Which house??

chrissie57

House 1 - house 2 feels 'cold' to me though to be fair maybe that's because of the circs its being sold in.

martinthebandit

You do know why that tv programme with the Wus and the Whiner was called Location, Location, Location, don't you?

Davesnave

House 2 backs onto the A38 and the garden picture is of the front garden, so I wouldn't look at it myself.

House 1 looks overpriced, and your precis of its recent history supports this thought.

Stags supported a gazump attempt when I was purchasing through them, but it wasn't that office.

namecheck

House number 1. Though if it is overpriced there should be room for negotiation.

Many posters on here are anti new/ish build and we have never bought one ourselves. However - there can be major advantages and looking back I wish we had not spent years renovating older houses (the time, the £s, the disruption).

If all you will do yourself is the decorating, are you prepared for the extra costs of the renovations - plus the aggravation, dust, general upheaval etc.

We have friends who have never bought anything "old"...and they were off out/away on holiday when we were living in semi building sites!

Jangin

I prefer house 1

amcluesent

House 1 if the price was sensible, butthe front aspect needs some roses etc. It's very stark. A chage of tiles and knobs in the kitchen could be enough without spending £££, otherwise it looks like walk in condition to me...

House 2 looks like it's on a scruffier, higher density estate, just one bathroom in a five bed, and no garage. Reflected in the price. Looking again, was it two semis knocked into one? TBH, I wouldn't pour money into this one.

Crazy_Diamond

Definitely house 1 - for me the location would be key and I would be loathed to spend money doing up house 2 as it already looks like the best house in the street.

House 1 also says guide price which suggests the vendors are open to some negotiation but I don't think the price is that bad looking at what else is available in the area.

phoebe1989seb

Like namecheck we have only ever bought old houses (1930s being the 'newest', Tudor being the oldest) in need of major work and have spent many years and tons of money restoring them to their former glory. We also have friends who have always bought new and can testify that they seem to have much more 'carefree' lives. Despite this under normal circs I would always advise to go for the older house, but I can honestly say in this instance I prefer house number 1

House 2 doesn't have much kerb appeal - apart from the deep front garden - and tbh house 1 could be made to look more attractive externally by 'softening' with climbing flowering plants etc.

I much prefer the layout of house 1 and despite the fact it is closer to the road at the front, it is obviously a quieter area. The rear garden of house 1 looks lovely - very well established and requiring little work. I also don't like the fact you have to go through the living room to access the study in house 2.

Both houses require you to put your stamp on them, but the advantages of house 1 to my mind make it overall a more attractive prospect.

The only downside for me would be the fact that I cannot see how they can justify the price for house 1 if it was only bought in 2007 for £440k. In that respect house number 2 does seem better value for money and I would want to get it for a more realistic price. Having also bought in 2007 and like the vendors of house 1, having spent £40k restoring our Tudor house with later additions, but making an overall loss of £60k when we sold last year, I would say that unless it is in an area where prices are stable or rising I would want to pay no more than £440k.......but I'm probably just bitter, lol

Crazy_Diamond

Regarding the price of house 1 please ignore my post above - we were lucky to live somewhere where prices increased over that period.

I checked the land registry for you. In Nov 07 the average price of detached houses in TA1 was £312,396. In May 2012 it is £266,840 so a decline of 15%.

Applying this decline to what they paid (£440k in Nov 07) the current value is £375,835. If you add the £40k they spent doing it up the market value is around £416k.

I obviously have too much time on my hands!

JodyBPM

I prefer house 1, mainly for the garden.