Tips for buying a new house?

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  • fandangofandango Frets: 2204
    When buying, look the prospective house and area over in both daytime and evening. There could be a big difference in ambience, depending on what the neighbours are like when they get home. Remember neighbourhood is an important part of buying. Don't neglect researching the surrounding roads, dog walking parks, pubs, reputation of the local hookers schools etc

    Selling - what's the state of your house like? Could a lick of paint, or some time in the garden pay off to make your house more attractive? Even considering temporarily storing some of your less salubrious furniture might help, depending on condition and colour of said furniture, so as to make the place a little less cluttered and dishevelled. Not that any fretboarder should stoop to live in a dishevelled hovel anyway.

    Good luck.

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  • rlwrlw Frets: 4670
    edited July 2018
    We are in the second day of cleaning the house in detail, tidying up and getting ready for photographs next week.   This morning I spent hours up the ladder cleaning the window frames and the glass, just to make it look as good as it can.  Still to do, touching up all the chipped paint,  de-weeding the front - paved - garden, polishing the shower room tiling and making good all the mildewed, mouldy bits - and so on.  Hours to go yet.  Open day next weekend so it's got to look great to start a bidding war.

    All the amps and extraneous stuff are in the loft, as is anything that doesn't have an immediate good impact.
    Save a cow.  Eat a vegetarian.
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  • boogiemanboogieman Frets: 12314
    fandango said:
    When buying, look the prospective house and area over in both daytime and evening. There could be a big difference in ambience, depending on what the neighbours are like when they get home. Remember neighbourhood is an important part of buying. Don't neglect researching the surrounding roads, dog walking parks, pubs, reputation of the local hookers schools etc



    I was going to say the same thing, definitely see the property at different times of day. You might find you have noisy neighbours who are out working during the day or there’s other issues. I learnt this from hard experience: we were on the point of putting in an offer on one place until we found out the road outside got completely rammed twice a day with all the parents dropping their kids off at the school down the road.

    You could also check if there’s a local Facebook group and see what people are complaining about or commenting on : you might find there’s a particular problem in the area that’s not immediately obvious. 
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  • Phil_aka_PipPhil_aka_Pip Frets: 9794
    Sporky said:
    Remember that you're not buying the current owner's ugly furniture and selfie ego-wall.

    And check all the taps, windows, and doors work. 
    In one I looked at recently the seller offered me tea/coffee? I asked for water. It was drinkable :) Then just before leaving I asked to use the Little Boys' Room. The loo flushed and I washed my hands. Wasn't a rigorous check but it told me that at least the basics were in working order.

    You're right about not buying someone else's junk. Look at the ceilings not at the available floor space. The ceilings will give you a far better idea of the room size.
    "Working" software has only unobserved bugs. (Parroty Error: Pieces of Nine! Pieces of Nine!)
    Seriously: If you value it, take/fetch it yourself
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  • fandangofandango Frets: 2204
    rlw said:
    We are in the second day of cleaning the house in detail, tidying up and getting ready for photographs next week.   This morning I spent hours up the ladder cleaning the window frames and the glass, just to make it look as good as it can.  Still to do, touching up all the chipped paint,  de-weeding the front - paved - garden, polishing the shower room tiling and making good all the mildewed, mouldy bits - and so on.  Hours to go yet.  Open day next weekend so it's got to look great to start a bidding war.

    All the amps and extraneous stuff are in the loft, as is anything that doesn't have an immediate good impact.
    The loft? In this heat? Hooooo, that's brave.

    Can you not afford temporary storage or shift the amps off to trusted relatives or friends?
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  • FreebirdFreebird Frets: 5821
    edited July 2018
    Find a good estate agent. There are some bad ones out there, but there are some honest, hardworking ones who genuinely want to help too. 
    There are good and bad ones working in the same office!
    If we are not ashamed to think it, we should not be ashamed to say it.
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  • 57Deluxe57Deluxe Frets: 7329
    don't tell your neighbours ANYTHING about your past and present. Keep'm at arms length and then you can play you guitar loud and not give a fcuck. Then move.
    <Vintage BOSS Upgrades>
    __________________________________
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  • JAYJOJAYJO Frets: 1526
     View property more than once. If it says includes Central Heating check thats upstairs And Downstairs. Check the Boiler, Check any double Glazing etc check the electrics,check the water pressure on the shower  All these things i failed to do and spent a fortune just to get the house comfortable. If i had looked properly i would have dropped my offer.
    Make sure the seller takes all their stuff with them so you can actually move yours in. I should have bought some tissues also as the Mrs wouldnt stop crying the new house was so filthy when we moved in. I blame myself for not looking properly. 
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  • rlwrlw Frets: 4670
    fandango said:
    rlw said:
    We are in the second day of cleaning the house in detail, tidying up and getting ready for photographs next week.   This morning I spent hours up the ladder cleaning the window frames and the glass, just to make it look as good as it can.  Still to do, touching up all the chipped paint,  de-weeding the front - paved - garden, polishing the shower room tiling and making good all the mildewed, mouldy bits - and so on.  Hours to go yet.  Open day next weekend so it's got to look great to start a bidding war.

