Trouble guessing at fair price (buying)

vanilla_twist

I don't know the area at all but house is nicely back off the road.
If you had an older family if would be a nice house, plenty of spacer for the kids cars BUT getting out onto the main road could be a nightmare at busy times.
Definitely not a location if would consider to start a family in.

I like the house but garden aspect is a deal breaker for me.

Depends how much you like your family but there will be a wealth of properties come springtime. Might be worth renting for 6 months while you look to buy.

V x

Jhoney_2

Is it me or doesn't the loft shower room fire access restrict the ability to add a bath/reconfigure current layout to add a bath? (unless you move the sink to it's left and there is enough head height for the shower in it's place with bath in existing shower position? The fact that everything is bunched up at the other end is quite telling...

May not be a deal breaker, but looks awkward. It may be space but it's a rather inflexible interpretation.

Grenage

Hi guys,

That is all great, thank you; the constructive criticism is just what we need. Sorry for the delayed reply; I managed to smash our bathroom basin (obviously, a week from completion),so I've been running around sorting that out.

The EA said that the owner had been renting the property to his son, but that he had now moved out and it had been done up.

We actually preferred the new kitchen layout, as it would allow us to use the main space as a dining area (it would allow a huge table).

I was sure there was a fence all the way down the side, so I think we missed that one; I'm not sure that would bother us so much, but it's certainly a consideration. The front has gates, and I don't don't have an issue with the proximity to the road.

All of that probably sounds like someone who has just ignored all that they've been told - but fear not! We will go in for a second viewing with much more sceptical eyes, and be suspect of the price and location.

We were perhaps worried about the lack of properties and how quickly they were disappearing - also the increase in house prices while we're off the market. Maybe we should just chill out and see what comes up while we stash our cash in the bank.

Yes I noticed the same thing about the top bathroom, but neither of us ever use a bath.

Again, thank you so much for your input.

StumpyPumpy

I would suggest you do exactly what I and, I guess, most everyone else who has replied has done: take a long time looking at Google's Streetview so you can "virtually" walk around the area and get a feel for it in the comfort of your own home.

I've always felt that Streetview is a great tool for the home buyer and it isn't used enough. One of the things I do is to try and get an idea of the traffic flow in an area, both pedestrian and vehicular. With your house for instance, I looked at the map and asked myself how others would get to the local shops. Parking apart from at Lidl looks difficult so people nearby would be more likely to walk, My conclusion was that many living to the west of you would walk through the path and down by your house as it is the most direct route to take for a large number of houses. The same in reverse applies to people at night coming back from the restaurants there (though the pub and club and KFC are the other way, so their patrons probably wouldn't go that way).

You can quickly become almost an expert on the area you are looking at while drinking a coffee and without having to tread the streets

SP

Grenage

That's true. I lived in cowplain for the first 20 years of my life, so in many ways I'm a bit blinded by familiarity.

Grenage

Hi guys,

We offered a bit under, and the vendor got asking; we were given the opportunity to exceed the asking. A second viewing with sceptical eyes spotted a lot of details that made me worry about what lurked beneath the paint and vinyl.

Nice house, but we went with our gut on this one. Thanks a lot for your input.

pinkteapot

I think it was the right decision. I agree with the others re living on such a busy road. I have a friend who lives on a road with bumber-to-bumper traffic during rush hour. She recently quit smoking, and now that her sense of smell is returning she's realised that exhaust fumes seep in around her front door during rush hour. :eek:

All else being equal, I would always take a smaller house on a quieter road for the same money.

LittleMax

Grenage wrote: »

Hi guys,

A second viewing with sceptical eyes spotted a lot of details that made me worry about what lurked beneath the paint and vinyl.

... We went with our gut on this one. Thanks a lot for your input.

I think you are probably right to worry. Everything that has been done since the house was last on the market has been done with an eye to selling, so corners are likely to have been cut. Always go with your gut. There will be something better come along - always does!

Grenage

Aye, we're not going to fall into the trap of thinking that any particular house is 'the' house!

We've our eye on another now, which is bigger, same price, in a nice little cul-de-sac. No character, but hey compromise compromise.

emg

Sorry to hijack your thread but I have also been looking at places in the waterlooville/cosham area as I am currently in west sussex and can't afford the next step up the ladder here. I would really welcome any current insider info on Horndean/Cowplain/Waterlooville - which bits are more expensive, why are the cheaper bits cheaper, etc. Also confused by Cosham and/or Portchester and where they turn into Paulsgrove.