I sunk £50k into an unsellable flat.

Clive_Woody

TimSynths said:

Clive_Woody said:

JReacher1 said:

biberal said:

Sarah1Mitty2 said:

170k looks very pricey for that flat.

What Northern hell do you hail from where 3 bed duplex flats are less than 170k? Average flat in this town is 200k and its valued at 181k so it's being marketed at more than a fair price.

Seems unnecessarily aggressive

And somewhat ironic considering we are talking about Aldershot 😂

A proper fighting town!

I don't know how I would fare as my 2 bed flat is pushing £300k.

Aldershot, one of the few places that makes Bracknell look classy.

Andrew1981

You say its spacious but there's no total sqm /sq ft info, just per room. That's the first thing I look for in a property.

Agree, some better simple decoration and colour would be fantastic. Dunelm in Farnborough has a great sale, cheap and colourful rugs, nice lights and curtains. Spend £500-£1000 and get better photos. Then resell the rugs or take them with you. I live about 1 mile from your flat, £170k seems a good price, just need to get people through that door with some inspiration! 

deannagone

I realise money is short, but you do have time.  I've been in similar circumstances and found cheap ways of making something look better than it did originally.  The lounge carpet needs restretching (pull it towards the walls, cut off spare bits and reattatch to carpet runners), possibly cleaning it (I used to use biological washing liquid, bucket of water, cloth and towels to help remove as much of the water as possible).  Its reasonably easy to do.  I'd give the back yard a good scrub with a strong broom and bleach, you will see a massive improvement once the green sludge is gone (weed the pots etc, possibly you could paint bedraggled pots).  I'd also move the bed so its central to the room rather than backed up against a wall.

I know you will find this difficult, but do one job at a time.  Even after the first one, it will make you feel more positive and less helpless.

If possible, replace that large sofa with a smaller one, or I have  bought foam and refilled sofa seat pads (just a foam layer of two inches to go on top of the original cushion foam will make the sofa look less like it should be in the dump lol - I have done this myself)..  You can buy curtain material remnants cheap and sew them by hand (done this too lol) to brighten up the place, as well as make cheap cushions.  You don't even have to put a zip in them, lots of advice on Youtube for this kind of thing). 

You really don't have to 'lose your deposit.  Just try doing one thing, I guarantee you will feel more positive and about your future too.  Dubai isn't all its cracked up to be, particularly if your mental health is suffering.  Much better for your mental health if you try and rebuild when feeling like life has dipped for you.

I'd also be interested in what you could do to make more use of the lobby.  It could be a bonus, at the moment, its just a passageway from the door to the stairs.  I suspect you can't afford to remove the toilet in the lounge and place a better bathroom in the lobby but if I could, I would.  

I hope you have managed to reach this far in the comments, I agree some of them are a bit strongly worded, not going to help someone who's already feeling a bit low!  However, one step at a time, you can rebuild your mental health and your life. Believe you me I've been there a couple of times.  lol, I've found sometimes sheer anger at what someone is saying when they are being negative or what feels like unfairness is life - is a great source of strength to help you move forwards (but I've always been the slightly 'up yours' sort - with a soh lol). Don't concentrate on the 'impossible' nature of things, concentrate on 'how can I do this'.  Did I say I'm very stubborn too lol?  I have obtained a few physical disabilites now, but even so I just grit my teeth and do what needs to be done.  I can pay for the effort later lol.

I wish you well.  Just know you can do this.

At the moment your maisonette looks unloved and abandoned, so why would anyone like it enough to buy it when the owner obviously doesn't?  But you can change how it appears.  

MEM62

RelievedSheff said:

Nothing is unsaleable. Everything will sell at the right price.

Exactly this!  

thegreenone

I agree with those above who have said get a plumber to move the toilet out of the lounge and onto the other side of the wall, into the lobby.  Also remove the bath, put in a shower and toilet.  At the very least. The third bedroom should really be marketed as Bedroom/study.

I'm surprised planning permission was given for the conversion with no window in the living room.  Is a skylight possible?   Get these jobs done and find another agent.

I'm hoping with a little outlay you can make the flat more attractive to the market. 

TadleyBaggie

I hadn't spotted there were no windows downstairs except for the one in the kitchen. 

JReacher1

Isn’t downstairs the basement so they couldn’t really put windows in. 

Skiddaw1

Clive_Woody said:

TimSynths said:

Clive_Woody said:

JReacher1 said:

biberal said:

Sarah1Mitty2 said:

170k looks very pricey for that flat.

What Northern hell do you hail from where 3 bed duplex flats are less than 170k? Average flat in this town is 200k and its valued at 181k so it's being marketed at more than a fair price.

Seems unnecessarily aggressive

And somewhat ironic considering we are talking about Aldershot 😂

A proper fighting town!

I don't know how I would fare as my 2 bed flat is pushing £300k.

Aldershot, one of the few places that makes Bracknell look classy.

I really shouldn't, but that did make me laugh!

Though to be fair, South Hill Park is a nice venue.

elsien

TadleyBaggie said:

I hadn't spotted there were no windows downstairs except for the one in the kitchen. 

Yes, that would be the dealbreaker for me. 

Sarah1Mitty2

Windows could be what is putting people off?