House hunting in Berkshire

Tancred

onlyroz wrote: »

Does it have to be detached?

No, but I prefer detached because I don't like hearing neighbours.

martinsurrey

I know the pain.

I was looking in a similar area (A bit further south, I'm moving from Bagshot) and found it hard going, it took 8 months.

In the end we bought a house within 2 days of it going to market and were the only people to get inside it.

Desirable houses sell fast, so if you want one, move fast and get agents onside, the ones you see on Rightmove for more than a few weeks, are the ones that are not selling as they’re overpriced for what they are.

I must say though, looking for a 3+ bed detached in that area for £300-325k is going to be a mission without compromising in a fair few areas, I would say 2 of, location / size / condition aren’t going to be ideal.

I know Crowthorne/Sandhurst is about £4,000 a sqm in a decent area for a detached with work needed, so your £325k will only get 80 sqm (so nothing).

I think to get into your budget you need to consider semi detached, or sacrifice every other condition to some extent.

hazyjo

If you can't find what you want for that budget, the chances are (stating the obvious) your budget will never be enough and you need to make some decisions about location.

Have a look at houses in the same area for around £50-150k over your budget. If you can find things you love, your budget is obviously not high enough.

Either think about maxing out now, changing area, or reducing your search criteria. You don't want to be looking for something that doesn't and won't ever exist. If prices are going up slightly (which they certainly seem to be in some areas), you don't want to find you can't actually afford anything in any area you'd consider.

Jx

Tancred

martinsurrey wrote: »

I know the pain.

I was looking in a similar area (A bit further south, I'm moving from Bagshot) and found it hard going, it took 8 months.

In the end we bought a house within 2 days of it going to market and were the only people to get inside it.

Desirable houses sell fast, so if you want one, move fast and get agents onside, the ones you see on Rightmove for more than a few weeks, are the ones that are not selling as they’re overpriced for what they are.

I must say though, looking for a 3+ bed detached in that area for £300-325k is going to be a mission without compromising in a fair few areas, I would say 2 of, location / size / condition aren’t going to be ideal.

I know Crowthorne/Sandhurst is about £4,000 a sqm in a decent area for a detached with work needed, so your £325k will only get 80 sqm (so nothing).

I think to get into your budget you need to consider semi detached, or sacrifice every other condition to some extent.

We would certainly consider a good semi-detached or link detached.

Tancred

hazyjo wrote: »

If you can't find what you want for that budget, the chances are (stating the obvious) your budget will never be enough and you need to make some decisions about location.

Have a look at houses in the same area for around £50-150k over your budget. If you can find things you love, your budget is obviously not high enough.

Either think about maxing out now, changing area, or reducing your search criteria. You don't want to be looking for something that doesn't and won't ever exist. If prices are going up slightly (which they certainly seem to be in some areas), you don't want to find you can't actually afford anything in any area you'd consider.

Jx

Well, there had been a number of houses on the market in January-March this year that we would have gone for if it hadn't been for the fact that we weren't ready to proceed. The issue is more to do with lack of availability than anything else.

Jenny.W

Have pm'd you.

Properties do go quickly, ours sold within 24 hours. Are these any good:

http://www.romans.co.uk/Property/58643/
http://www.romans.co.uk/Property/56086/

japmis

hazyjo wrote: »

If you can't find what you want for that budget, the chances are (stating the obvious) your budget will never be enough and you need to make some decisions about location.

Have a look at houses in the same area for around £50-150k over your budget. If you can find things you love, your budget is obviously not high enough.

Either think about maxing out now, changing area, or reducing your search criteria. You don't want to be looking for something that doesn't and won't ever exist. If prices are going up slightly (which they certainly seem to be in some areas), you don't want to find you can't actually afford anything in any area you'd consider.

Jx

Absolutely agree. Maybe it's time to realise you can't afford a detached house in the M4 corridor!

hazyjo

Tancred wrote: »

Well, there had been a number of houses on the market in January-March this year that we would have gone for if it hadn't been for the fact that we weren't ready to proceed. The issue is more to do with lack of availability than anything else.

The ones you saw might have been priced very low, the actual prices paid may have been higher (bidding wars?), or there may have been problems you were unaware of. The fact they sold so quickly probably does indicate they were priced competitively, or underpriced.

Definitely look at houses outside of your price bracket to see just how much of an issue price is.

Jx

Catti

I used to commute to Bracknell from Didcot as I didn't like Bracknell!! That's easy to get to Henley too.
Prices were much more acceptable there! http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-25960848.html

Tancred

Catti wrote: »

I used to commute to Bracknell from Didcot as I didn't like Bracknell!! That's easy to get to Henley too.
Prices were much more acceptable there! http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-25960848.html

Most of Bracknell isn't very attractive, but there are some nice (and expensive) areas in the outer parts: Warfield, Binfield and Martins Heron.