Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To want to sell up and buy this house by the sea?

351 replies

caramara · 01/05/2020 13:40

Lockdown boredom has set in and started looking for somewhere to buy with what I could roughly have in equity if I sold my house.

I know Jaywick is a bit rough (I'm the opposite side of Essex currently so know the area a little) but still, can it really be that bad? The idea of being mortgage free is quite appealing, and the house looks like it requires no work at all, plus I love the kitchen.

And I could walk to the beach!

the house

Please tell me I'm BU/ point out all the faults with my plan!

OP posts:
oakleaffy · 02/05/2020 11:57

Location, location, location.
Better a tiny place in a good area than a cheaper larger place in a less desirable area.
You want to feel safe. I know someone who did buy a place at a cheap seaside place, and she says it is quite depressing...high unemployment and that run down feel.

ArriettyJones · 02/05/2020 11:59

What I was trying to say is that she is a single woman but, despite the public perception of Jaywick (not entirely unfounded) she had no qualms about moving there and has always felt safe

Fair enough. It still wouldn’t be for me (or most people), but I can see that for intrepid types it might be interesting.

gingersausage · 02/05/2020 12:00

I’m half amused/half baffled by the number of people who think it’s a “lovely house”. On what planet is it even a passable house? I’m no house snob, but it’s barely habitable let alone lovely. It’s non-standard construction and looks like one of the Butlins chalets that were pulled down for being too grim.

I’m also fascinated by the amount of “oh my god it’s so cheap!!!” posts. How in fuck is £140000 cheap for a shack in a shithole? Do some of you not realise that there are vast swathes of the UK where £140000 will buy you a solid brick built mortgageable house, in a decent area?

oakleaffy · 02/05/2020 12:02

@caramara
But a detached house seems like a nice escape from my current mid terrace grin

THIS!/\

I too live mid terrace..... the din from next doors children is tedious at best. And constant DIY on other side.
I too fantasise about moving to a place with no shared walls
:)

bluedelphinium · 02/05/2020 12:05

not reading the full thread and it does seem a bargain (god, I would love to move by the sea again) but am I right in thinking most housing in Jaywick is old holiday chalets renovated, so not really built for year round habitation? I imagine it would be pretty bleak in winter if so. also, didn't it flood pretty badly a couple of years ago?

BarbaraofSeville · 02/05/2020 12:09

I'm also baffled by the 'unbelivably cheap' comments. I could post dozens of links to nice houses in perfectly decent but admittedly not gold standard Mumsnet approved areas with plenty of amenities, which a lack of is one of jaywick's many shortcomings.

Surely the people who live in high cost areas know that it is house prices in their areas that are outside the norm?

Happyadventurer · 02/05/2020 12:09

@nettie434, yes, I saw that too. Terribly sad.
I totally agree with you about visiting at different times of day/week etc. My first suggestion, and knowing the area very well I stand by, was to go and visit when the weather is bad. That is when you will see Jaywick at its worst. If you feel you can live with that then crack on, make few return visits, meet the community and then make up your mind.
Whatever the OP decides I hope she finds somewhere where she will be happy.

Nicolastuffedone · 02/05/2020 12:12

Those cupboards in the kitchen make it look like a morgue.

Bluntness100 · 02/05/2020 12:14

I was honestly expecting some dream propert by the sea when I opened this, completely stunned it’s a cramped little house in jaywick of all places. It’s the ghetto of Britain for goodness sake. Id understand if you were getting a magnificent property but that tiny little cramped house makes it all the more bemusing.

fannyanney · 02/05/2020 12:14

Jaywick really really is that bad.

BarbaraofSeville · 02/05/2020 12:14

Why is it a bargain when you can get a proper house on a street with paved roads, by the sea with a selection of shops, cafes etc nearby in many areas of the UK for a similar price?

Happyadventurer · 02/05/2020 12:19

Certain parts of Jaywick have flooded badly in the past. A lot of the houses are built on stilts. For the poster who asked about them being holiday chalets, originally they were and were never designed for permanent living, however people do now live in them all year round. Some of them are still barely fit for habitation. Since the ‘holiday village’ days more have been built for permanent occupation. While many are still run down some of them have been bought and renovated by people who actually take a pride in their home and where they live. Pick and choose, there’s good and bad.

bluedelphinium · 02/05/2020 12:25

Barbara I just meant that by South East house prices, it does seem cheap on first glance without full knowledge of the structural properties of the house and any issues with the surrounding area.

Original poster
caramara · 02/05/2020 12:26

I'm not going to link to where I live now, but many of you would probably think it was tough. I live in an ex local authority house, because when I bought it the choices were that, with a driveway and garden, or smaller homes (2 bed cottage style house or flat) with no parking, in a better area. I wanted the bigger home whereas I think from a lot of posts on here people would have taken the better area. I've not regretted it as we've enjoyed the extra space and I love not having to fight for a parking place on the street.

The idea of living by the sea has a lot of appeal. Living by the sea in Essex might not be everyone's cup of tea but as I won't know anyone, to me I'd rather live somewhere I know a bit and where I sound kind of local, that feels less scary, than to be the incoming East Londoner in another part of the country that I don't know at all.

