Flat not selling. Advice needed.

[Tiff1378]

Has anyone got any advice re selling a 2 bed flat with a large balcony. We currently live in a new build and want to move after 8 years, but are struggling. We are in a small block of flats and have one of the penthouses. Our neighbours put there’s on in January which spured us into action but I waited until early March. They sold within 3 weeks so we thought we’d have a similar experience. However despite 11 viewings and 1 offer, which wasn’t genuine, we still haven’t sold. Our flat is on for less than the other penthouse and for the same price that we purchased it. It is part cladded but not with dangerous cladding. We get lots of positive feedback about the flat being spacious, light and well presented so I’m not sure where we are going wrong. I’m so despondent over the whole thing and ready to give up. Any advice on how to move forward would be greatly appreciated ☺️

If I lived there I think I would be keen to get a room divider of some sort to separate the kitchen area from the sitting room area.

lovely flat but 2 things putting me off straight away

Leasehold its a flat and where I live that price would stretch to a terraced house poss run down semi that would be freehold
No EPC cert on rightmove ad could be bad

Hi thank you again. I do have a copy of the EPC and it’s B so I’ll get them to add that.

I agree about the bookcases. I want to get rid of them, plus the table etc but was waiting until we moved.

If the lease is not short (75 years or less) that should be ok.

It's a sunny, light flat with good outside space and parking. It looks clean, comfy and well maintained, the rooms aren't cramped.

I'd add some plants to the roof terrace and try to improve the photos a little.

Move the sofa round so that it seperates the dining area from the lounge - then your sofa is looking out to the light and the chair could be moved to the corner.

You have then already 'created' two rooms

Did you see inside the other flat? Is it the same EAs?
Whilst it seems a nice flat, prices in the 'sold listings' give no idea why your's would sell for much more.
Plus the listing says "Boasting a sophisticated design concept and high-end finishes throughout, this residence presents a rare opportunity for those seeking refined comfort and modern elegance." I'm sorry but your main living space (and balcony) looks like student living.

Get a better estate agent. Pictures and text aren’t doing your flat any favours.

Who was the estate agent who sold the other flat? Maybe give them a ring and see if they had any other interest?

The estate agent is the same as next doors. Ours isn’t on for more than the flat that sold next door as there’s was on for £285,000 and they sold for £277,000.

I do agree about the living room. We were abroad for 3 years which is why we never bothered purchasing new furniture for that except the side tables.

If you've had 11 viewings, it's probably not the listing but the reality of the viewing that's putting people off making an offer. Whatever way you slice it, people don't think it's worth even a cheeky offer. The fact that you need 270k doesn't make it worth that to someone else, so you might be stuck there if that's the line you can't go below. Unless you can rent it out and rent somewhere else.

Get the measurements corrected for the balcony - what it says is wrong- it gives length x length but no width. The bedroom with the en-suite also has misleading measurements-inferring that the room is regular in shape when it is reduced by the size of the en-suite. The photos are very basic and do not show a high end finish.

Many people wont touch a lease of just over 100 years (117,)

Because it will be harder for next person to sell / loose value

It's nice, really light and clean. Ideal for someone working out of London Gatwick, I should think?

The only thing I can think to suggest is perhaps to place a little table and chairs somewhere appropriate (so that it can be seen from inside) on the balcony. Make people think you wander outside for your morning coffee on nice days. I think what I have in mind is called a 'bistro set'. Drape an picnic rug over one of the chairs, put some colourful cushions on the chairs and put a little pot of geraniums on the table. Gives you an extra area, then and something visually welcoming outside.

Those lifestyle pics do my head in. They are pointless and don’t tell me anything about your flat. I don’t care about your clock or your chair! Get rid of those. Get the agent back to take more useful pictures that show off your flat.

I’d want a better pic of the en-suite, the balcony (can you get a table & chairs on there. If I have a balcony I want to be able to sit on it. Also soften it with some - fake if necessary - plants). And get better pics of the second bedroom. Make the lounge / dining area look less functional and more homely.
And maybe a better pic of the outside.
Good luck!

The EA should be getting feedback from your viewers, why are they not wanting to buy your flat? Make them earn their fee.

Those lifestyle pics do my head in. They are pointless and don’t tell me anything about your flat. I don’t care about your clock or your chair! Get rid of those. Get the agent back to take more useful pictures that show off your flat.

I completely agree. What's the point of the pictures of your clock on your tiles, your chair, your ensuite mirror? They would make sense if they were showcasing an attractive feature fireplace or something similar but they aren't.

Some of the photos are just bad for instance the one of what I presume is your ensuite. Why didn't they do a proper photo of the ensuite rather than homing in on your mirror and handbasin?

I do think that there are at least 3 photos that have absolutely no relevance whatsoever that could have been better utilised of showing wider angles of different aspects of the flat.

