To ask for your opinions on this house?

[SureYouCan]

Sorry i can not do links . It is on PrimeLocation and Property Reference is: KGEHA5908.
We are looking to buy and we can just about stretch to 245K. We have 2 dcs, dd1 2yrs old and dd2 6mth. Can i ask mn for opinions?

I don't like it at all but that's probably a very unfair comment since it isn't me who is considering buying it. If you like the house and it suits your needs then who am I to come across all sniffy? I also prefer much older properties but then I don't have to live in Enfield either.

God the saddest thing is that I bought a house just like it in 1998 for £23,000, how on earth did things get so crazy that anyone charge £245,000 for that size house ?

It is funny because we couldn't sleep last night, we were so happy imagining ourselves living there after years of saving and living at mil's, 4 of us in one room at the moment!

Aah, that's nice! Go for it OP and ignore the snotty comments. If it says 'home' to you then that's all that matters. Good luck and look forward to eating your mandatory fish and chips, surrounded by boxes, knowing it's yours!

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-30221329.html
Nicer area, nicer schools, should get it for £250. And nothing wrong with Enfield btw

OP, that house is fine. We rented a similar looking house when we first moved to our area and were looking to buy. We were really happy there. Those houses are light and spacious, easy to clean and very warm. They are also well designed for families with small children. The photos don't do it justice. If you can fit a pool table and dining table in the dining room, then that's definitely not poky.

People on this thread aren't looking beyond the owner's furniture. Overhead cupboards can come down easily enough if you'd rather have wardrobes, but give it five years and everyone will be saying what gorgeous period details they are. Same with that red tiled bay window at the front (which I really like - classic design of its era.) You can't win!

It's amazing how little vision some people have and how they try to disguise that with really snooty comments. Stick a beautiful flowering cherry tree or maple in a huge pot in front of the house, with a couple of window boxes, climbing clematis or honeysuckle and they'd all coo and say how lovely it is. That would cost you about £40 all in. Kerb appeal is easy to create. To my taste it needs a bit of updating but not immediately. It's not falling apart. If you can imagine being happy there, buy it, live in it and decide if and how you want to remodel it when you have a bit of money saved.

Though I must say the house Izzy linked to in the same area for the same price had me drooling. That really is beautiful without doing anything to it!

If you're not used to London prices I'd imagine it would come as a shock. Also, some people are just being cunts.

There's nothing at all wrong with the house. The off street parking is great and the lounge-diner is a lovely space. If you love it, go for it. If you're not sure, go and look again at what else is out there before you commit.

I would figure out how close you want to be from your ILs (travel time by car or train, whichever you'd use) and draw a circle around their house that has it's limits at your max travel time. Then look at the stations your DH could use to get to work. Stations that are fairly close geographically (as I'm sure you know) can add or deduct 10 minutes or more from travel time. Your DH might walk for an extra couple of minutes to get a 'faster' train.

Go and see as many houses as humanly possible- including those above your price range- ask how long they've been on the market and don't be afraid to put in a cheeky offer. You're in a good position (no chain) and presumably have an agreement in principle from a mortgage company to lend to you. You're an attractive buyer.

If you can't find something you'd prefer in two weeks then go for it.

I think it's a perfectly decent house, and would make a lovely first home. You wouldn't need to do anything to it immediately. However the downside is that the kitchen is small, as is the garden, so you don't have a lot of room to extend/add value.

On which note, how about this? Obviously needs work - but that should mean scope to negotiate on price. And being a semi you have room to extend behind/above the garage in future, should you want....

Also this

or here though it has a gf bathroom which is one of my personal no-nos....

I agree with the advice of seeing as many houses as you can, even if some are a little over budget. If they've been on the market a while, sellers may be willing to accept an offer, esp from someone who's not in a chain.

Mid-terrace houses can have a lot going for them providing you have good neighbours on both sides of your property.

It seems that the house you're interested in has been modernised and the kitchen may have been relocated to an adjoining wall hence the lack of window. Remember that, for most folk, the kitchen is the heart of the home and natural light is important in any rooms that get the most use.

When it's your first house purchase it's so easy to get carried away, especially if you've been living in cramped conditons, but my searches have shown that there's lots of available 3 bed properties in Enfield and many are below your budget .

I'm sure you're anxious to get into your own place as soon as possible, but if you haven't viewed many properties get yourself out and about. Take a notebook and record everything from your first impression on sight of the house, through to interior, garden(s), local amenities, proximity to good schools etc, and if you find a house that's of interest to you, lurk around the area at different times of the day and night to get a 'feel' for the place.

If you intend this to be your first step on the property ladder and hope to move on to bigger/better after a few years, look for something that will resell with little effort.

I like the look of the property with g/f bathroom that Hatesponge has provided a link to. It has advantages that may not be immediately apparent to you: it is semi-detached with halls adjoining which means that while you may hear the neighbours clumping up and down, you're unlikely to hear their tv/stereo - plus you'll only have one near neighbour.

