House on sale for a long time....

alexb123

Hi All,

We are looking at a house that needs a fair bit of work but has amazing potential. Further, compared to what we have viewed it seems to be a very good price. However, when looking into it, its appears to have been on the market for a long time. Street view has a For Sale sign from 2012. It been on the market with the current estate agent for 2.5 months and was for sale was another agent before and the sale collapsed on the day of exchange.

I get the feeling we are missing something but so far my research isn't bringing anything up. Can anyone recommend how I might search deeper than the standard google of the address?

Cheers

DaftyDuck

Talk to the neighbours. Property Bee. Zoopla price history. Same for neighbouring properties. Street name & number into Google. Search for any business phone number within six houses (street + number + town + dial code into Google), then search that company.

Go and visit the neighbours. Look for nearby builders at work, and ask them. Ask the postman, the village/corner shop, ask the local PCSO, ask schoolkids lingering nearby (helps if you borrow a nephew, so you aren't arrested.....). Find the nearest gardener having a go with his dibber, chat to him, same for any old bloke walking his dog, or Granny Evelyn on the park bench. They love a gossip, and will probably forget they've even met you five minutes later.

Look for planning applications online at the local planning portal - most are online, if not, visit the Council Offices. Try the local library. Old newspaper housing adverts. Visit a rival Estate Agent, and encourage them to b1tch. There are online information sources for neighbourhood information/crime rate/education level. Use them. Visit the local school and ask a teacher. Helps if you have a kid in tow - can be borrowed, again.

Lurk! Dan-Dan knows all about this, hence his ASBO and restraining order. Seriously, lurk. Try school closing time, try breakfast time.

Flood maps from the environment agency. Police crime maps. Local councillor, failed but hopeful councillor ("I've so always wanted to vote UKIP/BNP - have you many other members living in Eichmann Avenue? Ah, I shall so look forward to making their acquaintance at the next tea dance")...

You can also ask a surveyor or local solicitor before you employ them if they know the area. A solicitor I know once said he did, he got a lot of work from that area down the cop shop late of an evening... didn't buy that one. Surveyors often know a whole street as poorly-built, or subsiding.

Ordnance survey map @1:25,000. What's nearby? Google search street name + arrested, + criminal, + arson, + vandal, + visigoth, + religion, + murder... all those unpleasantries....

Lurk some more. Bribe the milkman, chat to the roadsweeper, grill the kebab delivery guy.

Oh, and visit the property and ask the owner, estate agent, any children in tow. Look through their post while you are having a browse round their house. Check their book titles, look under the bed, under the patio slabs.

If, after that, it's all clean, you've bagged yourself a bargain. It's what I do,each time. Well, most of the above, anyway....

DandelionPatrol

DaftyDuck wrote: »

grill the kebab delivery guy.

Sheesh! I suppose he would be an information doner ...

Talk about mixed metaphors.

DaftyDuck

Well burger. Any info is worth getting. Give the pizza guy some dough for any cheesy knowledge, the Indian delivery bloke might know a naan who knows all, and the Mexican takeaway might spill the beans.

Anyway, at least the OP will get Korma...

moneyistooshorttomention

....and, then again, its also down to "what part of the country are we talking about here?".

In some parts a good house takes weeks/average takes 2-3 months/"one heck of a wreck" takes...ooooh...maybe up to a year....

DaftyDuck

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

....and, then again, its also down to "what part of the country are we talking about here?".

In some parts a good house takes weeks/average takes 2-3 months/"one heck of a wreck" takes...ooooh...maybe up to a year....

Router fixed? :D:D

MadelinesMum

You could try buying the title deed from Land Registry, that may offer some clues. I thought I had found a lovely property recently but it had lots of covenants and what appeared to be a ransom strip (you would have to cross someone else's land to access the drive).

Hoploz

Maybe the current owner bought in 2012? Check sold price listings.

Ask the EA or even better the seller, the reason the last sale fell through. Could be many reasons nothing to do with the property, eg broken chain, lost job, death of buyer ... (yes my parents had a buyer die once!)

alexb123

Sorry I've taken s long to reply. But the replies were much appreciated and made me giggle

I did a lot of check and go a full survey and all seems fine. Unable to stalk as it's a 2.5 hour drive and I would have been so good at it as well

However, what I did instead was to go on streetlife and ask the local to become stalkers for me. It did reveal much but I guess thats good

Anyway, things are well underway with buying so might be moving soon YAY!

csgohan4

google the house, is it haunted, any sightings of ghosts.