Unsure what I want, plus couple of houses opinions requested

danlightbulb

Sorry, long post warning...

I go through phases of looking at houses. Then get put off for a while. Don't really know what I want. I flick between do-er-up-ers, 3 bed semis with garages at the very top of my budget, and 2 bed newer builds somewhat under my budget.

I had an offer accepted a couple of months ago on a very desirable 3 bed semi in a proper nice road, but it needed alot of work and it was right at the top of my budget at nearly £190k. A couple of days after I put the offer in I got very stressed because I felt I was too stretched with it, so I pulled out. I was under pressure to put the offer in fast because nice houses don't stick around long here, whilst the crap stays on the market for ages, and there is ALOT of crap here.

I am single person, divorced 7 years ago, with about £20k to use as deposit at 10%, so that enables up to around £200k mortgage by the book. However my own affordability assessment says I don't want to spend that much. I can just about afford to spend around £180k maximum if it doesn't need too much work, but would rather spend around £150k to £170k. I don't want to buy something very cheap that needs a huge refurb job on it, I don't have the time or cash left after the deposit.

As a single male, with hobbies, I would prefer to have a reasonable amount of downstairs room rather than many bedrooms. Trouble is, many houses have a single room downstairs plus kitchen, and either two or three bedrooms upstairs. Many don't have garages. I need more downstairs space than this really. I am ok at DIY, having done decoration, woodwork, kitchens and electrics before, but I'm no builder.

So I found this house that has just come on the market.
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-67309071.html

It has alot of downstairs room which is great. Oddly it has been converted from a 3 bed down to a 2 bed, to make the main bedroom larger I assume. That's not really an issue for me. It would have room for my bikes and various tools in the front 'study' area (converted garage), and lots of living space in the other rooms. The main problem with that one is its way higher than anything in the local area has sold for, the closest semi detached being £147k in 2017, and a detached for £161k in 2018. The house is heavily extended downstairs however its essentially been done by adding a large conservatory and converting the garage, so its not really 'new brickwork' as such, and doesn't extend to the upstairs. The other issue is the rather small garden. I'm not sure if it is overpriced, it initially feels it because I know the area well.

So for something more traditional looking I found this one:
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-67273551.html

It doesn't have a garage but I like the style of it, the traditional look is a style I really like, rather than the modern square boxes we get these days. It however needs a fair bit of updating work, and that bathroom is a big problem I think, its very very small. My other concern is whether there are any hidden deterioration issues, with it being a fair bit older. For example, the front view shows its not had a new roof, something that would be a very big cost. On the plus side, it has what looks like a circa 40 x 8m garden. I would like something with more land if possible (a nice to have option). Again though, no house in the close vicinity has sold anywhere near that price, so is it again optimistic given the work needed and bathroom limitations?

Sold now, but I did enquire about this one:
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-72795991.html

Its a 2 bed for far far less than my max budget, on at £130k, which is probably about right for a 2 bed in the area, maybe asking slightly high looking at sold prices yet again. I was interested because it had more downstairs rooms, albeit the entire house would still be relatively small. It would have left me lots of headroom financially too. Posting this one just to give an idea of what may be possible to get for cheaper, although there is nothing else currently on the market that is similar.

This one is quite appealing but its leasehold. Don't want leasehold:
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-67273518.html


So I'm kinda struggling. I have a decent deposit for the area but there is alot of crap around in the £140k-£170k price range. I want whatever I buy to have a bit of character to it, and a useable amount of space. And I want features that should be easy to get but appear stupidly rare, like a driveway at the front of the house rather than allocated parking, and a reasonable garden that isn't overlooked from every angle.

I have been getting rather frustrated with it of late. Will take any advice on the matter!

Thanks

diggingdude

visit as many different ones as you can and make a list of likes/dislikes, must haves/would be nice/dont need

danlightbulb

diggingdude wrote: »

visit as many different ones as you can and make a list of likes/dislikes, must haves/would be nice/dont need

Ive been looking for a while, seen a number of houses, so its easy to list a few things, most of which ive described in my OP.

Ideally:
1. Driveway 2 cars preferably flat.
2. Reasonable size garden (min 7m wide x 20m long).
3. Garage (ideally with access from house) or downstairs storage room.
4. Ideally 3 bed but can live with 2.
5. Ideally reasonable state of repair but a moderate do-er-up-er is a possibility.
6. Nice road (there are some poor areas around where I live).
7. Some kerb appeal / character to it.
8. Not overpriced compared to similar sold properties.

