What is wrong with this flat?

[Danni677]

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/93970370

This ticks all my boxes. It is a reasonable price for the area but has been on since Jan. just wondered if I’m missing something?

It’s a fairly busy road but that’s ok.

Thinking of booking a viewing but don’t want to waste people’s time if there’s something obvious I have missed.

Victoria AND Westminster. Was thinking of Greycoat Gardens, Artillery Mansions.

£1.45m house in Kensal Green:

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/123935939#/?channel=RES_BUY

That’s where I work.

There are some really nice little flats around Seven Dials, and in Pimlico and Westminster. That may not be your thing, but I think it’s worth a wander around these areas before committing to anything.

I also personally love Clerkenwell and Smithfield.

@ReneBumsWombats - not sure EA's need to reveal source to the vendors - just report number of hits the property has had. Selling it would be a nice bonus, but not the primary objective.

It's probably a genuine poster and I'm being overly cynical.

Similar boat . We have a small London flat and a home on country . A decade older than you . What do you like to do ? We like to walk and we like theatre, galleries and eating . Travel
free when you are older . We are reducing size of house in country , helping our kids our out and looking at bigger flats in bankside and giving money to the next generation who have it hard. We know we are lucky . You could also look at garden flats in Notting hill eg Arundel Gardens type places backing onto garden squares. The years go by quickly and stamp duty is painful when you move .

Silly comment- they do if they are buying in central London!

The sitting room/ kitchen is far too small for the size of the flat. It's a poor purchase.

What about this one?

https://www.ashleymilton.com/properties-for-sale/property/9773953-dixon-butler-mews-maida-vale-london

Showing as sold on another site. Location not as great as Warrington Cr.

Ooh this just popped up in Warrington 1.2, better layout.

www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/61979275/?search_identifier=d6c79f6afd4aa7842e7bda351e65e89b

is it a flat you want ? A little house in Waterloo perhaps ? Or a three bed flat in the Barbican ? Or one of the blocks around the Southbank near the National - walk most places along the river and a gentle but beautiful stroll to Chancery www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/123631907#/?channel=RES_BUY

@reluctantlogin gorgeous. I wonder why it’s been reduced.

The en suite in the master does have a shower unless I’m missing something? It’s on the floor plan and the video tour.

I stayed in a holiday rental with a big bedroom in the eaves, similar height to that one. It looked great on the photos but was over hot (even in winter) and annoyed me at 5 ft 6 when getting up in the night to go to the loo, and having to walk stooped. Might be ok for a shorter child though.

It’s nicely done out, the balconies are lovely, communal space and location looks great, but the living areas look tiny. You have that extra space outside when it’s warm but what about winter? I’d stay there as a holiday let but not sure about living there.

No idea about pricing as I don’t follow London markets. Don’t know why you’ve had comments about having £1m to spend, there’s always been posters on this board with expensive property and big budgets for buying and renovating. Anyway, update when you’ve been to see it.

Thank you! That's a lovely house for someone- I fear I won't get DH south of the river unfortunately. It's also next door to a pub which might put people off.

I know the road well as my friend lives there.

Beautiful communal garden, nice terrace. But the one combined kitchen, dining and sitting room is exceedingly small. I think that is the issue as you would be quite shocked on viewing. The area is much smaller than my kitchen alone.

reluctantlogin mentioned the Barbican. Not sure if it's too far from the West End for the OP's preferences, but something like this surely ticks a lot of boxes - more living space, much cooler in the heat than the Little Venice flat, plus lovely communal spaces www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/124926035

Thanks- I've actually looked at that Barbican flat (online) before but haven't viewed as I thought the second and third bedrooms were a bit small. But maybe I should- great location anyway and I love the Barbican (when I'm not getting lost in it).

I lived there for a while, and absolutely hated it. I had a very good sized flat, but rather than finding it charmingly quirky I felt it was a dystopian windswept hellhole, a sink estate lifted from the banlieues and dropped into central London.

Definitely worth a look at the Barbican. I have friends who live in a flat with almost identical layout to the one I posted except they don’t have a wall between the reception rooms. I’ve stayed in one of those bedrooms. They’re small, but the flat feels very spacious and well designed. Very popular with retirees and empty nesters apparently.

When you say you need guest rooms for family, how often and for how long will they be staying? Do you have 2 DC at university who will be home for months at a time with all their belongings and need their own private space or a DC and DGC who live abroad and come for long visits or is it more a case of having lots of visitors for a few days at a time?

My advice would be don't sacrifice your personal living space to accommodate guests. There is no point squeezing yourself into half of the flat so you can reserve the other half for visitors who are only there for a fraction of the time. Most guests just need a space to sleep with some privacy, not a proper "bedroom", all they really need is a comfortable bed and (maybe) a hanging rail that can be dismantled when you don't have guests. I sleep in my smallest bedroom and use the master bedroom as my study with a good quality chaise longue that converts into a single or double bed so it can be used as a guest room and/or a second reception room/reading room. I've also used a bedroom as a formal dining room with an Ercol studio couch that can be used as a single bed. I have a good sofa bed in the sitting room to use as an extra bed at Christmas/big family occasions. Look for places that have rooms big enough to be able to have dual use ie there is room for a sofa bed to be opened out and furniture for a second use.

You could consider looking at spaces where part of the living room can be sectioned off with bifold doors or pocket doors eg in the Warrington Crescent flat, you could add pocket doors between the 2 bedrooms so it can be used open plan as a living space when you don't have guests. Maybe use the smaller area as a study with sofa bed and the larger room as a living room with a sofa bed with the sofa beds positioned so the layout works as one big room as well as 2 separate rooms IYSWIM? The living area could then be used as a kitchen diner. I think the original layout of some of the Barbican flats have a dining area with pocket walls so it can be converted into a bedroom. Although the second flat in Warrington Crescent might be easier to convert. Use bedroom 2 next to the kitchen as a dining room with a folding table and a murphy or sofa bed. Install pocket doors in the sitting room to section off the room to make an occasional bedroom.

If you have DC at uni who need their own bedrooms, maybe it is worth waiting a few years until they graduate.

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/122942750#/floorplan?activePlan=1&channel=RES_BUY

Thanks for the thread by the way OP . I’m enjoying the hive mind approach and it’s provoked a chat in my home about how we decide the next phase . The Barbican is definitely marmite . Friends who live there love it . My dream London pied a terre would be Whitehall Court - it’s way above my price www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/60076672/?search_identifier=8ad10dc8b2e88c7ca9e170937373f473

or you might find a large flat in NEO Bankside or Bankside Lofts next door to the Tate Modern. Have you looked at Battersea Power Station ?

It's one with Foxtons, so likely overpriced. Plus it's really a 2 bedroom flat, as bedroom 2 and 3 are tiny, and living room and kitchen together further reduces value. Perhaps opening offer of £950k, if you really like it once viewed.

That living room will be oven-hot in the high temps, unless there is aircon (a rare thing in London flats)!

Hi @Danni677 I love the Barbican but everything is listed in the flats including the original kitchens and bathrooms so modernisation is tricky (if that’s your thing) the Barbican flat linked is unusual as the kitchen appears to have been refurbished. I’d double check permission was granted to alter as you don’t want to inherit a problem. Cromwell tower is ideally placed if you are looking for a place for retirement- Waitrose about 150m away, cinema opposite and it has a lift (not sure about the lift availability in your Little Venice flat?).