Selling property but no one looking..

Ghostrider

Tidy the flat up

Take pictures in daylight with a wider angle lens if you can (or try and find a friend with a better camera if possible) - Stand in the furthest corner and kneel down to take the picture pointing ever so slightly up with the camera.

REMOVE the stuff about "Affordable housing" that may make people think they are moving into a block of flats full of people on benefits or the like - that may not be the case but it's how a lot of people will think (simple minds I know).

00ec25

The_Pilgrim wrote: »

When did you buy? IIRC it's property like this which has fallen furthest in value in the last 3 years.

he bought it on 8 May 2009 paying the same as one sold earlier in March 2009 so right at the start of the decline. No one has since successfully sold up from that block and given the nature of the flats I would have thought at least one person would have moved out in the last 3 years

you can tart up the photos as much as you want but even the most innocent FTB is attracted by price not looks and 1 bed flats are IMHO practically unmarketable at the moment becuase for a few £ more you can get a much better property

as a FTB myself guess which one I bought...
property A: £76,950 a 2 year old back to back 1 bed house that was so small it had a spiral staircase to save space and a open plan kitchen / lounge; or
property B: 2 miles outside my "ideal" postcode £75,950 40 year old ex LA 3 bed end of terrace cul de sac location all of which were then privately owned but all had been modernised (at council expense) before being bought under RTB by the folks who ... sold it to me
property A was still on the market 8 months later

googler

nat38 wrote: »

I am no expert, and I agree about taking the photos in daytime, but do you really think that hiding the shower gel, etc makes a difference?

The OP wants/needs to show the flat in the best possible light. everything on show should be something which enhances this. I don't think that a row of standard, supermarket-brand, half-empty, soapy, possibly still wet toiletries does this. as the poster immediately after you said - "Or, if you must have it out make sure it's luxury brands arranged neatly. Think minimalist."

OP - this is how to do it

Horace

It is time to change agents because the one you are using isnt doing you any favours at all. The photographs are appalling and they make yousr flat look dingy.

Get rid of all the cushions on the sofa - having 3 in a more vibrant colour will help give the room a lift. If you have a dining table then put that in the room even if it is pushed against the wall so that people can get the feel that the room is a kitchen/dining/living space. Clear clutter as everyone is saying - clutter makes the room look smaller, people want to be able to imagine their things in the flat at the moment they cannot see beyond the clutter.

Reading the particulars the agent is making out that it is a shared ownership flat in one paragraph and in the next it isnt and this is confusing.

grey_lady

It looks to me like this is a virtual estate agent as opposed to a high street one?

myhouse_2

tdsmithj wrote: »

All the other apartments in the block are going for 85,000 to 90,000.
I can't afford to drop the price down to £55k. The reason I only reduced it a little due to what I can afford.

If £101 is all you can afford to discount, I would suggest you will need to stay put. How many buyers are going to be tempted by a 0.1% discount? In this market, you need to be flexible on price and if you can't be, then I don't see how you can sell.

tdsmithj

Thanks for all your input. I will get straight on it this weekend. I decided to use a virtual one as they are cheaper but I guess they do not have that extra push when it comes to someone making commision on it.

I will produce new pictures, change the text and do up the house. If I have had no luck by August I am planning oon going with a local estate agent. I will post back with some new pictures and new content.

Again thanks for your input.

missile

The photos are poor and the description is dreadful.

emoov.co.uk may be cheap and cheerful, but are they doing anything other than posting your details on a website? Why wait until August? I would employ a good local EA now. Use whomever your neighbours are using to market their properties.

Caveat_Mortgagor

tdsmithj wrote: »

It's the price for anyone to buy. I must admit it does sound dodgy. The price of the property as originally 90,000 but with the affordable housing scheme I got it for 72,500. Meaning I paid 80 percent of the market value. But when selling it I have to sell it at 80 percent.

That's your No 1 problem right there.

Did you really believe you were buying something worth £90k?

The flat was never worth that much, any discount was illusory. You fell for it, and now you are finding others tread more carefully.

Once you've overcome the problem of price (which you've already stated you aren't in a position to do anything about) then your photographs are dark and dingy, and the write up makes the 20:80 price sound dodgy.

If the flat is part of a govt scheme then state which one so that people can do their research on that type of scheme and decide if its for them.

However I fear you may suffer the same problems experienced by HJS86 in this thread https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3194430

Reading that thread you can see the initial denial (that she overpaid and cannot afford to sell) replaced by anger.

One last thing..... £50 a month service charge!!!! That could fund an extra £10k on a mortgage, meaning the cost of living in your 1 bed flat is as much as a 3 bed house!

Mumto3cheekymonkeys

When I looked at your flat I first noticed all the clutter! Its everywhere! Clear ontop of your fridge and cupboards box some things up that you really dont need out and take them to a friends house or something. Its so bland and looks like it needs some colour whether you do this by painting or some decent (not too much) accessories. Googler was right on the mark. I think its unfortunate that you cant lower your price as I know I would rather buy a house with a garden then a flat and when there is a nice house not too far away I think that would be more appealing to me personally.

Good Luck.