House buying getting me down

redmazzy

This is the second house purchase we're probably going to pull out of, this time due to slight subsidence flagged in our survey. The neighbour has planted Leylandii trees along the border of his garden and the vendors house, it's a small garden of an ex council house, soil in London is clay so the trees, now mature height, have dried out the soil. The survey suggests we need further tests to check the footings for evidence of movement. We have doubts the neighbour or the vendor is properly insured, they seem oblivious to the dangers of large trees. Having researched, it seems this type of thing can make insurance difficult or expensive and put off some potential buyers even if everything is made good. We are reliant on the neighbour to manage the trees and having spoken to brokers that can also be a nightmare in itself. If we knew we'd be staying for twenty years it wouldn't matter but we'll most likely sell in 5-8 years. It's already a narrower market when you sell an ex council house as it's not everyone's cup of tea, but that's all we can afford, we don't want to add other off putting problems to the list. We knew it was a dooer upper, but didn't really want this much hassle.

So we have to decide whether or not to pull out and carry on the search. I'm so disheartened by the whole process now.

Cakeguts

It sounds to me as if you are looking for a house that doesn't exist. You are looking for a house without problems for the price of a house that does have problems. You might want to change areas?

Hoploz

Did your survey actually state that there were signs of subsidence?

I've got a feeling the trees have been flagged as one of those 'might happen' sort of things, and it s the surveyor covering himself by suggesting you have further investigation done.

Many houses have this type of hedge and remain sound for years and years.

I think you may be being too risk-averse, esp if you pulled out over a similar sort of thing last time. Make sure there is really a problem before making a rash decision.

I'm also thinking after twice pulling out, the estate agents might be less than 100% on your seriousness.

Mickygg

It sounds like you are thinking about pulling out without delving into it a bit further. My friend has just been through buying a place, it started with cracks from the mortgage survey probably being due to subsidence from a tree less than 1 metre from the house. A couple of surveys later and reports state it was not subsistence, and the tree has not cause movement.
He started off by nearly pulling out, but persevered thinking about losing more money but all went well and now a happy home owner.
you need proper facts from specialist reports.

However in this case the trees are not in your control, so I too would be very wary.

The_Real_Cheddar_Bob

it may seem like an uphill struggle but keep hunting for properties, one will come up.

PeterPanic

Trees are one of the biggest issues for me, especially as my last house had a large oak tree very close to the house that had a Tree Preservation Order on it. Basically once there is a big tree near a house there is not a lot you can do with it. The roots will definitely start to interfere with the drains and cause all sorts of problems. Also you will need to keep the tree pruned every few years and they grow back incredible quickly. If you don't keep the tree under control there is a chance the roots will start to cause subsidence to your property.

Don't just think you can chop the trees down and everything will be OK. The tree will consume massive amounts of water, as soon as it is gone the ground will absorb this water and expand which can lead to heave (the opposite of subsidence, the ground will lift your foundations and cause damage.

Add to this the constant sweeping up of leaves which will block gutters and drains and cause a mess.

Trees are the biggest no no for me when it comes to buying a property, I would not consider a house that had trees anywhere near it.

ERICS_MUM

Leylandii trees are a pain in the butt. Unless they are closely trimmed and topped from an early age they get thick but the greenery is only on the outer few inches. Any attempt to prune them back heavily once they are big will just make them bare and straggly.

I bought a house with this problem but at least they were in my garden not a neighbour's so I had them removed and the stumps/roots ground out. Cost a few hundred pounds but worth it. OP wouldn't have this option as the trees are next door.

I wouldn't buy another house with problematic trees, too much worry and hassle.

Davesnave

London clay is noted for producing varying degrees of subsidence, so this will not be an uncommon problem in your search area. However, the existence of large evergreen trees close by, yet beyond your control, may well be a 'No' in its own right.

I don't know why you are disheartened, though. If you think you've dodged a bullet, then this is just an experience to add to your existing arsenal of filters when you view houses. Yes, it costs, but not as much as buying the wrong house.

Everyone starts off thinking that finding acceptable house should be straightforward, but usually it's only the inexperienced or unobservant who find that's the case. There are relatively few properties without drawbacks, so it's a question of finding the best compromise.

You seem to undertand this by accepting ex-council and doer-uppers, so the only other thing you can do is widen your search area into cheaper, less convenient locations.

Losing a house because you have pulled-out is one thing, but there are plenty reading who will have lost property several times over in situations not of their own choosing. It's normal.

moneyistooshorttomention

Agreed with Dave that housebuying is peppered with problems finding a remotely suitable house to buy in the first place.

For most of us it is a case of buying a "lesser of all evils" house - rather than a house we actually like/are quite happy with.

The less money one has available for a house - then the more "compromises" one has to make just in order to even get a house. Too small/wrong area/overlooked/neighbours one can see from the outset are likely to be bad ones/etc.

It is very disheartening and most of us just have to make up our minds what "compromises" we can tolerate and which aren't and plough on with looking for a house unfortunately.

It might be an instructive exercise to ask other people what "compromises" they've had to accept to be able to get a house and which ones they refused to accept. I'm just remembering how many "compromises" I had to make with choosing current house and the only things that are correct about it are it's detached (ie really detached as I call it - meaning not link-detached or "only just detached"), the bedrooms are reasonable size and the road itself is a quiet one. Everything else is different to what I actually want - the road/the neighbours/the area of the country it's in/it's overlooked/the other rooms arent right one way or another/the garden isnt quite as required/the house was in a heck of a state when I got it. Rather a lot of "compromises" then...and the only one that was fixable being the state of the house.

enthusiasticsaver

Sometimes surveyors are over cautious and cover themselves by pinpointing every little thing. In this case though I agree the Leylandii trees would be an issue especially as they belong to neighbours not your vendors.

Hoploz

There will always be compromises, it's just a matter of knowing the facts before you rush into pulling out I'm concerned about here.

Moneyistooshorttomention is right - every house is always a compromise. And actually budget doesn't make any difference. My house was 7 figures, but still there are many compromises. In the end it boiled down to not caring what the house was like as long as we had 3 bedrooms and a big plot, in the right place. We have 2 acres in our ideal location, but the house has a bonkers layout, everything needed repairing when we got here, drains blocked, cracked toilet pan, boiler kept going wrong, and there's a busy main road close by. 2 years on and we haven't seen anything else come on the market we would have considered buying so we are very happy we chose the right compromises.