Media pimped homes for sale - monitor thread

fc123

fc123 wrote: »

Where' s the thingummy jig dig thread? I keep getting distracted by bling houses.

Oooh found it and thanked DS's response.....I though it was having a dig at him physically....didn't link the two posts doh.:o
I mean, what's willy size got to do with anything anyway??

Mr.Brown_4

fc123 wrote: »

Oooh found it and thanked DS's response.....I though it was having a dig at him physically....didn't link the two posts doh.:o
I mean, what's willy size got to do with anything anyway??

It probably has a lot to do with owning very large houses, cars, etc.

fc123

Mr.Brown wrote: »

It probably has a lot to do with owning very large houses, cars, etc.

I'm afraid I will have to disagree (but nicely) with that one Brown. The older bloke in the wizzy covertable? It's because his income is his again, to spend as he pleases. Don't men just buy a house that they can afford regardless of willy size??

I am female ...the whole willy waving, big ones, small ones, medium ones thing...I so don't understand it.
I mean, can you imagine women bragging about cup sizes and all the AA's and A's making up for a percived lack of something with a big house and a flash kitchen? I think I am turning into an old person.:o

dopester

nearlynew, honestly I wasn't having a go at rewired. Just teasing.

fc, thanks for sharing your experience of living in that very area. A really interesting follow-up to DW's piece on that building/area, from someone with a lot more real insider knowledge.

Early night for me. I pushed my limits over two nights in trying to recall and pull up a few of the articles we'd read during the months gone-by, to establish a good few track-backs here, on the featured homes.

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From The Sunday Times
September 13, 2009
Beyond the brochure: Calderstones, Midlothian
You could stage your own Highland games in this home with its 30 acres of landscaped garden, but it leaves Daisy cold
Daisy Waugh


Calderstones: don't be fooled by the sunshine

Calderstones would be a dream property if it were anywhere else in the world. Only six miles from Edinburgh city centre, and a 20-minute drive to the airport, it is set in 30 acres of landscaped garden. It has its own tennis court and, ridiculous though it might seem to the rest of us, an outdoor swimming pool.

Sadly the house, as well as being in a cold climate, is within the city’s green belt, which means that not a great deal can be done about its feeble size and unsatisfactory layout. The current owners, a collection of investors who prefer to remain nameless, have submitted ambitious plans to convert the house (which is currently unoccupied) and extensive grounds into a hotel with chalets.

The fact that it has been put on the market as a family house without waiting for a response from the council intimates, I think, that they are not holding out much hope of success. The same property would presumably fetch a great deal more than the £1.6m they are asking if permission were granted.

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Rightmove link: Offers in Region of £1,450,000
Update 28th April 2010: Relisted on Rightmove (Savills) link: Offers in Region of £1,450,000
PB Main info:
02 November 2009. Price changed: Offers in Excess Region of £1,600,000 £1,450,000 [Found by n/a]
06 June 2009. Initial entry found.

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Other info 1: Midlothian Advertiser (27 November 2008)
Plans for snow sport 'centre of excellence' in Hillend, Midlothian

Other info 2: Scotsman (06 November 2008)
Holiday lodges and five-star hotel set for Hillend check-in

Update 11th June 2010: (From Rightmove (Savills) link above)
Price changed: from 'Offers in Region of £1,450,000' to '£1,250,000 (Fixed Price)'

Update 28th September 2010:For two months Savills on Rightmove had this property on at: Offers in Excess of £775,000

lostinrates

Oh, thanks Dopeser, good clue. He has said elsewhere he no longer posts here. I would have though he could have thrown me a thanks or two if it were him.

fc123

Pimping my deceased neighbours house without RM links is going to be hard...but...here goes.
My side of the street was plots sold off in 1928 and an assortment of houses built, Lutyens, arts and crafts style cottages , big ons, small ones etc. Many have been knocked down and replaced with 70's ones and a couple in the 90's (which is hard decade to ID architectrally).

5 doors down to my right is a truly ugly house (that the elderly owners are very proud of) that was rebuilt early 1980's. The interior is very Versailles inspired. Nice enough plot but worst on the street as at 'wrong end'. It is up for sale @ £1.1 million and has been for at least 6 months.

Immediate neighbour to my right bought in 2004 @ £560k. Similar size plot...slightly bigger house.

Most expensive house sold on the St was in May 2007 @ £975k and is much bigger....and way better location than Versailles house.


It will be interesting to see asking price....I think she only had 2 beds too.
Night DS.....

