House purchase.

[JunoJunebug]

Hi all.
im feeling overwhelmed with the choice of properties out there. I’ve bought cars based on looks before (and regretted it).
what kind of house wouldn’t you buy? Why?

I wouldn't buy a new build because I don't like them. I'd aim for a period property. I would need direct access to the garden (I mean, no steps down). I would aim for a house on a quiet street (because I currently live on a busy one). But ultimately it's location and cost will be the main factors.

Not on a main road and a south facing garden have been my deal breakers while we’ve been looking. Found a beautiful house but the road noise was horrendous even inside the house.

Anything with any kind of management charge.

Hell. Someone else determines companies used, 'reasonable costs', when things happen... And you legally have to cough up or go through an exhausting, miserable and often expensive process to challenge.

Makes property harder to sell too. Means that you may well get threatening letters for not paying, added interest, bailiff threats and so on... All over driveways, communal gardens, and so on...

What type of home would you NEVER want to live in? Why?

No wayleaves or shared drives.
Always freehold, never leasehold.
Detached if poss, then semi, then terrace ( I like quiet).
Parking on own land.
Not where there is a lot of road noise. (We once lived a field off the M6, sometimes you had to shout to hold a conversation in the garden if the wind was blowing from that direction.)
Not new build because you get more space/land for your bucks with a pre-owned one, and you can have your surveyor crawl all over it because it is there to see.

I dislike very narrow gardens, anything under 7m wide is a no go for me

Get something we’ll insulated with modern windows (or budget for that) out rue the day even your first energy bill lands.

Anything with a large garden or more than a 5 minute walk from shops and restaurants. Been there, got fed up of it, now live very happily in a city centre flat. Wouldn’t buy new build but recently built, where the first owner has fixed all the snags, is fine.

In town:
Period properties - more character, but likely to need more maintenance. Seemingly scary things often come up on survey. Often have larger gardens, but maybe on a more main road. May have poor insulation and be less energy efficient, but can be cooler in the summer.
New build - more energy efficient, tend to have smaller gardens, but can often be in a cul de sac. Less maintenance required
1950s-80s property less character, variable energy efficiency. In general the newer the properties have smaller gardens. Variable maintenance.
In the country
Rules less applicable as properties regardless of age are more individual,
Budget, location and appetite for risk and work all come into your decision.
No one house is right for everyone. We bought a house that needs reorganising and modernising, the people we bought from thought they wanted to do it, but didn't really know where to start. My husband has the vision and inspiration so it was perfect for us.

Detached New build owner here.

Best purchase we've made. We have a 1/4 acre back garden, detached garage, large driveway, the walls are a foot thick with breeze block , insulation and rear read brick so our bills are quite low. All appliances are energy efficient, we have silestone worktops, wooden floors, deep windows cils. Gigabit broadband to the home.
We added a loft with Instal loft - they use a system that doesn't void the warrantee.

Not all new builds are rabbit hutches, ours is well above national space standards. You need to visit several and get a feel for what you want.

The only negative so far has been the stud walls in some areas make it tricky to hang shelves but I found the right raw plugs in the end!

Would 100% buy new build again especially for downsize retiring. But would get solar panels and a battery next time to ensure energy independence.
Check out crackingenergy.com for more on that.

advice. Ignore all the standard, repeated fallacies such as all new builds are rabbit hutches and badly built. Or never buy a leasehold. Or only buy south facing gardens.

This is the third thread on the exact same topic within the last week or so. Search for one of those, or consult them if they are also your threads!

I will never buy a property with a veranda / balcony. There’s no escaping the neighbour noise or their smoking when living in a property like that.