First time buyers often get sucked in by the marketing of new builds. There’s something appealling about the neutral, bland utterly decluttered show homes that really gets to some people and make them drool.
Any house can look shiny and new if it’s had a lick of paint. Seeing beyond the current “dressing” of the house is vital if you’re looking at older properties and new builds. How will a shiny half empty house feel when it’s got your clutter in it? Crowded? Smaller?
They often use emotive language too to suck you in. They’ll say things like “the plot for this new build is up for release this week” … making it sound exclusive and elusive … When really they’re got a 15 acres site they’re going to be packing them in on.
New builds are dear. You pay a premium to the developer. You should check out the sold prices of lots of houses in the area and compare. Sometimes buyer from an older new build development is the way to go – and you’ll have all the snagging issues sorted out rather than if you buy the new build you’ll have to sort them out.
Look out for show houses too. There are some companies who use smaller furniture in them to make them look bigger. Always take a tape measure and measure the size of the bed…It might be a double, but it might well be a smaller double than you have at home.
Read the brochure carefully too. Measurements might be subject to some variance, layouts can be altered. I would never recommend anyone buy a new build off plan (Before it’s built!). It strkes me as madness to pay top whack for a house you’ve never seen inside.
I’ve also seen some awful stories about people who have bought new builds off plan and then discovered structural changes have meant the open plan layout was ruined by a massive pillar in the middle of the room. Fighting to get compensation is hard work and the people who you want to see your house to next will see the pillar as a problem too!
Avoid new builds is my best advice. Don’t ever use the solicitor they recommend. Get one who works fully for you. If they don’t like it, then don’t buy one! Go and look round other properties.
If smooth flat walls are your thing, then get the walls in an old house reskimmed. It’ll not cost anywhere near as much as it would cost to buy a new build!
Author: Diane
Geograph – great photos
An amazing site packed with photos of the UK and Ireland is Geograph. It’s useful for getting an idea of the area and what’s there.
Visit Geograph now – type in a postcode, or place name.
What is the site? The Geograph Britain and Ireland project aims to collect geographically representative photographs and information for every square kilometre of Great Britain and Ireland
You can even upload your own photos to the site to make it even better for other visitors!
Poxwell Manor
Poxwell Manor is at Poxwell, Dorchester, Dorset. It’s a really beautiful house.
A great deal of history is wrapped up in this amazing building. In the middle ages Poxwell (Derives from Puck’s well), or Pokeswell, was a possession of Cerne Abbey. Following the abbey’s dissolution it was granted by Queen Elizabeth to Thomas Howard of Lulworth and Bindon. He sold it to John Henning, a merchant from Poole, who built the house. His son became Sheriff of Dorset in 1609. The property belonged to the Hennings until 1695 when it passed by marriage to the Trenchards of Lytchett Matravers and Wolverton. It remained in the possession of the Trenchard family and their descendants until its sale in 1977. It is understood that King George III visited the house on a number of occasions. Thomas Hardy used the Manor as Oxwell Hall in – The Trumpet Major – .
* 9 bedrooms
* 6 reception rooms
* 7 bathrooms
* Heli pad, hangar
* About 10 acres
The castle style house – Auchtermuchty
If you like castles then you’ll love this house in Auchtermuchty, Cupar, Fife. It’s £3,500,000 but has 10 bedrooms.
It’s a lovely looking house that’s part castle, part mansion.
A very historic home – The castle date from around 1530 and formed part of the lands of the Earl of Fife. The castle has had many illustrious owners but in 1887 Myres Castle was sold to James Fairlie who had been Private Chamberlain at the Vatican to three Popes
It’s got a tennis court and plenty of outside space making it fit for a princess!
Secret Shopper – Estate Agents
Tonight on Channel 4 at 9pm there’s an episode of Mary Portas’s secret shopper. This week it’s focusing on estate agents so it’ll be fascinating for anyone with any interest in the UK’s housing market.
A must watch program!
“Mary is granted access to the sales team of a north London agency where she tries to improve relations with customers, but soon she is clashing with the boss, who seems to have a very different opinion on what good service is”
You can watch the previous episodes of Secret Shopper here on 4onD – they’ll put this episode up sometime after it’s shown.
Update:
Well I watched this and was intrigued to hear some of the comments. I still don’t know what prestigious turning means. Do estate agents work for the seller or the buyer? They work for the seller but they can only do that by finding a buyer. No mention of pricing was included in this program at all which I thought was interesting.
It did seem to focus on the need for good details and information.
I tried to add up how many times I’d been shown round a property by an estate agent compared to a seller. It’s about even – and once I was shown round by a relative of the seller as they were abroad. I found the estate agents often don’t know the information about the property, or can’t answer every question you might have. However in the case of some properties I’ve viewed it’s been because it’s a probate or repossession property so they just won’t know.
