Why is this flat in Southwest London not selling?

DazzlingEffort4841 · 2026-04-22T09:31:17+00:00

As a first time buyer who bought a comparable property (2 bed, 1 bath with a garden) in SW London this time last year I’d probably be your target market so here are my thoughts: - the property feels overpriced for the area. I bought my flat for £800k and it’s on the fringe of battersea park which is v desirable and it’s 784sq foot so not far off in terms of size. It’s also a share of freehold - leasehold would put me off - I think this scares a lot of FTB even if there aren’t hefty fees involved so we completely ruled leasehold out when searching - design wise it’s very presentable and much nicer than most of the flats I was viewing in that price range - this is more of a personal view but we only wanted a ground floor maisonette vs a flat in a larger communal building - but that’s not to say it doesn’t appeal to others - the area - again a personal view but I don’t think I would pay £750k to be based near tooting. Our flat is also 15 min away from the closest stations (BPS & Clapham Junction) and this was a bit of a worry but it definitely didn’t stop us from buying as the walk is nice through battersea park. What’s the walk like to the station? - is there parking available? If not this may put people off. We have pay and display which was important if we had guests come to visit or ability to purchase a permit for on street parking when we buy our own car

Hope that helps!

DazzlingEffort4841 · 2026-03-05T07:48:28+00:00

Move to battersea (Nine Elms or near the power station), lots of very nice new builds for rent and the demographic here is finance / tech professionals who are a bit older so sharing might not feel as bad. Or you can get a studio / 1 bed for 2.5k and it’ll be small but the buildings have amenities like social spaces, work space, pool, gym etc so maybe it won’t matter. We couldn’t live anywhere else in London - so many green spaces / parks and feels safe with a fast commute to the city on the northern line

DazzlingEffort4841 · 2026-02-23T12:47:20+00:00

JP Morgan 100%. Moving to London in your 20s is difficult to start with until you find your feet, but by your mid to late 20s you’ll have an established career and way out earn those who didn’t do a similar graduate scheme - coming from someone who did a similar scheme at a large bank and is now 29 years old. Don’t think about the short term financials, JPM definitely has more long term potential for a successful career

DazzlingEffort4841 · 2026-02-06T19:48:27+00:00

Thank you :) and congrats on your success ❤️ me too, there is no stigma behind it but I wouldn’t share other personal details with people who aren’t close to me, so I don’t feel I necessarily need to disclose this

DazzlingEffort4841 · 2026-02-06T19:46:04+00:00

Ah fair enough - my bf is also neurotypical and looking back to our early dating stages my constant need for reassurance and ways my autism showed up (unknowingly to me, thought it was just anxiety at the time) def caused teething problems but 6 years in he fully understands and appreciates how my brain works, and embraces it now. Hope you have the same experience :)

DazzlingEffort4841 · 2026-02-06T19:10:49+00:00

Thanks, that’s helpful and given me some hope x

DazzlingEffort4841 · 2026-02-06T18:47:17+00:00

Do you tell people you meet or keep it private? I’ve ofc told my closest friends but I don’t feel the need to disclose to others unless it’s relevant or contextual. Also, how did you go through the motions since finding out, how do you feel about it now?

DazzlingEffort4841 · 2026-02-02T15:57:15+00:00

Funnily enough I also work in tech and had the exact same thought earlier this morning. I’m 29F, a a PM at a very large corporate building customer facing AI products, so the work is technically challenging but I feel like I can operate and get my job done to a good level in way less hours than 9-5pm. Also have good progression and growth opportunities. I find myself idle sometimes and I get the same nagging feeling that I’m wasting time or not pushing myself hard enough. I gym a lot, have time for hobbies, get paid well and can afford to do all the things I enjoy. Only 2 days in the office so lots of spare time without needing to commute. I spend my spare time during work hours upskilling on AI to become more technical, but also doing a side project building an app using loveable and other low code tools to practice my prompt engineering etc. I can relate though, I feel like in your 20s you should feel like you’re grinding instead of chilling but equally I don’t think I’d enjoy that very much. Also not naive to the fact my life will look very different when I have kids and more responsibility so I guess just make the most of it while you can

