Remind me what the benefits of buying a house with a garden are please?

[pavlovthecat]

I will regret it, wont i, if i buy a family home with a courtyrard instead of a garden?

Its only that the estate agents have just sent me some fab houses which we already ruled out as garden was a courtyard, they are now hugely reduced .

Done! I have booked it! 10am saturday, means bye bye to my lie-in, but, they might take a silly offer as its been on a while.

So, the one's I am viewing on saturday are:

1

2

www.falconproperty-search.com/propertydetails.aspx?propid=D FP4254&locx=24780&locy=5600&place=peverell&sale=s&distance=10&propertytype=H&minbeds=3&maxbeds=3&min price=100000&maxprice=150000&order=desc&uo=3&new=%&everyhours=0&skip=0&isaPostCode=False 3]]

Oh how exciting .

Do you know, I think I agree with you Noddy - we live in Devon and spend a lot of time outdoors, moors, woods, beaches. Some outdoor space is really really important to me, but perhaps I got to ott about how much that needs to be.

3 I mean

3 is the best buy i think.Would look great done up and some nice features Good luck and be cheeky with your offer not many buyers out there so you are like gold dust

Plenty of work to be done to 1 & 3 but I still prefer them to 2 (althouh I know nothing about the area so 2 may be in a better street etc).

Onslow is prob my favourite as it is quite a handsome house from the outside and looks very spacious inside. Not keen on the front door opening directly onto the street though, but it would be a something I'd prob be prepared to compromise on.

Happy viewing !

have you seen 2 before?

Downside to Onslo Rd - its on the other side of a very busy road to the park, the other two are literally next to it.

Yes we have seen 2 before, ruled it out on the grounds of the garden not being big enough. And this was at a time we were looking at a house in the countryside too, at the beginning of our search. We keep ending up back in Peverell even though we both say we would prefer rural. Economically it makes more sense as walking distance from both our jobs. Good schools but dd unlikely to get a place as highly sought after, so not our main drive for the area. its just lovely, and bright and we know it, its close to friends, its near a huge park, near A38 to get out of town.

I like all three - think I need to go back again. If I could have 2, with the garden of 3, its sorted!

I used to live in Trelawney Avenue, nice and quiet area, accept for every other Saturday when you can hear the Home Park 'roar' lol

I now live in a home with a courtyard garden, however we have built a raised bed on one side and grow an awful lot of veggies in containers. A courtyard garden doesn't automatically have to mean a bland concrete jungle.

Infact it is probably correct to say that we do more gardening where we live now than we ever did when we lived in Yealmpton with over an acre of land.

Having Central Park on your doorstep is definately a plus though, you never realise how big and beautiful the park really is until you start investigating it, although the council really should sort out that disgusting 'pond' are and toilets, situated right by the entrance of the park at the end of Trelawney Avenue.

Best of luck with your search!

Sorry, that should be Trelawney Road, Trelawney Avenue was a youth drop-in centre DH used to run.

Always getting them confused, hehe

I love no. 3. For me it has the wow factor on the outside. Although 1 could be nice if the pebble dashing was plastered over.

Enjoy your viewings. I am at what 160,000 buys you in Plymouth.

I can see thru my window right now: sunshine on a lush green lawn, with bees buzzing in and out of the foxgloves. Kids climbing up the apple tree.

OK so its rare to get the weather but how on earth can you want a paved nothing to look at. No soft grass under your feet etc

Microwave - it would not be paved nothing for long. We would do something with it. I certainly could not buy a house with just a small yard. The houses I am looking at have a little bigger than that, either some grass or potential to put grass/borders etc down.

Yours does sound blissful, but I bet I could not get it for £160k

Russel - we are lucky and I want to take advantage of it. Saw my DH at lunch time and he loves the outside of no 3 too. But the inside of number 1 and 2 has more potential in terms of being 3 bed already, although number 2 is a titchy second bed.

A two bed would be smaller than we want, but not undoable. We want another child in 2-3 years and we have family come to stay from USA a lot, And see this as a medium term house 5-7 years. I see it like this in a two bed:

Large first bedroom - ours.
Second bedroom DDs.
When guests stay DD comes in with us as the room is huge (poss big enough to split, poss not).
Another child, arrive say two years? - stay with us for 6-8 months in our room, maybe longer, then go into DDs room.
When guests stay then, they can stay in the dining room!

Until we an afford to convert the loft, then lots of space!

BUT, still a smaller outside space then No.1, which also has three beds.

Trelawney Rd - oooh lovely!
I dont mind the footie noise tbh, its not every day, and its not late at night, they would have all headed to Mutley or Union Street by then

Think of the advantages if there is a concert at home park - you could have a BBQ and listen for free!!

Oh god Pussin - dont say that. Elton John might play again.

Its me btw, you like my new name? [purrs, walks up and down looking proud]]

Oooh yes, good nickname! Let me know how your viewings go! Aww, wish I was buying in Plymouth too - so need to be near family!

