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> kitchen moving, wall knocking down, extension to the back
those are wants, not needs...
That said, offer what you think it's worth. If a fully done up place is going for 350k then it sounds like they are priced competitvely
Of course, this is said in jest, although saying that.... I would rather deal with obvious issues on an older property than issues that are due to poor workmanship on a brand new home that should be trouble free. I'm sure those that have bought new builds will agree it is extremely rare not to have any issues.
I have recently bought a new build flat. It did have some snags and issues, but the developer has fixed them very quickly. I would rather have a house/flat that has a warranty personally, especially since there are many people who don't bother to maintain their home.
Sounds like you found a good one for a change! I get the warranty thing for peace of mind, but if you know what you're looking for, a well maintained house shouldn't need a warranty.
Anything new should come with a warranty because defects happen, either accidentally or deliberately. Older houses also have issues. I feel like the discourse around new builds tends to focus almost exclusively on when things go wrong. You hear about disastrous new builds in the news because thatās more interesting than hearing about someone who bought a new build and didnāt have any (major) issues. Itās also interesting that a lot of people who are anti-new build have never bought one themselves.
Iāve worked on many new builds and have found they are completed as cheaply as possible and seen some horrors. We no longer do large site work, there is so little pride in it. I have done snag lists on new builds with hundreds of snags. I have also found the warranties that come with many new builds to be a joke. Wrapped up in red tape and only cover major structual issues after 2 years, Iād advise having a good read of any new build warranty provided to see what is really covered.
I get new builds have their problems, but older homes can also come with issues too. I also donāt understand how this subreddit in general advocates for more houses being built as a way to resolve the housing crisis but then will tell people not to buy a new build home.
Personally, my experience with a new build has been absolutely fine. My flat had less than 20 snags, most of which were cosmetic. The ones which are more series have been fixed by the developer. But I appreciate thatās just my experience.
New windows, new boiler, fence, rewire - all necessities. Extension, kitchen moving are wants to suit your personal preferences and itās not for the vendor to pay.
Offer on the work that needs doing, or potentially look for a house that does match your wants for a layout. Itās potentially Ā£75k below market value, which is likely to more than cover the costs of the necessities on the house
Minus aggro of living in a construction zone and builders who donāt show up. If you have somewhere to stay during construction and out of pocket money. Go for it!
One thing I would say is unless you are prepared to do a lot of the work yourself (not just the decorating but also things like tiling, plastering, plumbing) do not expect doing the property up to add more to the value than you spend.
Work is very very expensive, especially these days, and, not sure of your location, but especially in the South East - and unless you're extending or just giving it a cheap makeover adds less value than it costs most of the time.
That's fine because it's your home for you to live in, but I see a lot of people here expecting to profit off buying a doer upper and it just doesn't work like that.
Sounds more like the changes are just things you'd like, not actual necessary repairs. You could offer 240k, you could offer any amount at all but be prepared for the seller to decline and move onto someone who makes a serious offer.
Sounds like the need for some modernisation is already factored into the price, you canāt really expect a vendor to lower the price because you think the kitchen isnāt in the place for youā¦
Grab it and do the work. I bought a house that needed done up and not regretted it. It allowed me to get onto the Housing market.
The house was in such a state that potential landlords turned their noses up at it.
A bit of a blank canvas for you.
Honestly, I've found people in the UK generally really concerned about offering "too low" and it baffles me.
Just lowball it. The worst they can say is "no" and you can try to barter from a low set point. š¤·š»āāļø
Absolutely. I don't even want to negotiate with people who massively lowball...people who offer less than what I bought the property for 3 years ago, after all our improvements and renovations. Don't even bother.
I feel like these people can't afford the property and are trying it on.. Iwirry they would just pull out or try to reduce the price massively just before exchange.
In my opinion places with a lot of work don't attract many offers so you can try your luck at a lower offer. Don't negate how disruptive the work will be if it needs a lot doing, and it will take longer than you may think it takes.
Iāve lived somewhere that needed work and can handle it especially as Iām by myself, no worries about kids or pets etc, but I did recently withdraw from somewhere because it needed stuff like rear extension roof replacement, new kitchen, flooring, etc etc. I canāt be bothered with the hassle this time! There will be a lot of buyers that wonāt fancy it especially if itās required ratcheted than desired.
###Welcome to /r/HousingUK --- **To All** * Join Our ***NEW*** Discord! https://discord.gg/pMgUNgWKQH **To Posters** * *Tell us whether you're in England, Wales, Scotland, or NI as the laws/issues in each can vary* * Comments are not moderated for quality or accuracy; * Any replies received must only be used as guidelines, followed at your own risk; * If you receive *any* private messages in response to your post, please report them via the report button. * Feel free to provide an update at a later time by creating a new post with [[update]](https://www.reddit.com/r/HousingUK/search?q=%3Aupdate&sort=new&restrict_sr=on&t=all) in the title; **To Readers and Commenters** * All replies to OP must be *on-topic, helpful, and civil* * If you do not [follow the rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/HousingUK/about/rules/), you may be banned without any further warning; * Please include links to reliable resources in order to support your comments or advice; * If you feel any replies are incorrect, explain why you believe they are incorrect; * Do not send or request any private messages for any reason without express permission from the mods; * Please report posts or comments which do not follow the rules *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/HousingUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
> kitchen moving, wall knocking down, extension to the back those are wants, not needs... That said, offer what you think it's worth. If a fully done up place is going for 350k then it sounds like they are priced competitvely
If so much h needs to be done, why not simply go for a newbuilt?
