julicorn's journey 2 - Moving Up

julicorn

You're absolutely right though, it will really depend on how much we like whichever house we go for. Good to hear that the worry about overpaying didn't stick around for you as well. 

South_coast

I've just been browsing some others, thinking what I might buy if I was you - this is fun 😀!

julicorn

South_coast said:

I've just been browsing some others, thinking what I might buy if I was you - this is fun 😀!

Well you'll have to share which ones you landed on 😄🥰

South_coast

OK, well I'll caveat it by saying a) I know absolutely nothing about the area; and b) I'm sure you've already ruled them out, but I thought these were fun: 

This one I liked the big open-plan space on the lower-ground floor, plus the bathroom with the bay window, and the garden had potential:
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/119125946#/?channel=RES_BUY

This one again had the entertaining space, plus it's just a really nice-looking house. Gardening would be limited to pots though, and no shed:
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/119447918#/?channel=RES_BUY

This one has already got a shed! Gardening would be in pots again, but it's got a roof terrace! And I liked the quirky bay window. I think the photos let it down - who wants to see a shelf of someone's (not very tidy) DVD's 🤷‍♀️?
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/119276315#/?channel=RES_BUY

Sistergold

@South_coast, are we not a “terrible” lot!? I also did a full property search after @julicorn posted and I also loved the “yellow” house(excuse my colours can be off if that’s not yellow) but was not sure about the layout? https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/119125946#/?channel=RES_BUY

I did love many other houses listed by @South_coast, most have unusual floor plans and also noted Brighton has a lot of houses with character. I also saw some modern type houses with impressive gardens but I noted that @julicorn loves her character houses and I don’t think she can be swayed?! 

@julicorn, I must say I fell for temptation as through out my search I was looking at character houses then saw the one I bought. This house has no character at all 1960s house not quite high impressive ceilings, low loft etc so can never expand into loft, but location was great. Also meant it was detached. Looking at the houses you have lined up, seeing all the character features, really beautiful. To top it all off the lovely beaches! You can not help but fall in love with Brighton as a place to live. Also just now remembering that character houses do come at a cost. 

Sorry @julicorn “we lot” don’t mind our own business. We do love house hunting so we will be helping you in this search! 

julicorn

South_coast said:

OK, well I'll caveat it by saying a) I know absolutely nothing about the area; and b) I'm sure you've already ruled them out, but I thought these were fun: 

This one I liked the big open-plan space on the lower-ground floor, plus the bathroom with the bay window, and the garden had potential:
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/119125946#/?channel=RES_BUY

This one again had the entertaining space, plus it's just a really nice-looking house. Gardening would be limited to pots though, and no shed:
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/119447918#/?channel=RES_BUY

This one has already got a shed! Gardening would be in pots again, but it's got a roof terrace! And I liked the quirky bay window. I think the photos let it down - who wants to see a shelf of someone's (not very tidy) DVD's 🤷‍♀️?
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/119276315#/?channel=RES_BUY

This is a great selection actually, thank you for taking the time to share them (and your thoughts as well)!

The yellow house in Hannover almost made it onto our "to view" list, and we might still be able to squeeze it in this weekend. The location is great, not too far up the hill, and I mean it's yellow There were a few things that put us off - I struggled with the window in the current living room being mostly blocked off, and tbh would probably want to turn one of the other bedrooms into a separate living room. Lack of bathtub is annoying but definitely fixable, the garden is on the small side but looks lovely. So yeah, it's not out of the running yet, but neither of us were immediately enthusiastic enough to pick up the phone. 

The one in Kemp Town is done up really nicely, we're not as into Kemptown location wise but wouldn't rule it out because of that. The outside space was the real issue with that one. 

Little Western Road is a great location, we used to live pretty much right there. With that house, it's the layout that's trickier, relatively small outside space, and Mr julicorn just really hates what it looks like from the outside He's the one who seems to have a pretty strong desire for curb appeal for some reason, I've talked him into having an open mind and not immediately ruling out houses because they're a little ugly, but I know with this one I'd be fighting a losing battle. 

julicorn

Sistergold said:

@South_coast, are we not a “terrible” lot!? I also did a full property search after @julicorn posted and I also loved the “yellow” house(excuse my colours can be off if that’s not yellow) but was not sure about the layout? https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/119125946#/?channel=RES_BUY

I did love many other houses listed by @South_coast, most have unusual floor plans and also noted Brighton has a lot of houses with character. I also saw some modern type houses with impressive gardens but I noted that @julicorn loves her character houses and I don’t think she can be swayed?! 

@julicorn, I must say I fell for temptation as through out my search I was looking at character houses then saw the one I bought. This house has no character at all 1960s house not quite high impressive ceilings, low loft etc so can never expand into loft, but location was great. Also meant it was detached. Looking at the houses you have lined up, seeing all the character features, really beautiful. To top it all off the lovely beaches! You can not help but fall in love with Brighton as a place to live. Also just now remembering that character houses do come at a cost. 

Sorry @julicorn “we lot” don’t mind our own business. We do love house hunting so we will be helping you in this search! 

Oh please don't mind your own business, I need the house hunting help! Absolutely loving all the input, and it might even make me look back at some of the houses we've ruled out along the way in a different light. 

We definitely like character, it doesn't necessarily need to be a specific time period, but you can probably tell we've mostly booked viewings at places that are a bit... quirkier one way or another. 
I'm gonna go ahead and throw some more blame at Mr julicorn here as well. I grew up in Germany and the houses around where I was didn't necessarily have a lot of features, they're fairly practical or let's say feel more modern? Mr julicorn grew up in a gorgeous victorian semi and had a lot more set ideas of what a "nice" house is, although I've managed to broaden his horizon quite a bit over the last 10 years. Having said that, I do struggle with lack of light and low ceilings (in the absence of interesting features at least), but I find those aspects quite hard to judge before actually being in a space. 

Karmacat

julicorn said:

Little Western Road is a great location, we used to live pretty much right there. With that house, it's the layout that's trickier, relatively small outside space, and Mr julicorn just really hates what it looks like from the outside He's the one who seems to have a pretty strong desire for curb appeal for some reason, I've talked him into having an open mind and not immediately ruling out houses because they're a little ugly, but I know with this one I'd be fighting a losing battle. 

The yellow house is exactly the layout I had in my Hanover house - and I loved it!  The living room is a basement, at the front of the house (I think you can see it on the photos) but at the back, it's level ground, because the hill is so steep.  It's better than you might think, especially once the wall is tanked   though my garden was a bit bigger - I had a pear tree in there too.  

Surrey Street would be a no-no for me, oh my, there would *never* be any peace and quiet outside your windows!  Ever!

The one in Hove - they're not using the layout to best advantage, and it prejudices me against it, oops mea culpa.

It's going to be so interesting when you see your houses!

julicorn

I also realised looking back at the listings that I completely misremembered where they all were, I just clicked on the main photo and went from there 😂 the Surrey street one looks exactly like a house that was for sale in kemp town, hence my previous comment. I couldn't live in Surrey Street either, although funnily enough friends of ours have just exchanged on a house there. Similarly, I thought the Hanover house was less far up the hill than it actually is, Albion Hill is pretty brutal. I've actually been in a few houses with a similar layout @Karmacat, it's just something about this one seems particularly gloomy? Maybe it's just the photos. 

We've now made a somewhat comical house evaluation spreadsheet with weighted scoring system, it's not particularly serious though (categories include likelihood of hauntings/ghosts, and how well our plushies would like the house, alongside more considered categories such as space, area, garden). The maximum score is 100, I'll keep you posted where they all end up

Karmacat

That sounds brilliant