House buying

[CharlotteRose90]

Hi,

So I’m not sure if this is the right section for it but I’m needing help.

I’m a first time buyer and I’m hoping to buy a house early next year. Haven’t found one yet but is there anything that I should be looking out for in terms of no nos .

Im northwest way. All I care about is having 2-3 beds, a drive or parking and a back garden.

Just feel I’m in over my head with not knowing what can be dangerous etc.

There’s much informed comment about price drops next year, as unemployment rises. No one can ever be sure of the right time to buy of course, but I attach images of an article from the Generally-Loathed-on-MN Daily Telegraph today.

Also, any gains possible from the Stamp Duty holiday have now long been incorporated into asking prices.

Good luck, take your time, and don’t let your heart rule your head.

Oops! Wrong second page!! Correct one now attached.

Always, always, always get a proper survey done, not just the basic valuation one. Don't set your heart on a particular house because the survey could be a nightmare. If you have set your heart on the house and the survey doesn't look great have a chat with the person who did it, we did and they were very reassuring about things that looked worrying on paper, but weren't actually that bad (turned out we were worrying about the wrong bits, but there you go, we didn't buy that house.)

Decide how much/how little work your willing to do in advance (though allow for some flexibility). For example, for us a house where we'd have to immediately put a new bathroom or kitchen in was not an option, but we were happy to repaint a couple of rooms and do other minor cosmetic work more or less immediately.

Be prepared for things to go wrong/delays/extra expenses. Hopefully nothing major, but even quite minor things can delay things by a week or so if paperwork has to be sent back and fore between you and the sellers.

And don't worry too much. Be organised, keep all paperwork etc together. Read everything properly, don't be scared to ask questions and don't be scared to pull out if the survey shows anything terrible - or to negotiate on the price.

Anything worrying should be picked up in conveyencing (which is when a solicitor checks out that everything is okay with the property before you officially buy it)

This isn't strictly true OP. A solicitor checks the legal title to the property. You should get a survey too though to check the actual structural integrity of the property. It certainly isn't a case of absolutely anything worrying will be picked up in the conveyancing so don't rely solely on that.

And agree with PPs, I'd avoid newbuilds like the plague and flats personally.

Leasehold houses aren't always a no no. Lots of them are on long leases with tiny ground rent of a couple of quid a year. Some don't even have active freeholders. I wouldn't write off a leasehold house solely because it were leasehold, find out a bit more about the actual freeholder first. A lot of the time you can buy your freehold for not a huge amount if it's a house with a small ground rent.

Dont be put off buying new. If you are spending top dollar on a house at least with a new build you will have the warranty.

Older houses may have a bigger footprint but they are fraught with dodgy DIY etc

The reason I say avoid new builds is because having worked alongside developers for a long time, they simply like to get things churned out as quickly as possible. It certainly isn't the case that because a house is new build it won't have lots of problems. They are often thrown up as quickly as possible so the developer can start making money on them.

They also like to find any loopholes possible to still get you paying charges like service charges etc... It can actually get quite expensive even when the house itself is newbuild.

Sorry even when the house itself is freehold that meant to say*

Detached was the least important thing to me, I really didn't care. We moved into a detached, now it's my #1 priority.

As we are all going to be driving electric cars now, I would also say a driveway is a must. Even if not for you by the time you sell it's going to be a big thing.

I would rather buy small somewhere 'nice' than large in a less nice part of town.

Agree with the comment about lots of leasehold houses in the North West. My house is a 999 year lease and service charge is set at four pounds.

@ZaraW

Agree with the comment about lots of leasehold houses in the North West. My house is a 999 year lease and service charge is set at four pounds.

Even some freehold houses can be subject to a charge called a "rentcharge" or "chief rent", which is also occasionally referred to as a ground rent. This is comparatively common in parts of the North West (and also around Bristol/Bath).

The sums involved are often trivial, having been eroded by inflation to the point where they may not even be worth collecting. I saw an example of a shilling and sixpence a year, which I think equates to 7.5p!

www.gov.uk/guidance/rentcharges#what-is-a-rentcharge

You’re highly unlikely to complete within the stamp duty holiday now OP. Don’t factor that into your calculations.

Do you have children and do you need to be near a school? Pick an area within equidistant of a decent primary and secondary. We're near a primary but not within catchment for any secondary.

Do go with your gut feeling about a house. Never buy something because 'it will do'. If you look round a place and you can see how you would use the space straight away and it feels like a happy home, then it is probably for you. (Incidentally, this has nothing to do with the quality of the decorating or fixtures and fittings) I know this is very subjective, but I have looked at houses that are variously; very dark inside, odd shaped rooms, smell funny or are just plain spooky. If you don't like it that much when you view, you will hate it even more after a few years. e.g. I bought a house once simply because it was in the right place at the right price. I move after a year. Couldn't stand it.
No house is perfect (even brand new ones). don't reject a house out of hand because it has easily fixable faults (like blown double glazing or a crumbly kitchen). You can always negotiate.

