Feedback on my flat please!

[orangespotatoes]

Have name changed for this!

Would love some feedback if there is anything glaringly obvious missing from our listing (I have also just noticed story is spelt wrong!) We also need to have added that our building has the EWS1 certificate already, and we still have over 980 years on our lease.

We've been on the market three weeks but have had a verbal offer accepted on an onward purchase under the condition we go under offer within the next three weeks. Appreciate it's not an easy market for flats right now so not overly optimistic! Thanks all.

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/113522300#/?channel=RES_BUY

Area. No way would I spend that much to live there and no garden. Sorry not very helpful.

@clary

Yep agree with OP, a room with no window is not a bedroom. Not one I would sleep in anyway.

The windows are odd op - does it look like that because it is dark outside? If so, take some more pix on a sunny day. It's clearly spacious but looks very dark. That full length window (?) in the children's room - does it open? What do you mean when you say it is not an external window?

The living room is a big room from the measurements but looks tiny for some reason. IS that bc of the way it is furnished I wonder?

The bedrooms upstairs overlook the living room, they're not external windows unfortunately! The ceiling in the living room is double height.

The decor is a bit... Dated? Especially in the living room.

If I were going to pay close to half a mil plus building fees then I'd want a finished flat. I would not want to have to fork out half a mil for a dark flat with only windows in 2 rooms AND THEN have to pay to redecorate it.

@amter

Thread derail - where are the prints from (the galah and koala)? I love them!

They are from a market in Sydney but I'll check the brand when I have a minute, they might have a website!

The photos are bad. I really would be tempted to paint the whole apartment white to help with the lack of light. Then have the photos redone on a sunny day.

Some shots really are very poor. The shot of the shower room is awful and it would be better to take out everything from that shower room for the photo.

I would also mention the points that you have made about the area. I know that flats without outside space are a problem but actually for the area and size I think the price is very fair.

Your lights are all very yellow which is adding to the dark look. Can you Amazon prime some white daylight bulbs and then redo the pics?
I also want to see the full height ceiling..
Small point but can you swap the kids chairs to the other side of dining room when you take pics?
Living room looks a bit like a corridor. Could you experiment with the other chair to see if it stages better with it in another position?

I'd really recommend getting a cheap double bed and staging the 3rd bedroom as a proper bedroom.
Photos from better angles on a brighter date (or by adding some more lighting) would make a big difference.
Agreed the windowless study will have to be a "bonus" room rather than a bedroom but I'd get it highlighted at the start of the write up, as it's a good size.

Sorry OP the photos are really bad. It looks dark, dingy. The decor is confusing. The last pic of a very cluttered shower room doesn't leave me on a high as it were!

Remove all clutter for photos. As in, all! Hide it in drawers etc. Add back a couple of large statement pieces e.g. big bowl of flowers in kitchen.

Dress the beds - choose plain white covers if you have them, look at instagram and pinterest and try to recreate the look with a nice throw on one corner and some accent pillows.

Same for the sofa, it looks tiny and rumpled sorry! Easily fixed with some plumping and a naice throw over one corner.

Estate agent needs to re do photos, they really are awful. Best of luck!

Agree with everyone the pics are holding it back, what's that lopsided one just over the toilet, really doesn't show the room to its best advantage! You need a proper wide-angled lens and most estate agents have these, my flat photos are better for my rental, and my flat is half the price! Also, it's unclear which is the third bedroom, can it be made into a bedroom, it's confusing otherwise. Just much much better photos are needed, and I think what you've put about the community and facilities makes it all sound a lot more attractive. definitely need to include lease details, ideally service charge, so people coming know what they are getting.

I agree there's too much pink about the place, and it makes the rooms a bit confusing which is which, when I first saw it I though it was a 2 bed flat and didn't get the impression there's actually 4 bed/study rooms at all.

Ah sorry that window thing would be a total deal breaker for me. So it is a three bed + study + two bathroom flat with two actual windows?

Are all the flats in the block (which looks lovely btw and sounds great in terms of amenities) the same? I presume this is reflected in the price, which, to be fair, seems low to me for all that space and so central for the City. This is comparing with another flat someone had that was £250k for two rooms plus a bath on a main road in Surrey. Twice the dough for what you have seems like a bargain OP.