In addition, there's room on the side to extend if you decide to stay put - you could build a garage with an upper additional bedroom and a family bathroom, or simply extend the ground floor living area and wait till funds are available to add another level.

Ground floor bathrooms aren't the end of the world - they can be a boon if you have young children as you can do supper, bath, cuddle & story in front of the living room fire, and up to bed. And the minor inconvenience of pottys for the littlies (and possibly a portaloo for the adults) pales into insignificance if you've saved 10k+ on the otherwise house of your dreams.

It's a buyer's market at the moment; be choosy as there's every reason to expect that you can get a very nice house for your bucks.

BTW, the cottage I've given the link to originally belonged to the Parker Bowles family. If you buy that particular des res you'll be able to thumb your nose at any snooty m/netters - of course they'll probably be falling over themselves to try and blag an invite but courtesy dictates that I'll be your first guest for afternoon tea and they can eat crow

OP, it looks very similar to the house where I grew up. Go for it!

Bear in mind that although the asking price is £245k, no one in their right mind is going to pay that.

yes, you need a shortlist of properties rather than one that you've set your heart on, and have a strict idea of your budget but also look for houses slightly over budget and make low offers on them. You never know. But be prepared to walk away rather than stretch your budget if they don't bite.
good luck!!!!

Thank you so much for your kind comments
I agree with all your points. Tbh i really love this house apart from the kitchen. You are right that i should see as many as possible and make sure we buy the best for our money. I don't want to get too excited and make a mistake, we have worked and saved so hard for the deposit. I have to rush dd1 to playgroup and then i 'll come back to look at the other houses, thank you for the links!

sureyoucan looks like a lovely house for a first buy - our first house didn't have room to swing a cat. I wouldn't worry about other peoples' opinions too much TBH. All I would think is - can I afford the mortgage, is there enough room for now and the potential to improve/add on if we want to; and is the area/local school decent? If the answer to all three is yes I would go for it. Good luck!

Looks all right to me, although I'd probably want a bit more garden ... If it floats your boat ignore all the snooty-git heckling and go for it!

Looks like a perfectly nice house (once you take out the pool table and the light-blocking curtains).

BUT if the kitchen is small and has no window that is a really big issue. Think how much time you spend in the kitchen. TBH for that reason, I would suggest you keep looking.

(unless - is it possible to knock through from the kitchen to the dining room maybe?)

I Personally wouldn't buy it at that price,too small and way too much. But then again it's not me thats buying.
If It suits your budget and your family then go for it.

But as you said the kitchen is a bit too small for you so you can either comprise or keep looking. I know how easy it is to get carried away when you are buying your first home but do cover as many properties as you can, to make sure you made the right choice.

We viewed well over 100 properties when buying our house to make sure the one we bought (this one) was the absolute perfect property. I became quite ruthless discarding the ones i didn't think were right (including the 100 or so we didn't view) whether it be one of the rooms too small, parking issues or even if the house just didn't feel right.

Just dont make any rash decisions, only you know what is right for you and your family and you will find the perfect house.

I think it looks fine (lookss perfectly good on the outside to me), especially for a first buy, EXCEPT that there's no window in the kitchen. I do think that would rapidly become quite claustrophobic for you.

As somone said, that's what houses look like, on the whole. They aren't usually cottages with roses round the door.

But there is a window in the kitchen. You can't see it in the photos but it clearly says in the details that there are double glazed windows to the rear.
OP if you like it go for it but it doesn't do any harm to keep looking at other houses aswell.

Yes the kitchen definitely has windows. It also isn't that small, it's actually long and narrow which is very common in older houses. Personally I would be happy with a kitchen that size but it's up to the OP to decide.

Well I think it looks very nice and warm and from op's comments seems fit for purpose as well. Personally I think the kitchen is a bit pokey, but it depends on how much cooking you do.

Good luck!

I like this house OP.

Wrt the kitchen, I have lived in a house with a large kitchen and currently live in a house with a small one. I can honestly say that I prefer my small kitchen, because the design is better and I seem to have a lot more cupboard and worktop space. I think that if it's a choice between having a big kitchen, but that space being taken from the living room. then I would rather have the additional space in the living room and a smaller kitchen.

I have also found that a smaller kitchen gives me a legitimate reason to turf the kids out when I am cooking (it is safer if they are not in there while I am dealing with hot pans) and I can read my magazine in peace while waiting for the pasta to cook.

I also think a huge bathroom is a waste of space that could be better used in a bedroom.

If you like it OP, then that's good enough

Rightmove has quite a few.

I think the one you linked to is OK, but having a small kitchen now I would personally want bigger.

I quite like this one www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-18767421.html

or this

small kitchen but garden makes up for it?

Some of the houses people have suggested alternatives are far worse looking than the one you want to go for OP. If you like it, then go for it.