Should we buy this Victorian house?

[Wigeon]

Help! Agreed a sale on our house almost 5 weeks ago, have looked at around 12 houses, and finally viewed this one (Rightmove link) which is the first we are considering offering on.

However, we never thought we’d be going for a Victorian property - most of the ones in our budget/location are 1930s or later (this is over budget but it’s been on the market a month with no offers and the owners told us they’ve found somewhere they want to move to, and the agent says they’re open to offers).

What should we look out for? Are the heating costs going to be mad, with the high ceilings, and is it going to be draughty? Is the maintenance bound to be a money pit? We’d get a full survey.

Other cons:

I don’t like that you can’t see the garden from either the dining room or main reception. Not totally sure how to use the second reception area (the bit next to the dining area).

There isn’t a massive amount of room for the gazillion coats and shoes our family has.

Small garden.

Bit further from the children’s school and DH work, altho they’d still all cycle (prob 30 min cycle for the youngest DC, faster for the other two as they cycle quicker).

Pros:
3 big bedrooms, smaller one would be my working at home study. Big loft and big tanked basement.

Three loos and two showers when we currently have one loo and one shower between the four of us!

Very close to train station (I’ll be commuting once or twice a week), the town centre, the huge beautiful park, close to my children’s friends and their various activities, they’ll be able to get to all that independently (they’re going into Y7 and Y10). Generally one of the most desirable locations in the town (and we can’t afford the bit right next to the park, which is the most desirable bit).

Masses of period features, most places we’ve been viewing are much blander modern places.

Help help help! External /objective perspectives needed!

Fair enough then sorry

I’d probably put back a wall between the dining room and reception room with some double doors (maybe repurpose the nice stained glass ones?!) so it could be opened up into one space if needed. I’d then put a doorway/opening from the hall into the reception room and get some cleverly designed storage for all the shoes/coats etc and also have it as a kids playroom/den space. If you put in doubled glazed clear patio doors and trim back the tree you should get a better view into the garden from there as well.

Love it OP. It has so much potential with lots of quirky features.

It's a stunning house. I'd love to live in a house like that. There is nothing that needs doing but you can add value later.

Get a big thick thermal curtain for the front door and borrow a thermal heat camera in early winter to help with heating bills.

The wooden shutters will keep a huge amount of heat in when they are shut.

I live really close to that house and think it’s very over priced. It is lovely but I wouldn’t pay that for it. No parking, you will sometimes struggle for a parking space after 6pm and it’s attached on both sides. It’s also a bit tired for a house at that price in Watford. I think either the seller is not very motivated to move and are chancing their arm in what has been a busy time for selling or they will have to reduce it significantly.

Its beautiful but lack of at least one off street parking space would bother me at that price, especially with the move to electric cars, could effect you reselling further down the line unless this is your forever home? But then you will struggle to charge One also.

*sorry, link attached on one side, not both sides!

EPC should be on the official website for EPC. Study carefully

It is a very beautiful house, but I am quite 😲🤯 at the price, and I've actually recently moved into just outside Watford so I'm familiar with what the house prices are like around here. I guess the amazing location is a huge factor in that, but tbh I'd be a bit disappointed with the size of the kitchen and garden for the price. And the lack of driveway. All the features are absolutely stunning though.

Do you absolutely have to be right in the centre of Watford or would you consider moving slightly out? Have you looked at Abbots/Kings Langley? Still pricey but lovely areas and 950k would get you much more. Kings Langley train station is on the same line at Watford Junction too.

I'd definitely buy it. No doubt!

Give some coats and shoes to the charity shop?

I live on the road around the corner. My friend also knows the owners very well. We couldn't believe the price when we saw it online! If you buy, you will be massively pushing the rest of the prices up around here. I say, if you can afford it, buy it :)

I love and adore my Victorian cottage but it's been a money sink, won't lie. However much of that has been bodgery by previous owners. Get a really good survey done and set aside some funds if you can. Otherwise, enjoy. We've been here 25+ years and I'm leaving feet first

Ps. Parking isn't really an issue when you're further up the road so you would be fine.

It's absolutely lovely but I'd no buy it if I wanted 3 bedrooms due to the bath arrangement. The shower room is too small to comfortably use every day and I'd not want people coming through the main bedroom. Fine if it works for you of course but consider price with that in mind. Is there room in extra reception to build some sort of coat cupboard? What's the basement like? Is there scope for storage and utility down there?

It's lovely. What the alternative? You said this was the first you've considered offering on, so presumably there isn't a 2nd option. So what's stopping you?

That’s a gorgeous house but really expensive for a terraced house!

Oh hello! We currently live a 20 min walk away/5 min cycle. I think no offers in a month does mean it’s over priced. Our house went on the market a month ago on a Thurs and we accepted asking price offer on the Monday.

Are you in Nascot if you don’t mind me asking? Any other general Nascot thoughts?

It’s not actually attached on the right, so it’s like a semi.

Another Watford neighbour - hello! It was good to meet the owner briefly, seems to have been a lovely family home for them.

That is really reassuring. We currently have on street parking, but we have a dropped kerb to a small garage (but no driveway and the 1970s garage is not big enough for the car!), so can usually park right outside our garage, which obviously doesn’t apply to this house.

We definitely don’t have to be so central and have looked at several in Abbots. Also in Garston, Leavesden, one other in Nascot. Two of the Abbots ones had the roar of the M25 in the garden plus the very frequent train noise from the mainline. Trains were ok but the M25 was just awful, even though the houses were pretty good. Third Abbots one was much quieter but a huge doer-upper. Fourth was just a bit meh and on a 30mph road.

We’d also have to drive the DC round (to friends and activities) a lot more if we were in Abbots whereas this Nascot one would mean they’d be a lot more independent (they’re 11 and 14). And slightly longer commute /less frequent trains/can’t use Oyster from King’s Langley station.

And so far none of the Garston/Leavesden/other bits of Watford ones have grabbed us. Or need a lot of work, which we want to avoid if at all possible.

So hard to know what to do! This house ticks lots of boxes but does clearly have some downsides too.

I think it's a gorgeous house. I'm in a Victorian semi right now and it's cooler than outside in summer. Warm in winter. Energy £130pm but I am lucky enough to be on a fix through summer 2023.

Is the side passage to the garden owned by the property or is it shared with next door? As the bedrooms are built over the passage If it’s shared you might want to look at flying freeholds as it can make properties harder to mortgage.

it’s a lovely house and looks well maintained as others have said a good surgery especially to look at plumbing, electrics and roof.

£1m for a terrace in Watford! No wonder they haven't had any offers. Surely you could get a semi-detached or detached with a garage and driveway for the same or lower price?