needs doing up, got 1 acre paddock, OK area, but...

vansboy

Hi again Moneysavers!

Another of my stupid posts (or how do I manage to find the 'wrong' house so many times posts)!!

Right then, location is fine, not too far from where we need to be, bungalow, not favourite style, but as it was built by the now deceased owners family. Needs EVERYTHING doing - thats fine!

Been purchased by a developer & he's had planning passed for extension & changes to the place, but not what we'd have it like, but at least we know we could make it bigger.

It only has about 35' back garden, then an acre of paddock behind, that. However the covenent is that it MUST remain a paddock (the council do enforce this, judging by the comments from neighbors, but they leave their ground just overgrowm. This in itself is not too bad, as it's a village & the trees around don't make it unsightly.

But such a small garden, in relation to the bungalow, (3 bedrooms, but with the extension 4 & loosing some garden) seems silly that the paddock can't even be made into an extension of the garden, even partly - a fence needs to be maintained between the two.

Then comes the BIG problem,,,,,,

Right next door, is the plot the developer also bought with the bungalow & planning for 6 flats has been approved (affordable housing policy I guess), which is totally different to anything in the area - it's the last house, befeore a farm, on a dead end village road. There is a school & lots other house in the road though.

A new access road for the flats, with a turning area, cutting into the end of the garden, will be made - shared access, for both, so you could get to the paddock.

& there will be a covenent that should any future development(the paddock) be granted, then 50% of it's increased value is paid to the developer!!

Have I put you off yet??

Any comments welcomed!! (Especilly Doozergirl!!)Whatever you think!!

Thanks in advance!!

VB

Doozergirl

The covenant may be an issue, perhaps not for you but perhaps for subsequent owners. It seems unfair that you buy a piece of freehold land from someone that couldn't do anything with, but yet they want to benefit from any future development. I think it's greedy. You should sell a property without any encumberances. I'd hate to own something that someone else felt they had a stake in.

People sometimes have issues with shared access - it depends on how much of a premium you are paying for the property - I guess you're looking at quite a bit, by the sound of the location. Is the shared access only to the paddock?

I think your developer is going to have issues selling. There's a few things to put people off; obviously in time they will subside but I wouldn't want to pay a developers premium for what are, currently, issues that derive from him and him only.

I liked the upside down house, what happened to that!?

vansboy

Hi Doozergirl

The access is at the side - like precisly on the boundry, only 1mtr from the house, but only needed for the flats & paddock.

The upside down house was sold at asking price - we bid too low anyway, expecting to negotiate, as it did need lots doing - which was what we wanted - but guess the buyers thought it was OK for them

Think that's one that shouldn't have got away!!

Only been here, temporarily, for A YEAR NEXT MONTH!!! & we thought it'd be easy, sold, $"£$£$ in the bank & being flexible on location...how wrong can a Moneysaver be!!

VB

Doozergirl

You'll get there eventually. I think that you've described better houses to us, personally.

The garden mightn't be such an issue if that is normal in the village. It depends on whether it's an issue for you

Toto

I don't like the feeling of this one, have you got a link so we could have a look at it? The size of the garden would put me off, I'm window shopping a few properties myself and coming across the same issue, 4 bed house 30' garden. As for the covenant I agree with doozer. Doesn't sound like the ideal home to me, shame about the upside down one.

silvercar

Forget the paddock as you can't do anything with it. Now do you still like the house. Sounds a bad move to me - bungalow that you don't like, busy flats next door, shared access - what's the gain?

vansboy

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/viewdetails-15999443.rsp?pa_n=2&tr_t=buy

You can't get a good idea of perspective from the pics, here, though!

Notice there isn't a chimney - never had a fireplace, underfloor elecric heating instead.

Thats why all the block flooring is loose & lifting!!

Thanks again, all!

VB

Toto

Blimey, nice and close to sheene mill then! I know the area pretty well To be honest, it is a lovely village but there are better properties than that one. I'd keep looking.

harryhound

Which side of the road is the bungalow, ie does the back face South West?
I live in a similar bungalow in a similar slightly scruffy part of Essex.

Don't really know the area but it obviously benefits from the "Cambridge Corridor" high tech. effect. Even for Cambridge, it looks fully priced to me, especially as the former owner wants half the "hope value" for no capital investment. (I suggested this wease about 20 years ago, as a landowner "encouraging" a local developer - It did not work, I had to fork out for a 1000 GBP legal bill. The local council installed a "village envelope" and has managed to maintain it ever since. The developer went bust in the late 80's melt down:rolleyes: The covenant saying you cannot build on your own land has to be in favour of a neighbouring piece of land - presumably the former owner is going to retain the freehold of the flats ? But will the flat owners have a right to buy the freehold or is it some sort of housing association?)

Shame about the insistence on maintaining the agricultural status of the paddock; it might prevent you avoiding CGT, by claiming sale of principal private residence, should you want to redevelop your land.

I'm amazed that someone has got permission for flats in a remote corner of a small town/village. What are these flats going to look like? If they are going to look like a terrace but with one door that goes upstairs and another that services downstairs, then they will not devalue the bungalow too much.

Electric heating !?!

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No Gas available ?

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GSHP ? (There are a couple of members of this forum with one of these)

The paddock - you appear to have enough area for the care of a horse - What is the local market for "horsey culture" like? Would the local council allow you to build a stable for "your" horse ? Would you be allowed to put in a "ha ha" ? That would give the rear of the bungalow a very pleasant expansive view.

If you are not into animals, I cannot see how the local authority can stop you turning it into an orchard.

How noisy is the A10 - unless the road authority agree to put in a porous noise reducing surface it will get worse.

Nice big loft. What is the access to the loft room? With flats next door, how would the local authority propose to prevent you from turning the property into a two story house ? (Some times called bungalow gobbling).

Windows look like 1960's wooden "Magnet" to me, but photos can be deceptive. Beware of sealed units where the seal is not enclosed. The internal condensation on the seal tends to create earlier than expected breakdown and misting between the panes.

That is it for the brain dump, make of it what you may.

Harry.

Doozergirl

You won't get planning permission for the garden because it looks like the end of your garden forms the boundary to your village envelope; it will be greenbelt land.

You're going to have people driving up and down and walking up and down that shared drive at all hours. I would have security concerns that the rear of the house is left vulnerable.

The house I have at the moment has the house next to it arranged very much like your flats. It can be quite overbearing being right next to it, though our garden stretches out way beyond that house so it provided the ideal opportunity to extend much further. The house will have a totally different feel to it once those flats are built. I wouldn't want to sit and wait to find out what it will be, especially if this is long term for you

vansboy

The garden is NE, so will be shadow from the flats - can't work out their propsed apperence, but will be overpowering, from the bungalows perspective.

There is gas available.

The loft room is a waste of time.

I did post on the Pets & animal forum - seems not too much of a good idea, for the hassle involved, to let the paddock.

You can hear the A10 clearly.

So all in all, don't think it's the one for us!!

Thanks again.

VB