The idea of adding the positives and the negatives to the property detail is one I approve of. One property I viewed once had a major damp problem and needed a damp proof course. The owner new this and wanted the estate agent to tell viewers before they arrived. They weren’t though, and viewer after viewer pitched up and found the most amazing mess of a damp problem on display. A little honesty – requested by the seller – had been ignored. Why? I don’t know – those serious about buying a property that needed work wouldn’t be that put off, and the ones that would be put off would just be having a wasted trip anyway.
I agree with Mary that honesty and openness is needed – but how many sellers would want to advertise the fact their house lacked a feature, or even be upfront about having been burgled.
Worth a watch if only for some of the silly estate agent speak they use, and the amazing hair of “gel-boy”.
For sale and to rent…
One thing you should probably check when you’re looking at houses to buy, is the rental market in the same area. You don’t want to be buying a house that’s just been let to tenants as it’ll massively delay the process.
With property bee installed you can see whether the property has also recently been let too!
Not sure what property bee is? It’s an addon for firefox that keeps track of the properties you browse on various property websites.
Flooding risk and information
Signs a property floods
When a house is near a stream or river you might instantly be suspicious about whether it floods. If you’re serious about buying it then check out the Environment Agency website for flooding risk. If you’re not sure if it has flooded then you can ask the owners. They should tell you the truth, but asking via your solicitor in writing means they’re less likely to try and lie about it.
Why worry about a property having been flooded? If it’s going to happen again then it’s a really horrid experience to have to go through, and your insurance would already be high if it’s flooded once.
You can probably get an insurance quote and find out how much the insurance will be – you would have to say you weren’t sure if a property had flooded – but they should have access to records and a high premium might indicate more risk.
Flooding might only have happened in exceptional circumstances and never happen again especially if flood defences have been improved.
Properties that regularly flood will be by smaller streams less likely to have funding spent on them to prevent reoccurrences of flooding. You might notice that sleeping quarters are downstairs and upstairs is the kitchen and lounge. Fully tiled downstairs would also send a little alarm bell ringing. Plugs placed well above the floor might also indicate work done to prevent damage from flooding.
Look around the area too. Is there a lot of mud on the road? Sometimes flooding just washed mud up onto the roads and doesn’t come up really high. Whilst this might not affect the house it’s still a nuisance for you and something to bear in mind that you might come home to find the road ankle deep in water or worse.
If you want to find out more about flooding in an area then internet search engines are your friend. Type in the name of the area and the word flooding, put them in speed marks such as “Boscastle Flooding” and you’ll get lots of results shown to you that you can read and see photos of. Sometimes you can do street names too and that shows up information about the flooding.
Useful sites for flooding information:
Northern Ireland – Strategic Flood Map (NI) – Rivers & Sea
Environment Agency Flooding site
Noises near your dream house
Things to watch out for when you’re buying a house – hidden noises.
Have a good look around the area when you’ve picked a house you really like. Have a look on maps and overhead views to work out what the buildings are around the property. If they’re all residential then that’s fine, but if there’s something different in the neighbourhood you want to know what noise problems it might cause.
Roads can be noisy with motorways being fast and busy creating much noise. Stand outside and listen. Can you hear the traffic? Sometimes it’s a dull roar that sounds more like the sea, but on wet days the sounds can be more intense and the wind can change the noise levels too.
A pub is an obvious potential noise problem, not just with noisy drunks falling out on the street at closing time, but bottles being thrown out, barrels being bounced in by the draymen at dawn and other associated deliveries.
What about shops? Are they noisy? They might not be hugely noisy, but paper shops often get deliveries very early in the morning of the papers being dropped off. The slamming of van doors at 5.30am might not be something you notice on a viewing either. Shops are often where young people congregate in the evenings. Whilst you might think its handy having a shop so close you might not like the associated bustle that goes with it. So check it out. Visit several times in the evenings, on different nights at the weekend and see what the street is like. It might be very quiet, in which case it’d be time to question a neighbour about it and get the low down.
Factory units might work all week and be quiet at the weekend but it is best to check before you buy a property and discover that it’s a 24 hour a day, seven days a week business.
If there’s a patch of bare land near by it’s also worth checking out with the local planning office about what potential uses it might have, or even if any applications have been put in for it. You can often check this online, but sometimes a visit to the planning office in person can be really useful.
Other sources of noise to look out for are schools. These are not hugely noisy apart from at lunch and break times. They might have associated parking problems though, so if you have to leave the house at the time school crowds are forming you might get annoyed and cross every day of the school year!
It pays to have a good walk around the local area on foot too. Explore the footpaths and side streets near the house you want to buy. You might discover some lovely countryside or discover that there’s an area where the yobs hang out. You will also hear lots of noises too – whether it’s dogs at the dog training school, trains, or motorway noise!
It’s a serious business buying a house so it pays to take time to explore the local area well. It might also mean you stumble upon a quiet perfect street with a sale board up on your idea house.
