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Original poster

Would you buy this house?

163 replies

Usernamesthis · 27/11/2023 15:14

I am not a stylist person by any means, we are house hunting and I love this house. The location is perfect for us . DH would prefer a project and somewhere with more character. I love the fact we can just move in and it's chain free.

What do you think?This house

Check out this 5 bedroom detached house for sale on Rightmove

5 bedroom detached house for sale in Chalkwell Avenue, Westcliff-On-Sea, SS0 for £1,600,000. Marketed by Fine and Country, Mid and South Essex

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/135443012#/?channel=RES_BUY

OP posts:
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6
Suchardchoccy · 27/11/2023 16:25

If I could afford a house for £1.6 million, there's absolutely no way I'd be having neighbours

Tabitha005 · 27/11/2023 16:26

@SgtJuneAckland - I agree. With that budget, there are definitely nicer areas around than Westcliff (or Leigh on Sea these days).

GasDrivenNun · 27/11/2023 16:27

I'd only buy it if I liked cleaning toilets.

KievLoverTwo · 27/11/2023 16:27

They've taken a beautiful old building and blandwashed it to within an inch of its life.

Those steels would make me angry every time I saw them.

I have nothing against the decor, but it does not belong in that house.

£1.6m and the neighbours can all see into your garden? Lol, nope. I suppose that's the South for you.

A resounding no.

madeinmanc · 27/11/2023 16:27

The garden can easily be planted up to look lovely and characterful, especially with all the free time you'd have due to not getting involved in renovations!

I'd want to get rid of the grey, B&M social media-driven vibe of the decor.

Siha345 · 27/11/2023 16:28

It’s a gorgeous house but for that price I’d expect it to be. It is a bit soulless but you could make your mark quite easily. If you have the money then you could change anything you want to make it a project while knowing you probably won’t discover that it has damp or the roof needs replacing etc. like with run down houses. But if your partner wants to learn and toil and work on the house himself then I can see why this one wouldn’t appeal

Makemydaypunk · 27/11/2023 16:31

Does the second property only have a rear yard? The house is or could be nice but if the picture shown is the total garden it would be a no from me.

SnapdragonToadflax · 27/11/2023 16:38

I know the area. There are some lovely looking houses on that road, far, far nicer than that one. However I wouldn't buy any simply because it's so very busy, especially in summer. You'll have a constant stream of traffic or a traffic jam outside every rush hour and weekend. It'll be hassle just popping out to do anything.

The decor is ghastly, very developer bland and tasteless. It's all changeable obviously, but that costs time and money and is such a waste when it's all new. And the garden is so overlooked and tiny - for 1.6 mil I'd want a lot more land. I would also worry a bit about coastal erosion in years to come, it's very flat around there (far more so than Southend, say).

I can completely understand wanting to live around there, but the house itself is a huge letdown and the road is not ideal.

housethatbuiltme · 27/11/2023 16:39

That's a LOT of white.

I feel like I'm in a simulation, for some reason it looks computer generated not real.

Personally I find it soulless but worse they layout is USELESS. Who needs an entrance hall almost as big as the living room?

I also can't abide open plan and I would HATE to have to clean 6 toilets too.

Good points is the number of bedrooms but other than that nope it just wouldnt be for me.

TheWanderingWoman · 27/11/2023 16:40

It's a lovely house and you'd still be able to add your own personality to it.
We bought a house that needed renovating and I wouldn't do it again, it was very stressful.

housethatbuiltme · 27/11/2023 16:43

Also how do you get onto the balcony... theres no door, are you climbing through windows?

Chickenlittl · 27/11/2023 16:43

Lovely house but 1.6 million and it has a small box garden and neighbours. Mental in my opinion!

If I had that money I’d be buying a farmhouse in the country with 100% privacy. But that’s just me.

Mynaddmawr · 27/11/2023 16:45

No I wouldn't- no character and rising sea levels

JadziaD · 27/11/2023 16:46

I don't understand everyone complaining about, in effect, the decor. The question is whether you like the lay out, location etc not whether you'd choose to furnish it like an Air BNB.

