Selling house - feedback would be really valued

monty-doggy

Is there potential to extend into the loft? If so get that on the advert too!

I_have_spoken

Gut reaction to the pics

- Seems to be a large fir tree very close to the building - problem in the making?
- every room shares the wall, what if neighbour makes a racket?
- no garage, what off and on street parking is allowed?
- shame windows don't match to next door
- are the sash windows DG?
- how much traffic passes on that road, esp. any buses, HGV etc to rattle the building?
- nice decor in sitting room
- over feminine powder blue kitchen units IMHO
- kitchen in leanto is tiny, v. small sink. Where do you eat, other than TV dinners sitting on sofa?
- does the freezer etc. need to go in outbuilding? Would be good to know of the outbuilding has lecky etc.
- pic 4 - can a real fire be lit in the grate?
- courtyard a mess, garish red paint, big let down when the house itself isn't big, would need outside space
- pic 9, emphasises the courtyard is badly overlooked by neighbour
- pic 10, 2nd bed is only big enough for a single
- pic 11 - confirms outside is a mess with clutter and green slime on flag stones
- pic 12 - old fashioned faux victorian sanitary ware and taps, don't like aqua green, detracts from premium feel of rest of interior
- going up two flights of stairs for the lavvy could get annoying

Also

- just across junction from the Red Dragon pub, maybe noise, traffic and parking issues
- Can't tell from pics, but I know door height can be poor in Northants cottage and you need to keep ducking
- EA gives bare minimum details
- Need to be very careful with legals of the store as it shares a party wall with another house and neighbours rights to use courtyard to repair their property etc.
- what broadband service is available?

Overall it's small, esp. kitchen, doesn't do enough to justify £170,000 IMHO. Maybe a bijou cottage in Brighton would make that money, not sure East Mids has bounced back from the slump as yet.

Planning would probably be a 'mare but the house would be transformed if the lean-to kitchen could be replaced by a extension into the side passage and courtyard, in the style of an orangery.

Dan-Dan

has this house been on too buy or not to buy , i feel like i recognise it!

phoebe1989seb

First thing that jumped out at me was the garish red painted doors in the courtyard garden! Generally though, despite being relatively small, the house looks lovely and pretty well presented

Regarding price, I don't know your area at all, but some examples from my recent experience in other parts of the country -

1) We bought a house in need of a major (mainly) cosmetic overhaul in 2007 (Essex). We were downsizing and paid £280k against an asking price of £325k. It needed a new kitchen, two new bathrooms (one we added completely in the eaves as there was previously no bathroom/loo upstairs), garden re-landscaping, some re-wiring and re-decoration throughout. We put in a hand-built solid wood/granite kitchen and high-end bathroom sanitary wear - total spend in excess of £40k.

We needed to sell in 2011 to relocate closer to ageing parents so wanted a quick sale. The market was stagnant with some properties on the market for several years. All the EAs we contacted said the work done had made the house more *saleable* but had not added any value. We accepted an offer of £250k within two weeks - obviously not helped by the SDLT threshold!

2) The house we had sold previously in 2007 (Hampshire) for £585k has recently re-sold. The current owners have done nothing except giving it a lick of paint in two or three rooms and added an Aga in the kitchen. Not sure of the agreed selling price, but it was on for £695k :eek:

It does, therefore depend on the market in your area - to my eyes that are used to South Coast prices your house looks worth the money, but sold prices in your specific location may (or may not) tell a different story and our recent experience in Essex proves that in a more stagnant market even the best presented house struggle to sell unless priced very realistically.........

Best of luck and fingers crossed for you!

LittleMax

OP I know the area very well - how much did the cottages that were done up at Abington Park go for ... that would be your benchmark wouldn't it? You need to consider that they were rewired, replastered, new kitchens etc, not to mention the park in the back garden! So yours will be less than them. My experience of property in Northampton is that you will not get back what you paid in 2007. We moved 8 months ago and are renting our old house out, the rental market is good, and that will be an ideal location to rent in. I'd say it's a good property to rent, not so sure about buying.

EDIT - found the advert for the Abington Park Cottages - marketed at £175k, they are not listed on Land Registry site yet so don't know what they actually sold for. Or indeed if they sold, as they were also marketed for rent, so not sure if that was the original buyer from the Council who rented because they couldn't sell at the price they wanted, or whether the new owners rented.

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-24063084.html

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-36001831.html

Did you have Jacksons in when you were getting valuations? It would be worth getting their opinion.

LittleMax

monty-doggy wrote: »

I think your house is presented beautifully, however there isn't much left to do and some people like to put their own stamp on it. The agents description is very vague, there are no individual room descriptions and measurements.i would also be raving about the utility as they are really what people are looking for at the minute. I would want to see a breakdown of the property and highlighting the features of each room. And also some comment stating viewing essential to appreciate the property etc.

The measurements are on the floorplan.

I would be disappointed if I went to view a house described as having a utility and it turned out it was a separate outhouse with the washing machine and freezer in it!

