"Homeowners" who can't afford to be "homeowners"

olly300

Orpheo wrote: »

Not at all. At no point did I suggest that every house that I viewed was like this, just some. These houses are often marketed at the same price or sometimes higher than comparable houses that have been very well maintained.

Different houses with different estate agents.

Estate agents market to get the best price. They don't know the difference in the individual house. They are just sales people and most don't even know if the house has structural damage or whether electrics have been put in safely.

Plus most people where I live buy a house or flat, and unless it's a new build rip out what the people before had done then live with until they sell it. People use to do up the house i.e. put in new kitchens and bathroom but now Estate Agents in the area tell them not to and just do cosmetic things like paint walls white.

So as long as the structure is sound people don't feel like they are being ripped off.

PasturesNew

daisydays wrote: »

I thought 54-year-old females were called women.

They probably are, which still means I can call myself a girl.

PasturesNew

When I first bought my house the hallway needed attention. I got a quote from some painter/decorator types, who quoted me £3000 to paint my hallway/stairs/landing. I knew £3k was a rip off.... but it was almost impossible to even get people round to quote. I ended up leaving it for awhile until about 4-5 years later when I got a handyman in to do a lot of stuff over about 2 weeks.

As a single female, I found that potential workmen would do any/all/some of the following:
- not bother turning up to quote
- not bother turning up to do the job as quoted
- leaving half way through
- hitting on me
- going for a seriously rip off price, because women are easy targets

I had a quote for a loft extension at one point... slimy little bald midget that came round sent me a full professional written quote ... and asked me for a date on the compliments slip inside the pack. ewwwww. As if.

pop_gun

PasturesNew wrote: »

When I first bought my house the hallway needed attention. I got a quote from some painter/decorator types, who quoted me £3000 to paint my hallway/stairs/landing. I knew £3k was a rip off.... but it was almost impossible to even get people round to quote. I ended up leaving it for awhile until about 4-5 years later when I got a handyman in to do a lot of stuff over about 2 weeks.

As a single female, I found that potential workmen would do any/all/some of the following:
- not bother turning up to quote
- not bother turning up to do the job as quoted
- leaving half way through
- hitting on me
- going for a seriously rip off price, because women are easy targets

I had a quote for a loft extension at one point... slimy little bald midget that came round sent me a full professional written quote ... and asked me for a date on the compliments slip inside the pack. ewwwww. As if.

3k is scandalous :eek:

madeupname1

PasturesNew wrote: »

When I first bought my house the hallway needed attention. I got a quote from some painter/decorator types, who quoted me £3000 to paint my hallway/stairs/landing.

Why not have a go at doing it yourself? Painting is not difficult - boring, yes, but difficult no. If your first job isn't great, you'll know better for next time. All you need is the paint, a ladder, a friend to hold it and a bit of agility and imagination. You sound like a resourceful person so its difficult to imagine that you could not have managed this. I am a woman living on my own too. I have hung wall paper, painted interior and exterior, tiled floors, hung blinds and curtain poles. The only thing I don't mess around with is electrics (from bitter experience :eek::rotfl:)

Addiscomber

The OP is making a mistake in not distinguishing between essential maintenance and desirable decoration. Just because a house doesn't look as though it is in a 'Homes and Gardens' article doesn't automatically mean that the roof leaks and the plumbing/electrical wiring is bad.

cheap_charlie

Addiscomber wrote: »

The OP is making a mistake in not distinguishing between essential maintenance and desirable decoration. Just because a house doesn't look as though it is in a 'Homes and Gardens' article doesn't automatically mean that the roof leaks and the plumbing/electrical wiring is bad.

Equally a home may be beautifully decorated with that decor hiding a multitude of sins and the fact more essential work has been ignored.

As someone who is looking to buy I have learned very quickly not to be taken in by a swish kitchen if the Home Report reveals problems with the roof or the electrics.

PasturesNew

madeupname1 wrote: »

Why not have a go at doing it yourself? Painting is not difficult - boring, yes, but difficult no. If your first job isn't great, you'll know better for next time. All you need is the paint, a ladder, a friend to hold it and a bit of agility and imagination. You sound like a resourceful person so its difficult to imagine that you could not have managed this. I am a woman living on my own too. I have hung wall paper, painted interior and exterior, tiled floors, hung blinds and curtain poles. The only thing I don't mess around with is electrics (from bitter experience :eek::rotfl:)

There was a lot of house ... and 9' high ceilings ... and it involved stairs. I am a unitasker, with slight dyspraxia, which translates to: I am the most cackhanded and manually useless person on the planet. I'm the kind of person who might easily knock over/drop the paint, put it down every so carefully, then (in trying not to knock the lampshade with the ladder), step into it/knock it over.

Somebody did my ceilings and there was one patch about 2' square and I said "I'll get that bit"... and they watched in amazement at me doing it before saying "you really CAN'T do this can you?"

I also find it depressing. When I paint a wall I'm fed up with it before I've done a 3' square. Useless isn't the word for it... unbelievably useless doesn't come close.

My brain just can't work in tune with the task at all. Then I get despondent/utterly down ... and go off for a sob

So, I'd rather not do something badly (and waste time/materials/energy). I have to wait until I can find somebody that I can afford to pay to do the job. I'm not even good at that bit where you're told "Here, hold this bit a minute". Utterly, indescribably ... useless.

Orpheo

MrsE wrote: »

Being as renting is almost always as expensive as buying or sometimes even more so what do you suggest people do?
Live on the streets?

Is your house falling down around you Mrs E?

I'm not suggesting anything. How on Earth do you come to the conclusion that I'm suggesting that people live on the streets? I think you need to stop putting words in my mouth, in fact you should be removed from this case entirely before you hurt someone and reassigned to directing traffic.

reassigned to directing traffic

On second thoughts...