Does this suggest a problem with the house?

[mumtoboys]

We are going back for a second viewing on a house tomorrow. It is a three-storey Victorian town house semi and is very nice inside. The properties on both sides look well cared for adn gardens are fine, although it is on a busy road. There is parking down a shared access alleyway at the back.

We don't know the area well and we have noticed that the current owners have only been there 4 years. They say they are downsizing as the kids have left home. Next door (the attached house) has changed hands 3 times since 2000. The last sale was in the summer 2011 and apparently it is a young couple who commute to London and she says she doesn't see them much. The house two doors down also sold last year.

Elsewhere on the road are generally smaller houses and haven't sold so much recently.

Does this suggest that there may be a problem with the house eg. noisy neighbours or disputes over the drive?? The lady selling seemed genuine and she talked warmly about her neighbours.

Thanks :-)

Not necessarily. Some areas do have a lot of movement for various reasons. If there are any problems like disputes etc they will show up in the documentation. If I were you I'd try visiting the area at different times of the day/evening and weekends to see what it's like, ie if it's noisy or impossible to park at weekends.

Not really. We used to move every two or three years with dh's job.

Lots of young families will be moving in then up the chain again in a few years as their families grow, or older people will be downsizing.

Our neighbours across the road have changed 5 times in the 12 years we've been here (not because of us I hope.

Difficult to say. Can you wander about a bit and talk to neighbours? I have found Saturdays and evenings it's fairly easy to find someone who lives on the street to talk to! I think ask the vendors those questions and see what their answers are about why they are moving, and also ask them directly whether they've had any problems with neighbours etc. They might not tell the truth, but then again they might, and you might be able to pick up whether you think they are genuine or not. I know it can feel difficult to ask "intrusive" questions, but they want to sell you a house, and you are making a big decision. Saying that, I have moved about quite a bit too for reasons mostly not connected with the houses!

neighbours, pubs, corner shops.... anyone you can talk to might give you a clue.
FWIW I think the chances are there's nothing suspicious about the short turnover time at all, but since a house is a big commitment you might as well do everything you can!

We've bought and sold 4 times in the same time period but have moved more times than that into and out of rented properties as well due to DH's job and we're not nefarious I hope!