So frustrated, can't sell 1 bed flat we're living in with our baby!!!

[MadameG]

I both need to vent and need some advice.

Me and hubby own a 1 bed flat in a nice London suburb (no mortgage) and we had it on the market when I was about 3 months pg, but the agent messed us about awfully (KFH- avoid like the plague) and the pregnancy became quite rough so we took it off the market with the intention of putting it back on as soon as the baby arrived.

As it turned out, the birth was awful and complications meant I was laying in agony for weeks afterwards. The flat went on the market as early as poss (Jan) and we have had our offer accepted on a lovely place we want to move to, but because we haven't sold this place yet it is still on the market and we are stuck here.

We've had well over 20 viewings, and the first 15 or so all dismissed it immediately for being 'too small'. I then noticed that the agent had made a bodge on the dimensions, making it seem like our living room is 5 foot longer than it really is. I complained and they changed it but then said we'd get less viewings as a result, so I reckon they did it on purpose. I voiced my annoyance and frustration to them about people's negative feedback about the flat, and since then every time they ring with feedback it's suddenly become all positive, such as 'they liked it and will keep it in mind' or 'they loved it but found something better suited to them' which makes me suspicious that it might all be bollox as they're worried we'll change agents.

We are struggling here with our ds, its very cramped and I am very worried that we'll lose our place we want to move to. It's doing my head in.

Does anyone have any suggestions about what we could do? Would you change agents? Is it supposedly a crap market at the moment anyway?

CarGirl- god thats awful. Its so hard to buy and sell at the mo. We wouldn't be able to get a big enough mortgage to buy our next place, we're just lucky to have this flat owned outright and savings.

CJ- yes possibly it is. Not helped by the fact that our agents seem to be twats. We only have a short contract with them so we can move on. That's a v good point about getting someone to ring up, I'll get my mum to do that tomorrow. Service charge is £1300 a year- pretty standard for Beckenham.

I've gone through our finances with a fine tooth comb in the last hour and also jotted down lots of ideas to tart this place up a bit. Sadly tho I think only a change of agent and a lower price might do it.

Figgy- I rang a financial advisor about the buy to let/ remortgage stuff recently and after a long conversation we realised we can't do it (you'll have to forgive me for not remembering the particulars, I have a memory like a sieve). Also a friend of ours is a buy to let guru and he couldn't see a way to make it work either. My hubby is the most laidback bloke on earth which is great in some ways but when it comes to things like this they bother me far more and he's just all 'nah don't worry, leave it all as is'. I am going to really try and get things moving this week tho. I'm all fired up after this thread.

Glad you looked into it - at least now you know all of your options.

Good about changing agent -

Also lots of inexpensive options for tarting up. I would view like you would be living their for longer and hope that it goes earlier iyswim and make it as comfy and do some of the things you have always wanted to do to it like you have with you bedroom, you need to bedroom the rest of the house !

If the flat isn't even attracting a out there offer to test the water then it is too expensive. You can faff around with different shape sofas (but seriously people what is she going to do with the one she has? ) and nice bright coffee jars and tea towels but the bottom line is you need to drop the price.
Have you looked at the sold prices for your block? Looking at your postcode (I think) there are a few sold in the last year for 170-180000 but there are also some for 140-150 000. What you have there is a small flat. It will take some shifting and your dh's attitude to having a mortgage is frankly absurd. If he wants to keep living near London (for work I assume) then he needs to accept he will have to bring in the necessary to fund an adequate mortgage. Anbody who is aspiring to live in the South East and raise a family (do you want more than one dc?) on one freelance salary and with a 40 grand mortgage is quite frankly living in la la land.

In the photo of the living room, is it possible to pull the curtains back a bit more? It looks like they are clipping the edges of the window which presumably blocks a bit of light/makes it look narrower - two thick pieces of ribbon make perfectly decent tie-backs (not to properly pin back, but just tie the curtain into more of a bunch, if that makes sense? I do it in my bedroom to make it feel wider).

Also, is that a flash reflected in the window, or low sun? When I looked at it I thought it was probably a flash, so sorry if not, but I think maybe it's made the light look a bit more clinical than it is in real life. If you get your new photos, ask for the photographer to point his flash directly upwards, rather than out into the room - should stop the reflection. An ideal would be to request a gold reflector as well which makes the light much nicer (I'm pretty sure most professional photographers have these, might be worth asking?)

If it's any consolation my parents are trying to sell the family home (downsizing) and have had no luck whatsoever. The house looks really nice on the website (my mum didn't recognise one room in the photos!) and we've only had one couple look round (it's a house for a fairly limited market, admittedly, but we expected more than that), so at least the interest at the first stage is there. When our photographer came round my mum saw that his notes from EA had at the top "CLIENT V PICKY". I know it's hard because they should be the professionals, but if you aren't happy with the next set of photos then say so and ask why they want x, y and z to happen - if you aren't satisfied with the reasoning then tell them.

Good luck!!

What is in that huge cupboard in the hall? I have often added a study in a space like that and something small like that sometimes just shows someone you can work from home etc and just adds a bit extra.

Definitely change agents - they sound like a bunch of cowboys. If you still can't sell it, you need to lower the price.

Also think about asking your ea for an open day, the problem with lowering the price too much is that no one ever expects to pay the asking price so if you lower it too much and you still get a reduction it can be a stumbling block. There is however a fine line on asking price.

I think the only hing which would put me off is the ktchen...it looks a bit meh....the floor in particular is dating....looks kind of rental-ish. Is ther anyway you could put down something cheap but paler?

