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!

Wow the stuff!

I love your decor. Even the bathroom. But the combination of exuberant decor and so much stuff makes it look incredibly crowded. It looks like you are bursting out of it.

Put 95% of your books in storage, plus any other decorative objects that aren’t hanging on the wall, and it will immediately feel and look much bigger. If possible remove the bookshelf on the right in the kitchen, this will make a big difference. Now remove any day to day clutter like the shampoo bottles, towels on the bathroom door, stuff on the kitchen worktop. Put them in boxes on the balcony if you have to. Then get new photos taken. And include photos of the communal garden!

Remove the bit about grade II listed - it’s not clear enough it’s only the garden and this would put me off.

@Puffykins - I love your flat, esp your bathroom. But I can imagine some buyers can’t see past your fabulous taste. More fool them!
I can see why you want your personal belongings around you, but to sell get unemotional and pare it back a bit.
All the best for your son.

[quote Puffykins]**@nicerbeing* @Ninkanink* they still fit in the beds. Truly I'm not making my DC sleep in cages! It's just that when we move into a new house they'll have their own rooms with an occasional double each, and I can't fit two occasional doubles into that room.[/quote]

Singles would be adequate. I'm stunned at a 10 year old sleeping in a toddler bed in such a babyish room. Do they never have friends round?

I love the flat
But the photos are of your stuff, not the space

I think it would help to clear away some possessions temporarily, and to fix things like the tiles in the kitchen.

That said my first impression was that this was a home to intelligent, vibrant people and a loving family. Which I am sure is true OP!

I live in a small London flat and or makes me laugh when people says 'gives the impression there is no storage' or 'makes it look like there is no space for things'. It may be a bit different for you having some built in cupboards OP (huge bonus there) but for me it isn't an impression, there really is no storage.

I think you've kept it really tidy, people who have garages or utility rooms have much less of a challenge.

I just can't fathom how anyone could pay that much money and not have a proper balcony or garden of their own. Absolute madness! That balcony is just horrendous - you can't even really stand on it!
IMO i would be thinking of how many jobs there would be to do in there - once you have removed the pictures, books and random stuff there may be cracks, holes...
Kitchen wall tiles - they need doing. I mean, you want nearly 500k! Come on!?!!!

Also so sorry to hear your DS has been so unwell, I hope things are much better.

It is madness Maltesers but the whole market local to OP is madness.

I put my clutter in the car for the estate agent photos then brought it back in while we lived and had viewings. It wasn't in the same league though. You're gonna need storage.
To be fair, you've done a bloody good job of transforming the inside to a colorful, well loved home. I was surprised when I got to the external photo last of all.

@nicerbeing of course they have friends over. Please explain what is babyish about the room, except the size of the beds - neither of my children are particularly tall yet, and the smaller beds give them more floor space for playing. But there are bookshelves, Babar aside the art is quite grown up and of their choice - and the paint and curtains could be in an adult room - I don't totally understand what you mean.

Your ten year old has a toddler bed and you don't understand what I mean? Ok.

Kids bedroom wall appears to be made of plastic?

Yeah Inkpaperstars I think it is madness! I understand London has it's own unique (crazy) property market and prices but some things are just common sense. I also think the days are waning on people paying over the odds for flats in London - there are many of them available now, people want more space to WFH and a garden. Plus less commuting into the city due to Covid and so less need to be in London. So....sellers are going to have to work harder.

I don't think OP should completely depersonalise. I like the character that brings. Just tone it down. Less pictures on the wall, store the huge towers of books (or put up shelves?) and declutter the kitchen.

For everyone who is saying it is a crazy amount of money - I'm not blind to it! But it's Notting Hill and that is what it is.

I think the OP has had a bit more to worry about then the size of the children’s beds!

I live your flat so much!! In fact, that look is almost exactly what I'm going for with my own flat...once my bloody John Derain order arrives and I get around to hanging all my artwork. I also have a bit of a stacks of books problem .

However, sadly I do agree that you're going to have to tone it down for viewings :(. Paint everything white, shove everything in storage. Just grit your teeth and do it. You'll get to have fun decorating the new place.

I'd like to add that clearly a lot of people here aren't city dwellers - the kind of person who lives in W2 probably isn't the kind of person who prioritizes huge private gardens and peace and quiet...

I'd like to add that I live in Manhattan, and all am
gobsmacked at how reasonably priced this is compared to property around here .

It's a nice flat. Lots of nice colours and pictures but it's difficult to see the real space as you have too much stuff on display, e.g. pillows, pictures, books etc. Outside doesn't look very nice. Hopefully it is in a very good area.

Well, gosh, I don't really agree with a lot of the more philistinic comments tbh. I also think people are forgetting this is London and no one expects to find light, airy, spacious property for sensible money. You clearly have taste and an interesting lifestyle and I think that's actually a saleable commodity in itself - given the architecture, what a buyer wants to know is that there are interesting, stylish people in the building and that by buying into it they can be one too. Over and above basic considerations like price and square footage, I think that's the essence of what estate agency is all about.

There are a few things I would change. For me the bathroom is a bit much but I think you would get away with the walls if you toned down the detail by, say, changing the mirror and the bath panels. Otherwise, I think your main problem is the photography. Many of the photos seem to be taken from well within the rooms, rather than wide, long shots. So the living room looks good but the other rooms look foreshortened and poky. Yes, pic 9 of the fire escape has to go (but long views from it would be good - maybe) and can you include a picture of the front doors as well/instead of the building exterior? I think I would want a sense of what 'my home' would look like, rather than just an impression of being 'on an estate somewhere'.

For me the genuine sticking points would be the lease length (can you extend?) and the potential for noise and pollution given your proximity to the tube lines and the Westway, but you can't change that and the flipside is that your connections are excellent.

Tbh, I wonder if it's just timing. Everyone says the London market is slowing (I'm not there anymore so I can't say) and while it's a fair price it's still a fuckton of money at a time of economic uncertainty. If I was in London and could afford that kind of money, I might be looking to move outwards instead but not necessarily be sure atm what my commuting/wfh situation will be going forward.

Good luck with it all. Your flower arranging is beautiful btw.

Are you still living in the flat OP ? if so then yes I can understand why you are not able to de clutter things.

1. Take the jungle theme out please off the bathroom
2. Remove all the paintings on the wall .( you can keep one or two only on each wall .

3)Keep the books in the storage.
4) The kitchen looks very small due the fact that you have a cabinet which is full of books so I would say just in case you can keep utensils there so that people can imagine that they have extra space .

Hope this helps:)

At the end of the day you only need one person who likes your flat enough to buy....

Either wait till then or make it less personal. Stage just enough to tickle people’s imagination.

You have a lovely style, if a bit busy for some. The bathroom towels need moving but really potential buyers should be able to look beyond that.
But, oh my, the price. Although as a northerner I believe you when you say this is reasonable for the area. Why anyone would want to live in London anymore I don't know.

Well as a London renter I do agree maltesers
It isn't a market we would be either able or choosing to buy into, unless prices fell steeply, and probably not even then in the long term.
I will say though that I can see there is some storage because the things that are out and about are largely books, pictures etc...not ironing boards and other essentials.

You have a very good taste OP But I am afraid when you are selling you have to keep it to a neutral decor , not to much and not to less :)

Am I right in thinking no cladding? Think the cladding issue post Grenfell is putting people off buying flats. Is it worth a statement to say no cladding or cladding complies with whatever legislation is appropriate