Please tell me why this flat isnt selling?

[curiouscat1987]

Posting this for a family member. Flat has been on the market for months and not only hasnt had any offers but hasnt even had a single viewing! The price was in line with the area, but has been dropped twice and agent changed too with new photos but still no viewings. Its a lovely little place, not the biggest but lovely and bright and quite modern. Im not the best at design etc so would appreciate any thoughts on what they could do to improve the desireability or improve for the photos etc to get some more interest?

Obviously they know they can drop the price, however if they drop it much more they'll be selling for what they bought for 10 years ago!

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/156450941#/?channel=RES_BUY

Thanks everyone ☺️

Either the photos or the reality of the sloped ceiling makes it look like you can't stand up in a 3rd of the flat. And its already a very small space for a lot of money.
The photos if outside make it look very high up but no mention of a lift so potentially quite inaccessable or annoying to get to.
Ask agent on the boxes makes it look like those rates will be high and off putting and that there is no parking.

Downloaded the brochure and it looks like a house which has 4 dwellings within it and the flat we are looking at has got a bum deal regarding being taken from the attic space. You can see the block which has been added to the back of the house to do the conversion.

The photos make it look like the apartment is in some vertigo inducing high rise tower block, but it's not, they've just used a drone for the "view" pics.

It looks like an attic conversion, so combined with the sloped ceilings it is likely to be hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's also expensive for what it is.

^^This. The higher cost of living and much higher mortgage rates compared to ten years ago means that the target market for this flat (young people, 1-2 incomes no kids) can’t afford to buy at these price points anymore.

Most of the market is now held up by people over 50 trading in existing properties for new ones. First time buyers are rare as hens’ teeth and young workers’ incomes - basically anyone under 45 - have stagnated. Those selling property will unfortunately have to come to terms with the new normal where the age groups they are trying to sell to can’t afford the prices.

On a final note - the grey era is over and everyone is trying to “de-grey” their properties. If you’ve had everything done out in grey, it might be time for a rethink!

Oh hang on - the house in the photo is the flat - did a drone take it?

If you zoom in you can see a full dormer across the back with those weird triangle windows at the sides.

Oh my gosh agree with another pp in that I assumed this was in a tower block. The house in the brochure looks lovely, why have the agents not used it on Rightmove?! I just still can't get over £300k plus for 56sqm floor space. I don't live in a 'cheap' area but you'd get a 3 bed house with garden for that price here.

It’s massively overpriced, you can see there are others available that are bigger with no sloped ceiling for far less than that, and as PP says a similar one (again without the sloping issue) recently sold for much less.

The ceiling would make it an immediate no for me, it’s very small anyway and it looks like, of the little space there is, some is unusable due to the slope.

It’s always the price.
It’s a weird layout with a sloped ceiling cutting off most of the usable space, plus the lack of photos makes it look like you’re hiding something.

It was clearly at a hugely inflated price if they can’t go below this asking price or it would be less than they paid!

Not a purpose built flat but a conversion.

I dont understand why the pics in the brochure arent on the listing- they're much nicer and make the place look far less pokey.

I don't know the going rate in your area, it looks like a nice flat, I like it.
What made me turn away was the 'share of freehold'
I wouldn't pay that sort of money for a share of freehold , you'd never fully own it in the end.

Did the current owners add the dormer?

If someone is looking for a flat then they will obviously be fine with share of freehold, otherwise they wishing be looking at a flat in the first place!

There needs to be another floor plan showing the useable space. The space you can actually stand up in.

The sloped ceilings make the floor plan and measurements irrelevant.

The ceilings make it look claustrophobic so I would be scrolling on

But also it looks like a high rise block which would put me off too. As others have said is it a new build or a tower block? Decoration is fine and think your bigger challenges are things you cannot fix i am afraid

Looks like a student flat to me. It's got lovely views but the photos of the street look like drone photos of where the property is located, I'd get some photos from inside of the view.

Photos are terrible. Make it look quite pokey and I can't get a sense of the living space at all

Only just realised it's open plan!! What a shocking photo of the kitchen.

Maybe to make a sandwich, cut bread, you have to stand with your head out of the skylight.

and the price! blimey, I live in NW, get a large semi or detached for that

sorry, you could not pay me to live there

Ceilings. Price. Photos.

Looking at the floor plan, there is zero storage. When do you put the hoover, coats, shoes etc? This would be a deal breaker for me.

The slopped ceiling makes the kitchen look unusable

I'm not sure if the living room is a narrow as it looks on the photo or if the huge TV is making it look like that

Change agents and review the price

The price is disgusting thats why.

Agree with kitchen + price. You could improve the kitchen layout a lot by moving things around a bit.

There's something weird going on with flats though, there's one near me at 200k with two double bedrooms and no sloping ceilings and a 900 year lease and reasonable charges and they can't sell it. And 200k is less than what the owner paid 20 years ago.

The sloped ceilings make it look really cramped - if it isn’t it needs better photos. And some little things like turning the tap to face the main sink as unless you zoom in it looks as though that is to the left where the sloping ceiling is and as though an adult can’t wash up.

Price wise it seems to reflect the fact it is in a nice property - ie big Victorian house, but not so much reflect the fact it is an attic conversion. I’d get paying a premium for the downstairs flats with lovely big bay windows etc but at this price point there’s other stuff in the area without sloping ceilings or the heat/cold of being in the attic

Top floor flats are always harder to shift as downsizers won’t be interested. Young buyers are struggling with cost of living, and if I were a first time buyer in Brighton looking at this price point I’d go for somewhere that feels more spacious even if it needs more work