What would put you off a house...?

YoungBlueEyes

I've spent years in MOD houses too, and once I got used to them they were ok.
I'd live in one again cos the ones we lived in were all decent layouts and solidly built. We were offered the chance to buy our first one - they were being sold off after the camp closed. It was a lovely big 3 bed corner plot, proper sized rooms, huge garden with a fab shed, on the outskirts of town. It could have been ours for £25k but we were silly young newly-weds about to be posted to the other end of the country so we said no At the height of the market before it all crashed they were selling for 10+ times that. :doh:

There ought to be a website that just does ex MOD properties...

DCFC79

What are peoples thoughts on this house with the kitchen at the front and living room at the rear ? I'm more used to a house where its the other way round ?

dunroving

DCFC79 wrote: »

What are peoples thoughts on this house with the kitchen at the front and living room at the rear ? I'm more used to a house where its the other way round ?

Looking at the floor plan, it makes sense, otherwise you'd have a tiny living room. I think there is a lot to be said for having a living room at the back - quieter, not overlooked by nosy people on the street, etc.

Always think resale, though. I think some people would be very put off by a front door opening onto a kitchen - even if it does make sense, as above.

TamsinC

YoungBlueEyes wrote: »

I've spent years in MOD houses too, and once I got used to them they were ok.
I'd live in one again cos the ones we lived in were all decent layouts and solidly built. We were offered the chance to buy our first one - they were being sold off after the camp closed. It was a lovely big 3 bed corner plot, proper sized rooms, huge garden with a fab shed, on the outskirts of town. It could have been ours for £25k but we were silly young newly-weds about to be posted to the other end of the country so we said no At the height of the market before it all crashed they were selling for 10+ times that. :doh:

There ought to be a website that just does ex MOD properties...

There is a site that sells just MOD properties - Annigton Homes - remember though since the sell off 20 odd years ago where Annigton bought all the properties and the MOD rent them back, Carrillion Amey have been the people keeping the houses 'working', they have had no preventative measures taken on them, no maintenance, only firefighting issues - for example over a year ago I noticed rot at the bottom of some boxing in the downstairs WC, I guessed the soil pipe was behind the boxing. I called them out and they decided before they even went to the house I was mistaken and was talking about the upstairs bathroom and mould. SO they sent a workman with the wrong info, tools and skills. He put in a call for a surveyor to look at it as he was flummoxed. 3 months later she turned up and told me the rot at the bottom of the boxing was to do with a guttering problem from the chimney stack (completely different part of the house). SO she signed the job in the WC off and went away. After another 2 months we called the job in again. A man came out took one look inside the boxing and said 'It's asbestos, I'm not touching that' - anther 6 weeks of arguing with CA as they said it wasn't asbestos even though it was on the asbestos register for the house. Eventually nearly a year after the initial report they sent an asbestos firm to check and funny old thing - it is asbestos - at this point the rot has extended quite a way. Another 6 weeks and the asbestos team turn up to take away the boxing revealing a cracking cast iron soil pipe and some rather disgusting muck at the bottom rotting the wood and cracking the concrete, Another 3 week and they send a man to replace the soil pipe and box it in again. 3 weeks later again and we are still waiting for the being to be finished (a bag of plaster sits in our WC now) and the redecoration to be done - the removal of the asbestos pulled off wallpaper, plaster and skirting - and I won't be charged on March Out for it. The houses are now crumbling to the core now - when they get handed back in about 3 years time it is estimated that each house will need a minimum of 40K spent on it to get it up to liveable standards. Some will need considerably more, if not be demolished for being uneconomical to repair. When they are sold they go on the open market at market prices and MOD personnel get a 5% maximum discount (dependant on how many years service you have done).

DCFC79

dunroving wrote: »

Looking at the floor plan, it makes sense, otherwise you'd have a tiny living room. I think there is a lot to be said for having a living room at the back - quieter, not overlooked by nosy people on the street, etc.

Always think resale, though. I think some people would be very put off by a front door opening onto a kitchen - even if it does make sense, as above.

Yes Ill have to keep that in mind.

Thanks.

moneyistooshorttomention

DCFC79 wrote: »

What are peoples thoughts on this house with the kitchen at the front and living room at the rear ? I'm more used to a house where its the other way round ?

1. Partly depends which was is best/worst for sun coming into the house.

2. Per se - I'd probably prefer it. Mainly in order that my sitting room was that bit more private and I could be in it (even with tv or music on) and no-one could tell from the front of the house that I was in.

Also I would be better able to spot any visitors I was expecting by keeping an eye out the kitchen window for them.

So - yeah...all else being equal on a choice between two houses and one had the sitting room at the back and the other had it at the front = the deciding factor for me would be that I'd choose the one with the sitting room at the back.

Waterlily24

DCFC79 wrote: »

What are peoples thoughts on this house with the kitchen at the front and living room at the rear ? I'm more used to a house where its the other way round ?

We had a house with the kitchen at the front and I must say I loved it. It was in cul de sac so not very busy.

Davesnave

DCFC79 wrote: »

What are peoples thoughts on this house with the kitchen at the front and living room at the rear ? I'm more used to a house where its the other way round ?

Our kitchen/diner's at the front, but it has a better aspect than that house, where the kitchen faces west, meaning too much afternoon/evening sun. Ours faces north, so it's relatively cool, even in summer time; a good thing when many appliances create heat.

steph2901

DCFC79 wrote: »

What are peoples thoughts on this house with the kitchen at the front and living room at the rear ? I'm more used to a house where its the other way round ?

I've never lived in a house with the kitchen at the front, but the house I'm buying does have the kitchen at the front. The back garden is south facing though, which is what I want.

DCFC79

Waterlily24 wrote: »

We had a house with the kitchen at the front and I must say I loved it. It was in cul de sac so not very busy.

This 1 isnt in a cul de sac but a quiet street.