THIS very cheap flat, or THIS one? Advice please?

[52andblue]

A friend is buying in the Scottish Borders - entry level flat.

She has found this one:

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/99511511#/

But I think this one might be better:

www.bspc.co.uk/userfiles/property/schedules/23542.pdf?456883

Hope those links work

Both have same home report value and sim number of No 2 issues.

Any opinions ?

I have no idea on the area or value but for layout alone I think number 1 is better.
The bedroom in 2 is only a single which you cannot change but number 1 needs more work but has more space.

Much prefer the first one.

The first one is under offer so I suspect that's a none starter but i think the layout is better, you could use that "two bedroom" space to better effect with a good storage / dressing area and office space if needed. It probably need almost as much spending on it as it will cost though.

The first is under offer, the second isn’t in the part of Gala I’d ideally want to live in, but it depends what your friend’s priorities are.

First. A more long term and sellable option once work is done.

I much prefer the first.
I like the 2 storey, and the sloping ceiling has character.
There is also more space, due to that 'second' bed space at the top of the stairs, lots of options there.
Plus a bit of garden, which this year would have been make or break for a lot of people in flats

Second one feels pokey by comparison

Interesting thanks.

The first is further out of town, 1st and attic floors (dodgy steps at back) and friend has NO money to upgrade it (so will live there with no heating / no kitchen etc)
I thought 2nd far better as needs no money spent, can walk to bus/train and easier to sell on / rent out if needed.
For those reasons I thought 2nd was far better.

the 'under offer' bit is her - she's put in an offer (accepted) a day ago
but still lots of paperwork so can withdraw now if she's quick.

well, when I was younger, and pre-kids, I rented an attic flat with no heating and a sink for kitchen which I adored. It was such a cool place.

I coped with the heating etc etc. (gas fire and 3 duvets)
But if I had owned it, I would have done it up bit by bit. Saved up for heating etc, painted it cool colours. It was just a space I liked.

So I really get where she is coming from if she likes it. I really like it. I would love to live there if I was going to live in a small flat. Most flats are veyr boring actually, this is nice.

@steppemum
Yes i can see it could be cool in those circs but his person is in her late 50's with asthma and minor heart condition so to me ground floor and warm seems more sensible Not dripfeeding sorry, just these things are occurring to me to point out to her as I am getting input from the thread so thank you

@ComtesseDeSpair.

Is the area that the 2nd one is in 'okay' do you think?
(she doesn't know Gala well - looked at a ground floor in Gala park and said didn't feel safe so maybe that put her off the 2nd g/f one?)
I appreciate that at this price there are compromises but feeling safe is not one of them hopefully.

I agree the 2nd one is pokey.
My worry about the first is that it needs:
New boiler and radiators.
New front door.
New windows.
At a minimum.
That's going to cost about £5-8K and she doesn't have it (& won't)
So I don't see it ever being comfortable / gaining value.
Plus it's a long walk into town

I honestly wouldn't buy either. The flats on wood street are honestly grim as feck. The second one is slightly better in that it's a nice road but it will be right on the quiet trainline.

High Buckholmside (where property 2 is located) is the main A7 on the edge of town, so a relatively busy road and that particular part of it is quite scruffy and overlooks an industrial park. It’s not awful by any means, and if your friend has a low budget then it’s a perfectly decent part of town to live. I can’t comment on safety, I moved to the Borders from an inner London council estate so when people in the Borders spoke in hushed tones about a particular part of their area being terribly rough or dangerous I could only laugh wryly. I would say that was an unsafe part of town, though.

Sorry WOULDN’T say that was an unsafe part of town.

Will your friend be working in gala?

@ComtesseDeSpair
Thank you, that's really helpful. I appreciate 'feeling safe' is relative.

@TheCanyon
No, working in Edinburgh (driving in)
The budget is the issue.
She'd really prefer Earlston, or further up the A68 but not enough £££

What’s the price on the second one? I couldn’t see it.

I much prefer the first one personally.

If I didn't have the money to do it up then I wouldn't touch the first one.
Can she stretch to £45k? this one is much better. www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/94178657#/

Both have HR valuations of £40K
First has accepted her offer of £36K
2nd has advised they would accept the same

Also, I'm not sure you can pull out of a purchase that easily under the Scottish system, they need to get out quickly if they aren't going to proceed with it.

[quote emmathedilemma]If I didn't have the money to do it up then I wouldn't touch the first one.
Can she stretch to £45k? this one is much better. www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/94178657#/[/quote]
That flat has been on the market since June last year so might be worth trying an offer of £40k

Can she apply for home improvement grants

Don't know the area, but on the flats alone, definitely the first one.

The lounge in the second one is a weird layout - with the doors where they are, there is no room for any actualy furniture, and most of the room would be used as corridor.

The bedroom in the second one is TINY! Only just bigger than the size of a double bed.

The first one has a bedroom 2.5x the size, plus that extra 'room' you walk through to get to it, which could be used as an office/guest room with sofa bed. It also has a garden, which the second one doesn't.

In that case, I think she would possibly be better looking north of edinburgh, dunfermline possibly.

@emmathedilemma
I think that's too expensive for her. I showed her that one but she said it was 'too dark'. Obvs it's her living there and I don't want to interfere, but I worry about her living in the first one with her health conditions & no £ to improve it. She 'doesn't even like it, just cant afford better' she says. Fair enough, I just worry a bit about her.

Too dark?? It's got all the blinds and curtains shut in the photos! Ever heard the terms "beggars can't be choosers"? At least it's got a functioning kitchen and heating! I'm tempted to buy it myself and rent it out!
If she's had an offer of £36k on the other and it's valued at £40k could she take the mortgage for 40 and spend the £4k on improvements? That would at least get a basic new kitchen and some cosmetic improvements.

I know. She can be very rigid ...the one shes chosen hasn't really got space for a kitchen- its basically a cupboard :( I dont know if she can borrow the 'extra' 4k but shed need something for heating an attic flat with no insulation in Scotland, even in the Borders it gets cold.