Critique this picture-perfect property

[ThisPerkyBlueDuck]

A stunning property (at least at first sight) has come up in a popular road in my town. Every picture oozes with elegance, brightness and greenery. However, am I right in thinking that it must be a nightmare to keep warm, and that it would be perfect in somewhere warm like Spain, and not in the Midlands?

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/153197267?utm_campaign=property-details&utm_content=buying&utm_medium=sharing&utm_source=copytoclipboard#/&channel=RES_BUY

To me it looks like they renovated the house to suit themselves, and now have to sell for whatever reason.

If you compare the Zoopla pictures with the Rightmove pictures it looks like they moved the bathroom to the other side of the bedroom to create another bedroom and doing so they made en-suite and no family bathroom, on a side note they created a large bathroom and then shoved the toilet into the most awkward corner, and large of wasted space.

So the current owners took out the family bathroom and deliberately moved it so you can only access it through a bedroom? That’s wild! Why would you do that? Literally everyone who looks at the house is going to have a problem with that layout. Way to devalue your house.

The house is nice (nothing special) but the garden looks unkept.

Bathroom issue and garden looks rubbish, other than that, a nice house IMO.

I'd need bigger kitchen with doors to garden, study downstairs, bathroom upstairs (currently just ensuite to master), garden at back (not side), no pool, more character and more storage. And it's on a main road? Definitely not a perfect property for me!

£40K price increase since 2022? They're having a laugh.

The wooden floors are scuffed in multiple places
The kitchen is tiny and not 'social' either given there's nowhere for someone to sit there and keep you company whilst you cook (which we do in my family)
The utility room is cheaply done
The gold edging in the bathrooms is tacky
The garden is a disgrace. What a mess.
There's no bathroom upstairs other than the en-suite.

Sorry, but for £750K they're really having a laugh. Looks neglected and realistically unsuited to living with small children if they have to go downstairs every night to wee.

I don't understand people who use ChatGPT to answer threads. Why?

It’s nicely decorated but the layout isn’t great and the garden looks like it’s not been touched for years. Plus neighbours super close. I’d buy something less done up with a better plot and/ or spend a bit more on the garden.

I personally like it and nearly bought a house in a similar style

however unless they’ve done something very fancy with the insulation and heating it will be very expensive to keep warm. And overall it’s worry about it being a money pit.

What a bizarre bathroom situation! It effectively has no upstairs bathroom except for an ensuite

Are they door-phobic?

Well OP. That told you didn't it?!

Anyway I think it has lots of good points and if you're saying it's perfect then I guess the issues people have identified don't cause you a problem. If the price and the layout and whatever needs changing is within your reach then go for it.

”Every picture oozes with elegance, brightness and greenery”

Really? It’s not a bad house but I don’t think you’re much of an interiors expert OP!

The worst thing is the location. Couldn't ever live there.

I really like it. The layout is good, beautifully decorated and the garden has potential. Lots of privacy and not stuck in the middle of nowhere. I would put a wood burner in and it would be cosy in no time

It doesn't necessarily do it for me, but I got very enthusiastic about the laundry room of all places. How I'd love a laundry room.

We've bought a house with a lot of strange quirks and are slowly charming it into being "ours". When a house is sold as show-roomy it makes it tricky to put your own stamp on it I think. (Im not an expert tho this is my first home). But I'd imagine you're paying extra for the fact that it's move-in-able.

We have super high ceilings and our house is very cold for it, but this doesn't look too bad for heating imo.

It’s nice but not ‘stunning’. I’d be put off by the garden which is a bit odd, but mostly the crazy bathroom situation on the first floor. One bathroom for 4 bedrooms and that’s accessed via a bedroom? No.

That was my first thought. The neighbour also has large trees.

It's also on a very busy road...

Can you call it an en-suite when three other bedrooms have to use it and walk through the master to access it?

The size of many of the rooms seems disproportionate, a huge utility and dining room, and an enormous amount of unused space in the centre of the house. It has been well photographed and prepped but I think it would be an annoying house to live in. Huge windows, but they still needed to turn on all the lights for the photos, I think it is probably quite dark in reality since the house next door and the trees on the other side are blocking a lot of light.

No radiator on the ground floor?!
I love a layout challenge but I couldn't crack this one without spending lots of money.
I think the downstairs shower was originally the main entrance, kitchen and beyond were extension. What a good example of badly planned extension! I also don't like having to walk so far to go from master bedroom to the kitchen. The previous owners must have looked at some instagram pictures and replicate it as cheaply as possible. They look good on pictures but if you analyse further, it just doesn't work!

I mean, a stud wall corridor and a simple door move would sort the bathroom situation out, it's really not complicated... struggling to understand why this would be a deal breaker for so many people. Surely that isn't enough for people to write a house off is it? Can people genuinely not see that as a solution???

That said, the price for what it is, 'jerky' downstairs layout and proximity to neighbour would make it a no for me.

I think it’s a nice house. Heating it will be like heating any house of that size. I’m not getting your point, if you want low utilities buy a small new build.

@ThisPerkyBlueDuck why do you want it be critiqued? Are you going to buy it?

Lovely home with lots of potential but most rooms look cold and sparse, and could do with a bit of updating. More plants and if I bought it I'd definitely upgrade the flooring possibly opt for some carpets in bedrooms. Garden is a mess. Kitchen is lovely but again let down by the flooring. If I was seller I'd definitely just try and dress it a bit better, more warm and homely. Good price for all that house although I'm not sure on the area so don't know if that's normal there, if it was near me I'd snap it up!