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

Storage?

I assume your clothes are spread across two bedrooms but where for ironing board/vacuum/cleaning stuff?

'Op your home is beautiful and what would put me off is the view outside onto the road/street. It looks quite bleak and I think I’d feel very lonely there'

Lots if not most town/city dwellings have road views.

It wont be the layout It'll be the service charge putting people off. Since the cladding issue we hear time and time again how service providers double or triple these charges willy nilly with no protection in place for residents.

On top of all that, a lot of people really, really don't like "offers over x" and swipe left on that immediately.

I always think that. Also, the two bathrooms and nowhere really to eat. I wouldn't be interested because of that.

Not far off west London prices , either the price is inflated or the place too small

either way perhaps look into renting out ?

its definitely rentable

Offers in excess of would instantly put me off so maybe change that.
Hard to comment on price as local to me you’d get a nice 4 bed detached with garden for a similar price but it often comes down to price.
The service charge seems a lot!
I think the main living area looks really small. It almost doesn’t look like there’s room to eat at the table. Maybe better pictures?
Also the balcony looks like it has a really sad view. Maybe just use 1 picture.

Before you get to the layout/lack of windows etc a lot of landlords are selling as a result of changes and the knock on of that is that the market is flooded with two bedroom flats

I think it doesn’t represent good vfm. It is pretty small, the balcony over the car park and the service charge would be offputting. It would work for a single buyer who just needs a base and wants to rent out a room with an en-suite to help pay the mortgage. Likely to be younger, so would use the gym. You could buy a flat in some areas of London for that price and not need to spend over 5K for an annual season ticket.

A lot of people are complaining about the view of the car park. I actually don't find the view bad at all but since so many people mention disliking it, could be wise to add hanging some planter boxes with a fast growing trailing plants (e.g Japanese Wisteria) along the length of the rail to both pretty it up & give a little more privacy. The openness, proximity to other balconies & barren lack of any greenery in sight would bother me way more than the car park. This would solve both niggles somewhat.

You can get boxes that hang on the rails so you don't have to do any DIY to add them on & they can be hung exteriorally (made up word haha) so as to not lose any space on the balcony. Also you can remove them easily when you sell, should you so desire.

IKEA have them for £10 & £15 pounds:

https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/vitloek-flower-box-with-holder-in-outdoor-turquoise-30584755/

https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/rosenkal-flower-box-with-holder-outdoor-turquoise-00584771/

Fwiw I think your flat is very nice & wish you success with your sale.

I’ll preface what I think by saying I live in Chelmsford, in a flat:

• price: that’s a big part of it. It’s overpriced
• the aspect. There are flats on the market with much nicer views in Chelmsford.
• the service charge (it’s actually not as high as ours but that will put people off)
• proximity to the railway line. There is noise, especially from the freight trains
• massive competition from beaulieu (especially with the new station about to open).

'Can you put some planters on your balcony?'

I don't think planters are relevant.

Buyers will be concerned that that the £2371 service charge may leap to £6k next year. Is there any way these things can be protected or is it entirely a free for all re increases?

There’s a laundry.

Around 8 years ago, and be purchased it for the price that it is currently listed for sale. It was new build, he bought it off plan, so you do of course expect a slight drop in resale value

These types of flats are always a nightmare to sell on. They are in a massive block so there are always a few sold recently/for sale and its hard to stand out. Flats have not really risen in value, its no longer new off plan and the huge uptick in mortgage rates means its probably now worth less than he paid for. Just the maths of the interest rate rise means its probably only worth about 300k now.

Grammar secondary schools don't push up the value of these sorts of flats, they don't appeal to families at all.

The balcony over looking the paved area is awful. If its not a car park, why is it a) paved b) accessible by cars? Its a car park.

Service charge. Would put me off. Used to have a Mansion flat in Chiswick and the service charge only ever went North.

It is a lovely flat but I don't think your target market will be very big. I'd guess that most people buying 2 bedroom flats are ftb, and I don't know how many of them would be able to afford your flat.

