As previously mentioned, the house was jointly owned by a couple (who weren't!). She, an earthy professional type, wanted out but he, dark and elusive by his absence, didn't want to sell and couldn't afford to buy her half...mortgages, loans etc. were very thin on the ground at the time...nothing new there then! So with a great deal of reluctance, the house was up for sale..i.e it was in her mind but, as we were to find out at our cost, not his!
A second visit, where we were lead by our heads rather than our hearts, proved to be a decisive one. The girls skipped around the house and frolicked in the garden and I'd already met half the neighbourhood by knocking on doors and more or less introducing myself as the new owner of number 85. However, I wasn't too sure about the gentleman at number 77 and his cacophonous cockerel which seemed a little confused about the time of day it was, such was its screeching and bellowing. But, all in all, we felt that this house with all its potential was the house for us.
Eager to set the ball rolling, once home, we rang the vendor and made the offer....quite cheeky but fair in the current climate. We then hovered with bated breath. She seemed very pleased with the offer and indicated that she felt it was a fair price but, naturally she would need to speak to the co-owner who was due back from Spain later that evening.
A few hours later, we got a text stating that all was well and that he had also accepted the offer. Phew - what a relief and we'd managed to save our mortgage offer too!
However, metaphorically speaking, the bricks and mortar were not as solid as we were led to believe.
Our excitement was at fever pitch as, unusually for us, this property was one that we could move into straight away without having to gut it and practically start again. I began to think new kitchen and designer interiors whilst my husband had already begun to plan the extension the house so desperately needed. We realised that we needed measurements and plans etc. so we attempted to arrange to revisit the house.
A real sense of foreboding began to spread as our emails, text and phone messages were not acknowledged or returned. Then, around 24 hours after our offer had been accepted, she text us to say that he had decided that, by hook or by crook, he would buy her out for at least half of our offer.
So, that was that........onwards and upwards as they say and put it all down to life's tapestry of experience!!!
Saturday, 21 May 2011
Thursday, 19 May 2011
Property merry-go-round
I have to admit that I'm one of those individuals who finds it very difficult to admit defeat. Coupled with my keen interest in and stamina for house hunting, I certainly wasn't going to let the last disappointment put me off continuing the search for our characterful home.
There were several to choose from which appeared to tick many of our boxes and, one in particular, with the prestigious B17 postcode. Details had been posted on one of those, 'We don't rip you off when selling your house' websites and all arrangements for viewing were done directly with the vendor...and what an interesting set up this was!
The house itself was Victorian and had 3 storeys with a 'self contained' flat on the top floor and was jointly owned by two individuals who were not a couple. Much of its external character had been destroyed by the introduction of uPVC windows along with a rather unsightly reconstruction of the original porch. However, all was not lost as much of what had been lost could be reinstated over time.
The property next door was also for sale and had been for very many months. Naturally, we'd viewed it a few days before and were horrified at how much it had been violated by the current owners. Also Victorian, this house had been rendered in a coarse tone of sandy yellow with, again, panes of glass strangled by uPVC. The interior design was a combination of mock Queen Anne laced with a hint of 1970s chintz, screaming brass light fittings alongside dark mahogany furniture. The 'conservatory' appeared to be the result of a sixth former's weekend woodwork project finished just in time for Saturday teatime telly. I daren't even guide you upstairs.....!
My apologies for digressing - back to next door. Now, this solid house had Minton tiles in the hallway, high ceilings and one or two original features. The potential was evident and as we toured each room, it became a strong contender. Flushed with the disappointment of losing the other house and smarting at the speed in which we needed to act to safeguard our mortgage offer, I was keen to start thinking about making a decision particularly as we could still get this through with our current lender....just! With its large rooms, ample space, sizeable garden, garage with rear access, convenient proximity to the girls' school, local shops and other essentials, I felt well able to cope with the property's tired persona and, by now, the mood board was already firmly fixed in my mind.
We arranged to revisit the following day with children and grandparents in tow to assist with that all important decision. But there was one thing that we'd overlooked....
There were several to choose from which appeared to tick many of our boxes and, one in particular, with the prestigious B17 postcode. Details had been posted on one of those, 'We don't rip you off when selling your house' websites and all arrangements for viewing were done directly with the vendor...and what an interesting set up this was!
The house itself was Victorian and had 3 storeys with a 'self contained' flat on the top floor and was jointly owned by two individuals who were not a couple. Much of its external character had been destroyed by the introduction of uPVC windows along with a rather unsightly reconstruction of the original porch. However, all was not lost as much of what had been lost could be reinstated over time.