Knowing the area, I think it overpriced. You can get either 1 bed period flat with a garden for that (these come with no or small service charges), or even 2 bed flat... (sorry to sound harsh)

Hello

Sorry that you're having trouble selling your flat - there's nothing more annoying particularly when you've already found somewhere that you love!

A few thoughts spring to mind:

Perhaps the lounge could do with being a bit more cosy. Could you paint the walls? A really gorgeous cosy-but-still-very-light colour is Mellow Mocha (Dulux) - we have it in our lounge and it's gorgeous. It may make the lounge look a bit more welcoming in the photos.

It would get some house plants in - a nice leafy plant always makes a room look more liveable in.

I would possibly paint the kitchen doors too - I'm pretty sure you can get paint that works on units. A pale blue or green would inject some colour without being too dark. And a plant would definitely help.

I definitely second the pots/little table and chairs on the balcony but I think you've said that you've already done that now.

I know it sounds silly, but some viewers really do buy into lifestyles - when people are viewing, have a bottle of wine and two glasses out (depending on the time of course - if it's 10am you may start to get a reputation! ) and some funky music on in the background and low-lighting if possible. The flat will come across as much more relaxing.

I would also suggest doing as many of the viewings yourself, rather than letting the agent do them. The agent will just stand there and let people look around, but you can rave about how much you love living there and bang on about all of the benefits and plus points. I always thought that estate agents would be like Kirsty and Phil, but in my experience they actually do fuck-all to actually sell houses.

Best of luck - don't lose hope. I really hope you find a buyer soon.

I'd be tempted to go against the grain and say that a splash of paint and dressing the place to sell isn't going to make a jot of difference if it's overpriced in the first place.

We're viewing at the moment and it's very easy to see the places where they've thrown a couple of hundred quid at it, repainting walls etc. but which are asking 10 grand more than the place down the road because of it.

I know the area well - used to live in Birkbeck Road (flat practically identical to the ravenscroft road one linked above). Ground rents a pain in the neck.

Definitely look into changing agents. We used the same ones for our flat when we sold yonks ago. THey were great when we bought the flat. Not so much when we were selling. Not a happy time.

I agree also that is overpriced.

Re photos - agree re table and chairs, and if no longer there you need an update. Also don't think that angle is necessarily showing the lounge to best advantage and you need the blind up on window. Can you move tv so it is in front of sofa (or vice versa). longer shot of the bedroom might be betetr adn can you fit dishwasher, freezer etc into the kitchen or is it just as you see ? Could you change angle of the balcony view to exclude garages - sorry but the blue doors shout social housing to me

slash the price, it is too much in this market. take the hit on the mortgage or you will lose the house you are moving to.

I dont mean to sound harsh, but 175k is a lot to pay for a small 1 bed flat, with service charge and ground rent (did I read that right?), especially when both the kitchen and the bathroom needs replacing. Any buyer will look at it and think 10-20k in expenditure to get the flat up to modern standards.

The kitchen wall on the right, it looks like the paint "bobbles", is there a damp problem?

I dont think there is much point in jazzing up the kitchen and the bathroom. However, I would change the curtains to something like already suggested down-thread. Some nice cushions in the sofa, a matching rug, and some fresh flowers. Also, can you put the tv in front of the sofa, and the sofa further to the balcony, with a small coffee table or rug in front?

The fact that total square feet for the flat is not given, makes me think it is smaller than it looks.

Lower the price, negotiate hard on the house you want to buy and/or get a bigger mortgage.

If your husband is only working two mornings and two evenings a week, can he work more so you can afford a higher mortgage?

Could you go for a part exchange? It was the best move we ever made - no agent to pay, not people traipsing through every weekend. We took 5k less than an agent wanted to put it on the market for, but reckon we saved more than that in fees etc.

Looking at similar flats for sale the price seems about right, so if you do decide to lower you don't need to slash it. Spotted this one, might give you some ideas? here

A little presentation of yours/ a little rejig of furniture, splash of paint, a couple of trendy lamps. Best of luck.

I think it looks like a great rental flat that would rent out so easily. I would talk to a mortgage advisor about a 'let to buy' mortgage to release equity from the flat so you can afford to buy the house you want, admitedly with a mortgage of more than £40,000. Your husband has to get real. If he wants to support his family and live close to London, he has take a job where he works more than 4 days, you yourself I am sure could do something to make £50 a week, buy and sell items on ebay perhaps for a few extra pennies in your spare time.

Sit down and do some maths, you will make more in rental income than a mortgage would costs on your flat, if you expand your mind to different possibilities there may be a better alternative out there to the path your mind is set on.

Stop feeling sorry for yourself and take a reality check. Most of us choosing to live in the South East can not expect to have a mortgage as low as £40,000 for at least 20 years. Count yourself lucky you own a one bed flat outright, friends that can't save a 25% deposit and are renting at the moment are probably the some of the worst off people I know, earn too much for benefits, rents are so high at the moment they can't save, their outgoings are more than most people paying mortgages these days. These people, and there are so many, are in a much worse position than your family.

I''m with the last few opinions
over priced
don't rent it out interest rates are going up you will need extra cash for your new place
work out how much someone has to earn to support the mortgage then you will see why noone is buying it

you need to accept that you need to work more to afford your new place rather than rely on the work of the person buying the flat to support your lifestyle or accept that you don't want to and stay where you are

sorry to be harsh but it is reality talking