to have become a bit obsessed with this house?

[dreamhouse2020]

Like many of us, I like a bit of fantasy house shopping on Rightmove.

I am planning to move but in 3-5 years so not just yet.

I've found a house I really like. Really really like. Thing is, it's not my 'dream' house. It has a nice garden (plot in total is half an acre) but it's not surrounded by masses of land. It's not a beautiful old manor house or cute country cottage. But there's something about it that has drawn me in. I have viewed the Rightmove page 100s of times now. It's not far from my DP so we took a drive out to it and nosed through the windows (it's an estate sale, vacant possession) and that made me love it even more.

I can't buy it yet as we simply couldn't raise the money needed, I have about 25% in cash but I don't earn enough to get a mortgage for the rest on my own, and DP pays himself only just above min wage. Plus it needs money spending on it, and neither of us are in a position to move right now. If it was for sale in 3 years time that would be perfect.

So I know it's not meant to be, but still...I really need to find a distraction (this was a distraction from being sad about lockdown, working from home, feeling isolated etc but has now become an obsession. Every day I check that it's not been sold!). Any suggestions? - other than hoping for a lottery win/ mystery inheritance.

Used to live near there and if I remember correctly Elson Road was always a very desirable location. Although is it very dated you wouldn’t necessarily need to do any big jobs immediately.

I am on the south coast and houses are selling like hot cakes.
One house within a short walk of mine sold for over a million in one day and another which is being renovated by developers after standing empty for over 2 years has sold off plan and it doesn’t even have a roof yet. Who has £800k that they can spend on something that isn’t even built yet?

I want to know how the estate agent took picture 8. Was he up a tree?

@CatchTheCulprit

I want to know how the estate agent took picture 8. Was he up a tree?

😂

It's got a lot of potential, I can see why you like it but it would need so much spending on it to make it a nice home.

@CatchTheCulprit

I want to know how the estate agent took picture 8. Was he up a tree?

With a drone. Most estate agents around my neck of the woods use them.

The mental image of a young estate agent in a suit, scrabbling up a tree with a heavy camera, has just made me laugh so loud that I dog up.

*woke the dog up

Oo I love the house and gardens. Can’t stand the kitchen though too much wood for me . I’d have to rip it out.

Please take the link down, you're making me nervous thinking someone on here will like it!

That looks like a great plot OP - I’ve had a couple of dream houses over the years - the first was an acre plot with a run down bungalow - we were part way through an extension on our semi so the timing was wrong. The second was a great plot and run down house in the perfect location when husband was on garden leave looking for work and we’d only moved 18 months before . I am happy with the house we live in , it suits our needs - but it isn’t my dream - sometimes though in a grown up world that is enough when there are other priorities. There will be other chances OP .

It is anice house because

It is spacious inside and out
It is not close to other houses
It is surrounded by green and fields
It has an amazing pond which is attractive.
The view out of every window is green

It is not a nice house because - well, it is just a standard box. Needs work, (liveable while you save for work, but still) new bathroom and kitchen, probably windows, would want to knwo about electrics etc etc, it doesn't loko as if it has been updated for a while.

I think if you live anywhere busy/on a street/boxed in, this house will feel great!
But where you are there must be lots of other houses that also have the nice bits (and you can build a pond, it isn't hard) and lots with green views.
Do you have kids? Pond is a nightmare with small children!

@dreamhouse2020

It's in better condition than it probably seems from the photos, peering through the windows it was very tidy and clean, the structure is sound and all the exterior soffits, guttering etc are in perfect condition even though it's been empty for about 18 months. I would want a new kitchen, to replace the windows, change the bathroom, probably redo the heating etc but in theory it's liveable right now.

I think the setting is a big part of it, there are fields front and back, but also the plot and position of the house within it (if that makes sense).

I'm almost considering asking the vendors if they would rent it to us, but I think that might be a bit mad! Plus it's too soon really even for us to rent it (as we need to live elsewhere for the next couple of years at least).

Redo 1960s underfloor heating?

So dig up every concrete floor in the house?

I can see the appeal. It looks like a nice example of what it is and it looks like it has been well looked after, so despite being a bit dated it would be comfortable to live in whilst you decided what you wanted to do/raised funds to do the work.

You evidently lived there in a previous life. 🙂

Maybe you should book in to be shown around. Once you've been inside you might find things about it that you don't like after all and "get it out of your system" as it were.

It’s very similar to my parents’ house, although there’s was a corner plot on an otherwise unremarkable housing estate. They extended the kitchen out further to make it more of a square with a large utility room to one side.

All I can say is wow!! What a beautiful price, im currently looking in Dublin, Ireland for a 3 bedroomed house, these are the houses that come up for same price, tiny and only good thing is they are near the city centre. I hope you get your dream house x

www.myhome.ie/residential/results?localities=1422|1283&region=1453&minprice=350000&maxprice=400000

Obviously i meant what a beautiful house (and price)

The grounds are absolutely gorgeous but the house is too boxy for them. In fact, I'd be tempted to knock it down and start again with a Grand Designs style floor to ceiling glass fronted barn. If I was a millionaire, mind.

Is that a bit pricey for Ellesmere? Maybe you should put in an offer for what you can afford. It can’t hurt.

@BlackAmericanoNoSugar

I love the pond in the front garden. I quite like 70s houses so I don't think it's all that ugly, but they were built when oil was cheap so they cost a fortune to heat. It also depends on the style of construction, if it's block built then it's sturdy enough but a lot of 70s houses used what at the time was innovative construction methods and some of them have turned out to deteriorate quite badly over time so there may be bad issues with damp or mould.

Id say it is 60s rather than 70s A lot of similartities with the smaller version I grew up in that mu larents boight when kt was 4 rows kf bricks high! That fire surround is virtually identical to "ours" and typical early 60s.

It looks like it's been extended at some time @dreamhouse2020 so may come with problems built in. Tell yourself it'll do badly at survey if you want to fall out of love with it. And having already been extended it may restrict what you can do in future with it.

Yikes. I can type!

My parents bought when it was 4 rows of bricks high