House Critic

But it’s my dream house!


This is something I frequently read when people are asking questions. They’re usually really important questions like:

What does this mean in the surveyor’s report: subsidence is ongoing…


Or


The surveyor has undervalued my house – I think it’s worth more, but how can I convince the mortgage company?

When you’ve decided something is your dream house you often fall into the trap of wanting to buy it no matter what.

It’s worth taking some time out and deciding exactly why the property is your dream house. Sometimes it’ll be location – it’ll be in the right place for you to enjoy your life as you want. Sometimes it’ll be because the style has blown you away. Sometimes it might be because the furniture portrays a lifestyle you really want.

Before you make any serious decisions about buying your “dream house” you should take a step back.

Analyse why it’s your dream house. Write down everything you like about it.

Then go and view some other houses. Write down what you like about them. And then do some more scientific stuff like measuring the floor space area, calculating how far it is from the places you need in your life (school, shops, work etc),

Score them all and then compare. Is the dream house good value or have you been seduced by fluffy rugs and a shiny bathroom?

Bear in mind if it’s just some interior decoration you like, you can apply that to any other house. Things you can’t change are more important. Even floor space might be able to be increased but an extension or loft conversion costs money and you’d need to do your sums carefully.

Weigh everything up and you might discover the dream house isn’t!

Should you buy a one bedroom property?


It’s an interesting question and one maybe someone who is single would ask. I don’t think it’s a very good idea at all. I think one bedroom properties might have some demand as a rental perhaps, but it’ll only be because of cost. Most people aren’t minimalists and have tons of stuff that would completely fill a one bedroom place.


A one bedroom place doesn’t have enough room for anyone else in to stay for more than a day or so on the sofa. If you ever need a lodger then you’d just not have room in a one bedroom property.
If you have relatives to stay then how happy will they be to sleep on a sofa? Even a sofa bed isn’t the best thing in the world as you’ll disturb them staying up late, or getting up early.
If your family expands – you get a partner, and or a child, then you’ll need more room. Babies might be tiny but they take up a lot of space with the things they need.


If you have a hobby that needs room to store something, then a one bedroom flat will quickly become crowded and too small. If you ever decide you want to work from home you might need the space and having a spare room means you can separate out your home and work life which makes for a good balance. Whilst you can stick a computer in the corner of the lounge – or a work table for making things on – you would soon find yourself looking at it all the time when you’re relaxing.


You might argue that a one bedroom place is cheaper than a two, but it’s smaller too! Compare floor size area to get a real comparison.

If you can buy something with more rooms then do so! The resale issue will bring up the same discussion you’re having with yourself – and if prices have dropped you might find the value of your one bedroom property has dropped more than a two bedroom one.

Just going through some listings and found a phrase that sticks out as a warning sign to me…

next to the river …

I immediately think about the flood risk.

Similarly when people say it’s close to “major routes” … I just assume it’s going to be very noisy traffic nearby!

Frank Dobson, part of the previous Labour government who was responsible for the massive rise in provate sector rents (Partly due to the LHA system they introduced) complains he can’t afford to live in a rented property in the private sector.
It’s a Daily Mail story – but interesting because it shows how high rents are damaging for everyone. After all every pound spent on rent is a pound less spent in the rest of the economy.

Using rightmove you can put in places or postcodes to centralise the search for your dream home. Sometimes you have to research the area to fine tune this and this is where their map area search comes in. You can draw quite complicated areas using this map to exclude certain estates or parts of town.
You can tweak the map and resave it too if you discover another area or road section you want to exclude. You can make the shape as complicated as you have the patience for. I haven’t found a maximum limit on the number of points yet – if you do please let me know!