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Original poster

talk me out of this house

53 replies

TremoloGreen · 08/12/2014 10:59

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-48826346.html

It will be cold and a maintenance nightmare won't it? And the parking is weird. And there's no downstairs loo...

We live in an old house now and I am sick of fixing the leaky roof and ancient plumbing. We found a 70s house which is perfect for us, but the house that the vendors were buying has fallen through and there is nothing else coming to market. The above house has a complete chain and they just need a buyer. I actually like the look of the house and really like the garden and location, so now I'm considering giving up my Saturday to drive there from S London and go and see it. Should I just stick with the house where we've had our offer accepted? Is it madness to make a decision based on the readiness of the chain? I hate property chains, I'm losing my nerve already!!

OP posts:
TreadSoftlyOnMyDreams · 08/12/2014 11:36

It looks very pretty but the bedrooms are absolutely TINY. I would be concerned [given your statement about old houses above] about style over substance. Recent sold prices on the street are much much lower though it is detached and they are mostly terraced so check.

No mention of double glazing anywhere but it is beautifully presented. I'd go and see it but with my most critical hat on - are you going to have to spend plenty of cash on boilers, insulation under floorboards etc and is it actually big enough for you. Get in the attic - how strong does the roof look. Is it high enough for conversion.

I can't actually find the house on the street view filter. I've gone up and down the street twice now. Need to get a grip and do some work Grin

Either way, even with a chain in place you won't be in before Christmas/end of Feb so you will still be spending the worst of the winter in your current home.

Get the train :) And check out the 70's house while you are there so you can immediately look . The current owners should be v happy to have you have a quick look [to take measurements etc]

TheCrimsonQueen · 08/12/2014 12:52

I don't know anything about the area but the room sizes are all too small.

There are some other houses that come up that seem better value for money:

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-31767585.html

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-32827308.html

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-30511641.html?premiumA=true

Sorry if you have already considered these.

Riverland · 08/12/2014 12:58

Bedrooms are absurdly tiny in that house, OP! Looks like it's currently home to one person or a couple.

Personally I dislike the BLACK in the kitchen and bathroom.

I can really see the appeal of a chain free property but...purchase in haste, repent at leisure! It's like getting married..an expensive alliance that hopefully will endure..

ouryve · 08/12/2014 13:04

Parking is a nightmare
Rooms are all tiny - even the long kitchen is narrow
Storage looks to be non-existent
And you'll probably have all the maintenance problems you have now, with knobs on. How secure are the foundations on that hill, for example. It's set into a slope, by the look of it, so unless it's been really thoroughly done is bound to have damp problems.

And yes, it's poorly insulated and detached, so will probably be cold, especially with bare floorboards.

MrsCakesPrecognition · 08/12/2014 13:09

I really don't like it, feel slightly panicky looking at all the walls closing in. Everywhere is cramped.

emsyj · 08/12/2014 13:09

Given the choice between that house and a 70s house (with huge windows, loads of light etc) I would choose 70s every time. I think the house you have posted looks like it should be terraced but a bit has been cut out - very unattractive from the outside IMO and the inside is poky poky poky. Don't buy it - you will regret it!!! Stick with the 70s house. If that one falls through, worry about that when it happens. There may be a dozen new houses on the market in January anyway - lots of people delay putting the house on or come off market over Christmas due to other commitments.

TheRealMaryMillington · 08/12/2014 13:17

It's über cute and the garden is fab

But all the rooms are so narrow, you couldn't swing the proverbial cat in there. It's a sweet little house for a couple with no kids (ever), who aren;t in much. You couldn't have a party there, which would rule it out completely.

I think you should go and see it - it will confirm why you thought the 70s house was perfect for you.

Original poster
TremoloGreen · 08/12/2014 13:25

Good, thank you... feeling slightly calmer now. yes, this house is not right for us, yes, there will be more on the market in Jan (so our preferred vendors might find somewhere!) I just hope our buyers will hang on, although I don't suppose they relish starting again this close to Christmas anyway.

I have seen those other houses, thanks Crimson Queen. There are issues with schools/location for all of them if I remember correctly. One of them has been on the market for flipping ages, there's quite a lot of overpricing and sellers unwilling to accept what their house is worth in these parts!

You can't see the house on StreetView because the street narrows and becomes access only, so the parking is round the back, i.e. you have to go to the bottom of the garden. Another minus point. Being about 5 mins from the station would make up for that though.

Estate agent contacted me this morning and said they had another 3 bedroom modern house coming to market soon, so we can look at that if we're getting worried.

OP posts:
specialsubject · 08/12/2014 14:32

it's marked as sold subject to contract!

