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!

I think it's true that many - perhaps most - people can't visualise beyond what's right in front of them. However, you can use that to your advantage when you're selling. People telling OP to mothball her lifestyle and make the flat more neutral don't seem to realise that if she does that the flat will look like a characterless box, as the link someone posted to a similar flat in the same block very clearly illustrated. The fact that people advising her to make the flat a blank canvas for those who find visualising difficult can't see beyond the so-called 'clutter' to realise this is actually pretty ironic!

If you were starting from scratch, you could undoubtedly do something minimalist that both honoured the architecture and also conformed to the idea of 'neutrality' that's currently fashionable in property circles, but when OP and her DH are needing to live and work there with 2 kids, at least some of their belongings, and are presumably on a budget to some extent, a complete design refurb is impractical. In lieu of that, the sense of abundance and creativity that her lifestyle brings to the space is actually a great selling tool imo, as it appeals to some and creates for others the sense that all that needs doing is a bit of decluttering.

I really don't think any of this is why the flat hasn't sold quickly.

@BruceAndNosh

The advantage of the truckle bed is that as a single bed it makes the room look larger in photos, but then any visiting viewers will see 2 singles in place which makes it clear that a king size bed will easily fit (as it is 30cm narrower than 2 singles pushed together)

I think the oppposite though. My thought when I see a single bed (or the 2 toddler beds for that matter) is can I use this as a double bedroom or is it only suitable as a single? Then I start looking where I could put a double bed and thinking I can't put a double bed in there without blocking the balcony doors or the radiator and still have enough space to walk between the bed and the wardrobes.

There are several framed pictures just in the floor leaving against things, that says to me that you have nowhere to put them

I have pictures against walls because I think they look casually good. I have plenty of walls and space so it necessarily say there isn't anywhere else to put them :).

That said my sister who has more traditional taste frequently asks me when I'm going to hang up the pictures :).

The OP has incredible style but.....it looks too cluttered.

OP I wonder if you are allowed to paint the inside of the balcony walls white? It would brighten it up so much, all you need to do then is fill it with large green plants in colourful pots? Failing that I would put trellis on the inside walls and surround it with plants.

Soo much stuff. Everywhere.

Tbh its the sort of photos that would be normal to find in an 'omg look how crazy this place is' thread here. Surely you cant have thought it was ok like that for photos? Have you never looked at other properties online?

I think the biggest part of your problem at the moment will be the London housing market - the bubble has well and truly burst due to Covid. Even rental prices are the lowest they've been in years.

In W2, there is over 1000 properties for sale and in London as a whole, 56,000!

Everyone and their granny is trying to sell up and get out into commuter towns whilst "working from home" is in effect.

I don't think your "clutter" would matter in W2...in fact, I think it would attract the arty/bohemian types looking to live in the area.

I don't know how desperate you are to move, but could you consider renting whilst the house is on the market? You may just find a buy-to-let buyer who it would appeal to that a tenant is in-situ.

We tried to sell a house in London during the last recession and it was a nightmare. It took almost 10 months and that was a new build, 3 bed, 3 bath house in Camden Town. We took a £150,000 cut to get it gone.

I don't know how desperate you are to move, but could you consider renting whilst the house is on the market? You may just find a buy-to-let buyer who it would appeal to that a tenant is in-situ.

The bottom has fallen out of the rental market in Central London at the moment @PatsyStone39. Prices have dropped. Even with 100% occupancy, the OP would be lucky to cover the costs of the mortgage and service charge, although for London that is actually an amazing rental yield. It would make an excellent investment if the OP could afford to keep it on as BTL.

There are several framed pictures just in the floor leaving against things, that says to me that you have nowhere to put them

I have pictures against walls because I think they look casually good. I have plenty of walls and space so it necessarily say there isn't anywhere else to put them :)

You realise I made that comment in direct response to a post about it looking like there is no space? I realise that's probably not why they are there. It's a style in itself as you say, but it might look to others that they are simply there because there is no other place to put them. It wasn't a criticism in any way but if you want to sell your house you do t really want to be doing anything that gives the wrong impression .

You may just find a buy-to-let buyer who it would appeal to that a tenant is in-situ.

This is a good idea. There aren’t many income generation assets around for all those savers looking down the barrel of a negative interest rate.

You could rent out your place @Puffykins and then rent in your desired area? After this long the rental income should cover your mortgage and perhaps something over to put towards the rent of your new place? It gets around the school issue too, as you could find somewhere in the catchment area of the best schools even if you couldn’t afford to buy there. I understand the reluctance to move twice but at least you wouldn’t have to move schools.

Someone up thread mentioned doctors and there are several hospitals near you, so a really good potential rental market for you?

@orangenasturtium

I agree, and I am quite shocked at how much so. I've recently seen flats in zone 1, a 2 bedroom for £1600 (not ex-LA). I didn't think i'd see the day! ha.

Like this one. I would have snapped this up when I was renting in London years ago. www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/86071876#/

Totally off topic but from someone who lives in an area where £475k would get me a 4 bed detached with a garden I am just at London house prices.

We actually don't need to move - I mean, I can reconfigure the children's bedroom so it works better, and we're on the waiting list for a garage which I can then turn into a library.... I'm now considering taking it off the market for a couple of years, extending the lease, fixing it a bit (a lot), and then trying again when the market is in a better place and people want to live in central London again.

Your style is bloody brilliant OP. Don't listen to the dull grey-boxers – keep all the pictures and furniture. You've shown how to turn an unpromising featureless flat into something vibrant and creative, and a wonderful home for your children. You're selling a warm, creative, lifestyle and your individual style is far more likely to impress a potential buyer in Notting Hill than a 'show home'.