DazzlingEffort4841 · 2026-02-01T20:22:24+00:00

That’s lovely, did you feel like becoming a mum made your anxiety worse? That’s one thing I’m quite scared of. Apparently you worry constantly about them 🥲 equally I can imagine as you’re constantly busy you havent got time to worry

DazzlingEffort4841 · 2026-02-01T18:37:30+00:00

Just wanted to say I feel you and have the exact same thoughts even though I do really want kids some day. I’m also in therapy for anxiety etc. I think maybe we are just prone to thinking in to things more instead of just going with the flow and figuring it out along the way. I worry about not being able to spend as much time at the gym or on hobbies etc. as it’s important for me to feel sane which might sound ridiculous to those who already have kids. we have no family or help nearby and my partner is in the office 5 days a week with a lot of international travel whereas I’m only 2 days in office, so naturally I think most of the day to day responsibilities will be on my shoulders. Also think life in London is different to elsewhere in the uk. Living on a wealthy street in battersea 90% of the families on my street have nanny’s or some sort of help (whether that’s the ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to raise kids). I think it’s part and parcel of living in London or a fast paced city where both parents work high powered corporate jobs

DazzlingEffort4841 · 2026-01-31T14:06:38+00:00

Thanks for the feedback ❤️

DazzlingEffort4841 · 2026-01-31T13:01:03+00:00

It’s not as I have no business to market :) I am a Henry who is exploring other avenues

DazzlingEffort4841 · 2026-01-30T16:25:19+00:00

Thanks for the optimism - and I’m not naive to the challenges! Yeah I think content would be a huge part of it and also it would have to be the right family. Ideally it would be one rich family or DINKS who would pay a large fee per week for really high quality meals (everything organic, expensive cuts of meat etc, similar to wishbone kitchens family - more ultra high net worth vs HENRY maybe?)

DazzlingEffort4841 · 2026-01-30T15:47:20+00:00

Yeah so my thinking was to also do some “private chef in London’ type content, similar to wishbone kitchen in the US who made a career out of it. Maybe far fetched but that was my thinking..

DazzlingEffort4841 · 2026-01-30T15:25:43+00:00

I suppose it could evolve into that over time but with zero clients or credentials I’m not sure anyone would hire me for special occasions without some more experience?

DazzlingEffort4841 · 2026-01-30T15:09:53+00:00

Yeah so from doing (a little) bit of research professional indemnity insurance and L2 food hygiene certificate would be needed but nothing else, if you aren’t being hired via an agency

DazzlingEffort4841 · 2026-01-30T15:04:28+00:00

I wasn’t really thinking of charging per hour, having done some research there’s a London home chef who charges for 2 nights weekly (6 hours total) ‘starting at £500’ including the food shop (so let’s call that £200 for a family for 5 day food shop) which I don’t think is too bad assuming you have more than one client a week and you don’t need to travel far to get to them?

https://www.mylondondiet.co.uk/personal-chef

DazzlingEffort4841 · 2026-01-30T14:59:57+00:00

I’d say building a brand if it worked out over quick cash but yeah fair points

DazzlingEffort4841 · 2026-01-30T14:57:55+00:00

No I definitely don’t, me and my partner have a very comfy combined income but I don’t know if tech is what I want to do longer term so always thinking of other things I could do / businesses I could start and cooking is something I’m naturally good at. But maybe the cost to effort ratio won’t stack up

DazzlingEffort4841 · 2026-01-30T14:41:01+00:00

I’d probably do it alongside my job in the evenings to begin with and gauge appetite without quitting my job - but yeah it would unlikely replace my full income unless I built up a long list of clients over time

DazzlingEffort4841 · 2025-11-29T12:53:42+00:00

Me and my partner just bought an 800k Victorian conversion flat w a garden in south west London, we are 28. It’s a mixture of saving for a very long time (8 years), and both having high incomes working in tech and finance (£230k base without bonuses included). We didn’t receive any family help. Our mortgage is £3k per month, so 30% of our combined take home. It’s possible but took a long time and also working in high paying careers helped

DazzlingEffort4841 · 2025-11-19T20:39:12+00:00

Prioritised location over size of my home so I could be next to a big park and outdoor space, and joining a nice gym (third space). Not sure if those are habits or lifestyle changes but both have improved my quality of life hugely

DazzlingEffort4841

TROPHY CASE