Going to view a house today that I want badly !

[skidamarinkadinka]

Gorgeous 1930s detached house, needs alot of modernising, huge garden, big drive and garage. It's on a main road into town but all the houses on this road are the same and just so lovely to look at.
We are not on the market yet but plan to get the same estate agents to list us asap. We need to move, we've outgrew this house in the last two years.
They want £450k. It was reduced in October.
Feedback has been the main road putting people off and also the work that will need doing.
How can we up our chances ?
We can probably go upto £430k but that would be the maximum.

But SO many offers in England fall through. So before survey, land registry search, enquiries etc…. It’s marked as sold. It seems a bit risky!

Me too, the minute we walked through the door. Dd is 18 and DS is 21 they were 2 & 4when we moved in. I knew it was where I wanted to raise my family.

It's just a sign. If the sale falls through, you put the For Sale one back up. Signs are pretty irrelevant most of the time anyway - everyone is looking on the internet.

I would recommend getting a builder you trust to go and look at the house with you. They will be able to tell you the extent of the work that needs doing and how urgent that work is.

We bought a house recently that need modernising throughout and we chose to do it all at once as in the long run that was the least stressful option. We were very lucky with our builders as they coordinated the entire project for us but it cost close to £100k and I think we got a very good deal.

Also, don't underestimate the stress of a renovation project. It sounds like fun until you're making what feels like the 100th decision that week and you feel like your builders live with you rent free.

@Earsareitchy . the board says SOLD STC, and it basically just means the buyer has accepted an offer.

Until you exchange, the buyer or seller can pull out

What year did next door sell for at 475k?

2021

The house we're in was stuck in the 70's. We've spent a good chunk on this place and extended it

The listing for the house we bought a few years ago said 'under offer' as they'd have to reject our offer before accepting another one. Luckily they didn't but they'd have the full right to have done so (I'm in Scotland though)

@Waitingbydoor Yes very aware. Not going in with my eyes closed at all. There are a couple of other houses around we're interested in looking at too. This one just gives me a different feeling !

I’ve got a nice pink and a nice avocado lol and sink that I’m about to pull out of the house we’re moving into, if you’re NW you can have them!

definitely don't post the link on here, listings get thousands of views and someone else will put an offer in

I do wonder what comment you made to get it deleted ! 😆

The boiler is 7 years old, radiators been replaced recently. The survey will give a clearer picture ! That's if they accept our offer.

We spotted an Edwardian semi on one of the nicest lanes in our village. Went for a viewing (the owner was in a nursing home) and whilst we were there a builder turned up to have a look.
It backed onto a huge orchard though that didn't belong to the house and the trees were in full blossom, I remember thinking now gorgeous it was, and if a builder was interested we hadn't a prayer of getting it.

Our house was on the market though, and it did sell quickly. We put in the full asking price, if I recall it was £47,500 (it was 1992!) and we got it!!!!

It needed soooo much doing to it, and took us about 3 years, but we spent 25 very happy years in that house.

We downsized further down the village, but I will always love that house, so much so I can't bear to visit our old neighbours and see people in 'my' house😄

Unfortunately that beautiful orchard was built on, but we had 25 years pleasure from it.

Good luck with it all, I know how it feels when a house calls to you. Let us know what happens.

Stories like these I love !

OP, I’m a bit worried you’ll be tempted to
offer well over the odds!

Just so you’re aware, the mortgage company will want a surveyor’s valuation of the house. At the moment surveyors appear to be being very cautious with valuations, erring on the low side of what people see as a fair market price. You’ll see people posting about sales running into trouble about this on this board. If you offer substantially more than the house is likely to be valued at by a dispassionate surveyor, you may find that you need to fund more of the cost that you think if you’re not able or willing to negotiate the price down.

We moved into a 1970s house in December. It was last updated when the original owner moved in 1970 (confirmed by the thankfully lovely neighbours!)
It needs everything doing. The heating broke day 1 but it wasn’t just the boiler, every central heating pipe has needed to be replaced as they were all full of crap that even a power flush couldn’t shift. All new radiators. All windows, doors (including internal); wood panelling on the walls, avocado bathroom suite, kitchen, needs a rewire, roof, fascia’s and soffits, guttering…..it’s a 12-18 month job. It’s not just ‘we don’t like the colour of the lounge’. We are doing it ourselves (kids grown up, not a chance I’d do this with kids at home) because DH has the skills. We looked at another one before this but missed out, we know the neighbours and we know the new owners spent £93K on it modernising it (that was getting people in to do the lot though). Do not underestimate the cost and disruption of modernisation. And these are 1970s properties; potentially a 1930s one has more issues. Definitely get a full survey.

My MiL rang us early one Saturday morning to say she was viewing a bungalow that she wanted to buy.

I carefully explained that she wouldn't be able to buy it unless she had an offer on her own, which wasn't on the market.

She viewed the bungalow, spoke to the EA selling it, who had a list of potential buyers for her house. By lunchtime she had had her offer accepted on the bungalow and had accepted an offer on her house.

Sold and moved within 6 weeks! A whirlwind. Unusual but can be done!

Thanks for all the advice so far, it is really helpful.

Dh is an engineer, very handy, and has done lots in this current house. That's why we're not especially worried about any works. Of course, the survey will find anything worrying and that may make us rethink all together.
As it is we'd just want to extend, which we've already been through and know what to expect.
Dh had a look at the radiators and said something about the pipes being a good size whatever that means 😆
Expecting a rewire, which we've already had in this house and I couldn't live through that again, it was the worst part of it all, So will be vacating while that happens. Again, this is all hypothetical! The agent will ring tomorrow and I will update then.
We also had an avocado suite in this house 🥑

If the surveyor values it at 350k, would you be able to absorb the additional 100k?