Half-baked house - is it a bit weird?

[JoJoSM2]

The house has recently come onto the market. It looks to have an expensive kitchen, nice bathrooms but it needs work otherwise.

Is it just me, or is it strange that the vendors didn’t give it a lick of paint and some flooring? That would make it a nice family home vs a fixer upper, which is the impression that buyers might get now.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-86388308.html

We saw a house when house hunting where half the kitchen was missing. They had ripped it out and were halfway through the renovations when the wife found out about the affair and they split up. The whole house was full of half painted rooms, holes drilled for shelves but not put up etc.

We did make an offer but pulled out after we realised that they were never going to agree on a price to sell. He wanted to sell cheap for quick sale, she wanted as much money as possible to be able to afford something post divorce.

@DreamingofSunshine

That sounds a nightmare but I can quite imagine.

@TwattingDog

I think that is resin. The little utility room is ££££ too with bespoke cabinets and granite worktops.

It really doesn’t need much to finish it off.

However the kitchen, although good quality, is a little dated (and not to mention the phallic island 😱). Our kitchen has those dark granite worktops and it was fitted in 2010 (and we’re in the north so behind London trends). They are still in fab condition after 9 years though.

I don’t follow London property prices but it looks like someone’s ploughed some money into it doing all the difficult and expensive stuff, and that doesn’t seem like a hideous price.

I’d quite like it because I usually repaint in a new house anyway - this one because I didn’t like the colours

The red thing in the kitchen is the worst though.
But I do like the green / blue tiles around one of the fireplaces

I like it but the kitchen would put me off. Dh would never agree to a nicer one when there is a functional one there.

I would just get new doors for the red island - the rest is pretty neutral.
I suspect that arguments over that island were behind the reason that the house is up for sale.

It's an ideal house for somone who wants to renovate but doesn't want to do much hard work

It's like they've gone for sort of Eastern Block chic.

I like it. Beautiful house, ready to go in and put your own stamp on.

And that hallway 💚

My friend bought a cottage in rural Wales last year that had a beautiful new kitchen but everything else was really shabby. The lowlight was the peach bathroom suite circa 1985. Also, a flimsy wire garden fence backing on to a car park that belonged to the village shop. It turned out that the vendors had bought it a year earlier as a doer-upper but only managed to deal with the kitchen before separating. So, not so unusual.

Oh it’s beautiful! Just my type of house. I like it in that condition- I can put my stamp on it.

i think its lovely only a little bit of work to do and its in the catchment of a school with a outstanding rating

Interestingly it was last sold in 1998. It may have been rented out or inherited. Maybe the decor was tired or dated and the sellers have decided to sell with the major work done but leaving it so the buyers could put their own stamp on it? My guess is that the sellers have decided they're not going to recuperate any more that they spend.

Just remembered I know of a house that was inherited by someone who lived abroad, barely any connection to the owner. They sold for about 200k less than similar but the person just wanted a quick & easy sale.

Wow, what an amazing house.😮
love, love, love the hall way
I agree with the others who have said it looks like they ran out of money, but what a start has been made

@wowfudge

Having been a rental could make sense.

And yes, if they can get the 750k as is, I doubt they’d make money beyond breaking even if they decided to do up the basement and loft.

I would much rather buy that house in that state, seeing the condition of the floorboards and walls, than with PBWed walls and greige synthetic carpets throughout. The period features stand out.

I really like that house!

It's a gorgeous house - all the hard work has been done so a lick of paint and carpets of your choice. What's not to like? Whatever reasons the family living in it had to leave the house in this state is neither here nor there.

We are moving soon - sort of need a new kitchen and bit of a refurb, but people who move in round here seem to like to do a total revamp so it would be a waste of money.

It's gorgeous! The hallway with a fireplace is amazing. It appears only to be cosmetic issues so I would snap it up if I could!

Is it me though or do the doors from the dining room open to a drop into the garden? (admittedly I am on my small phone without my glasses so could be wrong!)

It looks as though there is a door from the cellar to the decked area. It's not clear from the photos, on my phone, whether it is just a window in the rear reception room or French doors which need steps down from them.

Looks like a wonderful opportunity - it's all sanded, stripped and ready to go!

They wouldn't have gotten started if something was dismally wrong with it, like the foundations only have a year of life left or a major leasefreecovenanthold legal issue had cropped up, as this would have been noted when they bought. They've just stopped and given up, for whatever reason. I'm sure it'll come up in the estate agent's chat.

I think some of the unpainted rooms need plastering so it's a bit more than just a coat of paint. Agree with other posters that there's probably either a financial issue, separation, health issue or a time critical issue (e.g. job move)