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 ☺️

The market is falling in a lot of areas, for multiple reasons, so it's not just due to new builds in one area. A lot of agents and some sellers seem to be taking a very long time to grasp this and many are pricing at totally unrealistic figures and hence they are getting only a low number of sales agreed and also lots of fall throughs. As you say, for people trying to upsize, it could be a very positive thing.

I know this area well. I’m also a photographer and did loads of property stuff during lockdown. The photos aren’t quite right. They’re more Airbnb and not enough detail. People like to see kitchens and bathrooms - I know there’s a bathroom one, but the kitchen is a lifestyle shot not a ‘functional space’ shot. The area isn’t massively ‘luxury’ though. The flat itself is nice but it’s minimally decorated, there’s virtually no storage, no mention of a garage and relatively small living:dining space. It’s a lovely flat but you’re nit getting much for your money. There are plenty of lower priced 2-beds there so I think you might need to go lower?

Hi Everyone
Once again thank you for your comments. I agree about all the photos. I do think it’s strange that there’s no photograph of the hallway too where we have a massive storage cupboard. Also I have tons of plants in my living room as someone mentioned staging with more plants, but again you can’t tell that from the photographs. I think because it’s such a long angled shot it doesn’t look right.

The floor plan says "ground floor" when your flat is actually a penthouse.

This is a lack of attention to detail that shows your EA is not very motivated to sell your flat. It also makes me wonder how motivated you have been if you have not noticed this and got it changed.

The balcony should be a selling point of the flat but you have not dressed it in a way to suggest that anyone ever sits out there. You could have chairs and fairy lights. It just doesn't give the vibe of a loved home, though there is nothing I can see that is actually wrong with it.

I imagine buyers are feeling underwhelmed about it. I would reduce the price if the viewings have dried up and try to add some charm to the place.

EA photos are trying to "sell a lifestyle". hence the clock one. However, in this case they don't do much to portray penthouse living.

It appears that after nearly 8 years all the flats in that block have failed to recover their new build price premium. As the most expensive flat in the block, I doubt you will sell for par and more likely will need to sell for a loss.

Flat 1 purchase 260k 2017
Flat 2 purchase 250k 2017
Flat 3 purchase 253k 2017
Flat 4 purchase 250k in 2018 sold 231k March 2025 (7.5% loss)
Flat 5 purchase 250k 2017
Flat 6 purchase 260k 2017
Flat 7 purchase 260k in 2017 sold 245k March 2025 (6% loss)
Flat 8 purchase 275k in 2017 sold 260k April 2023 (5.5% loss)
Flat 9 purchase 250k 2018
Flat 10 purchase 270k 2017
Flat 11 purchase 280k 2017
Flat 12 purchase 272.5k 2017 was listed on rightmove in May 2025 but sold price not yet updated. Does not have the double aspect for living area so probably justifies the lower purchase price

as for your terrace, that should be one of the distinguishing features of a penthouse, your own private roof space. Sadly it appears you have 2 corridors not wide enough (2 and a bit paving slabs = about 1+ meter) to stretch out on a lounger, let alone sit around a table.
I do not believe the dimensions on the floorplan, as there is no way that terrace is 8 M deep when, as per the description, it is a "wrap around" the 2 sides of the flat. No mention of the rest of the roof space on the 3rd side of your flat

also sad that your double aspect living area has a view of a solid wall rather than the ability to see "out" like those below you get due to their balconies being railings.

Conclusion, you all overpaid original purchase and will now have to accept a loss.

and this a perfect example of why house hunting is done by irrational people.

my reaction to the other penthouse listing was to note that the double aspect for them is at the kitchen side and therefore, as you say, the "heart" of that flat appears to be the island unit and that side of the property.

The living area looks to be a miserable "narrow" corridor with sofa facing a TV on wall, with nothing else happening in what should be the prime living area!

OP, would you consider styling your home similarly to the one that sold? I think those sellers staged it well.

Would it be worth

buying a kitchen island in similar colours to your fitted kitchen (getting rid of the pine table)
rearranging your living room furniture (e.g. the TV flush against the wall)
buying a larger rug in your chosen colour scheme for the living room
new throw over the sofa to match chosen colour scheme
buying a outdoor table and chair set
perhaps painting the pine furniture in the living room to make the space look more cohesive?

I agree with the over pricing but there’s nothing I can do about that. Our neighbours flat sold for £277,000.

The island is a lovely feature but their living area is more an L shape so it worked for them with a breakfast bar. However you can’t tell from the photos but their living space was as one person mentioned is very narrow and their balcony narrower than ours and that didn’t put the buyers off.

I understand people suggesting we change the furniture etc but I’m not going to purchase new stuff just in the hope that I sell our flat as I intend to invest my money if we move. Besides we are managing to get viewings just no offers and people have been positive about the flat of those that have viewed. The house we have seen is very dated/old but I personally look past that as im more interested in what I can do to it so I’m not sure everyone is being put off just by how my living room looks.

What you can do about the over pricing is reduce it!!

It’s hardly over priced if it’s on for how much we paid 8 years ago, I’m talking about the over pricing on new builds when you first pay for them in relation to another post. We’ve had it valued by different estate agents and they all agreed on the price. I’m happy to drop it at some point but we’re not going to rush into anything as we’re not desperate and can wait if necessary. Worst case scenario we will take it off the market and keep saving because at least our current mortgage is pretty low.

