What’s wrong with this property…

[MellowMint]

Looking for some advice…

We’re interested in buying a house from a developer (only 5 houses were built in total, high standard, great area etc.)

Two bigger houses are at the front of the plot, three smaller ones at the back – the two large ones in the front and two of the smaller ones at the back were sold a long time ago, only this one is left. All of them are detached and very similar (the differences are only cosmetic, e.g. the color of the front door).

What makes us wonder is that this particular house has been on the market for almost a year, even though the others sold quickly. Recently, the listing was taken down and reposted (same photos, just arranged differently). This has happened twice already, and now the developer has also added another agent to sell it.

I called today and tried to ask the agent what’s going on with this house – he said that supposedly there are interested buyers, but they first need to sell their own properties. It sounded a bit like an excuse and an attempt to put pressure on me, especially since I’ve told him that we’ve been watching this house for almost a year. But in the end, I don’t really know what else he could have told me, certainly not the whole truth 😂 I know the market is slower at the moment, but still, the situation seems suspicious.

Tomorrow we have a viewing scheduled. It’s not our first purchase, but it’s the first time we going to see a house tha that hasn’t sold for so long. Honestly, I’m confused – houses that stay unsold for a long time always made me think of old ones, in need of major renovations, requiring a lot of work and investment, etc. But here it’s the complete opposite…

My question to those with more experience: what else is worth asking tomorrow apart of the obvious questions, what are we missing here?
Something feels off here, but I can’t put my finger on it 🤔

The 10 year warranty isn’t worth the paper it’s written on, it’s the 2 year guarantee to fix snags offered by most builders that’s worth having

I got no idea, I will need to ask all of this tomorrow when we meet with the agent.

Good point on the management company, those houses wasn’t build by any major developer such as bloor or similar, I mean, would 5 houses even have management company ?? 🤔 I’ll have to ask tomorrow, thanks for this !

Speaking as someone with an active Rightmove alert in Burnham I’d say that it’s a long way out and that it’s overpriced for the area. There’s no much new build competition in the town.

it’s also really grey which I know you can change but just makes my heart sink.

From what you’ve told us, my guess would be: shared drive with the house to the left; proximity to the older house in front & the surrounding houses; lack of front garden in relation to the size of the house & plot.

We did look at the whole area, on that particular road houses are quite expensive so I didn’t think that this one would be that overpriced. Yes, It is a bit out but we trying to get far out. It’s close to the station so perfect for our London commute, and this house offers nice space for the home office as well - one of the reason we like this property. We would definitely paint it 🙈
Currently living on the other side of the river Crouch, in a village in an old house, and honestly we got enough of it… want something new but not as small as your usual new builds, we had one of those years ago and for ever was running out of storage

Dont Really care about the front garden, and I don’t mean it unkindly, just don’t have time to tend it. So never was something we pay huge attention to. There is small patch under the bay window, I could plant a rose bush - that would be enough. The share access to the drive it’s definitely something that really stands out to me now

Not read the full thread - the stairs look quite steep and the banisters rather high - they also seem to have glass panelling too which might get broken (dangerous if someone fell down stairs?). Also noticed neighbour might block in your garage.

Do you know Burnham and how long the train takes? I think you’d get more for your money in tTillingham or Southminster if you’re not worried about the Burnham vibe.

It certainly seems bigger than the average new build.

Yes we looked up the trains, we currently commute 50min. The direct train in the morning to London takes about 10min longer, from memory, it’s not a huge difference to us and don’t really care about return trains (yes, we need to change).
Where we are at the moment there is absolutely nothing, we can’t even walk to the pub as there it’s road and no pavement in front of our house so moving to Burnham which also is quiet would be an upgrade, belive it or not, the town centre has more then we got right now so it’s still an upgrade 😅 We still want to be in the stick but be able to walk somewhere, so this location seems like a happy medium for us :)

No proper kitchen!

We have a shared facility with our a neighbour, and my advice to you about buying a house with a shared facility is fairly simple; DON’T DO IT.

