Would you buy this property?

[Essexgirliex]

Hi,

ive come across a property I like but noticed a couple things that made me rethink. Want to understand if this would be picked up by others or if I’m just overthinking it so would you buy this property please and also for this price? https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/161200355#/?channel=RES_BUY

I’d knock the wall between the kitchen and first part of the lounge down to make a kitchen diner and then put in doors to the back part and make that the lounge.
Needs a new kitchen and bathroom.
Garden could be lovely with some work.

front of house is quite ugly though.

No. Don't like the area, don't like the look of the house, don't like the layout and it's very dated. Probably not a bad price for it, but that's the only positive thing I can say.

The garden is the worst bit. Really great size but so dark with those trees, even on a sunny day in the photos it's hardly got any light.

I like 70's houses but this one has an awkward layout. If you don't like the floor plan your £50k will be eaten up by knocking things around. To be honest I think you need double that to renovate it.

It's hugely overpriced compared to sold prices in the road.

@Essexgirliex
I wouldn’t say it was a particularly good/ nice area. It’s expensive, but it’s mainly a commuter town hence the price. The town centre is so run down, just charity and pound shops. For your money I’d look at Rayleigh and surrounding areas.

It’s got lots of potential I think. Personally ally I’d move the kitchen to the back of the house.

If it’s in your price range and you have money to do it up it’s fine. Although it’s probably perfectly liveable in the interim so wouldn’t need modernising straight away.

edit: completely missed the train line would be a no from me unless it was literally all you could afford

I wouldn't as its above my price range which obviously I couldn't go above but if it was in my price range (and the area I needed) then yeah I would buy it.

Its big enough which is what I look for, the living room is bloody weird though. I would need to build walls/add doors to block it off into probably 3 rooms (a living room, play room and office).

I wouldnt buy it. Even with a complete renovation inside (and I'd build a wall down the middle of that lounge to create two long reception rooms), the front is just so ugly with that bit just stuck on. I would probably want to put the front door at the front of the box bit. There's just too much work to do, too much structural work in addition to the decorating.

It requires for me a new kitchen and bathroom to start with. I'm not sure about that large room with the wall though. 😬 does the price allow for these improvements?

The last house to have sold in the road is more attractive externally, in much better condition and of the same square footage. It sold for 450k less than a year ago. I would think 400-425k would be a more appropriate price based on other sales and the need for work.

Looks to beat the ceiling price for the road by about 75K.

It obviously needs doing up because it has an avocardo bathroom suite which must date to the 80s.

Looks to be on a decent plot at the end of a road, although there is a train line right out the back. The station is handy I guess if you are working in London.

Although on a cursory glance it seems over priced, when you look in the area it seems a bit hard to find anything that is stand out better, which is usually a good indication of overpricing, but I didn't look for long.

Most of the stuff on there in that area seems to be locked in a mid nineties timewarp as regards decor.

That living room is giving conference centre vibes. The wall in the middle is very odd.
The beige carpets throughout look in a bad state and probably need replacing. The kitchen and green/grey bathroom are both very dated.
The weird porch out the front is an eyesore and completely dominates. But is nothing some hanging baskets or a row of pots wouldn't fix.

I'd be a bit concerned about those tall trees just passed the back fence. Blocking a lot of light and worrying on a very windy day.

There's an extension to the right of the house (single storey, door and windows in photo 18) which I assume is behind garage but not shown on the floorplan. I can't see clearly if it has a flat roof, which would worry me.

High crime area.

https://www.streetcheck.co.uk/postcode/ss117ar

I'm guessing that the sitting room has been extended, hence the wall in the middle. That means getting rid of that wall would mean major structural work, work that would be so expensive that whoever did the extension decided it wasn't worth it.

I agree it seems overpriced compared to "done up" properties nearby. If you need 4 beds because you've got 2 or more kids then personally I'd want to completely reconfigure the downstairs and make that big back room a kitchen / diner / living room and turn the front kitchen into a snug or play room. The bedrooms are small and only 1 bathroom would put me off if it's a family home.
If you've only got £50 to spend on renovations I'd walk away.

Why don’t you have a look at Rayleigh instead? Wickford is awful.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/find.html?searchLocation=Rayleigh%2C+Essex&useLocationIdentifier=true&locationIdentifier=REGION%5E1113&radius=0.0&maxPrice=550000&minBedrooms=4&_includeSSTC=on