Auction property

XXI

The property is in a conservation area within Scotland. I also asked about the flat downstairs and the vendor said both properties are separate in their own right with each having their own access rights etc however he did seem a bit shifty when I asked the question.

Mgman1965

Call me an old cynic, but,

I bet the vendor knows he's made a huge gaffe and knows he'd soon have to answer for his actions to the local planning department, so is offloading it quick, hoping the buyer doesn't realise what they've bought till its to late.

XXI

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82063785#Comment_82063785

I have to agree.

I don't want to blatantly direct you to the property however it's being marketed pre-auction with SH&H. The first photo is of a beautiful detached blonde sandstone building. When you see the internal photographs you'll see all the 🚩.

Such a shame as it would have been the perfect home (for me).

FreeBear

Sis was looking at a property down in Diss. It fulfilled her criteria, and from the outside, looked quite nice. However, inside had been pretty much gutted, and the pictures showed lots of plasterboard going up. Three major red flags…

• It is a Grade II listed property.
• No planning application available on the local planning portal.
• Unfinished work - Possibly because the local Conservation Officer had told the builders to stop.

I advised Sis not to even bother viewing. If (when) an enforcement was served, it would cost an absolute fortune to fix. Lime plasterers do not come cheap !

I fear that the property you were looking at would also come with a hefty repair bill when the local planning/conservation department find out.

user1977

Ok, found it. The chat above about subdivision appears to be a red herring as it's been a flat in its own right since at least 1979 (which is the earliest Sasine deed splitting it off from ownership of the rest of the tenement). And has had its own council tax account since the start of council tax. Correct that there is no sign of any planning or building control applications in modern times, so I expect it's lack of building warrants for more recent works which are the main problem?

XXI

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82063861#Comment_82063861

Yes, definitely an issue with the lack of building warrant/planning permission. For such a small space, it looks like it would be a huge job to fix any issues and even worse if it were to be reinstated back to it's original layout. I could see the lines where the 2 non-load bearing walls had been removed.

poseidon1

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82063872#Comment_82063872

I belive I located the specific property you were considering.

If its the correct one, it is being sold via modern method auction which perhaps you should have mentioned from outset.

Putting aside all the other negative aspects of this particular property, you will find most forum contributors here would strongly advise against buying any property on this basis, especially as in this case the agents are seeking an upfront £6,000 reservation fee which is in addition to the final winning bid if you were successful.

On all counts, a property to be avoided.

XXI

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82064154#Comment_82064154

Thanks for your input. I was aware that it was being sold by the Modern Method of Auction and I was factoring in the fee to the total cost. Not sure why you feel I should have mentioned this at the outset. I did actually say in my original post that the property is non-mortgageable and has a 'high buyers fee'. My main concern was the lack of consents.

GDB2222

I don’t think I would ever bid on a modern method of auction property. Others here think likewise.

FreeBear

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82064463#Comment_82064463

Indeed. The whole MMoA process is loaded against the buyer, and the "fee" is only refundable in a very limited set of circumstances. Furthermore, I don't ever recall seeing an end date for any of the "auctions" I've looked at… On that basis, to call it an auction is stretching it a bit and could be in breach of advertising & consumer legislation.

Barge pole comes to mind - Neither the buyer, nor the seller is getting a good deal, and the only winner is the agent.