It’s fair to say we’ve been unlucky, but push came to shove with the shared facility, and it was horrible. You might be the most reasonable person, but if you end up sharing with unreasonable arseholes, that shared facility could be the bane of your existence.

Never, ever again.

We also looked at a new build on a new development; the seller was very coy about communal fees (there weren’t, but there were, but the amount wasn’t specified) and whether the drains had been adopted by the water board, which they hadn’t, but they might have been, but then again maybe not. Buyer beware; if you do decide to go ahead, nail all the legals down, or you might suffer later.

Good luck, OP.

I must live in a different universe than most mumsnetters.

That is a large garden, and all four bedrooms are large.

Awful see through wall for the en suite. Wake the other person up by putting on the light at night! Bathe in public! Loo barely hidden!!!!

I am with you. It is and they are! Particularly for a new build. Look at any major developers website and a 4 bed is max 1600sq ft, if you are very lucky. And the internal spec is nowhere near as high. This house has neff appliances, flooring, fully tiled bathrooms (whether you like them or not, fully tiled bathrooms are a very pricy extra for major developers), air source, turfed garden. It looks, on paper, like a good option.

The shared drive & acess would put me off.
We are in a cluster of 4 houses and have a neighbour that has to go past our house via shared acess road.
Long story short, we had no end of problems with blocking driveway, kids playing football across all 4 properties (& 2 smashed windows) and no end of trespassing on our front lawn- it used to have a lovely border, but....
Please think twice about shared acess and acess across your property.

I can't see a photo of the living room. I can see what they call the office and I can see the kitchen diner with the furniture added. But I can't see the actual living room.

I completely agree! That is a huge garden compared to the £million new builds in my area. I like the house and love Burnham but the thing that would stop me in my tracks is the access. You can't predict the problems that that driveway could cause in the future and having had to share access once, never again.

Has it got issues with the neighbouring properties access to their drive way? Or some sort of funny conveyance related to shared access or something?
It does seem odd that one on a development of similar houses wouldn’t sell while all the rest have.

At the end of the day, all that matters is if you like it and think it’s worth paying for - as long as you aren’t planning to sell soon.

Posters have come up with lots of reasons why it may not have sold - any of which would put some people off and will likely be the same if you come to sell.

• Shared Driveway
• Overlooked garden
• Property immediately in front
• Price for the location
• Slow commute into London
• Decor not to many people’s taste
• No front garden
• Very minimal kitchen
• Small 4th bedroom

At that price I would want total privacy at the back, garden/house overlooked on 2 sides and it’s a small plot. There’s quite a few of these types in my area and they just aren’t selling. We did actually view on last year (still on the market now) and the feeling of being penned in was much worse than the photos showed. Also the high end finish in my opinion wasn’t high end at all, it looked great on the photos but on close inspection it was no where near up to the standards I would expect if getting work done myself. It not the first new build I have seen, I have been disappointed in all of them and wouldn’t even think about a new build now unless It was a self build with contractors I worked with directly

I hate that ensuite. The wall of glass and the migraine-inducing tile.
I'd also have to query the access. The neighbours have to use your drive to access their property. Limiting the number of vehicles you can have there. And whereas they can have a gate, keeping their own vehicles more secure at nighttime, yours are open access.
You can also tell from the grass of the property to the left that they have a dog. Obviously by no means a deal breaker, but listen out for barking when you visit.

You've advertised it on mum's net. You'd better make up your mind sooner rather than later.

I think it looks like a great house and it sounds like things that might worry others actually suit you so a good match! Good luck with the viewing

It is lovely. The garden is quite big I thought? Although I'd love a garden like that, as it looks easy to keep on top off.

I couldn't cope with the en suite. As much as I love my bf I don't want to see him straight on from the bed whilst he's in there.

The shared drive would be my concern. My neighbour here has one and they are both partly responsible for it but it can be a nightmare getting on and off. I understand that shared drives are also harder to sell?

How was it on viewing?