Why am I getting no viewings?

goldbyron

I was looking for some pointers for my partner. I recently sold my 2 bed flat which was directly below my partners own property after 5 months on the market and an awful 80 viewings!!! It sold for 190k. My partners is on for 150-165 and is a 1 bed however covers approximately the same floor space as mine. She has had about 7 viewings in August (it was put on in the first week) and 1 this month despite dropping the price from a fixed 165 to 150-165. The property is located in a good part of NE London/West Essex and the only comparable properties at the exact same price are in a less sought after part of Woodford. Why oh why are there no viewers at all when I had 80! The feedback has actually been better than me - the only grumble is the size yet all comparable properties seem to be the same size. The lease is 94 years. Is this just a feature of the market at the moment - very very quiet?

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-26934379.html

tawse57

The number of mortgages has fallen to a 10 year low.

The amount of money per mortgage has fallen.

About 26,000 properties per week are coming on the market but only about 40,000 mortgages per month are being offered - most of those to people remortgaging.

There is a recession on, people are afraid of losing their jobs.

Numerous press reports say that house asking prices are over-valued.

Take your pick.

tawse57

I did a search for a 3 mile radius of Woodford Green for flats with an asking price of up to 160K on Rightmove and it came back saying that there were 1000+ properties to view.

Looks like you have a lot of competition.

bebewoo

Can you get a floorplan put on the site? The rooms seem to be unusual shapes and it's hard to visualize how the flat is laid out.

cobbingstones

I thought it looked very well presented but I would suggest that you make the kitchen and bathroom lighter. Could you ask for them to be re-photographed once you have put in brighter lights? Just looked very dark to me.

Hope you sell soon.

Best wishes

baby_fuzz

It's probably the slanted ceilings and the fact that many people want a 2-bedder, IMHO...

hazyjo

I'm selling in Highams Park, so very nearby. It is ABSOLUTELY DEAD. It's driving me insane. Houses round my way usually sell within days or weeks.

Doesn't help that I have a rubbish EA who I've given notice to so he's no longer making any attempt to market the property (even taken it out of the window!) - I would complain (happily!) but it might mean we have to deal with them if they find us a buyer, so I'm happy to just sit seething for the next week until the next agent takes over.

If you want an honest opinion on the details on RM, I'd say it looks like a strange layout, but think that's just the EA pictures coming from strange angles, or making rooms look smaller than they are. Also, the eaves might put people off, and it doesn't look like there's a window in the kitchen which, again, might put people off. Doesn't look like there's one in the bathroom from that pic either, even though I can see the details says there's one (that pic's not doing the bathroom justice at all). Some people only look at pics and write things off without reading the details. It says it's a kitchen/lounge which, again, might put people off. Is there anywhere to eat/fit a dining table? Might be better reworded as 'open plan living space'. Or giving the kitchen dimensions and the lounge dimensions separately, but with a line written after say the kitchen's details saying 'open plan to lounge'.

When the market's good, things get snapped up and people compromise. When it's bad, people suddenly get incredibly fussy and won't even look at anything less than perfect.

One bed flats are pretty hard hit at the mo as it's the first time buyers who can't now get mortgages without at least a 10% deposit. August was a shocking month for sellers this year, and September's not looking much better. I'm hoping everyone starts rushing to look in October in a panic about getting in before Christmas!

Definitely think revised clear concise pics would help, and a floorplan.

Good luck.

Jx

googler

I'm 6ft3in, and it looks as though I'd be walking around with my head bowed to avoid a collision with the sloping ceilings.....

So I think tall people are staying away.

seafarers_wife

the kitchen and bathroom pics put me off. the kitchen looks to be far to dark especially with those green tiles and the bathroom i cant picture at all. it would help me if i were looking at buying if it had a floorplan, i tend to pay more attention to properties with floorplans than those without.

MrsManda

bebewoo wrote: »

Can you get a floorplan put on the site? The rooms seem to be unusual shapes and it's hard to visualize how the flat is laid out.

I think this, and cobbingstones comment about the lighting in the kitchen would help but as already been said, you've got a lot of competition for a 1 bedroom flat.

goldbyron

MadnessOfHPC wrote: »

Looks cheap.

Thanks for all the advice... I hope that its looks cheap in a good deal way and not in a bad way! I think it is cheap and thought I had undersold at 190K downstairs. It is a 'quirky' top floor conversion which actually viewers have liked. The bathroom is very large for the flat and do believe a light on would be good (there is a window). We have de-cluttered to the extreme! I may be renting a small house come the spring if no offers come in as all my belongings are in my parents garage. Then at least we can move in together somewhere while it sells. Thanks for the Highams Park feedback as well - very useful.

I can imagine a 3 mile radius search would include some very highly dense areas (it is NE London) such as Walthamstow and Wanstead, the former having lower asking prices. Comparable areas should be Buckhurst Hill and South Woodford. Any more ideas are welcome!