Sorry that’s not how it works. You’re not guaranteed your money back, even from 8 years ago. If it’s not selling, it’s overpriced.

People are fed misleading information about prices only rising. They pretty much do over a period of 25+ years, but they can easily fall and fail to recover for 20 years or more.

If you want to get on with your life then it's best to price below what the EA's suggest and invite a bidding war. If you just want to maximise your price then be prepared to hold on for 25+ years.

As the saying goes.....it's only worth what someone is willing to pay for it......

Unfortunately, as lots of people have said, the flat appears to be over priced and it looks as if you overpaid. Estate agents over value all the time so I wouldn't rely on what they say at all when you have the much stronger evidence that it hasn't sold in 4 months. Having said that, it doesn't sound as if not moving as a terrible option for you. You may find that a large property falls more in £s than your flat does in a downturn so it may possibly help you if you try again later.

The main problem is the high premium you actually paid for the flat, coupled with the fact that there are a plethora of 2 bedroom flats available to buy in the area - some of which are cheaper.

You have heavy competition in a difficult market.

This doesn't help you though. New build properties (especially flats) often drop in price and it's a difficult issue to come to terms with.

Your main selling point of the balcony really is not being highlighted to its best advantage. You need to better stage the balcony to show the outside aspect in its full glory. A few pot plants on the floor is doing nothing to sell this outside space. You need to invest in a cheap bistro table and two chairs and upsell this outside space as a minimum.

Just because you paid a premium for it years ago, doesn't mean it was worth it then...and the lack of offers from buyers now is screaming that it isn't worth it now ,either.

It was overpriced 8 years ago. It is still (or again) overpriced now.

I know it's petty, but if a property professional is unable to spell accommodation correctly then they clearly lack pride in their work and attention to detail. That's not a good recipe for a smooth sale.

I'm selling a flat right now in Essex. The first 4 weeks we had one buyer that fell through and regular viewings but no takers. So we dropped the price to the next Rightmove bracket and it sold the next weekend. Just going through conveyancing now.

It's always the price.

I think the buyers for such flats have also diminished due to wages and the cost of living not increasing at the same rate as property values. I'm late 40's and bought a 2 bed flat in my early 20's a few years after leaving uni, as did many of my friends and colleagues. At that time they were affordable, gave us space to expand (either take in a lodger, move in a partner, have a first child there etc), and mortgage repayments were cheaper than renting. My mortgage was comfortable on 3.5 times a single income.
Now those flats (my own included!) are £250-300k, that's a mortgage of 4-5 times a salary of £50-60k so unaffordable to most younger people on a single income and not even achievable for all couples. You also have to factor in that rent has gone up so people are finding it harder to save for deposits and graduates are coming out of uni with significantly higher debts due to paying tuition fees. It's noticeable in my office how few of those under 30 have bought property, most live in flat shares, or with parents and more live out of the city where rent is cheaper.
I also think lockdown made flats less desirable than pre-2020 and then there's the cladding issue that's putting people off and leaseholds and factoring fees......

I agree.

The appearance of a home thrown together without much thought and premium features that are being ignored isn't an inviting one, OP.

That's why people here are suggesting changes, essentially staging the flat to make it look like a place buyers would love to live in.

Mathanxiety I hardly think my home is thrown together as you say. That’s such a sweeping statement based on one room. It’s funny that alot of people on here harp on about that but we have only had pleasant comments from viewers regarding the presentation of our property. I agree the photos aren’t great and they make the room look elongated and sparse but it isn’t like that in reality. People keep suggesting moving the sofa or table into the centre to separate the two areas but the room would look really odd if we did that because it would make it look too enclosed. One of the positives from all the feedback is the space so I hardly want it to look smaller.

I do appreciate people’s opinions, but from looking on line there’s some very cluttered flats on Rightmove and I really don’t think ours is badly presented in comparison. Yes the table/ sofa in the living room is old but we’re not buying new stuff until we move on. I know several people in similar situations with their properties so some of this is down to market conditions not just how one room in my flat looks 😠

OP, money spent on staging isn't necessarily money wasted. You could take the items with you to your new home.

A trip to Ikea for

a new tablecloth
a vase for kitchen table, along with flowers
a throw for the sofa
outdoor table and chairs

may make the space more appealing to buyers, without you having to spend a fortune.

If money is tight, it might be worth checking out local forums to see what people are giving away or selling cheaply (e.g. Freecycle).

Ignore the shabby and cluttered homes on Rightmove, surely you want to put your best foot forward.

OP yours is not badly presented but you want to compare yours to the immaculately presented properties to o see how you can improve things and achieve an optimum sale price.

I am astounded by the state of many properties on Rightmove, clutter everywhere, unwashed dishes, unmade beds, generally filthy. Who would want to buy somewhere in that as state unless it was for a complete refurb? Do people seriously think they don't even have to tidy up to sell, especially in a difficult market.

Some people want to stage their house in the hope of getting maximum value.

Others just want it sold ASAP and don't really care about the odd few K.

Some people can't look past the fact a house has pink curtains. Others don't give a damn because they are going to gut the place.

No need to find it astounding.

bottom line is you are in for a long wait (or not selling at all if the market carries on as it is for now) given you cannot take a price hit because of your own financial circumstances

stream of viewers with positive feedback on presentation but no offers = wrong price because at least a few of the genuine viewers must have found elsewhere to be better "value for money" and so did not offer.