Son looking at house but I'm not sure its a good buy.

PasturesNew

shortcrust wrote: »

I’d be fuming if one of my parents started a thread like this and included a link to a house I was planning to buy.

Yes :0

But it's done ... and we're lapping it up

Davesnave

shortcrust wrote: »

I!!!8217;d be fuming if one of my parents started a thread like this and included a link to a house I was planning to buy.

Indeed, but look on the positive side; the agent will be delighted with the number of hits the place is getting today!

My Dad warned us not to buy the second house we purchased, but we went ahead, knowing it was not the best built semi in the county. Stayed 21 years and loved living there.

He would have had apoplexy if he'd seen what we bought after that!:rotfl:

moneyistooshorttomention

shortcrust wrote: »

I!!!8217;d be fuming if one of my parents started a thread like this and included a link to a house I was planning to buy.

Me too - back when I was younger and if I were in his position.

I also think it's a cute little house.

I see the drawbacks mentioned - but it may be that that's all he can afford. There doesn't look to be much choice for him. If he can afford that 2 bed house that would be better and it looks a decent house - but if he can't then it may well be that his choice boils down to "Cute House or wait however much longer he has to wait (and it could be literally years)" before he's in a position to buy.

I remember years back when I could have managed a not-very-promising house (if my parents had helped) and couldnt manage a more "suitable" one with or without help. My parents wouldnt help at all on a not-very-promising one and I had to wait literally years (and for a huge stroke of luck I had thank goodness) before I could manage to buy because of that. I still think I'd have done no worse overall and might have done better overall if I'd had that help to buy a not-very-promising one. I am still conscious of how many more years I had to rent in the event - though I did understand my parents reasoning about the two houses concerned.

So - leave him to follow his own path...

shortcrust

Mgman1965 wrote: »

He's fine with it, in fact happy to get as many opinions as possible to consider.

Oh fair enough! Is he really planning to reconsider the purchase if enough strangers on the internet who haven't actually seen the place suggest it's a bad move?

Davesnave wrote: »

Indeed, but look on the positive side; the agent will be delighted with the number of hits the place is getting today!

My Dad warned us not to buy the second house we purchased, but we went ahead, knowing it was not the best built semi in the county. Stayed 21 years and loved living there.

He would have had apoplexy if he'd seen what we bought after that!:rotfl:

Did he do lots of chin holding and head shaking?

Edit to add: I've just remembered that my mum made me see my GP before I quit a job in my 20s because she thought I'd gone insane! I think I'd repressed the memory.

fairy_lights

PasturesNew wrote: »

He'll end up feeling "trapped in the house" as the weather's a bit nasty and the car's a long way away and he won't fancy going out to get XYZ as it's all a faff and he might lose that parking spot when he gets back.

Op's son is a (presumably) young man though not someone elderly and infirm who struggles to leave the house. It's no different to someone who doesn't have a car or who parks in a car park leaving their house in bad weather - I'm sure OP can buy him an umbrella as a house warming present

Cakeguts

PasturesNew wrote: »

For the record... that right of way across the garden is of no concern to me whatsoever... it's far enough away that people won't be passing right by the window - and it's easily "fenced" on both sides with small bushes or a decorative fence if ever required.

The house has a nice enough little garden up to the path - and another decent bit with the outbuilding the other side of the path.

The trouble comes when somebody's got a path right under/past their window and "get looked in at" ... or they want to be able to have kids/dogs running riot across the whole garden area and neighbours don't shut the gates.

There are two ROWs across the garden. One at the bottom by the outhouses and one next to the front door there is a gate across it. The ROW by the front door gives access to the front door of the house next door.

Davesnave

shortcrust wrote: »

Did he do lots of chin holding and head shaking?


Not Dad's style. I probably couldn't quote him accurately on build quality on here! I knew he was right, but I also knew the chance of another 1/4 acre garden in our city was virtually zero.
No Google Earth then, but I had all the maps!

EndlessStruggle

Just my two cents, is use of a vehicle necessary? Thinking with regards to the parking - just because close off road parking is available doesn't mean it will be always available for him to use. Without knowing exactly what form the parking takes...

Maybe the neighbours get more cars and use all the space, maybe they make the parking restricted to residents of the street if say on another road or double yellow it if a main/through road? Personally I would never live anywhere without at least the notion of there being some allocated parking specific to the property even it it was the road outside.

Owain_Moneysaver

The 'hall/wc' which looks to have the construction of a shed will probably be freezing in winter (and may be contributing to the low EPC). I can't see a storage heater in the lounge - does the lounge rely on the woodburner?

Bathroom access through the bedroom means that anyone staying overnight on the couch has to go through the bedroom at night to go to the loo, or brave the lean-to shed. That also means little opportunity to take in a lodger to help pay the mortgage if circumstances change.

It all looks in quite good condition though, so it's not going to be possible to add value by tarting it up.

Check if listed.

Davesnave

Owain_Moneysaver wrote: »

. I can't see a storage heater in the lounge - does the lounge rely on the woodburner?

I don't think there is anywhere in the lounge where a storage heater could have hidden.


And that isn't a wood burner; it's an unregulated Victorian/Edwardian open fire grate lifted from a bedroom and as much use as the proverbial chocolate tea pot. I suspect fitting a real wood burner would have caused the tarter-upper too much expense, being in the region of £3k to do.