whats the best type of house to buy if its being left empty?

epz_2

i can just see squatnow's head explode but its a serious post.


basicly im loooking to buy somewhere to keep my stuff and be a base but i could be away from home for sizeable chunks of time upto 3 months before comming back for visits.

financialy it makes sence as rent is about the same as mortgage in the areas im looking. i will still need to commute to livingston fairly often and still want to stay close to glasgow so lanarkshire is the best bet, because i will need to commute a fair bit anyway i dont really mind the location that much though .

basicly im thinking a house for car parking would be better but it could be in a range of locations from city center flats (1) which seem to have some nice repos with 40% off at the moment to hick towns and even spotted a farmhouse in my price range.


so to cut out any argument, yes i think prices will fall and no i dont care.


anybody got any pros and cons of rural vs semi rural vs urban for leaving a property secured but vacant place.

im leaning towards a medium sized village since it buys a bigger place and aint too cut off but im thinking should be quiet




(1) im actually only 7 miles out at the moment but being the wrong side of the kingston bridge means im losing 5 hours a week to traffic and christ knows what in petrol

IveSeenTheLight

You seem to indicate you will be away more than you are home.
Therefore it would seem best that you get a place that is just large enough for your posesions and for you to feel comfortable in when you visit home.
If you believe house prices will drop then the smaller house will likely see less of a drop.

It also depends on how you wish to have for a future.
I have a 4 bed house in the UK but at the moment am working abroad.
It has rented out very easily in my area (also Scotland).
I kept this as when we return to the UK and have kids we will already have a property large enough for our future.
You are not looking to rent it out so the rent part does not apply but what you want from a home in the future may.

Only you can decide what is best for now and your future.
Although some one here think they have, nobody here has a crystal ball

Good luck in your choice.

PasturesNew

Would a simple house share be better? If you go into a house share and pay a fixed rent including bills then you've got several advantages:

1] infinitely cheaper
2] your stuff is there when you want it
3] if the property springs a leak the day after you left you don't come home to find it's been flooding for 4 weeks
4] if there's a big storm and the roof fllies off, somebody else is dealing with it
5] less likely to be burgled or squatted because there are others there
6] when you return home, you've got instant mates to go and do stuff with
7] no services/bills to deal with, not coming home to a mountain of mail, the electricity cut off and it's Friday night at 7.30pm

Most insurance policies state you mustn't leave the property more than 30 days in a row too. So there are all sorts of small print issues like this that will come to light.

You've not stated any reasons in your posting why you actually need to own a place. Owning a property is a nightmare. Leaving it empty is a bigger commitment on your mental and emotional well-being than you can imagine.

Leaving a property empty isn't a good thing to do. Especially for such long periods of time.

The obligations of a property will tie you down.

Running_Horse

If it was London I would suggest a portered studio flat.

itsgototstop

I would agree with RH above, a block of flats with a caretaker or concierge who has a spare key.

If you got a 2 bed you could always rent out spare room as well.

Suzy_M

Untidy exteriors are a dead giveaway that a property may be unoccupied. So unless you hire somebody for maintenance a flat would probably be better in your circumstances.

OR - Just an idea and no sums done, - what about setting yourself up with a property suitable for holiday lets during your absences and maybe using storage for some of your more precious and / or private possessions.

SquatNow

I'm not going to complain... you aren't leaving it empty, you are planning to make productive use of the property... albeit on and off. It's not a holiday home, it's a primary home with you working away a lot. Nothing wrong with that.

Of course, buying a house at the start of a crash... now that deserves a smack around the back of the head. Even the most optimistic economists are saying house prices will drop 10% over the next couple of years. Factor in inflation at 5% and you're talking a 20% loss... MINIMUM.

Rent somewhere... you should be able to bargain the rent down, save some money and buy at the hieght of the crash... you should be able to buy a place outright if you start saving.

Generali

If you're only going to be there now and again the holiday let suggestion sounds good to me. Another would be to rent it at a knock down price to someone on the understanding that they go elsewhere when you want to use it. That'd be a problem if they renege of course...

PasturesNew

SquatNow wrote: »

Of course, buying a house at the start of a crash... now that deserves a smack around the back of the head.

roflmfao ....

Doozergirl

If you are leaving a property without being heated and lived in, then it has to be a mid level or top floor flat. Your stuff will grow mouldy very quickly if it is left in cold conditions, even indoors, for significant periods. In fact, property in general suffers quite heavily if it is left cold.

You need heat; as warm air rises then you need to be above someone and get at least some heat for free. We had a top floor 1970s flat in London (pitched roof which we stuffed full of insulation) and barely needed to heat it!

Top floor is useful in a small block with one flat per floor because people hear what is happening on the stairs - if someone was coming to us, you could tell by the footsteps. The floor below you will notice if anyone comes up past their level, especially if you aren't there much

Gorgeous_George

epz wrote: »

financialy it makes sence as rent is about the same as mortgage in the areas im looking.

Except that house prices are falling so buying could cost you more than a few quid.

Put your stuff into storage and stay B&B or Travelodge when necessary will save you £££s.

If you need somewhere and wish to leave it empty for such long periods, there may be a problem with insurance. I don't like leaving my home for two weeks' holiday even though I leave a key with my neighbours so that they can keep an eye on the place. I couldn't do it for three months!

GG