I love rewired too nearlynew.:o

fc123

lostinrates wrote: »

Oh, thanks Dopeser, good clue. He has said elsewhere he no longer posts here. I would have though he could have thrown me a thanks or two if it were him.

I am not convinced.

dopester

lostinrates wrote: »

Oh, thanks Dopeser, good clue. He has said elsewhere he no longer posts here. I would have though he could have thrown me a thanks or two if it were him.

It may not be you-know-who. Even if it were, it wouldn't matter too much if we're not in their good-books.

If it were, I'd be glad he's still around, even if its just in a viewing capacity, and hopefully is still a bear who hasn't yet rushed to buy full-in to assets before "the inflationary mega storm".

Last one from me for tonight. I already had it prepared in a text document, at the same time of my last post.

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From The Sunday Times
November 22, 2009
Beyond the Brochure: Zero, Ealing
This may be good for the environment, but it’s as sterile as an operating theatre
Daisy Waugh



Zero's windows reflect heat, one of the property's many green features

However. To the house. If I’d seen it a year ago, I might have said it was groovy. But recently, these modern houses have begun to look disconcertingly similar. Added to which, there’s something about their smell — unlayered and slightly chemical — that gives me a headache. This one is a four-storey, four-bedroom, two/three-reception-room family house in Ealing, in west London. It is big — 3,154 sq ft — and comfortable, if you don’t mind sharp corners and hard surfaces. It’s for sale for £2m.

I couldn’t survive in this house for longer than a week without wanting to throw myself from the top-floor balcony. You may think that’s extreme. On the other hand, the house has been finished only a year, and Susan and Ian and their brood are already planning to emigrate to Australia.

Rightmove link. POA
PB Main Info:
23 November 2009: Price changed: from '£2,000,000' to 'POA' [Found by n/a]
06 November 2009: Initial entry found.

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Update 28th April 2010: Relisted on Rightmove (Whitman & Co) link: £2,250,000
Update 03rd May 2010: Adding direct Street View link (wait a moment for it to acquire)

dopester

fc123 wrote: »

Immediate neighbour to my right bought in 2004 @ £560k. Similar size plot...slightly bigger house.

V.interesting fc. The seller(s) will probably want best price, but I wonder where they'll pitch the price if they really want to sell. I'm taking it as read it'll be going on the market for at least double what the last owner bought for in 2004, unless they are keen sellers and willing to put price/value pressure on the less appealing house for sale.

Got to be honest here... I'm slightly concerned about you possibly giving out too much info. The mega-leap in value some read into houses in the space of just a few years... incredible.

dopester

Tired but can't get proper sleep atm. Veering slightly of the thread-objective, I wonder what the outcome was for this woman and her family?

At the time I seem to recall a discussion thread (somewhere) with even a RM link, but a quick search around and not found. I'm leaving this as an entry as it might show up later with a deeper search, possibly allowing a houseprice.co.uk check on any transaction data.

This is an incredible £90,000 less than the original asking price - in the space of three months. I feel like I am the housing crash, personified.

Article 1: This is Money
Article 2: Daily Mail

Some of the comments(1) mirror my own thoughts - as did this blogger's(2) take on it all.

(1)

Sorry Karen, but I was divorced 10 years ago, have two kids and even though my salary is far higher than yours, I can only afford to live in an ex council house (currently on the market too and no signs of shifting), send my kids to the local comp (they're both doing very well though!)and drive a five year old Ford Fiesta. I used to have a swanky lifestyle, but that's history now, and I have had to adjust. I could have had loans etc to fund my lifestyle, but when the cash runs out you lose everything. I may have modest means now but at least it's all mine and I don't fear that bailiffs are going to take it away.

(2)

I know I should feel sorry for her – her husband died eight years ago and she is struggling to support her young family – but I can’t help thinking that her priorities are bonkers. She spends £20,000 a year on posh schools and music lessons; the 50-mile round trips to aforementioned posh schools (in her spendy BMW X3) amount to an additional £6,000 a year. And she’s on a dental receptionist’s salary! No wonder she’s skint.

Her argument is that she didn’t want to further unsettle the children by moving them to regular schools after her husband’s death. However, as the three oldest children would have all moved schools during the intervening years – with the youngest child entering education only after the husband’s death – I’m unconvinced. I know how she could save £26,000 a year and avoid the “agonising prospect” (her words) of selling up in an unfavourable economic climate….

Heartless, moi? Hmm, perhaps. But why are so many people of such modest means so determined to live lifestyles that they clearly cannot afford? It’s an attitude – and a sense of entitlement - bamboozles me every time.