What things would seriously put you off buying a property?

Callie22

SnowyOwl wrote: »

From looking at houses and flats I know that I would never consider any of the following:

• a house that is downwind of a slurrey pit (dream house on 1st viewing, on 2nd viewing I smelt of cow sh*t just because of the breeze)

I would always be wary too of a house that's near a sewage processing plant. My current rental is about a mile or so from one, and the smell can be absolutely foul at times. Apparently there's something they do in the summer months where they take the 'crust' off the top of the sewage pools, and the smell when they do that just has to be smelt to be believed. What's worse is they do it at night and it literally wakes you up - even with the windows closed it fills the house and it's just awful.

SingleSue

No bath and no room for a bath.
No off street/limited on street parking.
Small bedrooms.
No front garden, diddy back garden.
A completely open plan downstairs, it would drive me nuts with no personal space which can be closed off!

I'm pretty relaxed about location after having lived in roads which have had bad reputations but on living there, have found a great neighbourly feel and no trouble (I am apparently living in mini Beirut right now, begger all happens in reality, the most excitement or trouble we get is someone parking an inch further out from the kerb than normal!)

playaz

Wow - I am a FTB and this is such a good thread! I feel like I know nothing about buying a house but you guys are really helping me understand things! Thank you!!

phoebe1989seb

breadlinebetty wrote: »

But you've still seemed to have missed the point : that house you've put a link up to is in the exception - we're discussing the AVERAGE house and what people find a major turn-off.

........but surely what the 'average' house is depends from one person to another? I thought the point of the thread was to discover what would put people off buying a house.....any house.....not the 'average' house.......I don't remember seeing the word 'average' in the thread title Some people posting on this thread may have access to unlimited funds and therefore would be considering a house such as that posted by jonewer Just my interpretation of things.......:D

paulsad

Good thread - has put me a bit more at ease at my property - we've got some cosmetic work that preys on my mind as off-putting to potential buyers - but I know a buyer would want to decorate to their taste so as yet I've not gone overboard on decorating, I have done the donkey work in stripping off (about 6 layers) wallpaper then painting walls - made the mistake last time of doing loads of expensive decorating work and the couple who eventually came back to buy it had viewed it before I did the work so I needn't have bothered.

breadlinebetty

phoebe1989seb wrote: »

........but surely what the 'average' house is depends from one person to another? I thought the point of the thread was to discover what would put people off buying a house.....any house.....not the 'average' house.......I don't remember seeing the word 'average' in the thread title Some people posting on this thread may have access to unlimited funds and therefore would be considering a house such as that posted by jonewer Just my interpretation of things.......:D

I understand what you mean - up to a point. But anyone with £1.5M to spend on a house probably wouldn't be worrying about parking problems, amount of loos in the place, lack of cupboard space or being next to a prison/nightclub or train station etc.......:)

melanzana

Someone earlier asked for the "shared driveway" to be described. I haven't a clue what this means other than guessing there is one entry and two spaces or something.

Why are shared driveways such an issue? Never heard of them here in Dublin, all houses either have their own driveway or disc parking on the street, or underground in apartments etc.

And this thread has me so cheered up. I love my little house, but adore it now that it has -

cul de sac location, lovely mature trees on the road
SW facing rear garden overlooking a park and the mountains in the distance.
Full bathroom upstairs
No damp
Driveway to front that fits 4 cars and a few lavendar bushes etc. (no lawn mower to front!)
100ft back garden with big wooden chalet/shed. And grass too.
Good schools nearby, but not THAT near
Five minutes to great public transport
Wonderful neighbours
No dogs either side

I'm not selling any time soon, and have been here 24years, bought it on my own in my twenties and it took about 10 years to get it right, and a shed load of money too. But I always knew the location was perfect.

I really hope the above does not sound smug or anything. I think I put the legwork in when I bought it, even down to driving around at the dead of night to see what was going on, and asking the local police about the area. I was on a mission! And I'm still here, and they will take me out in a box!

axomoxia

Hmmmm.....

Things to put me off.

Permit Parking. For a "small administrative charge". One that tends to double every year. No thank you.
Snotty neighbours. I looked at house where I could see the neighbours noses point ever and and ever higher when they saw I was driving my crappy old astra. It was a small overcrowded 80's mock tudor-bethan "executive housing" infill estate in North Hampshire. Kensington Palace Gardens it wasn't
Anything where the party wall is a stud partition wall. Because I really wan't to know every time my neighbours use their toilet.
Conservation Areas. Unless you want to grovel to some "bullied at school" little Hitler at the council if you want to do anything to your house.
Far too many stud internal walls. Because I might want to put up some shelves.
No garage space.

breadlinebetty

melanzana wrote: »

Someone earlier asked for the "shared driveway" to be described. I haven't a clue what this means other than guessing there is one entry and two spaces or something.

Why are shared driveways such an issue? Never heard of them here in Dublin, all houses either have their own driveway or disc parking on the street, or underground in apartments etc.

And this thread has me so cheered up. I love my little house, but adore it now that it has -

cul de sac location, lovely mature trees on the road
SW facing rear garden overlooking a park and the mountains in the distance.
Full bathroom upstairs
No damp
Driveway to front that fits 4 cars and a few lavendar bushes etc. (no lawn mower to front!)
100ft back garden with big wooden chalet/shed. And grass too.
Good schools nearby, but not THAT near
Five minutes to great public transport
Wonderful neighbours
No dogs either side

I'm not selling any time soon, and have been here 24years, bought it on my own in my twenties and it took about 10 years to get it right, and a shed load of money too. But I always knew the location was perfect.

I really hope the above does not sound smug or anything. I think I put the legwork in when I bought it, even down to driving around at the dead of night to see what was going on, and asking the local police about the area. I was on a mission! And I'm still here, and they will take me out in a box!

What a lovely happy post!

Beckyy

No parking/double yellows around all of house.
Parking permit/charges.
Thin walls, if attached to a neighbour.
Lack of outside space.