Where is it going wrong?

pops5588

Hi guys,

On here with my boss's friend's permission, I mentioned that this site had been really helpful for me.

Basically, his flat has been on the market for quite a while. He had an offer early on but their offer came with the condition that he was out by a certain date. He did as they asked, and then they pulled out day before exchange. So it is currently empty. He's getting quite stressed about it as he is currently building a house and was relying on the sale to inject a bit of funds into the new house.

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-40426523.html?premiumA=true

This is it. Anyone got any ideas of where it's going wrong? I don't know if anyone has property bee but it has come down in price quite a lot. I did think it was WAY over-priced in the beginning but now I do think it is in line with what other flats in the building were selling at.

Fundamentally I think part of the issue may be that he has a flat in the catchment area for one of the best schools in Hampshire, people come here looking for family homes with kids/teenagers, not flats. But obviously there is nothing he can do about that.

Any ideas?

partialycloudy

The pics are VERY dark! AND all the lights are on.
I can see some of the pics where taken on a very snowy day so maybe get them re-taken on a brighter day and Maybe the front room could be repainted a lighter colour to brighten it up a bit.

Good luck

harrys_dad

A property is worth what someone will pay for it, so by definition it is overpriced. Are people coming to view but not making an offer? If no-one is coming to view then it is clearly just the price. If people are viewing but then not offering, even low offers, then it is something to do with the flat. Oh, and I would agree about the poor quality of many of the photos, they do not show the flat in the best light.

I_have_spoken

My views -

+ It's too far out from London to be attractive to commuters, 1hr 50 mins and need a change at Eastleigh for Waterloo, but not close enough to the coast as a weekend bolt hole from London
+ Seller needs to think about appeal to locals, it's a bit of a lad pad really
+ No lift and on top floor would put off older folks looking at three flights of stairs
+ It looks like it's stuck on the market, snow on trees outside
+ Decor is too dark for the size of lounge/diner
+ Looks like electric storage heating and electric shower, no gas C/H = costly to heat
+ All rooms are very small
+ Kitchen lacks breakfast bar
+ Not clear if you can actually sit out on the balcony or if it's just a Juliette
+ No wardrobe space/build-in storage in bedrooms
+ En-suite is off the smaller bedroom
+ Slate tiles in bathroom with no window add to feeling of darkness
+ Confusing pics with empty lounge added in
+ No mention of service charge
+ No mention if leasehold

Cornucopia

The kitchen doesn't look great - small & outdated. If new photos are being done, I would remove the stools, at least, and probably look for some better angles.

Mojisola

This - https://www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/30021180?search_identifier=e3e99e5fc71ad340a81300125b5f55da - is nearby and cheaper.

Also, see how much clearer the photos are. I would get better photos done and seriously think about reducing the price.

JimmyTheWig

I think it looks lovely. Photos make it look really roomy, though I agree it looks a little dark.

No idea on price as I don't know the area. How long has it been on the market? How many viewings are they getting?

Slightly confused by this comment "we feel is only a short walking distance to Chandlers Ford centre and train station". That strikes me as saying that other people might not "feel" it is only a short walking distance.
Also, is the train station any good? I.e. does it have reasonable trains into London? A two-bed flat in the south east near a train station screams "commuter" to me, in which case I would mention the trains to London - otherwise it makes it sound like it's a station not worth being near.

Cornucopia

It's not great for London commuting - over 90 mins.

pops5588

All fantastic points, thanks. I will let him know.

I agree it looks too dark. I think someone who viewed it said they liked it but were put off by the colour on the walls because it made it look dark, he said if they got to exchange he would paint the walls any colour she wanted but she never got back to him. If he's prepared to do it I don't see why he doesn't just do it now!

It's been on since OH and I started our property search (he tried to palm it off on us ) soooo......since March? I'm not 100% sure but I THINK it started out at £180,000!!! People are viewing every so often but no offers since the couple that made him empty the place.

I think he is too focused on getting more for it than he paid, but at the same time if he needs the cash flow for the house then he should just suck it up IMO. £0 and paying council tax on it is surely worse than dropping the price by another £10,000 and getting over a hundred grand in your back pocket.

Cornucopia

Maybe think about putting some furniture back in, if it is empty?

onlyroz

The living/dining room seems to be packed full of so much furniture that it must be near-impossible to move around in there. Perhaps some of it could be moved into the empty bedroom? And yes, I'd get rid of that dark paint.