Critique our house for sale please

Mrs_KavP

Good morning

First post so please be gentle!

We are trying to sell our flat in East London. It first went on sale in May and we had 30 viewings and 2 offers within a week. Since then our buyers pulled out and we put it back up again ten days ago for a bit less and have only had 8 viewings and no offers.

The agent said the market has changed since May, but we thought (hoped) we might get some interest. Perhaps we are being impatient and just need to wait a bit, as it's only been back up for less than a fortnight.

Are other people finding the market is much slower or is there something obvious that would put you off? (I know the bathroom wallpaper isn't to everyone's taste!)

It's a leasehold flat with 87 years left unexpired. Would that deter you?

It has a private garden and residents parking on the street, walking distance from tube station and close to shops.

rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-65258620.html

We are a bit anxious now as we were close to exchange on our onward purchase and it looks like that's going to fall through

Thanks for your time

Mrs K-P

es5595

The listing in general looks good, but having the second photo as the garden doesn’t look good, especially as it looks kinda overgrown and weedy.
If people are looking through a lot it could be an instant back click.
Also, I think you’re right about the market slowing down, especially in London at the moment.

-taff

Nothing wrong with yor flat, the pictures are good, can you borrow a bed to put in the second bedroom? and the garden loos like it needs a bit of a tidy. Other than that.....what have similar flats sold for recently? How much would the leasehold be to extend?

chocolate.chip

Personally I don't like everything out in the open so the lack of storage would put me off, I'm immediately thinking where do I put the hoover etc. I would also declutter and tidy up the garden.

Ozzuk

Does the valuation take into account the next owner will likely need to extend the lease - have you had a price for that? I would't touch something with that short a lease unless I knew the cost of extending.

Lookwise - its quite nice. You've some nice design elements but also some terrible choice in wallpaper - but that is of course individual and many will look past that. Really nice colours in bathroom if it wasn't for that print.

Mrs_KavP

Thanks for your replies.

I'm hearing the garden needs tidying You are right, it has got a bit wild and woolly over the hot summer!

We have a cupboard under the stairs for hiding the hoover etc but admit it's not over-endowed in the storage department.

The lease would be about £9000 + fees to extend, which we are considering as an option, but it takes ages to sort out! Wish we'd thought of it sooner.

The flat upstairs sold for £403k at the end of last year, but in 2018 2 bed flats like this sell more for between £375k - £395k depending on whether they have a garden or not.

davidmcn

Can you get a photo of the front which actually shows the flat rather than the hedge? Otherwise the photos seem ok.

Is the lounge really 200 sq ft? If 14'3" x 14' are the maximum dimensions (i.e. into the bay window and ignoring the porch) then it's going to be quite a bit less than 200. And the floorplan and description don't agree on the measurements!

Street View link seems to be to completely the wrong street.

Mrs_KavP

Does the valuation take into account the next owner will likely need to extend the lease - have you had a price for that? I would't touch something with that short a lease unless I knew the cost of extending.

The cost of extending the lease would be about £8-10k, which is factored into to the asking price - I have advised the EA of the estimated cost of extending. If it had already been extended, we would probably be asking more around the £400k mark.

But it's still a pain to have to sort out I suppose, you'd have to really love a place enough to overlook the future hassle of arranging it.

TBagpuss

OK, the design and decor are not to my taste, but if I were buying I could mostly look past that. I think all the open shelving does make it look a bit cluttered,especially in the bedroom.

In the description, can you make it clearer that the garden is private? I know it is in the bullet points but it isn't mentioned in the description which makes it easier to overlook and assume that it is shared.

I'd agree with the suggestions to tidy the garden and to try to get a better photo of the front of the house.

The description says 'plenty of fitted storage in the hall' but all I can see is some fairly narrow shelving - what else is there?

Doozergirl

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-65258620.html

I don't think the number of viewings is bad at all, considering that the market has slowed.

I lived in an identical flat when I was little, so I would view it on that basis if I were looking. The lounge with two windows (not on the floorplan?) was a lovely size and we'd fill the bay with a great big Xmas tree every year.

I'm not frightened by the decor, to some degree it disguises that the fittings and carpets are all a bit shabby underneath your efforts to liven it up. The rooms that you've personalised won't feel the same when your stuff has gone. I'd prefer it that way as I'd get to make my own stamp too. Hopefully the price reflects that.

The garden looks like work.

The bed under the window is a bit off an odd way to present the one bedroom. Open storage as the main focal point on the biggest wall prevents that room from looking very welcoming as somewhere to sleep. It looks quite overbearing. I can see beyond it, but some people may not. It could go on a different wall quite easily. The bed should be on the big wall facing the door.

And you're missing a bed in the other room. You need to put it in there and present it properly. It's a bit like you ran out of steam halfway down the house.

I know it's fashionable to have things out on show, but in the bedrooms it looks like it's just put there, not curated, so it lacks personality and the feeling of 'home'.

I like the pantry a lot I'm sure it will sell again.

Out,_Vile_Jelly

Some of the photos are odd and the order isn't logical. A fair sized south facing garden is an asset; make sure the pictures emphasise this.

I personally think your choice of decor is a bit overpowering; there's no need to mention it in the blurb.

It might be worth sorting out the lease and relisting early next spring.