@Puffykins Do you by any chance follow Victoria Roper Curzon? She also had a very lavishly decorated London home and just posted a photo of a paired right back for renting.

if you do decide to stay on the market, then that might give you an idea of how drastic you need to get.

@allfurcoatnoknickers yes I know her! I'm not going to try and rent this though. She's had to do a lot of structural work to her house in Acton to get it ready for rental and we'd have to do similar, and buy/ rent another property (she didn't have to do that) and I just don't have the mental energy right now. I don't think. I'll think about it though. Thank you.

Do you really not know why your flat is not selling? I find that very hard to believe.

@CandleWick4 there isn't really a basis of comparison. You have to compare London with other global cities- New York, Tel Aviv, Frankfurt, Paris, Singapore,San Francisco. And you would find that London is actually cheaper than quite a few of them. One glaring difference between London and a lot of the other cities is how low average London salaries are but at the same time, we don't pay for medical care/food costs/cost of consumer goods are quite competitive. However, London does attract a lot of foreign buyers due to the favourable tax regime (council tax for a milkion pound flat in knightsbridge is higher than a house in middlesborough) and stamp duty is a one off.

Due to covid, the foreign buyer market has been shaken and a lot of renters are moving out either due to choice or due to job losses.

Totally loving rhe superiority some folks are trying to show in loving rhe ops flat, proper bigging themselves up . 😂

Books are fine, I’ve books out, but I don’t have them on the floor, on nearly every surface or filling my bathroom and all my kitchen shelves. If you have so many you can’t store them then it is clutter, as is so much artwork it’s just laying around randomly propped up on the floor. Both together, too many books and too much artwork, is just too much clutter for most people.

People are trying to help the op. That’s a small flat and it has potential, in reality when you go in it will look even more cluttered than the pics. That’s why folks aren’t buying. It’s easy to keep the same style and just clear some space in the kitchen and bathroom, clear the floors and surfaces, and still have a shit ton of books and art.

Saying it’s a thing of beauty isn’t helping her sell it. 😂

@iloveyoga

In defence of the OP, properties in London (usually) sell at breakneck speed. There could be blood splattered up the walls and a chalk outline of a body on the carpet and someone will snap it up if the price is cheap enough.

London really is it's own entity when it comes to houses. Hence why the prices are astronomical. I mean, look at this. The size of a kingsize bed or £225,000. www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8863061/Tiny-74-square-foot-flat-size-two-king-size-mattresses-Pimlico-sale-225-000.html

To all of you saying you love the OP's taste, I like your bedspread, it looks a happy home, etc - it's nice that you're being kind and all, but it has no bearing on the original thread question!

Do the walkthrough - look closely and carefully and imagine what it will look like with all the OP's stuff removed, the flat is in bad condition and needs considerable money spent on it. Bathroom and kitchen need replacing. When you wake up in bed in the morning you are confronted with seeing yourself in a huge mirrored wardrobe shudder. There is no outside space other than communal which people don't want in a pandemic. It's a bad time to sell. People saying 'they like the brutalist look' are just trying to be cool! The outside is absolutely bloody hideous. The agent doesn't even really say anything nice about it other than it's 'bright'. And that area is not leafy and pleasant, that's absolute bollox, it has a bad crime rate. Those, I believe, are your reasons, OP.

@PatsyStone39. I live in Surrey in a town known for properties selling quickly and at good prices. Price of the flat is not my first thought at all on why not selling. It hurt my eyes looking at the rooms, not even being in there, I felt claustrophobic by all the stuff everywhere and assault to my eyes. Just too much there.

Books are fine, I’ve books out,

Oh that’s a relief. Do you mean coffee table books, if you “do” such a thing? (I don’t.) We have books in every room except the loos.

They are in bookcases or on huge shelving areas in OH’s study and in the music room. A garden level sitting room houses most though since there is built in shelving there.

I think it's true that many - perhaps most - people can't visualise beyond what's right in front of them. However, you can use that to your advantage when you're selling. People telling OP to mothball her lifestyle and make the flat more neutral don't seem to realise that if she does that the flat will look like a characterless box,

@ConquestEmpireHungerPlague it really isn't a case of either/or. All that's been suggested is that OP gets rid of the extraneous stuff, like the million cushions that hide the lines of her lovely furniture. The bookcase that makes the kitchen look way smaller than it is. The propped up art work that makes it look as though there's no storage space. The books and magazines taht are piled up rather than in bookcases.

Even with all those extraneous things removed, it will still look characterful and colourful, but also more cared for and more inviting.

@NCrate well its an ex LA flat and in central london, so the crime rate/exteriors have been factored in the price. my flat is a 1920s mansion style flat in zone 3 north london is around the same price range as OP's flat which is in itself a travesty, considering that OP can walk to Notting Hill and it takes me 20 minutes on the Northern line to get into Camden.

People who look in OP's neighbourhood are not looking for a pleasant leafy suburb, they should be looking in Highgate/Hampstead/Dulwich Village if they wanted a nice leafy suburb with a London postcode. And believe me, it would be impossible to find a decent 2 bed flat with 2 good sized bedrooms for £475k in those areas.

Jane, it’s not a book competition, calm your pants. 😂😂😂😂

I think it could be not just the clutter (which is fine to live in but not ideal for selling, but you know that now) but in fact the location too. Westbourne Park is a tricky area. It's not quite an area in its own right, there's lots of nice areas to walk to but the area itself is a bit soulless. People who are looking at properties may not know the area that well and be aware of the local parks (Harrow Road for example can be quite off putting as it's busy, full of traffic and pretty rubbish shops).

So happy that your son is better OP. It sounds like you've had a really horrible few years, I really hope that you sell soon.