Do I have the Unsellable Flat ?

zulucal

GoldenJill wrote: »

I would remove the wallpaper, paint the bedrooms white and the yellow in the lounge area. You have a lovely room with the fireplace, I think it just needs to be smartened up.

People love seeing white - sounds crazy as to me it can seem dull - however, white is best for selling as it looks clean and fresh and totally free for the buyer to put their own stamp on it.

Add some homley touches - ie: big bunch of flowers on top of the fire place (you can buy really good faux ones in Dunelm Mill on the Kirkcaldy esplanade) buy some candles for in the fireplace and also some cheap framed posters of Scotland scenes - also in Dunelm. Can you change the bed linen to white and also put 'fresh faux' flowers in there. The room looks a little cluttered with furniture - can you store the small table etc. somewhere else or move to another place in the flat? I think the bedroom at present looks too dated - but won't cost the earth to strip wallpaper, paint and just move furniture about. In fact, move all unnecessary furniture - always makes rooms seem much larger and doesn't look just 'dumped here as we don't know what to do with it'.

The kitchen is small - nothing you can do about that, however, can you perhaps remove one of the lounges in your living romo and put a breakfasting table by the window with two chairs? Put a bowl with fruit on the table and set it nicely with white linen napkins/whtie plates and brand new sparkling cutlery (again Dunelm will sort this out) - not place mats but nicely set

Remember when you sell a house you need the buyers to imagine themselves here - living here, relaxing by the fireplace, having breakfast by the window - sell the lifestyle to them.

Now... as a bigger job can't see clearly - but is does the kitchen need new tiles? Hope you don't take offence but the wall looks a bit, well, shabby. Maybe it just the photo? Looks like wood, older tiles, wall with thining paint. Thsi is a bit of a bigger job but to have all tiled or all smooth white walled will make it seem bigger. What do you do in Aberdeen? Do you have friends/colleagues who could help out in return for dinner and a few beers?

And then finally and most importantly, take more photos! Experiment with them at differnt angles showing as much of the room as possible. Wait for a really bright day, throw back the curtains and turn on all the lights.

All the very best of luck! let us know how you get on.

Well my time spent living in kirkcaldy was not a pleasant and mostly down to me owning this flat and attempting to rent it out(Had many problem tenants). I work 9-5 in Aberdeen as an electronics tech so only time I have free is weekends and I don't know any tradesmen in the area.

The kitchen paint is sort of white with some blue sponge dabbing. I can't afford to be tiling like I say a few pots of white paint will stretch my budget to the max and tiling would send my budget right over.

I just want rid if the damned thing as this whole property business has left me so jaded I'm never buying a house again.

zulucal

Annisele wrote: »

On the photographs it looks as though your kitchen consists of a cooker and four cabinets, no sink, and no place for a fridge or a freezer.

I know the description says it's a little bigger than that, but as the advert stands I don't think I'd even bother to view your flat. I'd just look at the photographs and say "no way could I cook in that kitchen". I agree with others than new photographs in general would be a good idea, but I think kitchen photograph especially needs work.

Well there is no place for a fridge/freezer in the kitchen its kept in the big closet in the hallway. There is a sink on the other side of the kitchen not shown in the photos . but as I said i live a bit away from the flat so I left that stuff to the agents. All i get is that the kitchen is too small from every viewer.

Owain_Moneysaver

This would cost money, but would it be possible to open up that arch to the kitchen and the adjacent wall arch, continue the kitchen units into the lounge (so you oculd at least get the fridge adjacent) and have an open plan lounge/diner/kitchen?

What would put me off TBH is that entry appears to be through an unsecured close and then up an external stair.

zulucal

Owain_Moneysaver wrote: »

This would cost money, but would it be possible to open up that arch to the kitchen and the adjacent wall arch, continue the kitchen units into the lounge (so you oculd at least get the fridge adjacent) and have an open plan lounge/diner/kitchen?

What would put me off TBH is that entry appears to be through an unsecured close and then up an external stair.

Can't afford any of what you suggested mate. Though I might move the fridge into the Arch

jonewer

KarterFury wrote: »

Because of the foundation of this property being different than the others on this block, it is deemed unsellable by any estate agent, housing association, etc etc,

I'd buy it for 50p. So it is saleable, it just needs the right price.

skintchick

I wouldn;t buy anywhere you couldn't out a fridge/freezer into the kitchen. The kitchen is way too small. it also looks grim from the outside, but I find Scottish architecture like that generally, presumably it's not a problem for the locals!

Evilm

I would ask someone you know locally to go and take some new photos if the agents won't. Try to get a better picture of the kitchen as that must be chasing away viewers. Even if the people viewing now are saying its too small if you increase the amount of people looking at it by making it look better in photos the more chance you have at finding the one person who wouldn't mind it.

Could you perhaps get someone to do some floor plans for the house? Also see if you could get an artists impression of a new kitchen in there with the wall opened up so that you get more room and it is more open plan?

The other thing that comes to mind is if there is at least one unit that goes floor to celing could you get a quote for taking that out and making it into room for a fridge freezer? If buyers could see how little it would cost that might help. We did this with our old house = took out a double cupboard which meant we had room for an American style fridge-freezer instead of undercounter ones. It was a couple of hours work and a bit of paint and it made the room so much better!

zulucal

I would ask someone you know locally to go and take some new photos if the agents won't. Try to get a better picture of the kitchen as that must be chasing away viewers. Even if the people viewing now are saying its too small if you increase the amount of people looking at it by making it look better in photos the more chance you have at finding the one person who wouldn't mind it.

Could you perhaps get someone to do some floor plans for the house? Also see if you could get an artists impression of a new kitchen in there with the wall opened up so that you get more room and it is more open plan?

The other thing that comes to mind is if there is at least one unit that goes floor to celing could you get a quote for taking that out and making it into room for a fridge freezer? If buyers could see how little it would cost that might help. We did this with our old house = took out a double cupboard which meant we had room for an American style fridge-freezer instead of undercounter ones. It was a couple of hours work and a bit of paint and it made the room so much better!

All depends on how much it costs, am on an extremely tight budget. The flat will get decorated this weekend. Estate Agents say that only they can take pictures of the flat, no-one else.

Morty_007

Just a thought....I would be put off being told that all the furniture was included. That would start me wondering how much it would cost me to get rid of it as I wouldn't have room for all my stuff plus the new stuff! Good luck

Cyril

To me it looks just like a rental, cheaply done and no inference of it being a home. IMO it needs to look classier, somewhere you'd be happy to invite your family / friends.

As others have said you need to find away to include a fridge/ freezer in the kitchen. Find the smallest you can ( its a small flat so it's only for 1/2 persons) even if its table top.

Paint all the rooms cream / white and get some nice soft furnishings , flowers, candles, picture frames etc to make it homely.

You may have to accept that you need to spend out on it to sell or rock bottom the price to shift it. Anyone buying in the current state is either someone who can't see what it could become or someone that can and is totting up the ££££'s to get it how they'd like.

Good luck