Its 6, 7 and 8 that are causing the most issues.

Doozergirl

I wouldn't be paying extra for a conservatory that's been tarted up to look like a pretend extension. All that is going to do is deteriorate. It clearly looks like it isn't built to proper standards. I'd enquire whether the garage conversion is also up to standard.

The second house does need everything doing and so I suspect that you won't see your money back from it by the time you've finished.

Leasehold house? Enquire about the cost of purchasing the freehold and get the vendors to do it as part of the sale process.

In that price bracket, I'd avoid anything that looks like it needs work as it's unlikely to pay you back.

Have you actually spoken to a mortgage broker about what mortgage you can get?

RelievedSheff

I personally don't like any of the houses you have picked out there. All have their flaws.

But it isn't what I or anyone else on here thinks that matters. You have to live in the house so it has to be the right home for you.

The right one will jump out at you at some point. You just need to find it and that may take some time.

pattypan4

I just want to wish you good luck op, yours was a very interesting post. Last house, we built a very good wooden outbuilding and as long as it was 1m from a neighbours wall, it did not need planning. It was thoroughly insulated on all faces and had a window and electricity. It was very big and very sturdy. I think it cost around 8k for a joiner to build from plans that my husband drew. Maybe think outside the box and use the garden to build a super workshop

I understand about wanting the garage, I have a garage now converted to a workshop but I would have been just as happy with that outbuilding here.

bouicca21

What sort of hobbies? The sort that need a workshop or space for books, computers etc? And if it is a workshop what sort of access do you need?

If houses don’t stick around for long, then that is an indication that the market is buoyant and prices may well be on the up. The uplift on prices won’t appear in the land registry database for several months. You may be worrying unnecessarily about paying too much.

getmore4less

Hobbies are they all really downstairs only?

How wide a search area are you looking.
I guessed around this

what about something like this

cheap enough to make the garage into a good workshop/hobbies space(power water) even extend it out the back with more workspace/office.

There really is not a lot on offer with up to £170k in that area

Moneyminded

It sounds like you are doing all the right things, you are actually going to see houses in person and made a list of things that are important to you.

It may sound weird but have you listed why each aspect of the wish list is so important to you? For example, you say driveway for 2 cars. Is that because you have 2 cars or because you do a lot of entertaining and you want your guests to have somewhere to park? Living on your own could a driveway for 1 car be sufficient?

You say reasonable size garden (I agree with the not overlooked part) is one of your hobbies gardening? Will your hobbies allow you the time to maintain and enjoy the garden? Would you be willing to sacrifice some garden for a better house?

Maybe if you focus on why each aspect of the wish list is important this will help you to find the absolute deal breakers and the things you can compromise on as they are less important than you first thought. There will inevitably be at least 1 compromise in a house it's just about finding the thing that you can live with.

Keep looking and don't lose faith, it took me a year of house viewings to find my current home. Buying on your own in a way makes it more difficult as you don't have another person's wish list to narrow down the options and hone the search. Keep at it and the right property will come along.

Good luck in your search

PasturesNew

I think the problem is that there's not much choice in recent months in many areas.

Sellers went on strike, waiting.

If you can't find something that will do, then you'll have to keep waiting until something turns up.

I sold 3 months ago, the market dried up.... way fewer houses for sale and those for sale tended to be top of my budget and need money/skills to modernise them.

They say January will see a lot for sale. Personally, I expected to see this January rush being typed up into RM yesterday and today, ready for the rush.... but nothing.

There is, of course, the other problem you have: family houses. It seems most are built for, or designed around, "families".... and if you're on your own then those layouts/modifications and extensions will grate on you. In the main, most mods/extensions etc only fit the lifestyle of the person undertaking them - as a buyer of their choices you just think "why did you do it like that?" or "why did you do it at all?"

danlightbulb

Thanks for all the replies. I'll try to address them:

getmore4less wrote: »

How wide a search area are you looking. I guessed around this [...]

Yes that's pretty much spot on, the closer to the centre of that area the better. As a single person, I want to stay reasonably close to family and friends and maintain easy access to work.

getmore4less wrote: »

what about something like this

Ok so its cheap, it has a drive, its got a garage of sorts (outbuilding really). But its a cube, its got no shape or character to it. One downstairs living space plus kitchen is too restrictive. Fundamentally, I can't see myself getting excited about working on and improving that house. It would feel like the rental I'm in right now.

It feels like I should be able to spend £40k more and get £40k more house, something which has more potential and a more 'picturesque look' about it.