Grandad walks the dog in Central Park - mahoosive Staffordshire Bull Terrier - will send her around so you can use her as bargaining chip to get prices down!!! lol!!

number 2 is 3 bed? it says on the link only 2 bed. perhaps that cos the 3rd bed is teeny tiny and doesn't really count?

|Nappy - I got myself all confused. No.2 is the 2 bed one.

Went to look at the first one today. It is great, and they are open to offers, But needs a lot of work, nothing major, we reckon 5-10k, so doable, but eats up cash, esp if we have to drop our apartment too which our estate agent has strongly advised we do.

However, DH and I sat up late last night talking about money, about the credit crunch, about our fixed rate mortgage and what might happen if we stretch ourselves and interest rates keep rising. We talked about putting the deposit we have onto our current mortgage and planning for the worst, if it does not happen, we will be better of financially, and if it does happen, we will have scope to cope with it easily.

We are having cold feet today!

is that the one with the biggest outdoor space of the three?

if it only needs 5-10k of work doing you might be able to knock that off the asking price?

nappy - yes it is. We have talked again, me and DH, and we are going to reduce our asking price, and accept an offer close to the reduced asking price, on the condition the agent can get this property for £x, if it cant be done, we will take ours off the market. It is being sold by the same agents as are selling our property so there is incentive for them to get us the right price, then they get two sales!

The agent says they will accept offers, but we want it low! of course.

However, funnily enough, after we had a discussion with the guy showing us around, telling him we would go lower if we get lower on this property, we got a call from our agents with a couple of people interested in our place, at its current asking price. Now I am not a cynical person usually but...

Its a sign!!

I used to own a 5 bed end terrace on Peverell Park Road, and loved it. One word of advice as this is where we got caught - firstly, check the roof well, and secondly, get a survey for dry/wet rot as these properties are riddled with it. Best way to check is to look in the under stairs cupboards and sometimes you can see it on the underside of the stairs. Make sure also that the place has been treated for woodworm, as we had to have that done as well.

If you want rural and don't mind the bridge each morning, I recommend the Tamar Valley, Harrowbarrow, Metherell, St Annes Chapel, Albaston, Drakewalls, St Dominick, Calstock. All of these are cheaper than the Tavi side if you're looking for more rural properties, and I've lived there very happily for 15 years until moving to Brussels, and will eventually move back to my house there. The schools are good as well. Saltash also has some reasonably priced properties - both older ones, and some of the newer ones on the Pilmere estate aren't bad either.

I know those lovely houses in Peverell very well. But going against the trend on this thread, wanted to add that we moved from a perfectly nice house close to the shops and station which we had done up to a reasonable standard ...

to a bigger house further away from the transport links and shops etc, which needed loads of work (which we could not and still cannot afford to finish) purely because I could not stand the 30ft patio garden at our old house any longer. Even though I'd spent hours planting it up, climbing plants up the walls etc, and we'd spent money landscaping with york stone and steps etc.

Two dcs and a south facing, brick wall encircled sun-trap of a back yard were just too frustrating for me. It was often simply too hot to go outside.

Our current house is still a disaster inside, but there is 100ft of lawn, fruit trees, big slide, a patio area big enough to roller skate on, a shed, a washing line out of site from the house. Have never regretted the move and the kids go out every day unless its actually pouring with rain. When it snowed in April they had a blissful time.

Now I come to think of it, when we went to the Estate Agents we said we were looking for a garden with a house attached.

there are no benefits.
the pollen will come and get you.

Scary - wet rot we just looked at the best property, I think No.3 on our list. It was amazing. but one entire wall was completely screwed, wet all down it, plaster blown.

It was a mess. but it felt like our home . It had no kitchen at all, no bathroom, rot, no heating at all, no double glazing at the back of the house.

But, it had period features - original, barley twist stairs, proper cornicing, the most horrendous/fabulous pink bold wallpaper in the hallway, art deco porch door, querks and bits all over it, cellar area. I fell in love. And realised there is no way we can afford the work needed.

We have realised that we are not cut out for the stress that this current market has put us in. Its scary, risking negative equity, with lots of work to be done, we have realised we dont want an ex-council house, we want a victorian period house. And the ones we have seen need so much work that even if we put in an offer, and get it reduced accordingly its going to be a cash cow and its going to reduce even further in value anyway and, well my loft is looking more appealing now.

I want this house on Onslow Road. But we cant do it.

So we sat down, and talked. Again. We can get an average house. Will lose value. We will get a garden. it will be OK.

But, it will likely cost us £500 extra per month, including possible fuel hikes, additional mortgage, heating, council tax, water etc. If the financial market screws up as predicted, we could be left with a house without money to repair it.

We have made the cowardly decision to take our place off the market. We are going to put our deposit onto our current mortgage and continue paying the same as we are, and pay off my credit cards, loan etc.

We will be better off my £400 per month. So if the market screws up, we will keep our home.

I went into our loft today and put up swathes and chairs, and rugs and, checked on my potted plants.

I let go of my dream of a house for now . I dont want a house. I want the right house. And I cant afford the right house, so we are staying put.

And I am a bit sad really

Sorry, long but have had some wine.

I have only read your OP.

YES, PC, you will regret buying a family home with only a courtyard and not a garden.

I promise you this.

They are harder to sell.