You spent money on WHAT? (Rightmove thread)

[TremoloGreen]

So, flicking through Rightmove, we've all the seen the granny-ish interiors. Often understandable enough though if an old couple have been living there, it's what they liked or couldn't be arsed to change. But why (oh, why) when a house has clearly been built or refurbed by a developer do they spend huge amounts of money on such crazy shite and then expect to recoup it in the price?

Exhibit A

What kind of bloody PHILISTINE lays decking over an entire garden?? Using a non-sustainable product like wood to destroy what could be a natural habitat for wildlife. Nice one. Not to mention it's going to be green and horrible in about 1 year in the British climate. And the living room floor? A nice, shiny, slippery marble. Just what you want in a family sized home.

the second one is paved because nothing will grow there on account of it being entirely shadowed by the next door house. Depressing.

i;d worry what lived under the decking

I think it is okay tbh. Would like to see it when borders are planted and containers are filled. I wonder if it was cheaper than landscaping for the developers? I basically agree with kungfooweetie. I guess the purchasers could always asked for it to be removed as part of the deal?

I really hate it when front gardens are completely concreted over (especially if it is a crappy DIY job) - there is a lot of that around us.

I would have a problem with the severe lack of kitchen units/surface space. Part of me thinks that reception room 2 would have made a better kitchen, but it has no natural light....

Is the outdoor sauna look fashionable at the moment .

We looked at a house last time we were buying that had been done up inside to a very high standard by a developer. However, they had clearly run out of money, as all of the large and lovely garden had been tarmaced .

We liked the house itself a lot and put in an offer, which was refused - (we are talking about 125k offer, 135k asking price, but probably in reality worth about 115-120k so much smaller amounts than the OP).

The house took over a year to sell, for the same amount as our offer, so they probably lost out on a year's worth of interest and cashflow - just because people spend a ridiculous amount of money tarting up a house, it doesn't necessarily make it worth more.

That was the whole problem in Sarah Beeny's original programme where people spent loads developing really fancy houses and then she came in and said that all the profit was due to the rising market at the time and they could have made the same amount of money without having to spend their entire lives building and decorating.

I think it's really sad that people deck, tarmac or pave an entire garden. There are much more thoughtful, eco-friendly, and attractive ways of having a low-maintenance outdoor space. (And I don't mean a monoculture lawn!). It's not even that much effort.

I went to Japan recently, and every bit of outdoor space attached to a house is just treasured. The things people do are unbelievably beautiful. We could learn a lot!

Whats with the random black tile in example a ?? is it to show you where to stand to use the hob?

That decking is monstrous. My first thought was how hideous it is!

Depending on what has been spent on building these houses, the developer has probably made a tidy sum - three town houses where one bungalow stood. That decking is a quick fix for what otherwise would have been a much more time consuming and costly landscaping job.

This isnt the offending Persimmon new build from the other thread is it?

The ones I don't understand are the houses that look like they have never been tidied or cleaned in their lives. Why would you not tidy up just a bit for the photos? I've seen some with piles of washing up, clothes chucked everywhere. It's embarrassing!

Aww, Stortford brings back good memories! I lived there till I was 12. Just looked on right move and the house we lived in is sold STC but OMG I wouldn't of recognized it at all!!!

Nearly half a mil for that!!!!!! Fuckng hell bells!!!!

Similar property's for £135,000 near me!!

look at this for same price

That house is lovely, though it made me laugh that it's described as being in Pennington, as if to disguise the fact that it's Leigh.

Ha ha ha ha I know but hey you get what you can!

Ooo, softly - the house in that link is beautiful.

Shame it's £200k to much for me!

too

Pobble I always assume that those are tenanted houses where the dweller doesn't actually want the place to sell.

where me too!

But we can live and dream and put the lottery on

Softly - that house is lovely, but what's with the kitchen with the heater on the shelf above the microwave and what look like two holes in the wall?? That's the photo that lets it down.

The house opposite us is for sale - the tenants are moving to their own place. One of the photos is of a bedroom where there are loads of clothes hanging from the curtain pole. There is a wardrobe in the room.

Actually - I think that's the futility room. Two downstairs shower rooms??

Whenever I see fully flagged gardens I think dog shit city... Why oh why do you want a concrete jungle, at least decking is slightly more natural but it has to be lawn for me

Hmm - there is lawn as well as tarmaced drive in both the front gardens you can see in Bishop's Stortford. The garden of the house on the left is not visible in the photo.

For the second house in bishops stortford, the photos don't match the plan Look at the kitchen photo-it has a window and a door. Now look at the plan

Also the bathroom layout is reversed in the floor plan

The second Stortford house is the end of terrace, hence the extra door in the kitchen.

I love the phrase "considered to be within walking distance of the station". Apparently it's half a mile to the station, so it is within walking distance, but it sounds like the estate agents don't agree by the wording.