Few viewings but no second viewings or offers

avawat20

Hi all,
Can anyone offer any advice on my property?

I have had some viewings and feedback so far has been positive, mostly people have looked at other flats or 1 bed houses around the area which is why they haven't gone with mine or the EA hasn't been able to get in touch to get feedback.

I did introduce a buyer (investor - landlords of the property below mine) and they offered £145k (originally on at £150k) but then pulled out because they found a property £20k cheaper!

Since the initial 4 or 5 viewings I've only had 2 over the past 4 weeks.

We have dropped the price down at the beginning of the week but it's becoming more urgent for me as we have an offer on a property that gave us a 2 week grace period taking it off the market to sell my flat and we now have 1 week left!

Have you got any feedback or hints or tips? Especially if you are Bristol way - what do you think of the area?

The flat opposite mine sold last year for £143k.

Thanks for anything!

EDITED: to remove link as can't delete post. Thank you for the useful comments - have spent today removing clutter and making photo ready!

gwynlas

At the present time I think peole are lookng for more spacious properties so your market is very limited.
Whilst perfectly adequate it would appear to be quite cramped in the photos with a lack of storage in both kitchen and living room and the contrast tiling in the bathroom bring the walls in. You could make the place look bigger by putting the coffee table and bookshelves in storage abd generally clering all surfaces. You have to pack up to move anyway.
Why did you choose this particular agent as they appear to have very few flats for sale?
I'm sorry but unless you are in the position of taking low offers I think you just have to wait for the right person to come along.

avawat20

gwynlas said:

At the present time I think peole are lookng for more spacious properties so your market is very limited.
Whilst perfectly adequate it would appear to be quite cramped in the photos with a lack of storage in both kitchen and living room and the contrast tiling in the bathroom bring the walls in. You could make the place look bigger by putting the coffee table and bookshelves in storage abd generally clering all surfaces. You have to pack up to move anyway.
Why did you choose this particular agent as they appear to have very few flats for sale?
I'm sorry but unless you are in the position of taking low offers I think you just have to wait for the right person to come along.

I chose them for price and they sold the one opposite managing to get over asking price! There also aren't many flats in the area regardless.

UnderOffer

No mention of lease duration, is it worth adding along with yearly costs? 

Also I’d be tempted to swop the tv and sofa positions as currently the sofa is blocking kitchen entrance and looks cramped. 

ace33

As above, declutter a bit more and swap things about, anything that doesn't need to be in the photos can be moved into another room for staging until you decide what you can do with it.

ciderboy2009

The photo's really aren't helping you. 

The lounge looks like it's got no space whatsoever with that dining table and your bed looks like it's about 10 feet long so clearly the phtographer was using a wide angle lens to make it look larger than it is without actually knowing what they were doing. 

The same applies for the bedroom photo looking the other way - is your drawer unit really that wide?

The problem with Yate is that it's more families & older people than younger people buying their first property - most younger people want to be within a cheap taxi ride to the centre of Bristol. 

Also, a Chipping Sodbury estate agent is going to be more interested in selling the more expensive local properties that they've got on their books.

I also think that even though house prices in Bristol itself have been shooting up, £15k over the price that number 90 sold for at the beginning of this year is probably too much for Yate.  You might have to drop it £10k to sell.

Vestraun

avawat20 said:

The flat opposite mine sold last year for £143k.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-83046253.html

This one sold this year but also pre-covid for £129k. Sorry but expecting OIEO £145k when no one wants 1 bed flats with no outdoor space is completely unrealistic. 

 https://www.rightmove.co.uk/house-prices/detailMatching.html?prop=49611661&sale=56582867&country=england

RelievedSheff

As others have already alluded too the market for a one bed flat at the moment is going to be almost none existent. People are working from home so need more space and people are valuing their own private outside space more after lock down.

On top of that your price looks very optimistic and probably wants to be a good £10-15k cheaper looking at recent sales, and to be fair they were pre covid so your price drop may need to be even more!

The photos also make the flat look very small, your have too much furniture and "stuff" in the flat. Can some of it go into storage until you move? 

In your shoes I would be taking the property off the market, having a huge declutter and rearrange the furniture to make the most of the rooms, then remarket with a new agent at a more realistic price and get some much better photos taken of the property. 

Jadek

I was so surprised when I read it was a property for £143k in Bristol...and then I saw it’s in Yate. As ciderboy said, Yate won’t really be a popular place for small flats (I’m surprised there are any flats in Yate!). You asked what people think of the area, well, I worked there for 3 years and can’t say I ever really liked it, it’s just a bit bland and boring, and a bit of a pain to get to Bristol from. That being said, I have friends who live in Yate, but almost exclusively they are people who grew up there so want to be close to their families. I do also know people who bought first houses there, mainly with the view to getting onto the property ladder for a much cheaper price than in Bristol itself, but the allure was being able to buy a house with a garden for the same kind of price you might pay for a flat in the centre of Bristol. However, my experience is that people who grow up in Yate tend to really like it, so you might find a young buyer looking to move out of home but not wanting to go too far, and this might be perfect for them. Fingers crossed the right buyer comes along for you soon. 

avawat20

Jadek said:

I was so surprised when I read it was a property for £143k in Bristol...and then I saw it’s in Yate. As ciderboy said, Yate won’t really be a popular place for small flats (I’m surprised there are any flats in Yate!). You asked what people think of the area, well, I worked there for 3 years and can’t say I ever really liked it, it’s just a bit bland and boring, and a bit of a pain to get to Bristol from. That being said, I have friends who live in Yate, but almost exclusively they are people who grew up there so want to be close to their families. I do also know people who bought first houses there, mainly with the view to getting onto the property ladder for a much cheaper price than in Bristol itself, but the allure was being able to buy a house with a garden for the same kind of price you might pay for a flat in the centre of Bristol. However, my experience is that people who grow up in Yate tend to really like it, so you might find a young buyer looking to move out of home but not wanting to go too far, and this might be perfect for them. Fingers crossed the right buyer comes along for you soon. 

I mean it's better than it used to be and there are good bus routes and taxi's aren't too bad anymore - Ubers at least! But it's hard to change perceptions of the area! Thank you for your comments!

Crashy_Time

RelievedSheff said:

As others have already alluded too the market for a one bed flat at the moment is going to be almost none existent. People are working from home so need more space and people are valuing their own private outside space more after lock down.

On top of that your price looks very optimistic and probably wants to be a good £10-15k cheaper looking at recent sales, and to be fair they were pre covid so your price drop may need to be even more!

The photos also make the flat look very small, your have too much furniture and "stuff" in the flat. Can some of it go into storage until you move? 

In your shoes I would be taking the property off the market, having a huge declutter and rearrange the furniture to make the most of the rooms, then remarket with a new agent at a more realistic price and get some much better photos taken of the property. 

Not sure how people who couldn`t afford more space before lockdown/recession can magically afford it now? Surely they would already have the garden in the "good times" if they could afford it? Wanting something doesn`t translate into being able to get something, especially with deposit requirements and mortgage rates rising.