Worried about limited number of viewings

nollag2006

mufi wrote: »

Read today's quality newspapers. Long articles in both of mine, featuring the views of assorted estate agents.

I can only take from the fact that you have been unable to identify a specific weblink or named article, that you have absolutely no evidence to back up your assertion.

mufi

nollag2006 wrote: »

I can only take from the fact that you have been unable to identify a specific weblink or named article, that you have absolutely no evidence to back up your assertion.

Actually, it's simpler than that: I've used the newspapers for the cat litter tray, and really don't much fancy retrieving them, even for you.

Sunday Times and Sunday Telegraph. Posting weblinks, whatever these may be, is quite beyond my limited capabilities I fear...

neverdespairgirl

brightondebs wrote: »

Thanks for all your replies. The reason our flat is priced much higher than the other one beds in the area is because it is HUGE. The size of a two bed actually.

Looking at the floor plan, "huge" seems a bit of an over-statement to me. Decent sized living room, for sure - 19 x 15 feet. Good sized double bedroom, 16 x 11. The kitchen's pretty small, though?

It's certainly a decent size, but I wonder about the price.

This one, for example, is very close to your flat, is a bit smaller than yours, but still an OK size, and has a private courtyard garden, and is £40k cheaper:

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-26205073.html

This one is on at the same price as yours, no lease issues, and is bigger:

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-28397972.html

bristol_pilot

There's only so much you can charge for a 1-bed with a small kitchen outside London and I'm afraid yours is over-priced although the flat looks lovely. There is nothing in the ad about parking (?) - not sure if that's as big an issue in Brighton as it is in my area but round me you can knock off £100k if there is no off-street parking.

Owain_Moneysaver

mufi wrote: »

... And if we still had young children, I don't imagine the school holidays would have made an atom of difference to our plans either.

Many families with schoolchildren want to move during the summer holiday, to avoid disruption during term-time, especially if a change of school is involved.

Eric1

Owain_Moneysaver wrote: »

Many families with schoolchildren want to move during the summer holiday, to avoid disruption during term-time, especially if a change of school is involved.

yes, avoiding disruption would be nice, but that's not exactly high on my list of priorities right now. When it comes to taking a huge mortgage, I must admit I don't care about the footie or the weather either

well, families with schoolchildren are not likely to view the OP's flat anyway

brightondebs

neverdespairgirl wrote: »

Looking at the floor plan, "huge" seems a bit of an over-statement to me. Decent sized living room, for sure - 19 x 15 feet. Good sized double bedroom, 16 x 11. The kitchen's pretty small, though?

It's certainly a decent size, but I wonder about the price.

This one, for example, is very close to your flat, is a bit smaller than yours, but still an OK size, and has a private courtyard garden, and is £40k cheaper:

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-26205073.html

This one is on at the same price as yours, no lease issues, and is bigger:

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-28397972.html

I still think our flat is big compared to what else is out there in Brighton and also the kitchen is a good size for this type of property and rare that it's separate from the lounge.

As for the two properties you mentioned: the first is on a less desirable road, the kitchen is just an "area" included in the lounge measurement, the flat is lower ground floor which is never popular as it is dark, damp and more likely to be burgled. It also has beech effect kitchen units and laminate flooring - a sure sign of a cheap DIY job and given the courtyard has no measurements and there are no photos I'm guessing it's a concrete box. In fact it's been on the market since June 3 with no photos which is a worry. The single bathroom is also ensuite which would put me off - who wants every visitor having to walk through your bedroom to pee? More importantly than any of this though is that the flat doesn't have central heating!

The second is more likely to be in competition with us. Yes, it's slightly bigger but it's in Bedford Sq which is a much less desirable location, and first floor with balcony (us) is more desirable than ground floor with no outside space. It also doesn't have high ceilings like our flat. If it's where I think it is from the photos, it's at the top of the square right next to the Miami Hotel (a place that gets decidedly mixed reviews on Tripadvisor). It also sold in February and came back on the market in June which is interesting. (BTW this info comes from Firefox plugin Property Bee which is brilliant!) But yes, looks like a nice flat and just makes me feel we're priced ok as we're on for pretty much the same price.

We've done a LOT of research on the price. We know Brighton very well and we know there is a wide variation on one bed prices due to many different factors. Yes, many one bed properties in Brighton go for around the £160-£170K mark but they do so for a reason. This flat is worth more than that. I paid £175K in 2006 despite being able to get a flat for much cheaper than that purely because it was so much better than anything else I had seen.

Thanks again to everyone for all the comments!

arby

so if you paid £175k in 2006, why don't you put it on at £185k now and give you some room to negotiate? there's no need to defend your price point to anyone on this forum, it's clear that it's too high else you wouldn't be here in the first place asking for advice on how to get more viewings/offers.

edit: according to the halifax, average house prices are below 2006 levels, while the nationwide say they're right at 2006 levels. What have you done to the property to make it worth more than you paid (£175k) in 2006?

As it stands, if you get an offer good enough to just walk away without losing money on your purchase price you should probably be thankful.

SimonMrGreenWard

brightondebs wrote: »

Thanks for all your replies. The reason our flat is priced much higher than the other one beds in the area is because it is HUGE. The size of a two bed actually. We have had feedback from viewers that our price is ok (one said 195000 one said 200000). I looked at close to 50 flats in Brighton before buying this one and believe me it's quite unique for a one bed in Brighton: massive lounge, separate kitchen, floor to ceiling windows in every room and a large family bathroom. I think that is the problem - we're at the top end of the market. There are some other one beds in Brighton for this price though.

In terms of the lease, our freeholder have said they're happy to extend for any new owner in the two year stand down period. Also mortgages are only an issue under 70 years. We know it will still put people off though.

Perhaps our USP is the size and we should be emphasising that? Getting square footage on the floor plan seems a good start.

If all these people have looked on Rightmove and hadn't noticed that your flat is a whole load bigger than all the others, no potential buyer will either.

Sort the marketing out, then perhaps look at lowering the price but having it as a guide. This is ideal in generating interest and if your flat genuinely is much bigger than the others, people will offer more.

I took a quirky house on in Poole, set a guide price of £250k and sold it for £315k in a week. Previous agent had it at £330k for 12 weeks and had nothing.

Honestly, sell it with a long lease. Nobody likes uncertainty.

neverdespairgirl

brightondebs wrote: »

I paid £175K in 2006 despite being able to get a flat for much cheaper than that purely because it was so much better than anything else I had seen.

Thanks again to everyone for all the comments!

Why do you reckon house prices have gone up so much in 4 years?