My flat won’t sell, please help!

[SpookyW001989]

Hi guys, well my wife (33 F) and I (35 F)
have put our lovely 2 bed coach house on RightMove in Chelmsford, Essex and there has been ZERO interest! No viewings, no offers. It’s been on with RightMove and HOME estate agents for nearly a month, and zilch. We are beyond gutted. It was valued at £280,000. We have it on for £260,000 (we recently reduced it to this price) still nothing!!
To say we are bloody devastated would be an understatement. The flat has 2 parking spaces, a car port with loads of room, boarded out loft with electricity. It’s got 108 years left on the lease. Honestly, we thought it would be perfect for FTB. If anyone has any feedback back or helpful advice, please chuck some our way. Thank you. Here’s the link www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/164205242

Open plan would put me right off. I don’t want a kitchen in my living room because it’s ridiculous. Even if a property ticks all the boxes, if it’s open plan, I won’t even consider it..

August is not a good time to sell, a lot of businesses go flat. Lots of people on holiday, including estate agents. My business goes to tick over mode, give it another 7/8 weeks and I’m sure you will get a response

I wish you could get a 2 bed flat in London for 260k. Maybe in 1980!

I don't know where other people live but flats round me can go for £350k and over, most are at the 270-300k price. £250k would be cheap for a 2 bed flat and it would be in a less desirable neighbourhood.

As for the flat. The photos don't do anything for me, nothing is grabbing my attention and making me want to look. It just looks a bit bland and uninspiring. There's also too much blue.

Also you have no garden.

I live in a flat, but it was the garden that made me look. I looked at a coach house but there was no garden and no where for me to sit in the summer.

The price will be the main issue, but the flat is also a bit uninspiring. You could consider: painting the walls all white and adding plants; removing the optics in the kitchen; in the main bedroom replace the curtain rod with a longer one and get 2 better quality curtain drops in a beige / natural shade so that they hang on either side of the window (makes the window look bigger); replace the sitting room furniture with furniture that fits the space (smaller sofas and a small coffee table); and putting some art on the walls. This may cost a bit but curtains, new furniture, art, plants etc will go with you to your next place so it’s a long term investment.

Why’s it ridiculous? Just curious! Mine is open plan but angled so it’s very much not in my living room

you can see how many people are referring to it as a flat when it's actually a house. Problem is that everyone expects a house to have a garden, even if it's tiny, and you dont. Therefore it's being seen as a flat.

Rooms with unheated space underneath, even if it's a garage, can be cold. The EPC suggests reasonably well insulated but still something to concern me. Also the rooms are small. There is a major road nearby, although at least there seem to be houses opposite that would help block some noise. So sorry but I think it's overpriced in comparison to other properties around.

Not much you can do to improve on things. Instead of the bedside table in the second bedroom I might put a large chest of drawers or single wardrobe to show that there is room for some storage there. If there is a lot of space in the loft and an electric light include a picture. It should certainly be mentioned in the listing as "boarded loft provides useful extra storage space".

It’s probably just a personal preference as I know that some people don’t mind (or often even love and prefer) open plan. I hate it with a passion. I want rooms with a different purpose to be separate. Kitchen for cooking. Bedroom for sleeping. Living room for daily relaxation etc..
I think open plan was invented for mums who can watch their young children while cooking or preparing food.

Yes to all of this <waves to @Nickisli1 > I also live in central Chelmsford. I agree with all of this plus, as I said up thread, competition from Beaulieu - the new station will probably cut half an hour door to door off a commute to London for people living there.

I think it's perfect for ftb and very cheap at that, I think it's just down to to being a slow market... Hopefully someone will show an interest soon x

<waves to fellow Chelmsfordians>

I agree with this. Is extending the lease an option for you? I'd avoid leasehold personally.

<waves back to @Profhilodisaster> We should start a chat! 😁

How long have you had it on the market? Sometimes just being patient can play dividends... although if it is has been a number of months I would suggest to change the agent.,.. as either they are doing a bad job of promoting it OR they have done a bad job of putting it on at the right price... either way would likely change the agent

My friend rented a place similar to your property. I think the insurance was high due to the space underneath being a fire hazard. Would this be the case with your's?

What would put me off is that people are driving under your house. That would really bother me. I guess you can't really do anything about that though.

My first thought was "oof, that kitchen looks dated." But when I looked closer, I realised it was more modern. Just that shiny white mdf and the darker wood gave real 70s vibes. It's also very small.

Other than that, the 2 major things would be the fact that you're over a carport and a drive-through. I was always told to avoid them because it makes the room above feel very cold and not to mention the noise and vibration of cars driving underneath. It looks like most of the property is over open space. I'd be concerned about heating costs.

Secondly, that field opposite looks primed for re-development. Especially as it's already fenced in by development on at least 2 sides, maybe 3.

Another thought occurred to me. What happens if some dipshit tries to drive a vehicle through that is too tall and clips the roof?
Who is responsible for the upkeep of the walls and roof of the drive-through? I'm guessing the estate, but if damage occurs, I'm guessing it would be a major ball-ache. Not to mention putting the structure of your property at risk.

I would say there is nothing wrong with your lovely flat. We have friends in Billericay and Chelmsford who are having similar difficulties selling their lovely houses so think it's general market. I would say being next to that busy main road that can be a nightmare with traffic may put people off.

I think reducing price to the lowest you can afford or waiting it out a little is the main options as the market ATM isnt great!

I could not relax in that lounge …I’d feel like I was living in the kitchen. And the optics are naff, sorry. I know you can’t do anything about the open plan but I’m pointing it out because it may be knocking out a significant number of potential buyers ( along with the other issues people have raised).

God why didnt I think of that!

The insurance is sky high on those as its built on the flood plain that still floods at least 3 times a year! Its a terrible estate to buy on

And yet they continue to build in that area don’t they? It’s a mystery to me.