First time buyer - same occupants for 40 years

Doozergirl

bromine wrote: »

Thank you all for such detailed and insightful replies. Based on the responses so far, I'm of the view that we can proceed with surveys and ask the surveyor to check for these issues and see what they come back with. We'd also get an electrical estimate just to be sure. However, there is no obvious reason to just pull out from the deal.



We are not looking to thoroughly modernise the house, we just want to do enough to be able to sell it in 4-5 years' time. This house looks good enough for our budget (so far).



Doozergirl: Your last sentence has raised some alarm bells:


Am I right in thinking that your are making a general point about buying an older house and not suggesting we walk away. We really don't want to get into extensive remedial work, just maintain it for 4-5 years and sell.

What do you actually want to do to it? Nothing if possible?

How does it compare to a fully modernised house?

That is the ideal vendor's house because looks can be deceiving. It looks neat and tidy, like nothing 'really' needs doing to the untrained eye, but if your intention is to tinker with it, then you are going to find more than you bargained for. It's an old house. It has an old kitchen and an old bathroom. It has old plug sockets, no central heating and textured wallpaper. It isn't of a modern standard. If you do nothing and leave the wallpaper alone, then the plaster will stay stuck and the house will just stay the same.

To me, it's the average old house. It needs work and I have to account for the possible re-plastering and ending up back at brick unless I can be reassured by the vendors that it's been done.

The key is the price compared to a house that has painted walls, central heating and a decent number of plug sockets. Fine if you can live in something and do it up over time, but not if you're paying a premium for that.

societys_child

Just looked at the link. Listed as Sold STC . .

Cakeguts

societys_child wrote: »

Just looked at the link. Listed as Sold STC . .

The OP does say offer accepted so I expect it is them?

societys_child

Aghh, so it does, first line as well.


By the time I'd skimmed the questions and doubts in the op, the fact they'd had an offer accepted was lost in the depths of my mind

tacticalbanjo

As other posters say, if you don't intend to decorate you can probably get away with just adding the central heating. But you have no idea until you take the wallpaper off what kind of condition the walls are in - so best to budget for replastering. Chances are there aren't enough plug sockets and depending on when the place was last rewired, some of the insulation might be starting to perish. If you have to replaster you might as well rewire first and get those plug sockets and make sure everything is safe.

You'll probably also find other jobs that need doing simply from living in the house that you weren't expecting to do so make sure you have budget to allow for that. It looks like money has definitely been spent on this property but there are always jobs that as a homeowner you keep putting off for a better time. You'll be surprised with what people will cope with rather than repairing or replacing just because you get used to things over time. This goes for new houses as well as older properties.

bromine

Thanks for all the helpful and insightful replies. In the end we withdrew our offer because we weren't sure about taking on the task of adding GSH to the house.

davidmcn

bromine wrote: »

we weren't sure about taking on the task of adding GSH to the house.

A good sense of humour?