Help my flat isn't selling and has been on the market since Oct 2018 ☹️

Mickygg

I agree with most of the comments.

the listing desperately needs a refresh with new better photos, scrap the cellar one looks terrible, photo of garden so important as usually if there is no photo of a garden it means there isn’t one! 

I would go with a local agent, for that fact any other agent other than the one you are with. Spelling mistakes, the photos, lack of description and very long time on the market would cause me to move past This listing and not want to view. 

AdrianC

Here's the 2019 listing for number 7 - it was an auction sale...
https://www.zoopla.co.uk/property-history/7-station-road/kelty/ky4-0bl/52141866

I think the OP's has an edge on this - which makes me wonder if auction might be the way to go here...?

Agree that the listing isn't doing it any favours, nor is the use of an online agent.

davidmcn

AdrianC said:

nor is the use of an online agent.

It's a local "traditional" agent who are listing it:
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/estate-agents/agent/Your-Move/Dunfermline-8467.html

bouicca21

Totally agree that it is a poor listing. The spelling mistake says the agent couldn’t be bothered to proof read, the picture of the cellar makes me think there is something wrong with the building.  New pictures, including one or two of the garden. What is the target market?  Is it an older downsizer or young working person? Can you angle for both?  How far do people in Kelty commute?  Is it worth mentioning that it’s close (but not too close!) to a direct route into Edinburgh? And easy for Cowdenbeath?  For those who don’t know Kelty what are local facilities like?  A friend lives in the general region and if she were selling I’d be emphasising the  town As well as the property itself.

ProDave

This is a sad situation. I have mentioned before that many parts of the UK the market has been very slow since the GFC and has never really recovered, and prices are still pre 2008 levels and have never got back to that. People in the south just can't comprehend that.

I am surprised it has not sold recently.  Even where I am, at the start of the year before Covid came along, houses were selling and some going to a closing date, something I have not seen for a while.

If it has been on with the same agent for 2 years, I think it will be viewed as stale. Re list it with a different agent, different set of photos and better description.

But now you are in the lap of the gods until we find out what Covi-19 has done to the market.

diggingdude

Flat seems nice enough. Genuine question, is there something wrong with it? Is there something locals know that we dont? What is employment like round there. Often it isn't the property itself thats the problem

Mcgowan1988

No genuinely nothing wrong with it, even when we got the report done it came back that one of the walls was Alittle damp so we got all new damp proofing done even tho their was no signs of damp.
We spent £15,000 doing the place up over the years. The bathrooms and log burner are new, kitchen is 3 years old. Flooring new, door was brand new and it's a fire door because we used to let it out so it had to be .
Just gutted  

[Deleted User]

AdrianC said:

Here's the 2019 listing for number 7 - it was an auction sale...
https://www.zoopla.co.uk/property-history/7-station-road/kelty/ky4-0bl/52141866

I think the OP's has an edge on this - which makes me wonder if auction might be the way to go here...?

Agree that the listing isn't doing it any favours, nor is the use of an online agent.

Number 7 was snapped up by a BTL investor, no great surprise there. I think an auction to attract BTL investors might be the way to go too as I think it's likely to be the target market for this type of property in this particular area.

GDB2222

You are in a conflict at the moment. You want to sell, but you don’t want to drop the price to a level it will sell at. 

You really need to work out what it will cost you over the next year if you still haven’t sold it over that time. It might be better to knock that money off the asking price and just get rid of the flat.  After all, if you still have it in a year's time, you’ll have the same problem about reducing the price, but be worse off to the tune of a year's costs.

Of course, a change of agent might do the trick, so I’d try that first, but in the meantime I’d be having a really good think about the asking price.  Or letting it. Or something.

Incidentally, there’s nothing wrong with the flat. If I were looking for a one bed flat in your area, I’d probably view it. And that’s despite the rather poor listing. 

MovingForwards

People have been couped up in flats during lockdown, we've had fantastic weather, the garden is a huge selling point especially as it's been split into private gardens (assuming that's also reflected on the title plan), but has been missed off. When I was looking, I would have ruled that one out due to having no garden.

It would make a lovely first home from what you are telling us.

Having used YM for my purchase, I would wonder what they actually do to sell properties as I spoke with them to agree an offer / purchase, heard from their in-house insurance company a few times and the only time I heard from the office was to advise me they were being put on furlough; it was 5.5 months between agreement and completion.

If that's what I experienced, what are they doing to sell yours after all this time?