Buy a home to do it up myself

Skag

I want to buy a 2 or 3 bedroom property in London, but I want to do it up myself completely, from scratch (door frames, kitchen, everything).
In Rightmove I see almost exclusively properties ready to go, so first I'd pay the premium for buying a ready to go property, and also I'd need to tear everything down and do it again.

Is auction a choice ? From what I read, houses sold in auctions are almost always problematic in some way.

Or should I just wait for the proper property to pop up?

AnotherJoe

If you need to ask, you are the wrong person to be doing this.
Merry Christmas.

FreeBear

Skag wrote: »

Is auction a choice ? From what I read, houses sold in auctions are almost always problematic in some way.

When looking at a doer-upper, there is always going to be unexpected problems that will need fixing. Much of the London housing stock is pretty old, so there will be several lifetimes of "issues" to discover. Buying through "normal" channels, you have the opportunity to commission assorted surveys and negotiate a suitable price, but that can take time and expense. With auctions, the process is pretty quick from the moment the hammer drops as long as you are a cash buyer.

Skag

Basically the issue is that me and my family are very tall and we need everything to be made in our measures, I don't look to flip properties.
So we want everything do be done from scratch.

00ec25

Skag wrote: »

So we want everything do be done from scratch.

then buy a new build modified to your needs

Skag

Not too many of those around.

theGrinch

auction rooms are full of rabid end users foaming at the mouth after watching homes under the hammer as they nurse buyer's remorse.

Bossypants

Even smaller Victorian properties tend to have fairly high ceilings, so that might be a good place to start. As AFF8879, go on Rightmove and look for a dated/tired property which is structurally and legally sound (unlike most properties at auction). These will be priced with the expectation that the buyer will need to redecorate and put in a new kitchen and bathroom, and if you get a place which already has high enough ceilings, putting in taller doors is not such a big job in the context of a full redecoration.

dimbo61

So after a very long spell of rising house prices in London you are now looking for a bargain to buy and do up.
Are you a builder ? Maybe a qualified electrician or plumber/ Joiner ?
Friends in the building trade ?
Brother who works for one of the big estate agents !
Finding the right property and getting the finance in place to " Do Up " a property might be harder than you think.

Skag

dimbo61 wrote: »

So after a very long spell of rising house prices in London you are now looking for a bargain to buy and do up.

Actually no, that't not the case. I don't have a specific time in mind that I want to buy, it's just something that I've been wondering for a while now, i.e. where do you find such properties, if not Rightmove.

Skag

AFF8879 wrote: »

But if you’re looking to make more “extreme” modifications (raising ceilings, altering stairs, etc) then I’m not really sure. I’m 6’4 by the way and never had any problems in a “normal” property (though admittedly have struggled in some country cottages!).

6ft8 here
Stairs and ceilings maybe not, especially in case of Victorian houses. Doorsteps most likely yes.
Whenever I see a cottage, I laugh!