Property had no viewings after 6 weeks on market

[stewart26]

Hi, can you please check out my listing and give me some feedback on my property which has been on the market for 6 weeks with no viewings at all! We have just reduced the price this week but still nothing.

www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/51403680?search_identifier=9b00e842d2885fa0b61602aea249f7af

I can not get over the price or how gorgeous it is. You'd be hard pushed to buy a dog kennel for that where I am.

"Offers over" is totally standard in Scotland. There's no need to change that OP.

What about adding a picture of the harbour area to attract the holiday home market. OK its not exactly the East Neuk but the area is not too bad.

I agree it is a two storey upper villa.

@thecatsthecats You can have freehold flats in England and Wales too, they are just less common. You own a share of the freehold with the other flat owners and usually there is a management committee where all the freeholders make joint decisions about the building as a whole.

@OP - not in Scotland but I sold a larger than average flat and it was hard as you are pushing into house price territory. Honestly we just had to wait for the right person to come along. I know that's not great to hear, but we did sell in the end (took 6 months) and for less than 1% under asking price.

But we are within walking distance to the local primary and high school and central for buses.

Add these details to the listing, with more detail if the schools are good/desirable.

The kitchen photos are a bit confusing: if you were going to "stage" any of the rooms, I'd put a bit more life into the kitchen and take better photos of it.

Could the agent be cheeky and change Rightmove settings so that it comes up when someone searches for a house? If the price is right, then people could be tempted but they won't even see it if looking for a house.

Is Rightmove the biggest listings thing in Kirkcaldy? It’s slightly more ESPC in Edinburgh for example.

your competition Less indoor living space but possibility to go into the loft, garden, garages, outbuildings, cheaper and has still been on the market since end of March.

It looks like the area is really quiet generally for house sales in your price bracket OP.

Find out the rental value of each room and market it to investors. 4 bed flats make great HMO’s.

I think your place is much nicer than the competition @notatwork posted. They have close ups of bathroom shelves, an electric shower and the sink in their listing - surely that can't be the best thing about the property? And the front exterior shot is terrible.

But the kitchen in that property flows much more naturally and looks more stylish.

-Definitely yes to 2 storey upper villa.
-Can you rearrange the furniture in the first photo? The sofa looks like it’s in front of the television and that makes the space look cramped.
-Stage your breakfast bar with place settings and maybe some flowers to make it look like an inviting space where 4 people can comfortably eat.
-The bedrooms are so dark, would you consider a quick paint job to get rid of the dark grey wall in the first bedroom and to sort out whatever’s going on with the 2 shades of grey plus the blue in the second? At the very least redo the photos on a sunny day with the blinds actually open so there’s some light coming in.
-Include a picture of the private entrance.
-Redo the exterior shot to crop out the less attractive houses.
-Definitely list the good schools in your description if your catchment is desirable.
-It’s also not in magnificent decorative condition- your bathroom is too dated to show and your kitchen isn’t exactly modern, it’s a lovely home but the description is really misleading.

Good luck!

The kitchen looks very cold and works canteen ish op, some colour in there would be lovely, to soften it.

You can change the price to a fixed price one, there is no need to go with offers over.

Also no viewings would say it's the price. So based on the Scottish system you're likely expecting in thr region of 150 for that, and it seems a high price for the property.

So based on the Scottish system you're likely expecting in thr region of 150 for that, and it seems a high price for the property.

Not necessarily. It depends where you are and how much competition there is.

Is the Fife SPC not used so much now, OP?

I would say from your listing the photos don’t really show the lounge very well, and there is an imbalance in living/ bedroom space. It doesn’t appear as though there is space to eat in the kitchen and I would think of it more as a 3 bed where you are using the dining room as a bedroom.
The kitchen also looks fairly stark and not somewhere you’d particularly want to spend much time in. Could you put some art up? Rug on the floor? Nothing expensive but may make it more homely.

I'd buy it just for the art deco fireplace and the ceiling mouldings - it's gorgeous!

Location, price and overall state of the market, I'd say.

As a PP says, get the agent to describe as an upper villa (they're quite prevalent in that part of Scotland, aren't they?)

Add schools details to the listing.

Open day sounds good - could you couple it to offers with a guide price and sealed bids by a closing date? (With some sort of reserve you're not prepared to drop below.

Does it carry the whole "roof burden" and if so, what state is the roof in?

I think people who want 4 bedrooms will want more than one parking space.

Market it as a 3 bed with separate dining room, get the photos lightened up, and change "upper flat with loft conversion" which is underselling it. If there is parking for a second car nearby, say so.

I think you should be leading with the external photo. It's pretty. Leading with a dark indoor pic is again underselling IMO.

Oh yes and if school catchment is a selling point do say so.

I don't mean offence in what I will say, but it is so dark. If I was a potential buyer I would not go and see it based on the photos.In all the shots, the lights are on and yet it still looks very dark. I can appreciate there is good space in it and the bedroom shots are ok, but you need a wide angle photo of the lounge/sitting room on a sunny day and the kitchen, I think you need to add some props, pictures, plants, anything to make it more homely; also maybe in the next picture of the kitchen, less floor in it. I think this is the room letting you down the most.

The mystery entrance is definitely problematic. The description makes it seem odd or off-putting. If possible, I would add a photo and change the phrasing a bit. Even less descriptive if necessary because right now I picture myself climbing a rickety staircase and then navigating a warden of creepy hallways which I am guessing is not the reality.

I would redo the kitchen shots with place settings. The table looks like it can barely seat 2 in the photo.

No viewings in 6 weeks = overpriced. Honestly, that is the reason. Anyone looking in that area will know there's an issue with the bathroom which is why there is no photo of it, it's a dead giveaway.

Just had a look at the ad on RM - is your flat the one in sold prices with no photo but which sold in August 2017 for £138k? If so, the fact you are looking to move after a short time and the sold price in 2017 will not be helping.

I'd put the photo of outside as the first pic. It' s an attractive building but if flats don't have a pic of the outside up front I assume It's an ugly building!

Agree own door is a selling point and should be included.

Dimensions are essential.

I don't think the pictures are very good. It makes your flat look dark and don't show it odd to it's best.

It should be listed with Scottish sites (eg ESPC) not just the UK wide ones.

I think you need to change agent asap, get some better pictures done, and listed on the Scottish property sites.

Oh and don't include a pic of the bathroom if it's not a selling point IMO!