Things you wish you'd checked before buying your property

MaMoneyMaMoney

sgun said:

MaMoneyMaMoney said:

I like the soil discussion. What constitutes as good soil, then? Is lack of acidity enough? Or are there other characteristics the soil should have to deem it "worthy/safe for vegs"?

Actually, sometimes acid soil is better. Quite a lot of plants including edibles like a slightly acid soil, some prefer slightly alkaline but around a pH of 6 will do for most stuff. For me it was more about the texture and nutrients content. Easy to judge quickly if you are used different soils. A pretty good measure is just seeing what is already growing  but here it was all turfed so I needed to take some soil (in secret).

Why in secret? Surely you have the right to know? 
Unless of course, that might be intended as "damaging property" or "stealing"? That'd be weird.

Skintoap

Broadband and mobile phone coverage. I had to change mobile phone provider when I moved as reception was so poor. 

helpyhelper

Always get the roof checked, ideally by a proper roofer as surveyors will admit to having limited knowledge on roofs.

sgun

MaMoneyMaMoney said:

sgun said:

MaMoneyMaMoney said:

I like the soil discussion. What constitutes as good soil, then? Is lack of acidity enough? Or are there other characteristics the soil should have to deem it "worthy/safe for vegs"?

Actually, sometimes acid soil is better. Quite a lot of plants including edibles like a slightly acid soil, some prefer slightly alkaline but around a pH of 6 will do for most stuff. For me it was more about the texture and nutrients content. Easy to judge quickly if you are used different soils. A pretty good measure is just seeing what is already growing  but here it was all turfed so I needed to take some soil (in secret).

Why in secret? Surely you have the right to know? 
Unless of course, that might be intended as "damaging property" or "stealing"? That'd be weird.

They were weird, it made things tricky. I didn't need them thinking I was weird too. Even if I am. 

Skiddaw1

MaMoneyMaMoney said:

DairyQueen said:

1) Always check the Council's development/neighbourhood plans. It's an easy way to find-out if a preferred development site is anywhere close. No planning application (yet) doesn't mean there won't be one along soon.

princeofpounds said:

Local planning applications.

This is an interesting one.

In your opinion, how could one best guard against this? What is there to guard against? What could negatively (or positively?) affect a property nearby?

We once viewed a house we really, really liked. We were all set to return for a second viewing but having fortuitously checked local planning applications discovered the largest gas storage unit in Western Europe was to be built on the field next to said house. Which explained, incidentally, why the house was (inexplicably) within our price range...

Davesnave

MaMoneyMaMoney said:

I like the soil discussion. What constitutes as good soil, then? Is lack of acidity enough? Or are there other characteristics the soil should have to deem it "worthy/safe for vegs"?

It's a great help if the soil is friable and easy to work, not like clay can be when it's a sticky morass that might be something a child had made in a cookery lesson. We dry out very fast here, which is good at a time like this, but more difficult in periods of drought. Fortunately, we have as much free manure as we can take, which we use to build up the organic content.

We moved from very alkaline to very acid soil which didn't make a heap of difference with many plants, but a few failed to thrive like they had at our old place. OTOH, we have been able to grow plants that are lime haters, which would never have coped in our last garden.There are some specific problems growing certain veg on acid soil, but nothing that really bothers us.

Carl2510

Kitchen cupboards a few were pretty much hanging off

Slinky

MaMoneyMaMoney said:

DairyQueen said:

1) Always check the Council's development/neighbourhood plans. It's an easy way to find-out if a preferred development site is anywhere close. No planning application (yet) doesn't mean there won't be one along soon.

princeofpounds said:

Local planning applications.

This is an interesting one.

In your opinion, how could one best guard against this? What is there to guard against? What could negatively (or positively?) affect a property nearby?

We had an ever expanding 'new city' galloping towards us. 3000 more houses within a mile of the north of us, another 3000 planned for within a mile of the west, and then the government started talking about the Oxford-Cambridge expressway where we could see a likely route passing within about 70 yards of our door, we hit the road and left it all behind.

moneysavinghero

4) Neighbours. Peace and quiet are such a high priority for us that our perfect neighbours would either be lying in the church graveyard or have four legs.

Our neighbours dog has 4 legs - no guarantee of peace and quiet

Mildreds_Earrings

I wish I had visited the neighbours on the streer. Not just directly next door but opposite and a few doors down too, so that they could tell me about my direct neighbours.  I have experienced neighbours from hell twice and I had to sell up and move. An expensive lesson learnt. Never again. Speak to the residents on the street and they will love to tell you about bad neighbours! Also visit the street/property at random parts of the day and night.