An attractive house
Making your house attractive to buyers
Price: This is vital to take into account. Take advice from your agent.
A clean, bright house will sell more easily. If you have dark rooms then consider painting them lighter and changing the colour of the curtains. Whilst new carpets might appear expensive, you could add a light rug to brighten the room. Use matching toning colours and avoid harsh colours and jarring colour schemes.
Clean up the front garden. Consider hanging baskets or tubs of flowers. Kerb appeal can just mean trimming the hedge or mowing the lawn though.
Once you get them in through the door you want your house to smell clean and fresh. Plenty of fresh air, no pet smells, or pet food, hide litter trays too, and get the pets out of the house if at all possible. Whilst a cute cat curled up asleep looks cute, a slathering dog might not be.
Decluttering is a hugely important thing to do too. A tidy neat house looks roomier.
If you smoke then stop smoking in the house. It’s gross and really puts off non-smokers who will worry about getting the smell of smoke out of the house.
Use gentle subtle air fresheners. Natural scents are best. Vanilla is a lovely warm scent that can really make your house smell great. Don’t overdo it though and don’t ever spray air fresheners as they are often too overpowering.
You don’t have to bake bread or brew coffee just before they arrive but take into account that a nice smelling house will be more appealing. Don’t have food cooking during a viewing unless it’s something neutral and sweet like bread or cakes.
Try to get viewings during the day. Don’t be afraid of putting side lamps on if it makes a room look warmer and more inviting. Lighting is a lifestyle thing that can really impact how we view a house.
Think about buying some fresh flowers for viewings. Arrange them in a nice vase on the dining table. It’s recommended you lay the table for a meal as this shows how many people can fit easily round the table. It’s easy to do and free so might well be worth giving it a go.
It’s said people often buy because they like the lifestyle you present to them. If you have glossy classy magazines on your lounge coffee table then this presents a nice imagine. Throws and cushions on a bed create a nice luxurious feel to a bedroom.
Don’t forget that most changes are things that are free, or you can take with you to your new home. The changes are known as house doctoring and can really make your house look nicer and feel more attractive to buyers.
Which estate agent
Which estate agent to choose?
If you’re buying then look at all the estate agents!
If you’re selling then you need to decide which one to use.
Look at several things firstly – are they on Rightmove being the most important thing.
Ask friends and family which they have used and which they liked.
Ring round a few making enquiries about buying a property. You’ll get a general idea about which handle your call well and are on the ball. If they can’t handle your enquiry very well as a buyer, then how will they handle the buyer of your house?
Have a look at the local property paper if there is one in your area. Is there one estate agent that has a huge number of pages? Which ads attract your attention? Does one agent stand out?
Make a shortlist. Make appointments with them to come and let them do their sales pitch. Get details in writing about what they offer you, what fees they charge, whether they recommend you do viewings,
You want the estate agents to value your property. Do not tell them what other agents have valued it at. Just because an agent values it higher than other ones doesn’t mean it’ll achieve that.
Fees are negotiable. Ask for fee of 1% with no lock in so if they don’t perform well you can easily leave them and find another agent. Giving notice to the agent can be one way they try and keep you with them – ask for 1 week after written notice. If they refuse then make a note of this. You’re after the best deal for you and the best agent for selling your house.
Look to see whether the estate agents are members of a professional body.
If you’ve been watching the property market locally for a while then you may well have noticed sale boards that have turned to sold. An agent that achieves sales locally might be able to do the same for you.
Once you have almost got ready to make a decision, ring up the offices again and make more buyer enquiries. Sometimes a second call can reveal something interesting that might change your mind.
If once you’ve agreed with an agent that they can sell, you feel they’re not doing a good job then ask them what they can do to help sell the house. If the photos aren’t right then ask to change them.
If you have no enquires after a week then ring up and ask why they think that is. If they say price, then remember they valued the house, not you!
They should be able to tell you how many people have looked at your property on Rightmove too.
If after a few weeks you’ve still got no enquiries then you have to work out why and do something about it. Sometimes changing agent can help, but it can be down to price or location, or a downward trend in the housing market.
I know some houses that were on the market a long time and only sold when they accepted a much lower offer. If the properties had been valued lower to start then they would have almost certainly sold quicker.
Changing agents should be a last resort – especially if you researched properly to start with. Don’t add agents, change them! A house on with multiple agents shows desperation. Sometimes you have to lower the price to attract interest. This can work well if you get several people interested and they are prepared to bid on the property in order to buy it. Sometimes seeing someone else interested in a property can make you want it more.
Ask friends to test out your agent. Give them the approximate location and type of house and see if your house is suggested to them. If it’s not, then you should ask your agent whether they can push your house more.
If you are sensible vetting agents and negotiating the fees and contract, as well as being realistic about price you should sell your house quickly, which then means you can get on with the buying and moving process.