A new build would probably need even more work doing by the time you've got through the snag list š
Rubbish
Of course, this is said in jest, although saying that.... I would rather deal with obvious issues on an older property than issues that are due to poor workmanship on a brand new home that should be trouble free. I'm sure those that have bought new builds will agree it is extremely rare not to have any issues.
I have recently bought a new build flat. It did have some snags and issues, but the developer has fixed them very quickly. I would rather have a house/flat that has a warranty personally, especially since there are many people who don't bother to maintain their home.
Sounds like you found a good one for a change! I get the warranty thing for peace of mind, but if you know what you're looking for, a well maintained house shouldn't need a warranty.
Anything new should come with a warranty because defects happen, either accidentally or deliberately. Older houses also have issues. I feel like the discourse around new builds tends to focus almost exclusively on when things go wrong. You hear about disastrous new builds in the news because thatās more interesting than hearing about someone who bought a new build and didnāt have any (major) issues. Itās also interesting that a lot of people who are anti-new build have never bought one themselves.
Iāve worked on many new builds and have found they are completed as cheaply as possible and seen some horrors. We no longer do large site work, there is so little pride in it. I have done snag lists on new builds with hundreds of snags. I have also found the warranties that come with many new builds to be a joke. Wrapped up in red tape and only cover major structual issues after 2 years, Iād advise having a good read of any new build warranty provided to see what is really covered.
I get new builds have their problems, but older homes can also come with issues too. I also donāt understand how this subreddit in general advocates for more houses being built as a way to resolve the housing crisis but then will tell people not to buy a new build home. Personally, my experience with a new build has been absolutely fine. My flat had less than 20 snags, most of which were cosmetic. The ones which are more series have been fixed by the developer. But I appreciate thatās just my experience.
New windows, new boiler, fence, rewire - all necessities. Extension, kitchen moving are wants to suit your personal preferences and itās not for the vendor to pay. Offer on the work that needs doing, or potentially look for a house that does match your wants for a layout. Itās potentially Ā£75k below market value, which is likely to more than cover the costs of the necessities on the house
Minus aggro of living in a construction zone and builders who donāt show up. If you have somewhere to stay during construction and out of pocket money. Go for it!
This doesn't sound anything out of the normal, seems already massively discounted
One thing I would say is unless you are prepared to do a lot of the work yourself (not just the decorating but also things like tiling, plastering, plumbing) do not expect doing the property up to add more to the value than you spend. Work is very very expensive, especially these days, and, not sure of your location, but especially in the South East - and unless you're extending or just giving it a cheap makeover adds less value than it costs most of the time. That's fine because it's your home for you to live in, but I see a lot of people here expecting to profit off buying a doer upper and it just doesn't work like that.
Sounds more like the changes are just things you'd like, not actual necessary repairs. You could offer 240k, you could offer any amount at all but be prepared for the seller to decline and move onto someone who makes a serious offer.
Sounds like the need for some modernisation is already factored into the price, you canāt really expect a vendor to lower the price because you think the kitchen isnāt in the place for youā¦
Grab it and do the work. I bought a house that needed done up and not regretted it. It allowed me to get onto the Housing market. The house was in such a state that potential landlords turned their noses up at it. A bit of a blank canvas for you.
I'm in a similar position OP. Thrown in a low ball offer and see where it takes you.
Honestly, I've found people in the UK generally really concerned about offering "too low" and it baffles me. Just lowball it. The worst they can say is "no" and you can try to barter from a low set point. š¤·š»āāļø
It sets future negotiations off on the wrong foot, nobody minds a bit under but to far and it can come across as insulting.
Absolutely. I don't even want to negotiate with people who massively lowball...people who offer less than what I bought the property for 3 years ago, after all our improvements and renovations. Don't even bother. I feel like these people can't afford the property and are trying it on.. Iwirry they would just pull out or try to reduce the price massively just before exchange.
In my opinion places with a lot of work don't attract many offers so you can try your luck at a lower offer. Don't negate how disruptive the work will be if it needs a lot doing, and it will take longer than you may think it takes.
I have lived in building sotes basically before, not great to do but manageable hah
Iāve lived somewhere that needed work and can handle it especially as Iām by myself, no worries about kids or pets etc, but I did recently withdraw from somewhere because it needed stuff like rear extension roof replacement, new kitchen, flooring, etc etc. I canāt be bothered with the hassle this time! There will be a lot of buyers that wonāt fancy it especially if itās required ratcheted than desired.
too much works and hassle.