But the bottom line is you have stiff competition from others selling 2 bedroom flats at the same price point and £40k lower.

I also think that the EA is trying to market this as luxury living, luxury accommodation penthouse with excellent balcony. You really are not showcasing the balcony at all well. Plus your furniture is definitely not screaming luxury living - but I fully accept that you aren't going to change this.

Have you looked on rightmove to see all of your competition for two bedroom flats to see what you are up against? This is the reality sadly.

It’s a lovely flat. You have to remember the BoE base rate in 2017 was 0.25% , now it’s 4.25% . Even with salary inflation over the past 8 years, mortgage affordability is still significantly less than the year you purchased due to the higher rates today.

Is this correct? There's another flat for sale in the building with a bit less outside space, for £40,000 less?

(I'm not familiar with that property website, so could well be wrong)

I know East Grinstead well.
We're just completing the sale of our flat in nearby Crawley. Three years ago, we nearly sold it for £235k, that fell through we stayed put and have sold for £220k.
We were told by our estate agent, that the demand for flats just isn't there anymore. Due to a lot of investors, selling as a posed to buying. And the gap between flats and houses is greater, and will only keep being so.
I'm afraid it's overpriced. And although it looks a lovely, well maintained flat, I agree with pp - hate the lifestyle photos!!

Ditch the two "arty" photos of your clock and chair, they add nothing to the listing.
The photo of outside makes it look scruffy and even though it says allocated parking I'd wonder if that's on the road. The one in the block has a better photo of the parking. 2 bedroom apartment for sale in Holtye Avenue, East Grinstead, RH19
It's a nice flat but I the one living / dining / kitchen space would be a big no from me.
I think the market for such properties is a bit limited these days - they're outside the budget of first time buyers and many single people who would have been the target audience, and I think many first time buyers are saving for longer and stretching themselves to the max to buy a house that's more family future proof. There's no other flats in that price range apart from the one in the same block (and I don't think your roof terrace is worth an extra £20-40k) which suggests it's just not an area that people are looking to buy flats.

If people don't know the area it probably doesn't help that google streetview isn't up to date. If you look in one direction you can see the block of flats but from other angles it's still a church.
Is there any sort of view from the roof terrace? If there is it would be good to have photos of it because I'm not really seeing the appeal of looking out onto the mini mart and chippy!

alot of people are put off by the potential of ground rent increases - if you have no doubling ground rent, you need to make that clear in the description. The description of the flat is wanky and does not reflect what we see in the pics. The service charge is high. People will be concerned about cladding. Where it says size it says ask agent, same with energy cert. Thats poor - just get them to add the full details. You need to give more info about the garden access - if its an asset, mention it. Its a lovely flat, I dont really care about the furniture or how its staged, I can imagine it empty with all my stuff in it. It will be the perfect flat for the right person. Stick with it - interest rates are due for review end of June, that will allow some people to create certainty with their mortgages so dont give up!

Living room doesn’t have any definition of space - just one room with furniture in no particular place.

Much more could be made of the balcony particularly in the summer - outdoor furniture, rugs, lighting, plants

We lost £85k on what we paid for our 2 bed London flat last year. The housing market is weird right now

Hi once again thank you for all the comments. I agree with everything that has been said. I will try and go through most of your comments.

In terms of estate agents- I have already spoken to them about photos and will speak to them about changing the lifestyle ones. I am even considering changing agents.

Furnishings / living room- we have invested money into the furniture in both bedrooms and I spent a lot on the side tables, Ercol chairs in the living room, but in terms of the other pieces, our plan is to get rid of them all when we sell which is why we’ve not bothered to change them. I do understand the kitchen/living room layout not being ideal but a lot of flats were built open plan and sadly I can’t change this.

Cheaper flats- in East Grinstead the flat market ranges from above £350,000 to around £240,000. We had ours valued by a number of EA and they came in just above what we put it on for. The flat downstairs is cheaper but it’s in a terrible state and has had no viewings atall. My neighbours flat sold for a lot more so while I appreciate the suggestion of dropping it lower we can’t afford to move if we were to go ridiculously low. We will definitely drop it but I’m waiting until September when the market picks up again as it goes quiet over the summer.

Balcony- the balcony is lovely and does have loads of plants on it now so I will try and arrange better photos. It is wide enough for a bistro table and wraps around the flat.

Feedback- of the viewings we’ve had all the feedback regarding the flat and its presentation have been positive. I’ve asked for any negatives. All love the space and light. A couple of viewers have viewed twice. Some have bought in other areas such as Tunbridge wells and Burgess hill. One decided to buy her sons flat instead. The last viewer we had wasn’t sure about the area. One was from Croydon and decided they wanted something older. They’ve all been mixed reasons.