Advice with a flat I am interested in

topdealman

I recently viewed some apartments in the same block.

1 bed ground floor
1 bed first floor
1 bed top floor

A few days later the agent chased me up for some feedback and I told him that the ground floor and first floor flats that the bedroom was too small and that the top flloor flat I felt was too much money and I did not like the fact the neighbour had used the comunal landing to store his golf trolley etc.

Since then I have had a change of mind and I think maybe I could compromise on the size of bedroom as I like the area where the flats are.

The agent has not been in touch since the call nearly a week ago, I have a few questions

1. How should I play it with the agent, just ring him and say I would like to view again?
2. In flats if people are using the comunal areas as storage, can you complain to the management company?
3. Can you put a Sky Dish up on any flat or should you check before you buy?
4. How much should I look to offer both flats are on for £130k what would be a good opening bandit and a good target price for this?
5. What has better re-sell/rentablility a ground floor with own entrance or a first floor via comunal entrance both are street facing?

Thanks for your help

Doozergirl

1. Yes
2. You could try asking nicely. In fact, get the present vendor to ask nicely so that if they fall out over it, you don't suffer the repurcussions! Otherwise, yes, you can contact the managing agent; communal areas should not be used for storage and it presents a fire hazard (as well as looking cheap :rolleyes:)
3. You should check the terms of your lease and ask your neighbours what they have.
4. No idea where to start but ideally you want to pay £125,000 to avoid Stamp Duty
5. Ground floor, especially with it's own entrance. Ground Floor and top floor are generally most sought after as you have no neighbours in at least one direction

Liseyloo_2

I agree with Doozergirl - although watch it with the stamp duty - the IR can be a bit suspicious of properties that conveniently cost just a little less than the stamp duty threshold - especially if they have been valued at more.

I wouldn't have thought the £125k would have een a problem though - if you were buying for dead on £250k it might be different as the stamp duty rises to 3% at £250,000.01 !!

Doozergirl

You can buy a house for £125,000 without any trouble at all or at £250,000. A house is worth what someone is prepared to pay for it and houses are notoriously held artificially below the SDLT levels because people aren't prepared to pay more for them.

HMRC would be more interested in transactions with dubious payments for fixtures and fittings on top of the sale price.