| #52 |
I have finally seen one I am actually contemplating making an offer on.
It's a 1950s semi, so the rooms are bigger than the predominantly 1930s houses I've seen so far. Huge windows with great views from the front. The front room is really nice and raised up from the street (there's a good size front garden, albeit north-facing) so it doesn't feel overlooked. But then there's an even nicer back room, with french doors onto the garden! The kitchen is tiny and I'm having a hard time picturing how to make it work as there are three doors out of it and two windows, making it difficult to get a full range of modern kitchen units in. (I'm trying to get a second viewing to think about this, but it's very hard to get second viewings in the current market as houses are selling too fast). There are three double bedrooms (though one is in a long and skinny extension) and a tiny box-room upstairs. The bathroom was probably fitted early 90s, so it's definitely not needing replacing as a matter of urgency unlike many of the properties I've seen (I mean, I'll want a new bathroom, but it can wait until I'm ready). It's dated (I suspect last redecorated in the early 90s) but seems in great shape - no evidence of any damp anywhere. Hasn't been rewired since it was built, but the boiler isn't ancient - I would guess around 15 years old - and a good brand.
Then the most important bit, the garden! It's south facing, but with a slight northerly slope - looks like it will still be very sunny. It's been tiered so there are flat sections. I can also see that it might be possible to exploit the tiers to add in some shadier sections so it isn't too oppressive on sunny days. It's not huge (about 22 metres) but probably more than big enough to keep me going for a few years! The vendor is planning to leave the greenhouse and shed. There's also a huge detached garage with the potential to become an amazing outdoor gardening room/potting shed, though if you stand inside and look up, you can see the sky, so it definitely needs some work!
There are some negatives. I'm really having a hard time picturing how to make a great kitchen without adding a side extension (which would block car access to the garage, though there is plenty of driveway for off-road parking), blocking off a doorway, or knocking it through to the back room that I love as it is. I wish I'd taken some photos of the kitchen from different angles, or there was a floorplan available, but there isn't. I sketched my own from memory, but I'm not entirely sure it's accurate for the position of things and certainly isn't to scale! I don't mind a modest kitchen, but I do want to be able to fit a sink, washing machine, fridge-freezer, dishwasher, cooker, decent bit of work surface, and a few cupboards! I've never had a dishwasher before (apart from a few months in a rented house) but I think it would massively improve my quality of life and I really want one!
The vendor appears to be part-exchanging it to move into a new build assisted living flat, so I would probably be buying from the developer rather than the vendor. I gather there can be some issues with this, such as affecting which mortgage lenders you can use (and I am already a bit restricted, as not all of them understand how doctor salaries work and may refuse to lend on the basis of my full salary). I also have some ethical concerns about the developers and the way they take advantage of older people and then leave them or their families with properties that they can't resell for anything remotely close to what they were bought for. If the developer already owns the property, then it's too late to change it and somebody has to buy the house, but I would hate for it to leave a bad taste in my mouth because I knew the original owner hadn't got a fair deal.
So, I am conflicted. But I probably don't have much time to make a decision, given the current market.
It's a 1950s semi, so the rooms are bigger than the predominantly 1930s houses I've seen so far. Huge windows with great views from the front. The front room is really nice and raised up from the street (there's a good size front garden, albeit north-facing) so it doesn't feel overlooked. But then there's an even nicer back room, with french doors onto the garden! The kitchen is tiny and I'm having a hard time picturing how to make it work as there are three doors out of it and two windows, making it difficult to get a full range of modern kitchen units in. (I'm trying to get a second viewing to think about this, but it's very hard to get second viewings in the current market as houses are selling too fast). There are three double bedrooms (though one is in a long and skinny extension) and a tiny box-room upstairs. The bathroom was probably fitted early 90s, so it's definitely not needing replacing as a matter of urgency unlike many of the properties I've seen (I mean, I'll want a new bathroom, but it can wait until I'm ready). It's dated (I suspect last redecorated in the early 90s) but seems in great shape - no evidence of any damp anywhere. Hasn't been rewired since it was built, but the boiler isn't ancient - I would guess around 15 years old - and a good brand.
Then the most important bit, the garden! It's south facing, but with a slight northerly slope - looks like it will still be very sunny. It's been tiered so there are flat sections. I can also see that it might be possible to exploit the tiers to add in some shadier sections so it isn't too oppressive on sunny days. It's not huge (about 22 metres) but probably more than big enough to keep me going for a few years! The vendor is planning to leave the greenhouse and shed. There's also a huge detached garage with the potential to become an amazing outdoor gardening room/potting shed, though if you stand inside and look up, you can see the sky, so it definitely needs some work!
There are some negatives. I'm really having a hard time picturing how to make a great kitchen without adding a side extension (which would block car access to the garage, though there is plenty of driveway for off-road parking), blocking off a doorway, or knocking it through to the back room that I love as it is. I wish I'd taken some photos of the kitchen from different angles, or there was a floorplan available, but there isn't. I sketched my own from memory, but I'm not entirely sure it's accurate for the position of things and certainly isn't to scale! I don't mind a modest kitchen, but I do want to be able to fit a sink, washing machine, fridge-freezer, dishwasher, cooker, decent bit of work surface, and a few cupboards! I've never had a dishwasher before (apart from a few months in a rented house) but I think it would massively improve my quality of life and I really want one!
The vendor appears to be part-exchanging it to move into a new build assisted living flat, so I would probably be buying from the developer rather than the vendor. I gather there can be some issues with this, such as affecting which mortgage lenders you can use (and I am already a bit restricted, as not all of them understand how doctor salaries work and may refuse to lend on the basis of my full salary). I also have some ethical concerns about the developers and the way they take advantage of older people and then leave them or their families with properties that they can't resell for anything remotely close to what they were bought for. If the developer already owns the property, then it's too late to change it and somebody has to buy the house, but I would hate for it to leave a bad taste in my mouth because I knew the original owner hadn't got a fair deal.
So, I am conflicted. But I probably don't have much time to make a decision, given the current market.
Formerly self-contained, but expanding my gardening horizons beyond pots!
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