The Nice People Thread, No.16: A Universe of Niceness.

PasturesNew

One annoying thing agents are doing is advertising brand new H2B houses at their 80% rate... so a £375k house comes up in RM at £300k and shows £300k as the price... and when you read down it says full price is £375k.

Wish they'd not do that.

chris_m

PasturesNew wrote: »

The reality is, no matter how much, or how little, you have to spend - you never get the perfect house, with all the bits and bobs do you....

Have to admit, I got pretty close. My checklist of desirables was;

Within reasonable travelling time/distance of Ambleside, check.
3 bedrooms, check.
Mains gas, check.
Gas central heating, check.
Gardens, check.
Driveway, check.
Garage, nope.

But then I got thinking "What would I actually put in a garage? Stuff!!!". The house that most interested me, garage notwithstanding, had a reasonable-size loft and cupboard under the stairs, a small timber garden shed, a large timber workshop/store and a decent sized brick-built outbuilding, so I decided that the "stuff" could easily go in those, meaning that the lack of a garage wasn't an issue.

I also had a "bonus, as in would like but not essential, tick" of a nice view - I got that

PasturesNew wrote: »

Streetview showed some warning sign at the start of the passageway that said "This is a .... area" but I couldn't see what sort, but it had a feral running on the sign,

Neighbourhood Watch area perchance?

If so, that can mean one of two things IMO - ferals or nosey neighbours

Pyxis

What would I put in a garage?

Well, funnily enough, my car!

I had a garage once for a few years, and it was bliss in winter not having to defrost the car, or drive away with raindrops all over the wing mirrors etc., plus it was a bit cooler in the summer.

PasturesNew

chris_m wrote: »

Have to admit, I got pretty close. My checklist of desirables was;

Within reasonable travelling time/distance of Ambleside, check.
3 bedrooms, check.
Mains gas, check.
Gas central heating, check.
Gardens, check.
Driveway, check.
Garage, nope.

But then I got thinking "What would I actually put in a garage? Stuff!!!". The house that most interested me, garage notwithstanding, had a reasonable-size loft and cupboard under the stairs, a small timber garden shed, a large timber workshop/store and a decent sized brick-built outbuilding, so I decided that the "stuff" could easily go in those, meaning that the lack of a garage wasn't an issue.

I also had a "bonus, as in would like but not essential, tick" of a nice view - I got that




Neighbourhood Watch area perchance?

If so, that can mean one of two things IMO - ferals or nosey neighbours

I'd actually put the car in the garage.... but it's handy space too, for all sorts of fancy ideas about hobbies that need space etc....

Mostly though, I'd like to have a garage I could put the car into ... if I wanted to.

This spot, if I could find a house, gets me within 1 mile walking distance of lots of things I've a mind to enjoy .... and on an easy bus route down the road to town and a ferry that "goes places" ... and it's just over 1 mile from Asda ....

The bus route, having looked into it, isn't the best though. There's a big expanse of water - the other side there are four coloured routes out of town - only one turns and goes down this area - and before it gets to the "acceptable bits" it drags you round what can only be described as Rough Scally Central. I drove into that bit once, just to see if it was as bad as people made out ... there were very high solid metal poles supporting several CCTV cameras just to enter!! So to use the bus you'd be perpetually close to the great unwashed with their pockets full of drugs, knives and their other life essentials (probably cans of stella in a carrier bag).

But apart from the "only one bus and you share it with undesirables" ... the area's got a lot going for it in terms of "what shall I do, where can I wander to ....?"

PasturesNew

Pyxis wrote: »

What would I put in a garage?

Well, funnily enough, my car!

I had a garage once for a few years, and it was bliss in winter not having to defrost the car, or drive away with raindrops all over the wing mirrors etc., plus it was a bit cooler in the summer.

As I see it, if you use a garage, people can't automatically assume there's nobody in if there's no car... spotters spot these things, if they've a mind to get up to mischief.

I used to work away in the week - and it'd be nice to be able to load up a car with stuff, out of sight ..... not waving bags about that shout "Hey, I'm going away".

When I went away with my friend she was wary of her feral neighbour noticing her with her bags... I had a Plan B... which was to load up and she could wave me off and shout "Have a good time" ... and go back into her house... then out the front door and I could pick her up round the corner

Jackmydad

PasturesNew wrote: »

As I see it, if you use a garage, people can't automatically assume there's nobody in if there's no car... spotters spot these things, if they've a mind to get up to mischief.

I used to work away in the week - and it'd be nice to be able to load up a car with stuff, out of sight ..... not waving bags about that shout "Hey, I'm going away".

When I went away with my friend she was wary of her feral neighbour noticing her with her bags... I had a Plan B... which was to load up and she could wave me off and shout "Have a good time" ... and go back into her house... then out the front door and I could pick her up round the corner

I like a garage for the same reason. You can't see if anyone is in. Also I have a feeling that modern car electrics give less trouble if the car's in the dry when not being used. You hear of a number of problems with water getting into connections and electronics. And as said it's nice not to get into a car with all the windows running with condensation or frozen.
I kept my cars outside for long enough, but it has always struck me as being quite funny that we have something that's often worth several thousand quid if not more, and leave it in the gutter outside!

michaels

If the shadowing trees are on your land you can get them cut down.

PasturesNew

michaels wrote: »

If the shadowing trees are on your land you can get them cut down.

I know, but many aren't, some are woodland and nature reserves - and some, where the trees are on the land of the house, are very very tall trees, and 4-5-6 or more of them, so very pricey to even think about.

I leave it at: I don't do trees

PasturesNew

This is the trouble with some downmarket and dodgy areas, you get lawbreaking neighbours like this dim pair. People who don't think that things have to be earned, but can simply be taken.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6169463/Surgeon-GP-wife-staged-burglary-rented-cottage-180-000-insurance-claim.html



Sucks to be them.

chris_m

michaels wrote: »

If the shadowing trees are on your land you can get them cut down.

Subject to any Tree Preservation Orders, of course.