    All the amps and extraneous stuff are in the loft, as is anything that doesn't have an immediate good impact.
    The loft? In this heat? Hooooo, that's brave.

    Can you not afford temporary storage or shift the amps off to trusted relatives or friends?
    Only cheapies but they take up a lot of space.  Tomorrow, I'm going to put all the guitars in my car in the garage, just to get them out of the way.
    Save a cow.  Eat a vegetarian.
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  • rlwrlw Frets: 4670
    We're looking for a new home and are attracted to some of the new ones being built - in York  - but the builders are demanding six weeks between exchange and completion and not allowing you to reserve unless you can comply.   That's going to be tough for most people.

    As to what to do, draw up a list of your requirements and prioritize each item so that you establish what can and cannot be compromised.  Ours is

    • absolute limit of £550k including, potentially, buying at far less and doing up
    • Within walking distance - 1.5 miles of the city centre or station
    • 3/4 bedrooms
    • 2 loos
    • private parking - drive or garage
    • garden - could be a courtyard
    Beyond that, anything goes but anything too shabby or neglected is likely to get overlooked in favour of better maintained places.   Also, no loo in the cupboard under the stairs, no leaded lights, nothing too close to its neighbour and nothing shaded by trees which we won't own.



    Save a cow.  Eat a vegetarian.
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  • Phil_aka_PipPhil_aka_Pip Frets: 9794
    rlw said:
    3/4 bedrooms



    so do you mean 3 or do you mean 4? I hate it when estate agents list houses this way, it has either 3 or it has 4. Tell me which!

    Your requirement may be for 4 beds (3 acceptable at a pinch) or for 3 (but 4 could be better for the future so if you can get 4 for the price you'll do it) but IMO "3/4 bedrooms" is a hopelessly inaccurate expression
    "Working" software has only unobserved bugs. (Parroty Error: Pieces of Nine! Pieces of Nine!)
    Seriously: If you value it, take/fetch it yourself
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  • rlwrlw Frets: 4670
    3 or 4 bedrooms is what I mean 
    Save a cow.  Eat a vegetarian.
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  • boogiemanboogieman Frets: 12314
    rlw said:
    3/4 bedrooms



    so do you mean 3 or do you mean 4? I hate it when estate agents list houses this way, it has either 3 or it has 4. Tell me which!

    Your requirement may be for 4 beds (3 acceptable at a pinch) or for 3 (but 4 could be better for the future so if you can get 4 for the price you'll do it) but IMO "3/4 bedrooms" is a hopelessly inaccurate expression
    Agents will count any room that doesn’t have an obvious use as a possible extra bedroom. So it’s either a “study” or  “bedroom 4” so they can get away with saying 3/4 bedrooms. When we had an agent round to value our place a while back, he listed it as 4/5 bedrooms, even though “bedroom 5” is a tiny room we use to put our coats and shoes in and used to be where the dog slept. You can’t even fit a single bed in there!! 
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  • Phil_aka_PipPhil_aka_Pip Frets: 9794
    agents = dickheads
    "Working" software has only unobserved bugs. (Parroty Error: Pieces of Nine! Pieces of Nine!)
    Seriously: If you value it, take/fetch it yourself
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  • rlwrlw Frets: 4670
    agents = dickheads
    Perhaps a little harsh......
    Save a cow.  Eat a vegetarian.
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  • Phil_aka_PipPhil_aka_Pip Frets: 9794
    rlw said:
    agents = dickheads
    Perhaps a little harsh......
    but only slightly
    "Working" software has only unobserved bugs. (Parroty Error: Pieces of Nine! Pieces of Nine!)
    Seriously: If you value it, take/fetch it yourself
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • rlwrlw Frets: 4670
    rlw said:
    agents = dickheads
    Perhaps a little harsh......
    but only slightly
    you're a hard man....
    Save a cow.  Eat a vegetarian.
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  • funkyfrazfunkyfraz Frets: 93
    All I can say is estate agents are not all equal! For me, luckily, mine has been great! Constantly in touch with updates, on the ball with getting viewings.

    However, some other agencies are murder at tryo g to sort viewings. It's almost like they can't be arsed! I know they must deal with lots of time wasters but some of us actually want to see it with a view of purchasing! 


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