with the fitted shelving is a lovely square room and easier to stage to make into a welcoming living room. Tell prospective buyers that the reason it’s upstairs is to make the most of it being so light and airy (and the views, depending on how good they are!)

OP definitely an estate agent drumming up interest. A genuine poster would have replied more than once.

I would turn your living room into a dining room/study. Then the master bedroom becomes the living room. So now it's a 2 bed with a big living room and 2 places to WFH.

Calling it a 4 bed is not helping.

Relist it, get better photos done- turn the lights on, iron your sheets and dress the beds with cushions and throws(I don't know why but something about a less than perfect bed always makes a flat look really depressing). Put some pictures up. It looks a bit cold and unloved which I'm sure it isn't really. Could you paint some of the walls- it's very white.

The outside is nice so that could be lead photo, or maybe your new big sitting room?

You have got it on as a 4 bedroom
Realistically anyone with a family the size that requires a four bedroom will be looking for something bigger

It looks ldeal for a couple or a couple with 1 child
When I am searching (as a couple) I enter bedrooms as 2-3 to narrow the search
So you may be getting missed on filtering

Could you change the first picture.

I think it’s one of the least nice photos and it’s the first thing people see.

I think having the photo of the outside would be better as the first photo.
And then a couple photos where it looks big/nicer eg the bathroom and photo with the chairs and books.

It’s a lovely flat but first impressions count.

Oh like clockwork here comes crashytime to tell us there’s about to be a huge crash that will take down the property market like we’ve never known it before.

The living room needs to look and feel like a warm, stylish cosy den. Because you don't have any outside space it needs to feel like a retreat from the world.

As PP have said, this is not a 4 bedroom flat and I think it will put people off to market it as such. If I lived there I would use the current living room as a dining room and BR 1 as the living room. The smallest box is definitely a study as it is too small to be a bedroom, so it is a 2 bedroom property with decent living space. As opposed to a 4 bedroom with inadequate living space which is how it is marketed right now.

I think your best potential buyers would be a young single professional or a couple. It’s actually a large flat (square footage wise) for a good price london wise, in a nice area, but as others have said, the layout is very awkward and not suited to potential buyers. I would

• knock down the wall between bedrooms 2 and 3 (or at least suggest the buyer can do this in the advert). Make that or bedroom 1 the living room; and then the other one the master bed. I’d honestly just treat the current living room as a snug/study/second bedroom - I’d hate the idea of that as the living room…
• maybe advertise scope to reconfigure the tiny study as a bathroom. I’d expect your typical buyer may ultimately want the 2 bed 2 bath option...
• Do a bit of design work - can you paint some of the smaller rooms in maybe a sage colour or at least decorate with some cosier colours/add some more paintings, throws, etc? It’s so grey…

You can’t change no garden, leasehold, etc. but spin the positives - dulwich is a very green area compared to lots of London, lease has been extended, etc.

I’d have thought in that area, it would have views and am surprised there isn’t one in the photos. And the fairly attractive frontage should be the main photo rather than the rather unattractive bedroom.

The service charge is £2400, which is going to make those monthly mortgage payments feel even more expensive at current interest rates.

Aside from that, though, it's double the size of our two-bed - both in bedrooms and square footage - so it's odd to me that people are saying it's small. A few people are actively looking for places with more bedrooms so they can offset the mortgage by getting a lodger.

It’s this, isn’t it.

I can’t imagine anyone buying my London flat for anywhere near what I paid for it in 2020.

I think because it's the eaves it seems quite claustrophobic plus the living space is very small. You may be better off turning a bedroom into a lounge to make it seem bigger. It's a lot of bedrooms for not much living space.

I think you need to give up the idea of it being a 4 bed. Buyers rarely want 4 beds but no living space. Make the current reception room into a proper dining room and the bedroom with shelves is then shown as the living room.

Also, some of the photos are taken at odd angles and the outside needed a tidy up. I'd weed the driveway with the cone even if it's not yours.

You can’t change no garden, leasehold, etc. but spin the positives - dulwich is a very green area compared to lots of London, lease has been extended, etc.

Its not in Dulwich

But one persons perfect colour is another's most hated colour. What about some feature type plant in a pot.

Oh no - you could be on to something here! 😂
Definitely spin the positives of the neighbouring areas or areas that it might like to be in but isn't 😆

Yes but due to house prices in London the millions of people who live in flats find it normal.

Having said that the ground rent / service charge seems v high for this kind of conversion flat