Please can someone tell me why my flat isn't selling?!

[Puffykins]

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-84873916.html

Price-wise, it's appropriate - even cheap - for the area. I know that it hasn't got it's own garden, but there is a huge communal garden which, in central-ish London, I'd argue is better than a tiny garden.

Admittedly I don't like the estate agents pictures much. It's really light in real life, but they always seem obsessed with turning on all the lights.

Anyway, any tips would be hugely appreciated. Thank you!

It’s because of all the ...shite.
Sorry op. There’s ‘stuff’ everywhere. It’s so busy.

And it looks like the estate agent got stuck between two walls taking that photo of under the planters outside?!

It’s a lovely looking place, but yes too much going on in the pictures. In places, it’s more like a library.

It looks lovely. Great price too for central London.
Outside photo looks abit concrete softer angle required.
When the photographer came for us I just scooped everything into bin bags & shoved under the beds.
Don’t include a photo of the bathroom or the balcony. Add one of the communal gardens.

Paint the ceilings a clean white. May as well do all the walls. Think about window fittings and something more stylish. Go with a 60s, sleek vibe.

Make a big deal of security features: the new lifts. Point out secure entry system, if it exists.

Put all books cushions nick nacks and pictures thst aren't on walls into storage.

How long is the lease? 90 yrs or less people will avoid.

The interior style doesn't match the brutalist/ modernist exterior. There are fans of this style out there but your flat would need to be mid century in decor to attract them.

Biggest negative is the bathroom. If you can change only one thing, change that.

Clutter- could you rent somewhere, a lock up to store it. Other than that it’s lovely

I love this flat. It's just beautiful and warm. I love the colours and the art.

I really like it OP and would take it over a soulless grey box with a ‘live, laugh, love’ stencil on the wall any day.

However I live very near you and I know that estate doesn’t have a great reputation. It’s also on a noisy main road close to both a tube station and a bus garage, which won’t count in its favour. It may just be that people are being put off by factors beyond your control.

I have to admit I love it ❤️

Like some others, I like the style, but many won't, especially people prepared to look at a flat in a somewhat brutalist block like that where they may prefer a cleaner, more minimal look.

I actually really quite like it, but it’s far too cluttered and busy to sell well. I agree the outside photos are awful and the bathroom is too eclectic. Paint it a plain colour. It looks like a happy loving home though.

@Puffykins

Out of interest what is wrong with the washing machine being in the bathroom? To me it totally seems the logical place for it to be - the bathroom and both bedrooms are upstairs, if the washing machine were downstairs it would be much less convenient. Also the drying rack is above the bath. Are washing machines not meant to be in bathrooms?

Yeah that doesn’t bother me at all - in Scandinavia where I’m from it’s normal to have the washing machine in the bathroom, in fact I thought it was really odd when I first came to the U.K. and everyone had their washing machines in the kitchen. But the fact is that most people here will find that strange. You have to pitch your property so that it appeals to the widest range of prospective buyers.

I'm a property photographer and the clutter is the def the problem. The outside shot is grim but bathrobes hanging off the door and clutter everywhere make it hard to assess the space. Also the photos are a bit blown out and not great quality

TBH I'm struggling to believe that you genuinely can't see how cluttered your place is. What you have is lovely. I like the colours and your style, but you just need less of it.

It’s a gorgeous flat in an great area.
PPs have made good suggestions. Less dramatically put some of the books away, towels away in the bathroom, better or no picture of the balcony- if there’s space put a bench or table. Also pics of the communal garden and the length of the lease.
Good Luck!

I think your own personal style is overpowering the space in these photos. Some people have a hard time seeing past the decor to the potential.

If you want to make this goat more appealing I would clear the trinkets, the books, the momentos and create a blank canvas

Flat not goat!!

The balcony isn’t a balcony. It’s a former fire escape. Agree with putting nice plants there. Do you actually own that or is it just part of the general common parts that you have quietly acquired?

In the pictures of the bedrooms, are those towers in the corners books?

Do you really need to keep every book? I only hold onto books I truly love. The rest I pass on the colleagues and friends.

All the books and clutter make the flat look like a small fire hazard - sorry

OP it is lovely, cool and Granny chic. I personally find grey interiors and the omnipresent 60s look very dull now. I think just clear some of the books and the paintings which are not on the wall. Keep the style and arty vibe but just clear half the stuff so what is left is on show and can be appreciated. When people look around a flat or even online they can only take a certain amount of info in at a time so showcase that.

People can look beyond an internal style they don’t like ( they know all those cushions will leave with you) but if they look at a map they will see the multiple rail tracks, the Great Western Road and the Westway just over ( which does have a big noise/pollution arc ). Weirdly, I was driving near there last week after a gap of about 10 years,

There’s nothing you can do about the location - your buyer is going to be someone who knows and likes the area and isn’t put off by looking at the map and seeing what I have just described.

I think the 93 year lease could be an issue. We bought a flat in London a few years ago and I wouldn't consider anything less than 100 years as the cost to extend a lease issignificant . The service charge sounds reasonable (another thing I looked for). The bathroom is off putting, as it is something you'd need to have budget left over to change pretty much immediately. The kitchen is good and your style acrossthe flat isn't a problem, viewers look past an owner's taste to a certain extent I think, but maybe declutter a little. I guess the other thing is there are cheaper (and still well connected and nice) areas of London to get a flat like yours so maybe there is a bit of competitionfrom other parts of the capital?

Could you get some shots of the views from the windows? Can you see the canal from there? Also you are really near Meanwhile Gardens, which is lovely to sit in, maybe a pic from there?

I actually really like it. It’s quirky although I can see why others wouldn’t like it. It actually looks like a home compared to all the grey houses we see these days. But the price is insane! Our 3 bedroom house in South London with a large garden and garage was the same price!

I think all the declutter suggestions are right but I love it too. I hope it works out for you!