Help - Reassurance Required

Leela_G

Our flat has been on the market for 2.5 weeks and so far we have have ZERO viewings or any interest.

The flat is on for offers over 79k, the last flat in the building sold a month or so ago for 82k.

I have emailed the estate agent (countrywide) and they have suggested amending the price to a fixed price.

Is this normal at the moment??

Link:
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-25740196.html

clutton_2

selling property in Scotland is different to the system in England so i can't really comment..


but... if the photos were taken on a Sunday that might explain why all the shops are boarded up , but, if these shops are open i would suggest a photo on an "open" day to make the area look less scabby... Boarded up/shuttered windows make the block look derelict...

because of the angle of the outside photo most of the windows look boarded up.....

inside is really beautiful..... good luck

angelfreak

I bought a flat just up the road from there last october! When i was looking (as a first time buyer) I disregarded any properties that were offers over because I didn't want to get drawn into a situation whereby I had to "guess" a price. It meant I didn't get disheartened by going to see properties I thought i could afford, when really the seller expected a lot more. In reality most properties were either "fixed price" or "offers around", so it didn't really affect things for me. I think "offers over" is being phased out. Having a Home Report means you know the value of the property from the outset, and i know my solicitor would never have advised me to offer more than any valuation. Long story short, Offers Over is probably putting some people off.

Also, whats the valuation of your flat? It looks lovely, and I know you say one in the same building sold for 82k but the flat i bought was about 5k less than this and is two bedrooms, and has a separate kitchen, off road parking etc etc. I didnt really look at one bedroom flats, but I would have thought yours overpriced if i did

poppysarah

Did your EA claim they had potential buyers on their books?

Leela_G

angelfreak wrote: »

I bought a flat just up the road from there last october! When i was looking (as a first time buyer) I disregarded any properties that were offers over because I didn't want to get drawn into a situation whereby I had to "guess" a price. It meant I didn't get disheartened by going to see properties I thought i could afford, when really the seller expected a lot more. In reality most properties were either "fixed price" or "offers around", so it didn't really affect things for me. I think "offers over" is being phased out. Having a Home Report means you know the value of the property from the outset, and i know my solicitor would never have advised me to offer more than any valuation. Long story short, Offers Over is probably putting some people off.

Also, whats the valuation of your flat? It looks lovely, and I know you say one in the same building sold for 82k but the flat i bought was about 5k less than this and is two bedrooms, and has a separate kitchen, off road parking etc etc. I didnt really look at one bedroom flats, but I would have thought yours overpriced if i did

Home report was valued at 85k

Leela_G

poppysarah wrote: »

Did your EA claim they had potential buyers on their books?

Yip they did, but they don't appear to have materialized (sp)

Cissi

I can't comment on the price or the buying system in Scotland, but agree about the boarded up shops. A photo during opening hours would probably seem more inviting. Not everybody wants to live above a shop, but people who don't like the idea won't look at your flat either way, and those who like or don't mind it may get the impression that there is a problem you or the agents are trying to hide (overly busy/noisy/messy shops maybe)?

The flat itself looks lovely, the only other thing I would say is that the red colour in the bedroom makes the room look rather small and dark. I personally like a funky, statement colour like red, but it isn't everybody's taste, and as silly as it seems, a lot of people aren't able to see past this. The flat looks in great decorative order, so you want potential viewers to feel that they won't need to do anything to it - not "yikes, that colour will have to go".

dander

Oh, that exterior shot is awful! Not only are the shops all boarded up, the windows look as though they're missing, so the whole building looks derelict. I don't knwo the area, but I'm sure it's possible to take a far, far more flattering shot of your building!

Two things I notice 1/ it says "on street parking" - that's not really a feature and it seems odd to mention it. 2/ it says it's a third floor flat - that's a lot of stairs. Was the other flat that sold so far up?