Help! New Property Issue

Lmo_2

I visited a barratt site at the weekend and they had 1 3 bed property left. They said they could drop the price to £150k. It was perfect, everything I wanted except it had a bank for a garden. It has 2 layers to it, the bottom and then a supporting wall and the top layer, although it is very tricky to get to the top layer. Its a bit of an eye sore. I offered the price of £130k and they have now accepted but I'm not sure. Love the area and the house but worried about how I would sell with a bank for a garden. The other issue are if there is a possible land slide and also a risk of flooding as the bank is like a very steep hill with the house at the bottom. I'm not going to get a 3 bed new build in such a great location for that price with garage, dining room, big kitchen etc. So do I risk it? Has anyone else had this problem? Would any of you buy a house with a bank for a back garden? There is a really nice front garden. Please help!

lonestar1

Is it on a flood plain ? I think theres a site somewhere you can check maybe if anyone knows it they could post so you could check ?

Lmo_2

Nope its not on a flood plain, in fact its on a hill but because the back garden is a bank rain and mud can slide down the bank to the house. It has a supporting wall through the middle but worried I would find it hard to sell. This is the last house on the site and previous couples have pulled out of purchasing it because of the back garden. I'm in love with the house and area so have been stressing about whether to go for it or not.

brit1234

Stay well clear. A house is the most exspensive thing you ever will buy so it is not worth taking the risk of lanslides or flooding especially when the market is so overvalued. The house seems to be built on what we call Marginal Land, you can compensate for the risk with better insurance cover but is it worth it when it is a buyers market with over 15 properties for every buyer.

Best to look else where.

wymondham

It's not always flood plains that are problems.... Even properties not in flood plains flooded during that bad Summer last year, so there are no guarentees anymore now we get torrensial downpours more frequently (so it seems to me anyway!!) ... I think all you can do is use your own judgment, or if really worried get someone in to give their view.....

Lmo_2

Thanks Brit. Thats what a few people have said but then others have said to go for it. The problem is I am a first time buyer and buying on my own so its the only way I am going to be able to afford a new build in a nice area. All the others are over £200k even with the market as it is.

Lmo_2

Would anyone else buy a house with a bank for a garden? Especially when the house is fab?

silvercar

How high is the top layer in relation to the house? How high is the bottom layer from the top layer?

You would have to be able to carve out a set of steps between the two. Even then would the garden get any sun, or is it all in the shadow of the top layer?

Is there a flat layer outside the back door or does it slope immediately from the house?

I would consult an engineer about the possibility of removing a whole layer.

Lmo_2

As you leave the back door have a bit of paving and then you go up 3 steps and you are on the first layer. Immediately in front of that is the supporting wall. To improve the garden and get up to the next layer we would have to put 3 steps in from the first to the second layer. Behind the second layer is a high fence as another person's garden is behind the fence and they have planted trees there. Barratt have currently planted shrubs on the second layer but would be better to turf that and then as it does get quite sunny there to have a patio area. Unfortunately we can't do anything with the supporting wall as they have already had an engineer to view it. If we took out a layer the fence at the top and possibly other person's garden would fall. Would anyone else buy with this problem? The house is stunning, especially when the price is so good. It was originally £209k. The neighbours have all paid for around £182k for there properties. Would I be able to sell it?

silvercar

I can visualise it better now.

A friend had the opposite problem, the house was at the top and then there were two layers down from that, below that was the garden of the house in the row behind.

They raised their bottom layer to the level of the top layer. Could you do that? Raise the lower level so that it is the same height as the top level. You would need a supporting wall near the house. Wouldn't be too difficult as it only needs to support the length of the lower layer. The existing supporting wall will be buried by the raising of the lower level, but it would still do its job. You would have to have steps to get to the new level, either crossways across your patio or built into the new raised level.

Doozergirl

It's quite a discount if your neighbours paid £182k

I lived next door to a house like this. It was identical to mine (the other half of a semi) but had a bank sloping down which, IMO made it almost unusable. Mine was on two layers but there was only two steps between them and the garden was really beautifully planted. There were issues because the couple were selling were divorcing but I knew they tried to sell for a bit more than ours after we bought it and failed.

It sold just before we sold ours again - ours went for £210,000 and theirs went for £185k but because they were splitting up she was making big issues for viewers and the EA - I knew they had an offer for £197k which they had turned down when it was on for more.

So, I guess theirs was devalued by about 10%.

I think if you buy the house and spend money on professional landscaping then I reckon you could make much of the difference up if what is there is stunning. Everything will sell - if someone has no particular need for a garden then they will buy, especially if it's cheaper than the neighbours. You just have to be aware that you will always be worth a little less unless you find the right person.