Moneyminded wrote: »

It may sound weird but have you listed why each aspect of the wish list is so important to you? For example, you say driveway for 2 cars. Is that because you have 2 cars or because you do a lot of entertaining and you want your guests to have somewhere to park? Living on your own could a driveway for 1 car be sufficient?

I have one (large) car and do some of my own maintenance, so want a flat, reasonably sized drive. Also Im not planning on being single forever, so extra space would allow futureproofing. Finally, future sale-ability - most families have two cars so I want to ensure I'm not held back by it in the future. I cannot stand on road parking - fighting for a space outside your own house trying to compete against 3 car neighbours - no thanks.

Moneyminded wrote: »

You say reasonable size garden (I agree with the not overlooked part) is one of your hobbies gardening? Will your hobbies allow you the time to maintain and enjoy the garden? Would you be willing to sacrifice some garden for a better house?

Yes, when I was married I used to enjoy working on the garden. I would like a greenhouse and space for planted areas and a little hard landscaping. A garden has to be big enough to allow for that, and also have a central lawned area to play with kids on. The second part of your question, well it really depends what the sacrifice is and what is being gained, its hard to be specific on that in advance.

bouicca21 wrote: »

What sort of hobbies? The sort that need a workshop or space for books, computers etc? And if it is a workshop what sort of access do you need?

I have a piano that I would like to feature in the main living area in the house. I would also like my computer in the main living area, as well as the usual TV setup and comfy sofas etc. Then I would like a separate room for a dining table and 2nd sofa, to allow space to escape the main room if required. In my current rental I don't have space for a dining table so TV dinners all the time, which isn't the best especially when entertaining.

My other hobbies are sports related, I own mountain bikes (hence need for secure garage space rather than just a shed) and I also scuba dive which I don't have any of my own equipment yet but will need space to store that its quite bulky. I also use my garage to store 'dirty' tools, like the stuff i use to work on the car from time to time.

A shed in garden would be fine for gardening tools, and as stated above, I would like a greenhouse.

The main thing about all this really, is that because I'm single I get bored easily, hence I have a range of interests that I dip in and out of. I want to keep them all reasonably accessible at any point.

bouicca21 wrote: »

If houses don’t stick around for long, then that is an indication that the market is buoyant and prices may well be on the up. The uplift on prices won’t appear in the land registry database for several months. You may be worrying unnecessarily about paying too much.

What happens around here is the very small number of good houses sell very fast and the remaining 99% of the for sale stock don't, but don't fall in price either. Obviously everyone wants the same as me and I'm competing against two salary couples with FTB help which I don't have. However I wouldn't really describe the market here as buoyant, there are not many good houses for sale in the first place and I feel many are optimistic in their pricing. This is a relatively deprived area here, its only via two salary couples that are keeping prices inflated. And of course people who got lucky 20 years ago before the boom.

There are also alot of new builds going up around here. The three storey houses are not too bad, have good internal space, but the gardens are tiny and hardly any have garages. Mostly £200k+ anyway which out of my reach, and alot of new builds don't have any character to them.

Doozergirl wrote: »

I wouldn't be paying extra for a conservatory that's been tarted up to look like a pretend extension. All that is going to do is deteriorate. It clearly looks like it isn't built to proper standards. I'd enquire whether the garage conversion is also up to standard.

The second house does need everything doing and so I suspect that you won't see your money back from it by the time you've finished.

Leasehold house? Enquire about the cost of purchasing the freehold and get the vendors to do it as part of the sale process.

Thanks for the views. Yes, it does look like a bit of a bodge to me, hence why I felt it was overpriced. But try and find another similar, there is nothing.

The second house needs alot of work again, yet is still priced way above the historical ceiling for the street. I guess this is because it will sell at that most likely - people shouldn't be buying stuff if its overpriced but they do. I'm trying to find value for money and futureproofing in my purchase and competing against people who seem to not be thinking about that as much.

Third house, I have emailed the estate agent to ask that question. I doubt the vendors will have the foresight to be interested, they won't want to incur any costs themselves I bet.

Doozergirl wrote: »

Have you actually spoken to a mortgage broker about what mortgage you can get?

Yes, AIP is sorted. I could spend upto £200k but as I said earlier, I don't want to stretch myself that much as it gives no headroom for future changes to circumstances. My current rent is £570 per month, I'd like mortgage to be around that or less, depending on work required. At 2% on a 2 year fix (realistic), over 30 years, this puts me at around £155k mortgage with my deposit on top so around £170k total, or thereabouts.