However, assuming that's the sort of person who would be interested, can you get something in the particulars about what a fab flat it would be for that sort of buyer. So, for example, mention proximity to bars/restaurants/clubs etc.

I think everything else I would have said has already been covered! Good luck - someone will come along at some point! 🤞

'Hard to comment on price as local to me you’d get a nice 4 bed detached with garden for a similar price but it often comes down to price'

This is true you could get a 4 bed detached in Bradford or a 1 bed in London for the same price so location is of course relevant.

What do you get for service charge ?
view , and over looked

It reminds me of a halls of residence or a house share I would have lived in during my early 20's. Sorry to be harsh but it is super forgettable, has zero character and looks identical to every other new build flat. The balcony boasts a view of the carpark and the other identical, new build concrete monstrosities. What is the USP other than the gym? I don't think an onsite gym would be enough to convince people to purchase that for the price you are offering. I think you need to significantly rethink the price. Think single commuter who will use the place as a crash pad.

The yellow as an accent colour... in particular the rug with lines around the edge. Its giving carparking spaces /double yellow lines!

Its exactly the same shade of yellow that they use!

When I was househunting in central London certain things were an absolute:

1. my own green space or at least a balcony with a nice view
2. separate kitchen and sitting-room
3. not to be within earshot of a train or tube line

So if I were looking to buy, I would say your flat appears to be completely surrounded by things like multistorey car parks and railway lines. The balcony overlooks a square that is bricked over (or is it a car park?). The bedrooms are small but there are two bathrooms and a biggish hallway and a laundry room of all things in such a small flat. That seems like a lot of wasted space. Neither bathroom has a window, nor does the laundry room and the kitchen/sitting room is a long room with windows at one end. How do you ever get fresh air in?

That’s great, so that definitely needs to be changed on the listing as it says “resident parking” in two separate places.

Your main problem is that you've got bungalows, not far from you, at the same price, and someone can stick another floor on top of them and make a profit.

You really need to go for that bright, airy, free wheeling 'Friends' vibe - at the moment it looks a bit Peep Show.

I don’t know op! I was going to say the price, but then I did a search for similar properties in your postcode at your price and there are dozens of them same size same price as yours. So your pricing is correct and in line with the others. I did notice some of the others have reduced their prices recently, but still, only to exactly the same as yours. I think you have a nice flat. Is it an oversupply issue maybe? I haven’t taken the time to look at all the others in depth, but of those others, like yours, how long have they been on the market, at your price? If it’s many months, then maybe you’re all pricing too high? What does your estate agent say?

You're near my dd. I know for her the short walk to the station is brilliant and she loves being in that part of Chelmsford.

The photos aren't helping - about 3 of the balcony into the car park and they are pictures 2 and 3 so may well put people off. Cushions and a couple of plants on your balcony? One curtain at the bedroom windows is a bit odd and some lights on in the photos/some plants/colour would help it stand out a bit. The kitchen looks very beige on the photos (I'm sure it's calm and lovely but you need to get people through the door) - maybe you could hide some of your dark coloured gadgets to brighten it up and get them to take some better photos? I'd have something a pop of the gorgeous colour of your sofa in there to increase the flow.

I know there's a shared workspace but can you stage a work from home zone? People often can't do meetings in shared spaces. Sometimes you have to make the lifestyle really obvious to buyers and to stand out.

I can see a dining table. Maybe you need to make it a bit more obvious by staging that a bit too if some posters didn't see it?

There is a lot of choice - 171 two bed properties for sale between 250-350K in Chelmsford. The fact that there are part buy part rent flats in your development - a 2 bed, 2 bath on for 80k for 25% may be offputting for some.

Under size it says ask agent, yes it is on the floorplan, but again lazy of agent to not both putting it on the actual listing? Some estate agents are really bad, and it would put me off to deal with one who can't be bothered to fill in all the details on a right move page, I would worry they would be difficult to deal with if I bought the property. If I loved the property I would have to put up with them, but if I didn't love the property it would put me off