Those saying pop a bed in the third bedroom, that sofa is a sofa bed, would it be worth opening that up and dressing it as a bed? There isn't a way to re-jig the room at the moment otherwise.

I really don't understand the windows. I don't understand why they look all silvery. I understand you saying they are internal windows but the ones in the green bedroom in particular look like a massive American style fridge freezer. I would discount your flat for that reason alone unless you can somehow explain them better or take better photos.

The lounge area looks like a corridor and not very big. Although on the floor plan it looks like quite a big space? Maybe you could somehow rearrange?

Hang a curtain in front of the wardrobe, change the bedding for something plain.

I like your green room, it looks big and spacious. I don't get why the bunk bed ladders are against the wall, but I'm not buying the bed so I'll not worry about that one.

The bathroom is cluttered, get rid of the black box of cleaning products for example.

I think it looks like a nice flat, doesn't strike me as massively overpriced, but there are so many flats on the market to choose from that something odd like the silvery windows will make people move on to something else really quickly.

The pink doesn't bother me but definitely need wardrobe doors. Seeing the clothes, despite being so organized, looks bad.

What's the plastic thing under the chest of drawers?

Flat looks spotless, just dark.

@Wnikat

Paint it white and get some better pictures taken.

Absolutely this. It's a lovely flat so that's all you need to do.

The window thing would be a huge deal breaker for me, so you need to really work the the benefit of more rooms for price.

The sewing room I assume is study? They need to be really highlighted as a really good study for working from home, and squeeze a daybed/ sofa bed in if space as even without a window a bonus overnight guest space would appeal to many.

And the three bedrooms, are they all double size?

I think you've got some really useful tips here, and I can't add anything other than to amter the derailer ;-) - your Galah is actually a Major Mitchell's - lovely nonetheless though, I agree.

@clary

Ah sorry that window thing would be a total deal breaker for me. So it is a three bed + study + two bathroom flat with two actual windows?

Are all the flats in the block (which looks lovely btw and sounds great in terms of amenities) the same? I presume this is reflected in the price, which, to be fair, seems low to me for all that space and so central for the City. This is comparing with another flat someone had that was £250k for two rooms plus a bath on a main road in Surrey. Twice the dough for what you have seems like a bargain OP.

I think that's the thing, it's never been an issue for us and I'm sure there will be people for whom it isn't an issue also, it's just finding them! It's definitely reflected in the price- there is another three bed on upstairs which is a smaller penthouse (they don't have the 'study' room) but it's on for £580k. £475k in the slightly newer building (but which is purpose-built, so more normal in terms of room shapes etc) a street over will only get you a small 2 bed.

I'm sure maybe if I got inside I would be able to figure out how the windows work and they might not be a problem. But I'm not going to bother going in to find out in the first place.

For example, what does the bedroom 'window' look out onto? An internal courtyard or down onto the living area? Is it actually silvery or is that a reflection? Can you dress it with a curtain to make it a bit more window-like?

You have to get viewers through the front door and the windows as they appear to me are a big issue. I don't want a bedroom with weird massive fridge doors in it.

@bpirockin

I think you've got some really useful tips here, and I can't add anything other than to amter the derailer ;-) - your Galah is actually a Major Mitchell's - lovely nonetheless though, I agree.

Excellent spot!

I don't usually get this invested in flat, I am genuinely puzzled by the windows. I need to get out more.

Okay, this is a view of the bedroom windows from the living room!

I never understand why so many people can't see past decor to the bones of a place, but I know they can't, so I'm sure there are lots of useful tips here. However, I don't think your bathroom and shower room are compromising at all, so maybe they could change the description to "comprising"?!

View out the children's bedroom window.

Okay, this is a view of the bedroom windows from the living room!

Thank you, now I can sleep tonight.

And I can understand exactly how the windows work. You need to somehow make that obvious in the listing, take a better photo of the bedroom without the light reflecting off them.

I could probably live quite happily with those too. And your lounge space looks much more spacious in your photo too, you can see the high ceilings and it looks much lighter.

New photos needed for sure

The two photos you've added make it look much more appealing!