1 Bed Flat which just wont sell!!

[danielleir]

Hi everyone.

Me and my boyfriend put our 1 bed flat on the market in September of last year to try and sell with the view of up grading to a 2/3 Bed house in the same area. By December it had lots of viewings but no offers so we took it off the market as we didn't think we'd be able to buy anywhere before the end of the stamp duty holiday and would need a few extra months to save the difference.

Then the stamp duty holiday was extended so we went back on the market in March with a different agent (still not expecting to complete before the end of the holiday but we have more saved now).

Its been over a month and we've only had one viewing this time round!! We've since reduced the asking price, took all new pictures to jazz up the listing. and nothing!

We don't have the option to go any lower on our asking price and don't have the option of letting the flat out instead of selling.

This is our first flat (we're 25) and have no idea what more we can do to get it moving as know the longer its on now the 'staler' it looks...

Is it just the market at the moment?
Any top tips for property newbys?
Or even just advice to not loose faith?

For context, we're in a village in St Albans and have lived here 2.5 yrs. Its a first floor flat with large private garden

The photos are pretty bad, dark and are even some blurry. Did the agent take them? I would expect better and would ask for them to be redone. The rooms are too dark, lights should be on and if your redo the photos on a sunny day and at this time of the season there will be more light in the rooms and more greenery in the garden. That first shot is appalling - do find a better angle and a better 1st shot. Declutter any of the really personal decor.

Your market for a London 1 bed flat will be older retirees whose decor will differ. Have you considered staging the flat?

The thing is the increase in remote working means buyers can be a bit more fussy so where as before this would be a great starter property now you have someone who thinks well what can I get a bit further out for my money.

Lease issue as well.

Photo 8 would need indication lines to show which is "your" garden space, otherwise it's just a pic of the top of an apartment building.

Photo 7 needs to be clear it's your garden and not common space (after photo 1 showed common space).

@SwedishK

The garden is a huge plus, but it’s uninspiring. Also, 95 year lease would put me off.

Why? A 95yr lease is perfectly reasonable.

actually that wardrobe at the end of the bed its a bit of a squash according to the plan you have a cupboard in the bedroom could you either move the room around or temporarily loose or move the wardrobe?

It will sell if you reduce the price.

Wow the old listing photos are so so much better - even the front of the house looks bright and happy - every room looks larger and the landing even has some inspiration that it could be a mini work from home station! I also note that that listing doesn’t mention the lease either. The new listing also has an annoying shouty way of capitalising phrases. Can you just go back to old agent...

The garden could be divided front and back by removing the grass on the first half and throwing down gravel. It's a cheap alternative to patio. Then add table and chairs.

Dig over the borders down the sides-they're untidy. Put some pots or plants on the gravel-3, quite close together. You could have a 3ft strip between the gravel and lawn horizontally with a few plants.

All that would be quite cheap, especially if you did it yourselves.

The kitchen needs some colour on the walls or the lower units.

If it were my flat I would lose the large L shaped sofa and have a 2-3 seater on legs. It would make the room seem larger. IKEA do them cheap and they can be bought second hand too, if you're trying to preserve cash for the move.

@SallyOMalley

Is this flat yours from a previous listing? www.rightmove.co.uk/house-prices/detailMatching.html?prop=85049722&sale=8825278&country=england

The living room looks so much bigger! Can you use those photos instead, or get new ones taken from the same angle?

Looks like you've got decking in the garden too? Would be good to include that. Autumn/winter gardens with long wet grass and leaves never look tidy, but the pic on the old listing looks much neater.

Wow, these pictures are generally way better.

• I’d still get rid of the uterus
• possibly rejig your bedroom as it does still look like you have to squeeze past the end of your bed
• that’s a great space on the landing. Can you turn that into an office area?
• great decking area shown in your garden. Get matching chairs / table set. Tidy up the garden.

Oh, and get rid of the bunny and water bottle off your bed if you do get the current pics retaken.

I always think gardens should belong to the ground floor flat. Who wants to be out in their garden with someone looking out of their window at them! A bad buy in the first place , I feel, so may only sell with a sharp reduction. Not what you want to hear, but it's the truth.

Gosh.... your current agent really doesn't want the gig. Seem to be doing all they can to prevent you selling
As others have said, the old pics were masses better.
If you don't want to go back to the previous agent why not try one of the sell it yourself agencies like Purple Bricks?
Heaps of good advice from other posters especially on the need to show there's dining space and staging the landing as wfh area.

Focus on the garden as it should be a big selling-point. Take some pics at dusk with the table set and some twinkling lights. Really sell all that outdoor space Also emphasise how convenient it is for shops (and M25?)
Best of luck and well done...really impressed you've got a place like that, so close to London, and you're still in your mid 20s

My first and lasting impression is OMG, it's tiny! Nothing you can do about that, except what PP have already mentioned. Make sure there's no clutter.

Whoever took the second set of photos should not have access to a camera. The flat looks lovely in the first set. Also I think the location is really nice - close to great local pub, bakers and shops

Change agent. We had 4 viewings in four months, changed agent and they poured through the doors.

People asking why a 95 year lease is an issue, each year below 95 will reduce the price, even more so when the competition flats have either new or 150 year leases.

Within 5 years it’s less valuable to sell.

All the ideas to change slight things will cost, do you'd be better off dropping price. Need to show somewhere to sit/ eat in garden and table in flat to eat/work

The previous listing is much better! Get rid of all the ivy climbing up the fences and the house at the front. Make the garden a star feature!

Get rid of the thing over the bed and paint out that purple circle. Also get rid of the current bed frame: the frame highlights how narrow and tight the room is.

I'm not sure a retiree would want to buy a first floor flat if there is no lift (once you get to a certain age you become very aware of hips and knees) and I'm also not sure that a garden that you don't have direct access to is hugely appealing to many people. I had one when I lived in London and the novelty wore off really quickly. You can't just pop out of the back door with a coffee or for a sunny Sunday breakfast.

Plus a lot of older people are looking for a low-maintenance garden, not one that will require mowing every week from April to October. Sorry, not what you wanted to hear. Your best bet is to market to young first time buyers desperate to be on the housing ladder, I think, and for them price will be the key.

Your two sets of photos should serve as an example to anyone who is sceptical about the difference good photos make.

Thank you everyone for your help I am honestly blown over by all the advice!

Yes the previous listing posted above is us and the photos taken by the previous estate agent (who got us far more viewings!!) The duel aspect and fireplace is something that actually was why we bought the flat - sunrises in one window and sunset in the other window which you can watch from the sofa

Agree with the advice already given - but I would also take out the stuff in the bedroom between the two wardrobes (the TV and what it's stood on). That way, I think you'll get a greater sense of space in there - rather than feeling like it's a squeeze just to get by the bed.

Strongly agree with looking to turn that space at the end of the landing into a little desk area. I think that's going to be a defining sale characteristic for many properties for a while. So lovely ideas online for small, good looking home offices in tiny spaces like hallways.

Oh, and indoors plants are the rage and cheap enough. I'd be throwing them liberally around

cute flat.

The bedroom looks very cramped and cluttered. can you turn the bed the other way? I would remove he teddy, empty water bottle and uterus from the wall!

Arial pic is pointless without a boundary line.

tidy garden and make it a focal point

declutter kitchen for picture

For everyone who thinks this is a London flat, it isn't - London Colney is a village on the outskirts of St Albans, Hertfordshire

I came on to say the photos aren’t great but seeing the previous listing they’re actually terrible.

Your new estate agent is doing and awful job!