Critique this listing

[hmv]

We’re strongly considering putting in an offer on a property in Bexley borough. This is the listing
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/139924619

We have never bought in the UK so are a bit nervous about the whole process which seems quite complicated. We are a family of 4 with 2 primary school age kids, commuting into central London 1-2 times a week, one car.

I would be grateful if you could kindly look at the listing and point out any negatives for this specific property - be as frank as you want! If you could also help with what the implications are of the orientation of the house (faces west I think), that would be great.

If you don’t mind the layout, location and price, looks fine.

Thanks, all that’s good. We’re currently renting in Welling and while we haven’t been here for too long, are fairly familiar with the area.

Price is ok. We expect to stay in the house until kids finish all their schooling so even if we overpay a bit it shouldn’t matter too much in the long run. We’re getting a high-LTV mortgage so if by some chance we’re massively overpaying, I’m hoping the bank valuation will point that out!

Looks a lovely house - wouldn't say there is much to critique!

I don’t know that area so hard to comment on price but my usual method is to:

1. do a RightMove search on the same type of house in the exact area I.e. search 4 bed, semi detached, Bexleyheath - and compare asking prices considering pros and cobs
2. do a RightMove search as above but including property sold STC and check what kind of pricing is actually leading to sales at the moment (you don’t know what prices have actually been agreed of course, but gives you an idea)
3. do a RightMove sold prices search for that street and the streets nearest it to see if anything similar has sold in the last year or so and what it went for

All that aside though it’s usually a question of do you like it and is it within budget - if it is overpriced a bit but you’re staying long term then never mind. If it is underpriced or priced just right you will probably find other buyers also start offering soon.

The back part of the kitchen/ dining big room will be very dark, it has no natural light. You are relying on the skylights for the extension, and that won’t be much use in the English winter ( or Spring or Autumn for that matter).

why are the bathrooms labelled as bedrooms on the floor plan, I suppose it is carelessness on the part of both Agent and Client, worth bearing in mind when you have to deal with them during the buying process.

Looks like a nicely maintained house in a quiet location.

As always make sure you get a proper survey done if your offer is accepted to make sure there aren't any hidden issues.

Looks a lovely house.
You asked about the orientation.
The front of the house face west which I like as it will get the sun in the latter part of the day when you are normally relaxing and watching tv. The back garden is facing east which will get the sun most of the day. Looks like they have put some seating at the bottom of the garden to get the sun at the latter part of the day. Think,I have that right but do your own checking and probably best to take a compass, don’t rely on the estate agent to get it 100% right.

The floor plan shows a toilet, sink and bath/shower in the two of the bedrooms. This won't leave much space for a bed.

The Estate Agent seems sloppy. Spelling mistakes and a poor write up and poor labelling on the floor plan so they might be a bit disorganised to buy through. The house looks fine though.

The only negatives I can see:

Two of the bedrooms are really narrow which might make furniture placement difficult.

The dining area is very dark although the kitchen will be fine with skylights and the doors.

The estate agents should be ashamed of themselves for not checking that floorplan.

It's a good looking space, decorated in a mostly bland style so nothing to do in a hurry, you can take your time to add your own style. Decent sized garden, easy to maintain. My only slight concern would be the front drive, if that's concrete there may be problems with drainage, if its block paved then not so bad.

It's been on the market a while. Has it been under offer in that time? If so, why did that sale fail?

I'd offer closer to 600k to start with.l, especially seeing the 650k house that is SSTC.

I think it looks good. Not extortionately priced for a decent sized family house, decent garden, parking, close to schools, and you could add value by getting the garage converted. It's quite far out so will feel very much greater London, but lots of people commute from there. You could do it up to your taste over time but it looks fine to move in without needing work done urgently.

It looks like a good, solid, decent family house in a nice location. It's an easy & relatively inexpensive commute from that area too.
Your garden faces East which means you get morning sun on the patio which will gradually pass as the day goes on. Last of your sun will be at the bottom of the garden which will be why they have a table set up there.

It doesn't look like it's been renovated in the last few years, the style is very much what people were putting in, I would guess around 2005 so I would plan on gradually replacing the bathrooms / kitchen / decor as and when you're ready over the coming years. For me, this is fine, you're not paying over the odds for a totally up to date style but no urgency to replace to your own taste when you are ready and have the ££.

Good luck!

Agree with poster above that one half of the open-plan room downstairs has no natural light and will be quite dark. Decor is quite ugly, so if you want to change it sooner rather than later something to factor into price.

Location is in suburban sprawl, so you'll be driving a lot, but if you're considering this location then that's probably something you're okay with already.

If you could also help with what the implications are of the orientation of the house (faces west I think), that would be great.

It looks to be the same orientation as mine. My garden is much longer but the first half gets sun for most of the day in summer - it starts to get covered by the shadow from the house at 3pm onwards I guess.

Big bonus is that the summer sun is off the windows by, say, 11am so the house in cool in summer. Mine is anyway!

@hmv It’s neat and perfectly ok. The garage is very narrow. Most cars with wing mirrors will be a challenge to get in, so consider it a storage area. Shame one bathroom is not en suite but that could be changed if you wanted that. Change of flooring in bathrooms would help. Not a major issue though. I’m not keen on the narrow room at the back. Depends what you see it being used for. I would see it as a study maybe or a utility room. So I would look to more than a door at the end of it. Otherwise it looks ok to me.

Do people really keep cars in their garages any more? Unless they're vintage ones to be tinkered with.

Have you been in the house@hmv as the dimensions some of the bedrooms and bathrooms look wrong.

It says there are 4 double bedrooms but that's not right. One is a box room and the other is really narrow and long so you'd really only get a double bed in at one end and then have a long tunnel leading to it. I assume that's the extension. If you can work with those rooms though I think it looks good.

The plans are awful. Personally, wouldn't live in the 'heaf, but you get more house for your money. Secondary school positioning can be difficult, don't personally know this road though.