Buying a house that's in a disgusting state

firsttimebuyer2013

I'm a first time buyer, been looking for a few months and have viewed a property with a lot of potential that I'm quite keen on.

The problem is it's filthy. As soon as I walked in there was a pretty strong smell and it didn't get any better. It needs complete gutting. Kitchen, bathroom, floors, the whole lot.

I'm after advice about anything I should consider before making an offer, as although I have questions to ask the vendors I'm not sure I'd be inclined to believe what they would tell me, based purely on the way they live their lives. I know that is very judgmental, but it wasn't just untidy, or even dirty, it was filthy. Disgustingly so.

There was mould around most of the double glazed windows, in particular at the bottom of the living room one. Does this sound most likely to be a ventilation issue rather than something more sinister?

I guess what I'm asking is; is there anything else I should consider beyond a 'normal' purchase from people who have looked after their homes as opposed to people who clearly don't? I have to add I haven't met the vendors so I am making assumptions about them purely on the state of the house. Wrong or right that's how it is. Sorry if that offends or makes me sound like an !!!. I'm honestly not. Just cautious of wasting a hell of a lot of money.

Thanks.

mummyroysof3

Are we talking needs a professional clean or in bad repair or both? The mold on bottom of windows could be due to lack of heat and them not opening windows. My advice would be to get someone you trust ie a family member or friend or if available do you know someone that's a builder or similar to go over the house with a fine tooth comb.

puddingisagoldfish

I'd be concerned about mould - you can't see all of it. It might be worth looking into potential health issues

gazter

you should be able to negotiate a hell of a discount though. A dirty car is worth less than a clean one, despite a complete car valet costs £30.

DigForVictory

If you look at the house with a clothespeg on your nose, is it the right property in the right place?
A good survey will form a view on the mould - and will almost certainly appreciate a heads-up about the smell. Use said survey as a basis to negotiate an acceptable lower price.
Or see the house go to an anosmic...

Doozergirl

It's much easier to see the problems in a house that is obviously neglected than one where the owner goes to pains to cover up the same issues.

Mould on the windows is condensation. Most likley a ventilation issue, yes. If the vendor wiped the windows regularly, you wouldn't know there was a problem Bonus

Ivana_Tinkle

I agree that, in a house like this, mould on the windows probably just means they never open them.

As someone who bought The World's Filthiest House my main advice would be:

(a) don't underestimate how long it'll take to clean (it took me three full days just to clean the kitchen!)
(b) it is possible that someone is too lazy to clean but not too lazy to craftily cover up problems with the house (we were very naive about this).

Dunroamin

Ivana_Tinkle wrote: »

I agree that, in a house like this, mould on the windows probably just means they never open them.

As someone who bought The World's Filthiest House my main advice would be:

(a) don't underestimate how long it'll take to clean (it took me three full days just to clean the kitchen!)
(b) it is possible that someone is too lazy to clean but not too lazy to craftily cover up problems with the house (we were very naive about this).

(c) sometimes professional cleaners are worth their weight in gold.;)

DaftyDuck

Dunroamin wrote: »

(c) sometimes professional cleaners are worth their weight in gold.;)

d) and that point c bears repeating twice!!

Not only can they be much cheaper than you'd imagine, and much more thorough than even your mother, one big advantage is that you'll never know - or be haunted by memories of - quite how disgusting it was under a rug/round the underside of the loo seat/under the kitchen sink...

I've done up a number of properties that were in ... mucky state.... with one I paid £300 for a full clean-out. It was left in a joyous state, smelling of lavender and bleach and polish, with not a trace of revulsion left. The two ladies and a gent who did it were a delight, and they were quite happy to pop back if they'd missed anything. I'd paid extra for a skip so they could just turf the carp out, and they'd filled a skip to overflowing with rugs, curtains, cushions, all sorts of stink and worse.

I would, without hesitation, use such a team again.

PasturesNew

Did they have animals? If it's, say, a smell of dog wee, there's a possibility it's seeped into the floorboards and they might want replacing. You won't know that until you've got the carpets up though.

I_have_spoken

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