I do like aspects of this house very much. I take the points made around construction and location. I don't want to live somewhere that's a flood risk. I am going to go up there, get a feel for the whole place and decide if I could live there. I feel pretty sure I could live in Clacton already but I'm fully aware that Clacton and Jaywick are pretty different despite their geographical proximity!

OP posts:
Original poster
caramara · 02/05/2020 12:27

Rough not tough! Although tough might also apply I guess Grin

OP posts:
gingersausage · 02/05/2020 12:32

OP, there’s literally no helping you if despite the fact it floods, it’s a shithole, and the property is crap, you still feel the need to “go and have a look at it”.

Original poster
caramara · 02/05/2020 12:35

And there aren't many places you can live near the sea, in a 3 or even 2 bed detached property for under 150k. I know because I've looked. And certainly very few within a couple of hours of London.

I'm sure there are mid terraces, flats, 1 bed homes or alternative properties like mobile homes or boats but they're not for me. So I'll look at what I can afford now that fits my criteria and if it's not right for whatever reason, I'll work out what will buy me the property I want in a good enough location and keep on as I am til the sums balance out.

OP posts:
LakieLady · 02/05/2020 12:40

Worse than Hastings and that's saying something

Hastings is starting to get a bit hipsterish and trendy now! There are lots of arty types who have moved down because big houses are cheap and it's getting some very niche and "artisan" type shops.

A few years ago, you could easily pick up a decent one-bed flat in Hastings for £60k and rent it out for £400-450 a month. There are still a few for that sort of price, but they're either crappy or cash buyers only. In some parts of town, prices have really gone up (and not just the Old Town, which has always been a different kettle of fish from the rest of Hastings).

Original poster
caramara · 02/05/2020 12:40

I'm talking about looking at the area generally. I know Clacton and I like it, that's not a flood risk. Not all of the area is. Likewise not all of the area is wood framed homes on stilts, lots are solid brick construction.
This particular house may not be right (though I wouldn't describe it as crap, I think that's unfair) but there may be homes in the wider surrounding area which are.

OP posts:
GeorgianaD · 02/05/2020 12:43

The house is little more than a slum.

GoatyGoatyMingeMinge · 02/05/2020 12:44

A bit of information about the "plotlands" phenomenon that led to the type of housing you find in Jaywick.
www.spatialagency.net/database/why/political/the.plotlanders
They were basically badly built amateur shacks, from a time before planning regulation and building control. In most other places they have long since been bulldozed. In Jaywick they may have been cosmetically improved over time, but the underlying construction is still likely to be very shoddy. I would definitely get a surveyor to give a view of its true value. It may well be unmortgagable, and very difficult to insure, meaning very difficult to sell on if you change your mind.

wonderwhatnext · 02/05/2020 12:45

“Why is it a bargain when you can get a proper house on a street with paved roads, by the sea with a selection of shops, cafes etc nearby in many areas of the UK for a similar price?”

Where though Barbara? I had a look out of interest and I couldn’t find anything whatsoever, except for mobile homes.

Maybe there might be something in far-flung areas such as Scotland or the Welsh coast, but the OP doesn’t want to move that far.

I think for a reasonable house with 3 beds at that price close to a decent beach, you might have to go abroad, but obviously that’s a whole other ball-game.

Happy to be proved wrong though?

Bluntness100 · 02/05/2020 12:49

If you’re going to jaywick, have you someone to take with you to ensure your safety if you’re going to be walking about? Or will you just stay in the car? If so keep the doors locked.

suggestionsplease1 · 02/05/2020 12:51

I deliberately chose to move to what most would consider a 'rougher' area to get value for money and a house I really love. I checked out the street multiple times first, on different days, different times, to try to get a feel for it and see if there might be difficult neighbours. It helped it has a great park right next to it, so I had the excuse of parking up and walking the dog there before committing to buy.

When I moved in I took time to introduce myself to all my neighbours and get local information on bins, repair garages etc - it meant that I fitted in quickly, could always smile and wave and that I ave always felt looked out for.

I haven't really found it that rough myself - here it seems changed days from gang reputations of the past - the lads are all indoors gaming!

I haven't regretted it myself, but I did a huge amount of research. OP, you may need to think about the construction of the house if it non-standard, foundation etc...insurance might be an issue?

Happyadventurer · 02/05/2020 12:52

@caramara, please go and look for yourself. Jaywick has had a very bad press but you may go and find that it isn’t as bad as you are hearing. Whether you want to go and live there is another matter but you wont know unless you go see. There have been a lot of comments on here from people who, I suspect, have never visited and are only going on what they have heard or on very biased TV reporting.
If, as you say, you are and east London girl you might find that you fit in very well. I originally come from a town that is now classed as the last town in London. When I grew up It was called the first town in Essex and then the boundary changed. I lived in Clacton for a while and there were a lot of people who had come from the same area as me and it felt very comfortable.
I totally understand your reasons. Jaywick may or may not be right for you. If it’s not then Clacton may be. I don’t live in Clacton now but I have to say that I enjoyed my life there when I did.
Good luck.😊