Please give your opinions on why we have not had any viewings on our flat? Listing included

[househelp2025]

Hi there,

We are trying to sell our flat and have not had a single viewing. I know that this is typically either due to the price a property is listed at or something to do with the way it has been marketed.

I would be enormously grateful for any feedback on the listing and what (if anything) might deter you from booking a viewing?

It is a long lease - just shy of 999 years, and has a designated parking space in a private secure car park under the flat.

Is it the photos? Is the price too high? Something else?

Thanks in advance!

Flat listing

Service charge looks to be standard however when’s the rent review due to kick in? And what’s the review based on - RPI? Doubling? Is it outer London or inner?

Not read the thread but looked at listing, for me the bedrooms look tiny but may be the excess of furniture, the internal kitchen immediately a no for us as we cook a lot and the view onto the narrow built up street. I'd quickly move on from the listing.

What she should do is to wait longer than twelve days before worrying about the price.

This flat will sell to a couple, most likely commuting into central London (it’s a couple of minutes walk from the station and it’s a very popular commuter belt). There are plenty of FTB in this area able to afford £300k. It’s a cheap price for this area. Family homes sell for around £500k-£1.2m and £300k is very standard for a FTB flat.

The market is slower at the moment than it has been in previous years, for a variety of reasons…… so it will likely take a couple of months to sell, rather than a couple of weeks.

So unless the seller is in a desperate rush to sell and is willing to sell the flat for less than it’s worth, it’s crazy to suggest dropping the price after 12 days.

Give it a few more weeks @househelp2025 and think about some of the great suggestions people have made already on this post. Personally I would work on making the balcony more appealing, creating a bit more privacy with plants. Plus make the parking space more obvious in the listing.

Internal bathrooms? Definite immediate no when we made our 'must have, would like' etc lists internal bathrooms were immediate no

Put a proper mirror up in the bathroom without one - will make a world of difference!

The sq footage is clearly shown on the floorplan - 847 sq ft.

It's a lovely flat! Hope you get some viewings soon. I would remove the sofa by the balcony if you can, to make the room look more spacious (and showcase the balcony outside space).

Beds under a window tends to indicate a small room with limited scope to move furniture about so that would immediately put me off.

Also for that budget I would want a separate kitchen and living space. I appreciate that this is the style of these flats (I have rented several like this in London myself) but if I was buying somewhere I wouldn’t choose that open style

Mortgages won’t cover the cost of the service charge so people will have to budget for that. In this market it could be the deciding factor between one place and another

Also, get a distinctive plant for the balcony.

It can be hard to judge if you live outside the area. I live in a relatively pricey location but £325,000 for a flat would be expensive! However, as you've said; it's in line with pricing in the area.

With regards to the actual flat and what would put me off. Personally I wouldn't want open plan (kitchen and living room joint). The bedrooms are quite small. I don't like there's no window in the kitchen area, I like fresh air when I'm cooking. Also the view outside isn't that appealing. HOWEVER this just isn't the sort of property I'd be interested in. I can imagine it would be perfect for many people, especially being so close to London.

Agree with all of this, unfortunately.
And then the blurb launches straight into a spiel about stepping into luxury living 😬
It’s deluded.

I know this area. It is a travesty that those blocks were built the way they have been. Looking out over a massive car park is bloody awful and would put me off immediately. Even in London, I've seen blocks of flats built around a communal green space.

@househelp2025 OP, you are selling a flat at £325,000. The owners will be subject to extortionate management fees over which they have no control, on top of the mortgage. Most people simply can't afford this property.

NRTT ( just Ops replies).

I think it looks lovely inside. However all the rooms show other buildings looking directly in! There must be a better angle or put waffty cotton voiles in the bedroom at least, to divert from this fact.

Definitely make the balcony look more stylish. Do not chuck loads of pots out though. Seating needs to be more generous, soft cushions and throws, big candles or lantern.

Not London at all. It's Essex. County town

For me it looks quite dark which is probably because of the lack of windows in the bathrooms so I disagree with the description "flooded with natural light." The balcony view isn't for me as it just looks out to other flats and no green spaces. The service charge is pretty high. I can't comment on the price as I live in central Scotland and you can get a 5 bed house with a garden, driveway and garage for that so that price makes me go "ouch" lol. I would fill along the railings of the balcony with plants and I would (if possible) move furniture away from in front of the windows. I would also put away the drawers underneath the bedroom TV and put away things sitting on the bedside tables etc that makes it look more personal to you so that the buyer doesn't feel like they can't see it as their flat if that makes sense?

For me the main issue is the service charge - just under £200 a month and it could go up. Other than that it's a lovely flat. You could maybe put some tall plants on the balcony for privacy and it would look more inviting. Good luck!

It’s the estate having been centred round a giant car park, op.
It couldn’t actually be any less luxurious.
The no place to eat and windowless bathrooms are the icing on the cake; but as there’s nothing you can do about any of that, you’ll have to compromise on price.
It’s not worth what you think it’s worth.

From similar set ups in my city I didn’t even think it was a car park in the middle at all - looked back and saw cars after.
I think anyway you could do better photos all round - maybe erase the cars then too. I had amazing photos on my late parents’ house - they adjusted light settings on photos as it was a dull day but would have come back on a sunnier day if it hadn’t worked well enough. I think you could get a better feeling of space in them myself if done right.
Offers over are a worry to me as I don’t know if they mean £10 or £50k - and could I afford to bid up. However, it didn’t put me off place I bought recently as I really wanted it - though a good price and luckily ‘over’ didn’t in the end mean much at all - but I’d still debate it if just generally looking.
It’s really not been on long but I think only if a place is particularly attractive then folk start calling as soon as it appears. Maybe discuss with your EA.
Good luck.

Decor is nice, and neutral enough. It's the balcony for me, could you take pics at new angles? Honestly isn't well photographed.

Can you sell the flat and parking space separately? Walking distance from a station… those who don’t need parking spaces may appreciate the price drop

I live in an area in the SE where prices are much higher than this, lots of job creation, quick commute to London, and any properties generally move like hot cakes. And nothing is moving, not at all, in any price range, properties even in the most desirable areas are staying on the market for months and regularly dropping by big percentages…and still not moving.

£325k+ for a 2-bed FTB flat is top of bubble prices. Believing that there are loads of FTBs out there who have the deposit and credit for £300k+ flats is deluded, tbh. It sounds like you are biased by being a landlord and having skin in the game; but the market is very different now to even six or nine months ago. OP might end up being very lucky and catching an elusive FTB (or a pair), but the banks have all tightened credit on FTB mortgages recently and anyone who can afford to buy at these levels will be looking for the best value and for staying put long term.

Yes, definitely going to be switching the furniture around in the bedroom. Thanks for the tips

Unfortunately not - the parking space is tied to the lease now.

Do you have granular knowledge of local property prices? Otherwise, better not to comment.