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Original poster

Should I buy this house?

33 replies

Tobuyornot99 · 23/02/2017 09:26

www.rightmove.co.uk/s6p/5814948Any help appreciated, should I buy this house? I'm scared about the mortgage, we'd be doubling our borrowing, went to view last night. I'd want to knock the kitchen and diner into one eventually.
Please pick it apart for me wise MN!

OP posts:
Original poster
Tobuyornot99 · 23/02/2017 09:26

I found this property on the Rightmove Android app and wanted you to see it: www.rightmove.co.uk/s6p/58149484
Click link hopefully

OP posts:
homebythesea · 23/02/2017 09:33

Well it's not a looker from the outside but looks perfectly neat and tidy inside. Agree that knocking through across the back would be good. It's very overlooked though.

But no-one can say you should or shouldn't buy it without knowing the area, your budget, your tastes, your criteria etc

Hoppinggreen · 23/02/2017 09:35

Decent size and layout and pretty neutral inside
Very very ugly outside though. Not sure what you could do about that if it would bother you.
If it ticks all the boxes though it might be ok

Original poster
Tobuyornot99 · 23/02/2017 09:38

Thanks home, you're right, I'm totally asking the impossible for someone else to pick my home, but I'm desperate for some reassurance Blush
It's on an estate of very uninspiring 70s builds, as you say the outside will win no awards, but it's a nice safe area, total suburbia! DP has absolutely no inclination to do DIY, and finds me doing any very stressful, so hoping to move in to a nice beige box that we can plonk a sofa in and get on with living, I guess this ticks that box. It's so bloody scary though - Brexit / interest rates etc

OP posts:
Original poster
Tobuyornot99 · 23/02/2017 09:40

Thanks hopping, I am quite pragmatic about thinking you only see the outside a few times a day, so could probably live with the pebble dash / blandness. But maybe after a few years I'd grow to hate it. Gggaaarh to being so indecisive!

OP posts:
monkeyfacegrace · 23/02/2017 09:41

It's 200k for a pretty big 4 bed.

I know nothing about the area. It's fuck ugly.

But that's a hell of a lot of house for not much money.

Astro55 · 23/02/2017 09:46

It's on with 3 estate agents so there's a deal to be done - not much scope to improve /add value - it's a safe option isn't it?

Like the one slightly further away at 239

EnriqueTheRingBearingLizard · 23/02/2017 09:46

The other homes sold prices at the side of the ad are an awful lot cheaper. I'm not keen on buying the dearest house in the area.

Have they converted the garage and put a new one on the side? Because for a house of its size a lot of the rooms are quite narrow meaning less practical or useable space iyswim.

Kiroro · 23/02/2017 09:47

The size is super, layout is nice. Interior is fine. Parking. Garage. Ticks a lot of boxes if you like the area and the price!

The negative I can see are that it is ugly from the outside (but who cares, you won't be looking at it!), garden is overlooked, garden is a nice size for me but might be a bit small if you have lots of children wanting to play out.

I would want to re-jig the kitchen/dining layout but not essential.

Kiroro · 23/02/2017 09:50

Have they converted the garage and put a new one on the side?

Looks like that to me.

I disagree the thin rooms aren't usable tho - the master bedroom is a 'standard' width for master bedrooms in new build flats that are all long and thin. A superking bed is 200cm long so as long as you don't go mental with an ugly sleigh bed you have at least 50cm of space to walk between bed and wall at the foot wall which is fine.

The family room is very suitable for a playroom / TV snug / library / study / music room etc!

Original poster
Tobuyornot99 · 23/02/2017 09:57

Thanks all! I was thinking to use the small room at the front as a playroom, leaving the other side of the house as the traditional living room leading to dining room leading to kitchen (until we've the money to knock through). We'd probably use the original master bedroom as ours (built in wardrobes already there), and leave the ensuite room for the endless grandparents visiting, until dc are older and they can fight it out. Thanks for all your opinions, really helpful.

OP posts:
Original poster
Tobuyornot99 · 23/02/2017 09:58

We have a HUGE garden at the moment (ex LA house), and no inclination to do much with it, just pulling weeds and mowing lawn is taxing enough, so the small garden isn't a bother (to me)

OP posts:
Imknackeredzzz · 23/02/2017 10:00

What an ugly bugger!!!

LuluJakey1 · 23/02/2017 10:11

I wouldn't buy it for two reasons.

  1. It is expensive in the area- means you are paying top whack, not likely to make money and it needs mney spent on it. It is dated, beige and you want to do the kitchen conversion.
  2. It is really ugly with a sloping garden. Many people would not look at it if you wanted to sell it, they would be put off by the outside. Anything you could do to the outside to really improve it would be costly.
LuluJakey1 · 23/02/2017 10:13

Also, that extension is very narrow and would restrict what you could do with those rooms.

1ris · 23/02/2017 10:32

It's not that ugly! It could look an awful lot better with a new (coloured) front door and by taking down all the clutter around the door (the light, the letterbox thing and those awful plastic round balls of plastic greenery). The front looks damp and needs sprucing up and cleaning all the moss etc.

SwedishEdith · 23/02/2017 10:41

These pictures are better.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-55243981.html

It's not that bad - was expecting utter hideousness from the comments. The house next door looks like it's been painted white - I'd do the same inside as well.

RebelandaStunner · 23/02/2017 11:32

It's plain looking that's all.
A good sized family home with .
I would prioritise sorting out the garden and updating and knocking through the kitchen.

EnriqueTheRingBearingLizard · 23/02/2017 12:40

The Roberts estate agency particulars are much better and give a clearer idea of the floor plan, with a couple of L shaped bedrooms and how the space is used. The bathrooms are a good size too.

I can also see on there now that there's a mix of semi and detached houses and one sold for just under £200,000 last May. So that puts a different picture on it.

It looks a nice area, although parking on the pavements may be an issue? despite that the house has a large driveway so you shouldn't suffer directly from that crowding.

I think you could do quite a bit to pretty it up too and I don't think it would cost a lot, you could certainly start by jet washing the front, maybe weatherboard over the pebbledash if that took your fancy. But you could make cosmetic improvements in time and with three agents and 'No Chain' you might be able to offer a lower price and have money available to do what you want to do.

adriennewillfly · 23/02/2017 13:08

There's mention in the description of an extension - do they have a completion cert for it? and planning permission?

JoJoSM2 · 23/02/2017 14:08

It looks like a solid family home to me.

Do think it through with the mortgage as I see that's a concern. Have you worked out a budget that allows for the higher payment every month? You also need to consider that your monthly repayment could be 50% higher when the interest rates go up.

SquinkiesRule · 23/02/2017 16:49

Thata the kind of house we go for, we are in a 70's semi now and do like the room sizes. They are more roomy than the 80's and 90's houses we've looked at.
Unless you've got the hots for character features, (which I don't) then I think 70's houses are pretty good.
Not the prettiest but there are sure to be ways to make more curb appeal.

ASilhouetteAndNothingMore · 23/02/2017 16:55

I like the house but the fact that it is surrounded on all sides with other houses would definitely put me off. We are in a similar property which we have rented for the past 4 and a half years.
In that time there have been a string of nightmare neighbours in the property backing onto us. The house next door to that one also have two yapping dogs.
Can't wait to move out.

DesolateWaist · 23/02/2017 16:59

I agree that it isn't pretty but I think that everything else is a win.
Good size rooms, detached, lots of parking.

I would think you'll want to put in a new kitchen soonish.

downwardfacingdog · 24/02/2017 10:07

Only issue for me is the price as you'd want to do work to the kitchen and wouldn't see that money back.