So tired of denial of the state of the housing market

hazyjo

Would like them to place my accent after living in Chigwell, Blackheath, Greenwich, Eltham (twice), Highams Park, Brentwood, Chingford, and now Leigh-on-Sea LOL - not to mention working in London all my life and most of my friends being scattered all over rather than being in Essex :laugh:

victoriavictorious

Talking of gentrification and as a Londoner having spent many a happy childhood holiday in Westcliff - before you were born - I've never understood why it hasn't really become gentrified. Imo it's much more pleasant than Southend and has some lovely period houses.

hazyjo

victoriavictorious wrote: »

Talking of gentrification and as a Londoner having spent many a happy childhood holiday in Westcliff - before you were born - I've never understood why it hasn't really become gentrified. Imo it's much more pleasant than Southend and has some lovely period houses.

Unfortunately (although know I'm sounding like a NIMBY for the second time today lol), a lot of those glorious huge period houses have been carved up into HMOs. Generally, lots of people but not lots of money to spend, crime in and around area, and drug probs. BUT... I still don't think it's a fraction as bad as lots of East London areas and think it's a fab place in parts still. Take a virtual walk from here up to Southend. It's divine. Palm trees, restaurants, seaside, promenade...


https://goo.gl/maps/8fvqgLTCrwS2


PS Sorry to OP for slightly detouring...! I think it's helpful to know the competition personally

victoriavictorious

hazyjo wrote: »

Unfortunately (although know I'm sounding like a NIMBY for the second time today lol), a lot of those glorious huge period houses have been carved up into HMOs. Generally, lots of people but not lots of money to spend, crime in and around area, and drug probs. BUT... I still don't think it's a fraction as bad as lots of East London areas and think it's a fab place in parts still. Take a virtual walk from here up to Southend. It's divine. Palm trees, restaurants, seaside, promenade...


https://goo.gl/maps/8fvqgLTCrwS2




PS Sorry to OP for slightly detouring...! I think it's helpful to know the competition personally

Indeed, I've done this walk many times in real life. Its fabulous. Such a shame about the HMOs and other problems; it deserves better.

ReadingTim

hazyjo wrote: »

Unfortunately (although know I'm sounding like a NIMBY for the second time today lol), a lot of those glorious huge period houses have been carved up into HMOs. Generally, lots of people but not lots of money to spend, crime in and around area, and drug probs. BUT... I still don't think it's a fraction as bad as lots of East London areas and think it's a fab place in parts still. Take a virtual walk from here up to Southend. It's divine. Palm trees, restaurants, seaside, promenade...


https://goo.gl/maps/8fvqgLTCrwS2


PS Sorry to OP for slightly detouring...! I think it's helpful to know the competition personally

The same could be said of Notting Hill in the 1960s, and look at it now - those period houses have been reunified. The same of East London, Brighton etc.

But that's the key difference - the first stages of gentrification focuses on the desirable period stuff. It's only when that's all gone that people who want to get in on the act are forced to look at the less desirable places, such as ex-LA, and in this case, ex-MOD. And even then, they'd be more likely to be looking for a do-er-upper, rather than the finished product.

In summary, I think the OP is selling the wrong place at the wrong time and in the wrong decorative order.

hazyjo

ReadingTim wrote: »

The same could be said of Notting Hill in the 1960s, and look at it now - those period houses have been reunified. The same of East London, Brighton etc.

But that's the key difference - the first stages of gentrification focuses on the desirable period stuff. It's only when that's all gone that people who want to get in on the act are forced to look at the less desirable places, such as ex-LA, and in this case, ex-MOD. And even then, they'd be more likely to be looking for a do-er-upper, rather than the finished product.

In summary, I think the OP is selling the wrong place at the wrong time and in the wrong decorative order.

Totally agree with everything.


Have always said Westcliff has a promising future ahead of it, especially as prices keep rising in desirable Leigh. Agree, trouble with OP's house is that many will rule it out from the first photo (although it's now much improved). I would presume it's ex-LA and rule it out without getting any further. Even when Shoebury does become more popular, it will always be a slower-selling house. Sorry OP! Not trying to put it down, but it needs to be priced right to sell as its reasonable price will be what sells it, not the internal features or outside.

Voiren

Ha, tell you what, I like it a lot. (Also DINK - that room layout would suit us a lot, and the utility room would be a studio - non-flammable walls a plus!). I don't have a problem with the bathroom and the kitchen looks perfectly functional. But... significantly out of price bracket and wrong location, so we aren't your market.

westernpromise

I think the reason seaside towns tend to degenerate into HMO ghettoes is because if you're a doley living on HB, you would probably rather do so at the seaside than in, say, Acocks Green. You can enjoy the weather and of course there are opportunities for off-books cash-in-hand employment in the summer to supplement your dole.

I'd certainly consider it, I think, although if I were from Acocks Green trying to get by in Westcliff, I think I'd need subtitles for the first six months.

ProDave

From my experience it has NEVER been easy to sell a house. If you catch a particular boom in a particular area and can sell in days, then think yourself very lucky. BUYING in those conditions will be truly awful.

I have sold a total of 4 houses. 3 of them took from 8 months to 3 years to sell. The 4th sold quickly without an estate agent, ONLY because it was a lucky coincidence that I wanted to sell just as the next door neighbours mum wanted to buy it to be next to her daughter.

House No 5 I gave up trying after over 2 years, it is now let to a tenant who's long term aim is to buy it so that one is still "in progress"

Surrey_EA

ProDave wrote: »

From my experience it has NEVER been easy to sell a house.

I'm not sure that's entirely true.

I'm a firm believer that virtually any house will sell if you make the price attractive enough to a buyer.

The problems start to occur when the expectations of the seller are significantly out of line with those of the buyer.