Category: General

Don’t want to buy a house that needs an arrow

Red arrow

I don’t want to buy a house which needs an arrow pointing out which one or which bit it is. I want the next house I buy to be individual enough in location to stand out.
Is there anything wrong with that?

When an estate agent takes a photo of a terrace he can usually do it so as to ensure you know which house is for sale. It worries me when estate agents can’t manage to take an indentifying photo.
Sometimes they seem to pick strange angles to stand at which means they capture the whole of the building even if you’ll only be buying a part. Are red arrows really pointers to the estate agent not taking the right photos?

Noise from neighbours in semi or terraces?

One reason why you should visit the property you’re looking at buying several times, at different times of the day is to ensure you pick up on any potential for noise from the neighbours. Visit during the day whilst everyone is at work and you’ll not hear the kids next door running up and down stairs, slamming doors and screaming.

Viewing doesn’t always have to mean inside. There’s nothing wrong with walking past a couple of times in the evening. Although if the house is in a quiet cul-de-sac you will be noticed.

If you only view once then you’re risking missing picking up on something. View several times. Knock on at the neighbours – sometimes one or two doors away can bring out revealing news.

Ask what the neighbours are like.
Ask your solicitor to ask about noise nuisance.
If noise from neighbours is an issue then you could ask the surveyor about how much sound insulation there is between you and then and ask for advice on improving it.

Changing your mind about a house purchase

It’s not unusual to change your mind about a house purchase part way through the process. There are many reasons for doing this. As long as you haven’t exchanged (in England and Wales) then there is nothing stopping you pull out.

Some people don’t like the survey results, some people worry about lack of paperwork and building regs on an extension or a loft conversion, or some people just decide it’s not the house for them.
Contact your solicitor and any surveyors you may have booked, and then let the estate agent know. Don’t feel bad about it – you’ve probably spent money on a survey so you’ll feel a bit annoyed with yourself. The vendors will have to wait for a new buyer to come along.


Sometimes if the valuation has come in low and the vendors don’t want to negotiate then the best thing to do is just walk away. Let someone else pay over the odds for the property.

Sometimes structural issues are to blame – underpinning and subsidence figure highly on the likely culprits list here. Even lack of building regulations for something can be a major sticking point. It’s ok to say you can get an indemnity policy to cover you against the council taking action, but it won’t pay for the work to be put right if it needs it! It makes sense to buy a structurally sound property.

If you’re a wimp dealing with estate agents then email them. Or ring up and leave a message out of hours. Don’t feel bad about it though. They will see sales end frequently for no apparent reason. If they ask though be honest. If the lack of price negotiation is a deal breaker then tell them. They can pass it on to the vendor then!

You may get a bill for any work a solicitor has done, and you would have to pay for a surveyor if he’s been.

For this reason it makes sense to view several times and view other properties before making an offer and starting the process. Make sure it’s the right house for you. You can take someone along for a second viewing who has an eye for building issues too – a non-emotional pair of eyes might spot the back wall bowing out, or the roof needs redoing.

Viewings – no shows

There’s nothing quite as rude as someone not turning up for a viewing. If you have it happen several times then you need to speak to your estate agent and ask them to ring and confirm with people shortly before the viewing time to ensure they will turn up.
Sometimes people need a reminder! This is especially true if you book them a few days in advance.


So don’t be frustrated – you’ve tidied up, got rid of the kids for half an hour, so put your feet up with a nice coffee and relax.

Sometimes it might be that they have turned up and couldn’t find anywhere to park – a bad sign for car owners when picking a property and they may have gone away without knocking on!

Or maybe they viewed from the outside and didn’t like the neighbours? Either way it’s very rude of them to not let you or the estate agent know directly.

ecological, affordable, straw bale co-housing project in Leeds!

This ecological, affordable, straw bale co-housing project has just applied for permission in Leeds.

They’re having an evening event – Investors Evening, introduced by Rachel Reeves MP for Leeds West, we will be launching their Loanstock Offer – Thursday 23rd June 2011. 6:30pm

LILAClow impact living affordable community –

For most of us straw bale housing has been only seen on TV on Grand Designs!

Spot the dead things..

A strangely interesting house because of the number of trophys and apparently dead things hung up.

strange things
Strikes me as off to have so many quite possibly sensitive items on display.

Anne Maurice – house doctor – once went to a house where there were lots of heads and stuffed dead things and told them in no uncertain terms to get rid of them! Neutralise the house – not alienate a percentage of buyers!!