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

The service charge would put me off. I have a friend trying to sell with a similar service charge and they’ve had only few viewings as people are put off by the service charge. I know if you want a flat you often have a service charge but I’d never buy a flat with a charge over £2k a year.

If you’ve had no viewings then I’d say it’s price.

The service charge is very expensive- is the ground rent capped? If your lease has a clause that it will double every x years this will make it very difficult to sell, a lot of mortgage companies won't lend.

Flats like yours, ie were new build at one point and are no longer, are the hardest type to sell- I know this from bitter experience of selling mine last year! It's neither a nice period conversion nor a new build with brand new appliances and a 5% mortgage thrown in, we found it very difficult to compete until we dropped the price significantly just to offload it.

The bedrooms didn’t strike me as being that small TBH but the living space, where you’d spend a fair chunk of your life, is just one room overlooking a car park. That’s where it falls down for me.

You have presented it nicely though & I won’t comment on price as I don’t know what’s good value for the area. £325k would buy a 3 bed semi here at the moment.

Bathrooms without windows scream a damp problem! 325 for a seemingly cramped 2 bed flat with a 2k plus service charge, no thanks! I think your pricing is way out!

It looks small and grey for the price, but I understand prices are high in the SE. Are the service charges high?

There is a dining table in the room, as shown, and it seats four people (more if you extend the table), but currently we have two of the chairs put away. Is it not obvious that it is there from the pictures or do you mean that it simply looks small?

We eat at the dining table regularly, and aren't made to eat on our laps 😂

£2371 is the per annum price of the service charge

Some photos make it look very dark and that balcony is not doing you any favours - feels too close to passing pedestrians/car park.

so, not much you can do about the latter. However, I’d whack in some plants to give it a more homely feel that has oxygen

I think it looks fine. Just wait, it’s not been on that long. Price seems ok. You just need one person through the door. Don’t worry too much about opinions here because you’ll get too much variation from people who like old terraced houses/only detached large garden homes/rent and can’t afford the price etc. plus price is relative to your particular area only. So, trust your agent. And try not to look for new properties till yours is sold. Just forget it’s up for sale. Easier said than done I know.

Firstly, price! Sounds expensive and the service charge...ouch! Plus it's offers exceeding, that often puts people off.
Secondly, there doesn't looked like there's a lot of storage.
Thirdly, the floor plan has a laundry room but no pictures. I would include a couple of those.

Could you get the photos retaken on a sunnier day? Or take your own? It's doing you no favours.

Otherwise agree unfortunately 300k is very expensive for a view over a car park.

The price. Is Chelmsford central London prices then?

Seems costly for Chelmsford

and the costs of the service charge is high. flats in London are not selling because of added costs of high service charges that can increase yearly

“Offers in exce….” SKIP!

just put your asking price on, don’t make people guess!

The annual service charge is almost £200 a month so that will put some off. It is a nice flat but the balcony overlooking the car park and other flats is not great.

The service charge is in line with other similar properties in the area - some are more! But I do agree with you that it is an unfortunate cost to have to bear if buying / owning somewhere like this. You do get a concierge and gym included though.

The ground rent is capped at £250 per annum.

I am not sure the photos are encouraging people in. They make the rooms look small and I am not sure what the building visible from the balcony is, but my first impression is that the neighbour is an industrial estate. Also looks quite tight on entertaining space. I also cannot see what the service charge is. If I were buying a flat I would prefer to choose my own gym. Maintaining that estate looks expensive?

I am quite worried about this! It is not a car park (or at least it is not supposed to be - you get ticketed if you park there), but yes some people are taking their chances and leaving their cars there.

I can only echo what’s already been said. However, I’ve lived in a flat without a window & it was the warmest bathroom I ever had, so that’s a plus from me. I look at many properties & some are right tips, you keep your home nice OP 👍

£200 service charge is a lot on top of a mortgage, but two sharers/commuters might think it is worth it for the gym.

For me the service charge £200 extra a month

It’s very clinical looking and the area though clean, seems like your living in an office complex.

I think it’s pricey- I don’t know the area but my flat in zone 2 London is similar size, much higher floor with nice views of London landmarks, amenities, and I wouldn’t be able to sell it for a lot more than you’re asking (it also has 900+ yrs left on lease and excellent transport connections). I also have a parking space, huge wraparound balcony etc.

If that area is not a car park you need to get your third photo removed or retaken because you can clearly see parked cars from the balcony and do the obvious assumption is it’s the car park.

And I don’t like offers over

state the price you want

plus like a window in a bathroom