First time buyer, help me decide.

SneakySpectator

Flat 1
£130k - £135k (probably £133k would be accepted)
Top floor
Vacant
Electric heating
Council tax band A
10 minute walk to work
Decent condition
940 years left on lease
£89 a month service charge, £0 ground rent. 
Neighbours on either side (middle flat)


Flat 2 
£135k
Top floor
Tenants in situ
Gas heating
Council tax band B
10 minute ebike to work
OK condition but hard to tell as it was full of furniture, tenant was very messy.
135 years left on lease
£133 a month ground rent + service charges
No neighbours on any side of me (corner flat)
Small Balcony

Common sense and logic is screaming "Flat 1", but I can't help thinking "what if the neighbours either side of me end up being loud and anti social / loud tv, arguing" etc?

Martico

Clearly tenants in situ is a concern, but that's been discussed on another thread.
I'd be worried about the high ground rent on property 2, as well as the unspecified service charge.
Is there a lift in either property? Maintenance could be high when needed. Top floor could mean floor 3 or floor 26
How many properties are in each block?
 

SneakySpectator

Martico said:

Clearly tenants in situ is a concern, but that's been discussed on another thread.
I'd be worried about the high ground rent on property 2, as well as the unspecified service charge.
Is there a lift in either property? Maintenance could be high when needed. Top floor could mean floor 3 or floor 26
How many properties are in each block?
 

Sorry I should clarify, the £133 is the ground rent + service charge combined per month. Both flats are only 3 stories high, no lift. There's 6 flats in each block.

RedFraggle

What type of electric heating? Storage heaters or panel heaters?
When were both built?

SneakySpectator

RedFraggle said:

What type of electric heating? Storage heaters or panel heaters?
When were both built?

The flat with gas heating was built around 2008 and the flat with electric heating was built around mid to late 1990s according to chatgpt. 

They're storage heaters I think 

Myci85

Location location location... unless flat 2 is bigger, extra bedroom, what is the reason for the higher ctax band? Based on the info you've given flat 1 sounds the obvious choice, cheaper to buy potentially, cheaper ctax, cheaper service charge, closer to work. But the area you live in is usually a big consideration for most people, which local area do you prefer?

SneakySpectator

Myci85 said:

Location location location... unless flat 2 is bigger, extra bedroom, what is the reason for the higher ctax band? Based on the info you've given flat 1 sounds the obvious choice, cheaper to buy potentially, cheaper ctax, cheaper service charge, closer to work. But the area you live in is usually a big consideration for most people, which local area do you prefer?

Flat 1 is a bus ride to the town centre, or a 1 hour walk. I actually don't mind walking if it's nice weather and feel like going into town for the day.

Flat 2 is a 20 minute walk to the town centre. 

Aside from that they're essentially the same, no major differences really. 

QrizB

SneakySpectator said:

They're storage heaters I think 

Storage heaters are full of bricks and almost always have feet to take their weight rather than being wall hung.

That heater doesn't have feet, not any sign of a fused spur (tho' the photo is not great). You need to check but I suspect it's direct convector.

SneakySpectator

QrizB said:

SneakySpectator said:

They're storage heaters I think 

Storage heaters are full of bricks and almost always have feet to take their weight rather than being wall hung.

That heater doesn't have feet, not any sign of a fused spur (tho' the photo is not great). You need to check but I suspect it's direct convector.

Here's another party cut off photo



Either way if the heating gets too expensive to run I'll probably just buy one of those fancy oil filled heaters from currys, It's only a flat so I only need it in the living room really and bedroom an hour before bed and I'm golden.

QrizB

Still looks like a direct convector!

An oil-filled heater will cost exactly the same amount to run.

Catonthemoon

Flat 1 - neighbouring flats on both sides; you must also have one to the rear? That would mean it’s adjoined to 4 other flats (2 to the sides, 1 to the rear & 1 below), unless I’m missing something!

Flat 2 - none to the sides. 1 to the rear & 1 below, so adjoined to 2 other flats. 

Peace & quiet seems to be an important consideration for you; if the details above are correct, then flat 2 reduces any neighbour problems/issues by 50%. 

Living in flats is always going to be a bit of a lottery & you won’t know what your neighbours are like until you move in!