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Original poster

Our dream house isn't THAT perfect after all...

13 replies

notasize10yetbutoneday · 23/04/2010 08:59

Hello all,

Following on from my 'something fishy' thread, last night we had a second viewing of the house we are interested in, and I am sooo glad we did as we ended up noticing quite a few things that needed doing!

We are utter novices when it comes to DIY/home improvement of any kind, so I was wondering if anyone would be bored kind enough to give me rough guesstimates of how much the following would cost to replace?

  • Get double glazing in front bay window and two bedroom windows upstairs
  • replace cracked beech kitchen worktop (kitchen is 15ftx12ft)
  • replace worn/stained carpet on stairs and upstairs (4 bed house)
  • replace all taps (kitchen, bathroom, ensuite)
  • new sink in downstairs loo (just a little corner one)
  • new bathroom floor (cheapo lino, would want tiles)

Hopefully we can use the list above to get them down on the price!

TIA

OP posts:
preggersplayspop · 23/04/2010 09:04

There is no way I would reduce my price if someone said they needed to replace the carpet for example. If something came up on the survey that was structural I would think about it, but cosmetic improvements I wouldn't.

expatinscotland · 23/04/2010 09:05

What preggers said.

All these things you want to do are personal changes.

Someone else might not be bothered.

Original poster
notasize10yetbutoneday · 23/04/2010 09:09

Thanks for the input. Does that apply even when the carpets are very worn/stained to the extent that we really felt they would have to be replaced immediately? Not just an 'Oh its not really our colour' type thing?

OP posts:
MumInBeds · 23/04/2010 09:14

In the end it is down to what you and the seller agree, no harm in asking for a reduction but they are perfectly within their rights to say no - it's up to you what you do if they were to say no.

expatinscotland · 23/04/2010 09:14

Yes, it does apply. You're not renting a flat. In which case, the landlord should replace.

Buying, there's all range of choice. Some may not want to replace the carpet at all, may want to live with it, may want to throw it away and refinish the floorboards, etc.

preggersplayspop · 23/04/2010 09:14

If you haven't made an offer yet, you should just offer what you think its worth in comparison to others you have seen. Factor in things you would like to do to the house when considering your offer, but IMO if you start saying to the estate agent well, we have knocked off £500 for carpets to be replaced, and £300 for worktop and £250 for new taps, the sellers are going to think you will be a nightmare to deal with.

Pennies · 23/04/2010 09:16

The house has been valued on the condition it is being sold at.

You can make an offer based on what you think it is worth but they don't have to accept that.

I would say that it is VERY rare to move into a house that is perfect and needs nothing doing to it - we all have different tastes and standards.

I reckon you might need to spend about £5k? Not sure though.

BeenBeta · 23/04/2010 09:22

Time and again I have been to look at houses and find a lot of repairs, decorating, replacement of carpets etc. The owners just think 'I lived here and it was OK'.

It is not even worth having the conversation. Just make an offer taking nto account what the house, plus costs plus repairs and refurbishment will cost in total.

expatinscotland · 23/04/2010 09:23

Yes, you're certainly within your rights to make a lower offer, but I wouldn't say why or itemise it like that.

Original poster
notasize10yetbutoneday · 23/04/2010 09:25

Thanks all, I think I ought to have worded my OP differently, I didn't mean I would say to EA 'we have knocked X off for this and X for that- as you say that would make me come across as House-zilla! More we are just wanting to factor it into our own sums- this house is at the top end of our budget at the current asking price so we will need to factor any work into a offer we make.

OP posts:
NorkyButNice · 23/04/2010 10:06

Agree with others - the house in its current condition is worth a certain amount to you, but don't expect the owners to reduce their expectations based on your personal tastes.

The only exception to this would be if an identical house in the near vicinity were in better condition at the same price. But if that were the case, you'd be buying that one instead!

Personal tale - we just bought a house that needed total refurbishment (kitchen, bathroom, rewiring, plumbing, redecoration, windows) and we got 20k off the asking price of 385k, having given them a list of similar houses and asking prices on the same road. We've spent nearer 40k getting it sorted!

mintyfresh · 23/04/2010 11:40

The things you have stated are not essential but agree your offer should reflect the work you want to do.

We are currently offering 20k(10%)less than asking price on a property that needs a new kitchen, bathroom and windows which are all big jobs. We have listed these when we made offer but didn't even touch on the cosmetic work we would want to do. I want to offer even less but it wouldn't even be considered!

blackmilkofdaybreak · 23/04/2010 13:08

What everyone else said. All those things sound cosmetic. You should look at the house structurally in terms of room sizes, is the bathroom in the right place? Do you need to make major structural alterations etc.? Those are the things that cost the big bucks. The only way to get a perfect house is to buy it/build it from new.

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