To ask if you think there is a catch with this house?

[whereismormonjesus]

www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/57341298?search_identifier=ee83ceb5222b41500122e9029c5cd8bd

Basically that. A young (talking uni age) relative with 30k saved up for a house deposit has seen it and thinks it’s the lucky jackpot.

Is he planning to take on lodgers for the other rooms to help pay the mortgage? Has he looked to see what the rental market is like in the area? Are there good commuter links for instance, as people living in house shares are less likely to drive.

If he’s going to live alone, in his circumstances I’d be looking for a smaller property in an area with a demand for small property (commuters/students). Maybe a property that’s a little bit run down if he wants to work on it.

He needs to walk the area, sit in the local pub a couple of times, drive by at night.

He needs to be thinking if he can easily sell it on when the time comes. If he’s already paid the top range of what the house is worth, then unless the area is likely to suddenly thrive there won’t be a return on his investment. Would he be happy with his choice if he found himself in negative equity and had to sit tight for ten or fifteen years before selling?

I couldn’t really advise one way or the other but those are some questions to ask.

“Generous sized bedrooms”

I’d hate to see what they would describe as “cozy”

Assuming he only needs one room himself, he’d be better off getting a two bed place with a room he can actually rent out - nobody would rent those because there’s no room for any belongings

@whereismormonjesus

It is clearly "offers in excess" of £70000 and some sort of quick sale scheme. I would be very wary

It will be the area 100 percent .
I am from a similar northern town and that sort of price for that house would be common their still now but the area wouldn’t be great

Its a really rough area which is why its so cheap I would be cautious to buy it

I can't comment on the area from any personal experience but it does sound like it's a bit rough. Personally, I'd recommend that a young person rather spend the money on a small flat in a nicer area or a two bed terraced house in a slightly nicer area. Better chance of long term investment potential while still enjoying the use of it while he lives there himself.

Is this relative working because even with close to 50% deposit on a relatively cheap house, getting a mortgage could be tricky?

@Love51

I live in a different grim northern town and you can't get much for under £80k. So I would assume it is in a rough area. Do lots of drive by at different times to ascertain if it is something you can live with.

I was about to say the same, I'm also from a grim Northern town and £70k would get you a shithole that needs complete renovation in one of the most deprived postcodes of the country, so I'm gonna say the area probably isn't nice!

However. I lived in one of those shithole postcodes, and it was fine. Assuming your nephew isn't going to settle down there forever and isn't hoping to make a fortune on the sale of the house in future(as the price will probably always be capped by the location) I can think of worse things than being on the property ladder in your early 20s with a small mortgage.

What’s at the back of the house? There are no windows out that side. Even houses that back onto railway lines usually have windows.

I’ve found it on Streetview and the metal fence next to it surrounds a basketball court so you’ll probably have a lot of kids hanging about and noise, which would put me off it. There also looks to be a large play area next to the basketball court and a football pitch.

166-138 Rochester St, Bradford
goo.gl/maps/56xt2ENQ6gmjyF4NA

If there’s a boiler in bedroom he needs to check it’s room sealed, or it’s not legal and not safe. I’d hate the noise of it anyway.
The area is rough as...
Potential for drugs and dodgy neighbours.
If he’s renting it out, potential for really difficult tenants where it is.
Apart from cellar, no storage. Where does the laundry go? Where does it dry? Where can wardrobes fit?
Check the porch out, for damp, for roof problems and for security.
Parking, and how secure the car would be.
Who’s going to live there and if they feel happy in that area?
Does he expect it to increase in value? It’s not a given, especially if he rents it out. It’s dated but in decent order, which isn’t guaranteed if it’s rented. He could loose money on it.

Sorry to be negative, but he’d be better with a one bed flat somewhere he’d actually like to live...or somewhere better to rent out.

I would strongly advise him to look elsewhere.

@JabbyMcJabface

What’s at the back of the house? There are no windows out that side. Even houses that back onto railway lines usually have windows.

It's a back to back. There's another house attached to the back of this house.

@LemmysAceCard

Looks like bedroom 2 is a flying freehold as in its over the alleyway, some lenders dont like them.

Good spot. I reckon this could be a potential issue.

I know that area and unless it has changed it used to have a high penetration of bangladeshi and pakistani families who keep themselves to themselves, in very traditional ways. Not sure they will take to a student lifestyle on their street. Sorry, no other way to put it.

I think he'd be much better off buying a one bed apartment in Leeds, he can live in it and enjoy the young single city life, and it will have excellent rental potential for when he's ready to move on. I wouldn't want to be living in a grim area of Bradford at his age when he could be out enjoying himself!

If it’s got a park next to it there will be drugs. It’s fairly much guaranteed. I’d really strongly advise him things are hardly ever undervalued. There’s always a reason.

How does a twenty year old have 30k saved up?

Looks like bedroom 2 is a flying freehold as in its over the alleyway, some lenders dont like them

Very common in the area and wider around, especially in the hilly areas - we had someone else's kitchen underneath our living room in the back to back we owned.

Probably wouldn't be an issue with the deposit the OPs nephew has and even if it was, an indemnity policy for not very much will cover it.

I'm not sure how much of an investment it would be, as it's not likely to appreciate that much in price. Unless your nephew plans to rent it out?

The area is rough and I personally wouldn’t want to live next to a massive superstore. If you can get past that go for it

that tiny room with the boiler in the corner is a catch

Does anyone else see that alley and think of the poor 'puddlegate' woman?

Anyway. Looking at the sold prices, £70k seems about right/towards the higher end of what people are paying in the area. A bunch of 3-beds got sold in the summer for less, but they also seemed to be in a worse state.

Genuine question though: has your nephew lived in a 'rough' area before? Because if he has and he understands what's he getting himself into then that's one thing. But if he's grown up in a nice middle class, suburban neighbourhood, and all he sees here is 'cheap property' then he might be in for a bit of a shock.

@Gwenhwyfar

How does a twenty year old have 30k saved up?

Any number of reasons Inheritance, parents saving up from when he was little, small lottery win, premium bonds, side hustle selling crack Is it relevant to the house..?

The house itself seems fine- not too big that he'll struggle to manage with it and 3 bedrooms for one person means the small rooms don't matter. It'd sell again any day of the week so even if he lived there until he paid off the mortgage and sold it on again he'd be okay. I'd be concerned about the area, particularly as a young person living alone. If he can save up some more and find somewhere a little safer (depending on his plan on how long he wants to live there) I think he'd be better off. Good on him for saving though, he's got a great start in adult life.

I don't seem him making much of a profit on it if he goes to sell it and Bradford is the last place I would want to live if I wasn't already familiar with the area.