Another thing I thought of last night. Do you have a preference for heating and shower type?

For me, central heating and a gravity-fed shower are non-negotiables. There is no way I am going into debt for 25 years to have crappy electric heating and an electric shower.

@MaskingForIt

Another thing I thought of last night. Do you have a preference for heating and shower type?

For me, central heating and a gravity-fed shower are non-negotiables. There is no way I am going into debt for 25 years to have crappy electric heating and an electric shower.

My house had storage heating and that was reflected in the price. Estate agent said it put a lot of people off. It wasn't difficult for me to get central heating installed.

@MinnieMountain

You’re highly unlikely to complete within the stamp duty holiday now OP. Don’t factor that into your calculations.

If OP is a first time buyer she won't pay SD up to £300k anyway, so unless you're buying over this OP I wouldn't worry about stamp duty.

@ZaraW It wasn't difficult for me to get central heating installed.

It is something for the OP to be aware of though. It’s good that you could have CH put in, but a lot of villages aren’t on the gas mains and some houses don’t have room for an oil/LPG tank.

With neighbours it’s extremely difficult to tell what they are like, when we moved into our house we were told that the lady next door was a quiet artist, she was a raging alcoholic who slammed doors till the early hours then screamed at me in front of my kids. I never would have discovered that without moving in. I often think you should house swap before committing to buy as our sellers covered up so many issues that our surveyor didn’t spot broken garage door, broken electric socket, rats who had chewed through the back of the kitchen cabinets, broken taps etc.
My advice is to switch on every tap, check the water is warm, check all of the kitchen cabinets, check for signs of pests, knock on every neighbours door and ask them about each other (fuck being rude it’s the biggest investment you’ll ever make). Google the street on the crime map.

@LilyLongJohn

Location location location for me. It's better to have a smaller house or something less attractive on the outside, in the right location than a lovely house in a crap location. I've done both and would now always pick the first scenario.

100% this. Get a craphole in a great area rather than a palace in dumpsville. You can always extend and renovate a house but you can't move it's location to somewhere nice. Id you want kids though make sure your school options are ok, although in the UK it really means very little as they can place you anywhere. I Facebook searched the street we bought in on the local page to see what came up. A few.other streets we'd looked at houses came up on local page discussing boy racers/traffic problems so glad we didn't consider those.

Walk away from any property that has damp or mould issues. In my experience they almost never completely fixable and are miserable to live with.

Hi OP if you're in the North West, lots of older housing stock (think 1920s / 1930s houses) are LONG leasehold and it's pretty standard and not an issue at all. Its really only NEW leasehold houses (so 20 years old or less) that are problematic, but a reputable conveyancing solicitor in the NW will be able to explain this to you.

Be realistic with your budget, be willing to make compromises and research areas you aren't familiar with and might not have considered. The area I ended up moving to I wouldnt have considered but its a lovely street and people have been there for donkeys years.

With regards to mining areas, many areas in the uk are built around mine shafts, mine included, there is a mine shaft in my next door neighbours garden and no issues selling on my street. The houses are nearly 100 years old and solid.

Think about how long you are staying there and what you need right now. For example schools, if kids arent on the agenda for a few years and its not going to be your forvever home i wouldnt worry about schools.

Mid Terraces are a no for me, not sure why they just feel enclosed. An end terrace is no different to a semi for me.

Is it worth doing a bit of work to gain equity. Id avoid new builds at all costs, ex council houses are big and structurally good (pending survery) i love 1930s houses or older.

Good luck

We've put central heating in two houses that we bought that didn't have it installed.

I can't comment for houses not on mains gas, but otherwise, it'll likely take a couple of days and cost around £5k tops unless your requirements are in some way unusual, so I wouldn't see that as a dealbreaker or even a particular point for negotiation unless the house is otherwise overpriced.

• Don't always look at houses that look 'nice'; look at houses that you aren't keen on too. We didn't like the look of the house we bought but thought we'd look 'just in case'. I'm so glad we did becauae the minute the front door opened, I knew it was MY home.
• Make a list of things you want to know from the sellers: what are the neighbours like etc.
• Drive around the area at different hours of the day and on different days too. That way, you'll get a feel of if there's any Antisocial behaviour etc.
• Google the street too. You'll soon find any articles about potential neighbours if they're a nuisance.
• Judge every house as a blank canvas. The decor really shouldn't matter as you'll make it your own anyway.
• Ask about the boiler. If it's an old one, chances are it could need replacing which could be costly!
• If your perfect home has been on the market a while, definitely offer a price under the asking price. We did this and after a big of haggling, managed to get 10% off the asking price as the sellers were so desperate to get it done. They'll either say yes or no but anything you save will help you decorate etc