GirlWonder

I_have_spoken wrote: »

Gut reaction to the pics

- Seems to be a large fir tree very close to the building - problem in the making?

- every room shares the wall, what if neighbour makes a racket?
- no garage, what off and on street parking is allowed?
- shame windows don't match to next door
- are the sash windows DG?
- how much traffic passes on that road, esp. any buses, HGV etc to rattle the building?
- nice decor in sitting room
- over feminine powder blue kitchen units IMHO
- kitchen in leanto is tiny, v. small sink. Where do you eat, other than TV dinners sitting on sofa?
- does the freezer etc. need to go in outbuilding? Would be good to know of the outbuilding has lecky etc.
- pic 4 - can a real fire be lit in the grate?
- courtyard a mess, garish red paint, big let down when the house itself isn't big, would need outside space
- pic 9, emphasises the courtyard is badly overlooked by neighbour
- pic 10, 2nd bed is only big enough for a single
- pic 11 - confirms outside is a mess with clutter and green slime on flag stones
- pic 12 - old fashioned faux victorian sanitary ware and taps, don't like aqua green, detracts from premium feel of rest of interior
- going up two flights of stairs for the lavvy could get annoying

Also

- just across junction from the Red Dragon pub, maybe noise, traffic and parking issues
- Can't tell from pics, but I know door height can be poor in Northants cottage and you need to keep ducking
- EA gives bare minimum details
- Need to be very careful with legals of the store as it shares a party wall with another house and neighbours rights to use courtyard to repair their property etc.
- what broadband service is available?

Overall it's small, esp. kitchen, doesn't do enough to justify £170,000 IMHO. Maybe a bijou cottage in Brighton would make that money, not sure East Mids has bounced back from the slump as yet.

Planning would probably be a 'mare but the house would be transformed if the lean-to kitchen could be replaced by a extension into the side passage and courtyard, in the style of an orangery.

Trees - nit ever heard if any tree problems in the 200 years, conservation area so tree stays

Outbuilding has water and electricity/lighting... I'll get into agent about that.

Courtyard a mess - no idea why courtyard comes across like that. It is in fact immaculate and as tidy as the house... Bt had recently rained before pics (slime????). Can't do an more on it but might relook at the pics...

Both fires, in living room and bedroom are working fires... I'll ask them to put that in details

The faux Victorian bathroom ware is real... Reclaimed stuff put in by previous...

Ceiling and door height actually like a normal house, high for a cottage...another thing to add!

We did get several quotes and went with the lowest of the three... But you've given us some stuff to think about!

GirlWonder

LittleMax wrote: »

OP I know the area very well - how much did the cottages that were done up at Abington Park go for ... that would be your benchmark wouldn't it? You need to consider that they were rewired, replastered, new kitchens etc, not to mention the park in the back garden! So yours will be less than them. My experience of property in Northampton is that you will not get back what you paid in 2007. We moved 8 months ago and are renting our old house out, the rental market is good, and that will be an ideal location to rent in. I'd say it's a good property to rent, not so sure about buying.

EDIT - found the advert for the Abington Park Cottages - marketed at £175k, they are not listed on Land Registry site yet so don't know what they actually sold for. Or indeed if they sold, as they were also marketed for rent, so not sure if that was the original buyer from the Council who rented because they couldn't sell at the price they wanted, or whether the new owners rented.

Did you have Jacksons in when you were getting valuations? It would be worth getting their opinion.

Hi LittleMax,

Yeah had Jacksons in, they said £175k... There was an ex council house round the way sold for £165 last year and as not period, and the other sales we know of we're £170, £175 and £202 for a three bed cottage... But they don't come up very often so hard to know. We did go with lowest estimate.

Totally agree about renting, we've even been approached about renting it before we'd even considered moving... It would just be tricky to get a deposit for a second property...

We do need to sell... But even in a slow market there's only so far we can go down before financially it's not worth us selling. Next door rents for £700 a month and has only ever been empty a matter of weeks. I don't know why personally, but rentals get snapped up .

Going to get agent to put more details onto rightmove, since most people will find it there, and then we'll it down with a calculator and find the point at which it's not worth us selling!

Fingers crossed we get someone like my partner, though, who just loves it... And doesn't need a dining room! I'm much more practical, so most of the points here I've raised... cautiously since I didn't buy it! Lol

GirlWonder

phoebe1989seb wrote: »

Best of luck and fingers crossed for you!

Thanks Phoebe,

Harsh luck with your cheaper sale . We're looking at properties around £350 in Chester... And like your example of massively hiked up prices, we've come across a lot who have bought only a few years ago, clearly done nothing (still got 1970s kitchens and crazy walling!) and have bought for £350 and are trying to sell for £550!!! Interestingly a lot aren't selling, but I think that's to do with unrealistic expectations!

It might be worth it to us just to get it off our hands! But only planning to be in Chester a few years so don't want to lose out twice

GirlWonder

Dan-Dan wrote: »

has this house been on too buy or not to buy , i feel like i recognise it!

Lol no, does that have Kirsty and Phil on it? Love Phil! If not forget it!