TreadSoftlyOnMyDreams · 08/12/2014 15:41

Somewhere in Bishops Stortford there is a person receiving a link to this thread saying that their v nice home is tiny and chilly. I'll bet they're sitting there going? Er WTF?
It does look very nice houseowner but OP does want to be put off Grin

RaphaellaTheSpanishWaterDog · 08/12/2014 17:12

Gosh, the rooms are all really tiny! I love old houses - have never lived in everything from Tudor to Arts & Crafts - and wouldn't go out to choose a 1970s house, but tbh the space would probably sway me in this instance. I just couldn't live in something so cramped looking, although it is nicely presented and quite cute, but better suited to a single person IMHO.....

Not a fan of the kitchen or bathroom either, I'm afraid, although that is something that can easily be changed unlike room sizes - unless you want to make the whole house open plan!

burnishedsilver · 08/12/2014 18:46

It's beautifully presented, particularly the garden, but I'm feeling claustrophobic just looking at it.

AnnOnymity · 08/12/2014 19:46

It's tiny and cramped looking and the kitchen is very strange with the sink next to the oven set up.

Expensive for the area too IMHO (used to live not a million miles away).

ouryve · 08/12/2014 20:24

Glad you're looking elsewhere.

Counting on my fingers, it actually appears to have little more floorspace than my two up two down, only mine is arranged over 2 decent sized bedrooms and a long lounge/dining room. Our kitchen is about the same floor space, but shorter and wider.

BumWad · 08/12/2014 21:21

It's a really cute house! Sorry

TheLeftovermonster · 08/12/2014 21:50

The garden is quite overlooked.

Original poster
TremoloGreen · 09/12/2014 12:33

Bit of a side issue but I had forgotten how whenever I post a house on here everyone piles on to say it's really tiny! All the houses we're looking at are small and 3 bedrooms. That's what we can afford so it's a bit depressing when people come on to say 'how awful, I couldn't live like that'. I don't know anyone my age (30) who could buy a 3-bedroom £385k house as a single person. Must be nice!

There's no floorplan for this one so I can't get my head round how big it is or isn't, but the one we've offered on is 95 m2 plus a single garage. The house we currently live in 110 m2 but 40 m2 of that is basement.

OP posts:
MadgeMak · 09/12/2014 12:37

I live in bishops stortford and that house is not five mins from the station. A ten minute brisk walk at best.

ouryve · 09/12/2014 14:06

I live in a small house, myself, Tremolo - and worth a fraction of the price of that one. Layout makes such a difference, though and while small bedrooms can be workable, the number of rooms crammed into the ground floor can make the space rather inflexible and claustrophobic.

Looking at the pluses, the "study" would be a useful room for kid crap, keeping the clutter out of the living room and bedrooms, but I wouldn't rely on the "lean to" being useful for anything more than wellies and scooters.

MaliceInWonderland78 · 09/12/2014 14:14

I'll talk you out of it. It's very very small (IMO) and you're paying an unreasonable premium because of the way it's presented.

Of course we don't all like the same thing, but that would go to the bottom of my pile.

SoupDragon · 09/12/2014 14:18

Do any of the bedrooms other than the master have beds in them? It makes it really hard to tell what would fit and rings alarm bells.

Also, it has very little kerb appeal. The interior is lovely but when I saw the front I thought "Wow! That's ugly!"

SoupDragon · 09/12/2014 14:21

Is the bathroom upstairs or downstairs? If it's upstairs, is it only accessible through a bedroom?

LegoAdventCalendar · 09/12/2014 14:22

That kitchen alone would make me walk away. Narrow, galley kitchens are awful.

TreadSoftlyOnMyDreams · 09/12/2014 14:28

Sorry OP - you did ask us to talk you out of/pokew holes in a really pretty little cottage without telling us whether you have a family, are a retiree or you are two young single things who laze about on a Sunday reading the paper planning to get married and have kids some time in the future.....

70's house implies more space so it was an easy comparison!

And yes - I don't know any 30 yr olds who can afford anything in the SE never mind a 3 bed house in the centre of a nice sought after town.

Original poster
TremoloGreen · 09/12/2014 15:10

So I think a previous poster has hit the nail on the head with the comment about useable space. The 70s house probably isn't a lot bigger (if at all), but it's laid out with an eat-in kitchen, separate study, downstairs loo and three good size bedrooms (2x doubles, 1x large single). We have a toddler and would like to have another baby.

As to the period vs 70s debate, this is one thing I really don't care about. I grew up in a listed 18th C farmhouse, have lived in several Regency/Victorian houses since - all come with problems that no amount of lovely fireplaces and high ceilings can make up for! I wouldn't be afraid to take one on again in future, but for now I want something boring and practical. I really enjoy interior design anyway, so will relish the challenge of restyling a 20th C house! Interestingly, have seen several articles in my local magazine about restoring the 60s-built houses around Dulwich/Sydenham Woods, these are considered really desirable properties now, when they were ugly and naff 5-10 years ago!

With all your input in mind, I've decided to calm down and wait until the New Year. Hopefully then there will be a glut of new properties to market. If the vendors of the 70s house don't find something then, we'll get looking again ourselves. Thanks!

OP posts: