Tips for selling our flat

diesel1974

Hey Everyone,

We have had our flat on the market now for 5 weeks and in that time we have had about 15 viewings of which 95% had said how much they like it. The frustrating thing is we have not had 1 single offer yet, not even a cheeky one & this is really getting us down.
The EA says this is the best 1 bed currently on their books and have told us about 5 times that people are going to make offers on it then they don't.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

divadee

it could mean that its just priced to high!!! its been 8 years since i lived in bromley, so not sure on current house prices, do you know what other comparable 1 beds are going for? is it roughly the same as you?

by the way thats a nice area of bromley isnt it?

i used to live just off wansted road opposite the bp garage!!!!

chivers1977

I would say that my gut reaction is that the pictures are a bit souless. The bedroom doesn't really seem to have any character and the kitchen picture is a bit dark. Would it be worth fitting a cheap b&q white bathroom? Also do you have to put the maintenance on the details online with that agent. That would scare me off! I don't live far away and the price seems fair to me.

Doozergirl

I think your photos are fine and that your flat is relatively well presented. I can't see any changes to make. I don't know the intricaies of the central Bromley market, but I'm selling a 2 bed purpose built flat in the Borough for £175k so your price seems okay to me.

I think that asking the agent to tell people about the roof, whilst all credit is due to you, it's going to put people off before they even view. First Time Buyers are incredibly nervous. I would also ask your agent to remove the amount you pay as service charge; £75 a month isn't exactly peanuts but they will no doubt ask when they view and they're at least in the door then!

I think you have to try and get people with their heart first, then deal with the practicalities later. Negotiate the deal, agree a purchase price then inform them about the roof and knock the £3k off the agreed price.

Debt_Free_Chick

diesel1974 wrote:

Its on for 155,000 but we are prepared to take 150,000 and then take off another 3.000 for the roof.

If you dropped the price, you would get people who have a ceiling of £150k. At the moment, some of those potential buyers aren't even asking to view as they mentally block out property above their price range.

I would either drop the price to £150k or ask for offers over £147k - as you have effectively built-in the price for the roof to the asking price.

PoorDave

As a rightmove addict, i think your pics look a bit dark, and don't seem to show the property in it's best light. For instance one pic is taken facing straight at a window, which doesn't give you a chance to see the room, just the light coming in.

The honesty thing is a tricky one, as you might lose some people right away, but i guess that's better than them proceeding, then pulling out when they find out. Make sure you or the agent stress that this is already included in the price (£3k off)

PosterBoy77

Not really a surprise. The prices in the same road for flats sold this year have been for 135 and 139k. There is a simple answer - you are asking too much. Reduce the price and you will get some offers. Trouble is that at 135k you are only 10k away from the stamp duty threshold. You should try selling it for 135k and see what offers you get, if teh market gets any slower you will be looking at 125k tops.

clutton_2

i also think the pictures are quite dark and do not make it look as attractive as it might. in one room, i am looking straight out at another window, this makes me feel "over looked" - whether this is true or not.

david29dpo

the flat roof would put me off. sorry.

diesel1974

The selling prices on Rightmove dont reflect the condition of the property or how long it took to sell. The ones that sold in Jan needed work & one of them was on the market for 18 months!

PosterBoy77

Probably shows that they were also overpriced! Anyway, the market is much slower now and you can fit a very nice bathroom and kitchen into a flat for 20k. You can certainly try all you want to get 150k for it, but don't expect to find a buyer anytime soon.