You can make it far more interesting with better furnishings and cosmetic changes eg paint, artwork and accessories. The garden is as bland as can be but that's fine too - easily fixed over time.

For me, I'd need the kitchen diner to be blocked off from the living room most likely. And I think it's odd that such a large house doesn't have a downstairs guest toilet. Those would be things I'd be concerned about. not the grey, boring style.

Chewbecca · 27/11/2023 16:48

It depends.

I think this is the house that used to be the hospice isn't it? So it is old but has been fully refurbished now they've moved to the new purpose built premises.

Mainly depends on how you feel about the busy road - for me that would be a deal-breaker. We call it the Westcliff Highway.

If you don't mind that and your DC are already at senior (or you are happy with private), then I would go for it. The 'project' aspect could be decorating / adding some charm back in which is needed.

I do prefer the houses on Marine Parade personally, or the Hambro Gardens one that's currently on the market. The Marine Parade house linked is nice but the garden is too small for me, the wider ones are more attractive.

housethatbuiltme · 27/11/2023 16:48

SgtJuneAckland · 27/11/2023 16:15

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/140661017#/?channel=RES_BUY

This needs some work but has more character and the area is better

This ones so much nicer

housethatbuiltme · 27/11/2023 16:51

JadziaD · 27/11/2023 16:46

I don't understand everyone complaining about, in effect, the decor. The question is whether you like the lay out, location etc not whether you'd choose to furnish it like an Air BNB.

You can make it far more interesting with better furnishings and cosmetic changes eg paint, artwork and accessories. The garden is as bland as can be but that's fine too - easily fixed over time.

For me, I'd need the kitchen diner to be blocked off from the living room most likely. And I think it's odd that such a large house doesn't have a downstairs guest toilet. Those would be things I'd be concerned about. not the grey, boring style.

No amount of paint will change the awkward lay out, lack of character features, metal support beam, box-ness etc... and buying some shrubs from the garden center can only do so much.

The white is overwhelming and hurts your eyes (don't even look real) but thats NOT the issue everyone moaning about.

Lampzade · 27/11/2023 16:52

It is a nice enough house, but not worth 1.6 million
It is a bit bland, but can be improved with a little bit of imagination, so that is not the main issue
For me , the main problem is the lack of land.
The garden is way too small for a five bed house. Also, I can’t understand the need for so many bathrooms.
I

KStockHERO · 27/11/2023 16:54

If the location was right, yes, but not for that price.

To me it needs to be decorated top to bottom, features restored, new kitchen and bathrooms and I'd want a price to reflect that. I'm fully away I'd be on a hiding to nothing though because its been priced as a 'finished' house to reflect the hideous renovation that's been done. So I wouldn't even bother looking.

CrabbiesGingerBeer · 27/11/2023 16:56

For a 5 bed, I’d want more than 3 downstairs rooms (and one of those is the utility). It’s too open plan for my taste plus that size of house needs a bigger garden as far as I’m concerned - it’s out of my budget but if it wasn’t, I wouldn’t be keen to spend that sort of money to be practically on top of the neighbours.

lactonic · 27/11/2023 16:56

The editing makes it look soulless and cold. Every picture is horribly over photoshopped. In fact some of them feel a bit AI generated. Have you been to see it in real life?

BitOutOfPractice · 27/11/2023 16:57

I agree that’s a busy road. And the side road next to it is a cut through too. That’d be a deal breaker for me.

Sd352 · 27/11/2023 17:00

I like the layout and that every bedroom has its own bathroom. However, dislike the steels in the kitchen — to me, they indicate the renovation has been done with cost cutting in mind and there might be more surprises lurking under the surface.

DaisyDoor · 27/11/2023 17:00

No, the neighbours are too close and the garden is small and horrible. It’s also very boring inside which is fine except that you’re paying over the odds for that boring bathroom etc. I’d rather put my own stamp on something.