The property next door was also for sale and had been for very many months. Naturally, we'd viewed it a few days before and were horrified at how much it had been violated by the current owners. Also Victorian, this house had been rendered in a coarse tone of sandy yellow with, again, panes of glass strangled by uPVC. The interior design was a combination of mock Queen Anne laced with a hint of 1970s chintz, screaming brass light fittings alongside dark mahogany furniture. The 'conservatory' appeared to be the result of a sixth former's weekend woodwork project finished just in time for Saturday teatime telly. I daren't even guide you upstairs.....!
My apologies for digressing - back to next door. Now, this solid house had Minton tiles in the hallway, high ceilings and one or two original features. The potential was evident and as we toured each room, it became a strong contender. Flushed with the disappointment of losing the other house and smarting at the speed in which we needed to act to safeguard our mortgage offer, I was keen to start thinking about making a decision particularly as we could still get this through with our current lender....just! With its large rooms, ample space, sizeable garden, garage with rear access, convenient proximity to the girls' school, local shops and other essentials, I felt well able to cope with the property's tired persona and, by now, the mood board was already firmly fixed in my mind.
We arranged to revisit the following day with children and grandparents in tow to assist with that all important decision. But there was one thing that we'd overlooked....
Saturday, 14 May 2011
Wrecked and cruched
How it all began....circa 2008
Having rented for over a year, we felt it high time to start searching in earnest for a suitable home that could last us for at least the next 20 years. Our problem (meaning my other half's problem) was that we were unable to consider any homes already refurbished. What this generally meant was that we ended up viewing homes that were severely wilting with neglect but, on the upside, they had that all important 'potential'. Moving from the south (London to be exact) where everyone draws pistols at dawn for the latest bargain that needs renovating, we were spoilt rotten by the variety of choice and the size of property that one could gain in Birmingham for much less than the equivalent in the south east.
I'd lost count of the sizeable (at least 5 bedrooms, 3 reception rooms, 2 bathrooms etc.) that we'd seen over the months. The near derelict ones were, in fact, the most exciting and had usually languished amongst the 'For Sale' sections of newspapers, search engines and property websites for many months indeed.
The drawback, however, is that we would most likely have to live amongst the dust, dirt, chaos and noise whilst a rather slow renovation project ensued, in order to save money. Not so sure about that part of the bargain!
Unsurprisingly, however, the credit crunch was beginning to have a pretty potent negative impact on sellers, many of whom had decided to drop prices by extraordinary amounts.
So, having fiercely researched the area and interviewed all of the neighbours (one can never be too careful these days), we decided to put in an offer on a rather unloved but huge 6 bedroomed house with a sizeable garden....all within 15 minutes of the centre of town! The couple selling had lived in the house for over 40 years and were really keen to move north of the border to be near family and friends.
The rather facetious offer we made was around £100,000 less than the asking price. Well, to be honest, we'd already resumed our search for the ultimate dream home when there was no word from the chirpy estate agent 4 days after the offer had been made.
Then, the mobile began singing and, amazingly, we learnt that the vendors had accepted our offer!
However, our joy and hopes were soon dashed after further investigation revealed untold horrors (even ones that left us shaky despite our seasoned experience within the field of rescuing propery wrecks) and we, regrettably, had to withdraw our offer as the house wasn't worth the price pursuing without a further drop in the price. In our experience, it is important to define the point of needing to move on....which is exactly what we did despite our love of and vision for the property.To add to the tale of woe, our lender had been bought out by another building society and we informed by our broker that we would have to find a property, have it valued and approved by them by the following Monday (about 5 working days) or lose the mortgage and apply all over again!
Much weeping and a wailing, as you can imagine how this little tale panned out.......but .I must tell you that the plot certainly thickened with the next property!!
Having rented for over a year, we felt it high time to start searching in earnest for a suitable home that could last us for at least the next 20 years. Our problem (meaning my other half's problem) was that we were unable to consider any homes already refurbished. What this generally meant was that we ended up viewing homes that were severely wilting with neglect but, on the upside, they had that all important 'potential'. Moving from the south (London to be exact) where everyone draws pistols at dawn for the latest bargain that needs renovating, we were spoilt rotten by the variety of choice and the size of property that one could gain in Birmingham for much less than the equivalent in the south east.
I'd lost count of the sizeable (at least 5 bedrooms, 3 reception rooms, 2 bathrooms etc.) that we'd seen over the months. The near derelict ones were, in fact, the most exciting and had usually languished amongst the 'For Sale' sections of newspapers, search engines and property websites for many months indeed.
The drawback, however, is that we would most likely have to live amongst the dust, dirt, chaos and noise whilst a rather slow renovation project ensued, in order to save money. Not so sure about that part of the bargain!
Unsurprisingly, however, the credit crunch was beginning to have a pretty potent negative impact on sellers, many of whom had decided to drop prices by extraordinary amounts.
So, having fiercely researched the area and interviewed all of the neighbours (one can never be too careful these days), we decided to put in an offer on a rather unloved but huge 6 bedroomed house with a sizeable garden....all within 15 minutes of the centre of town! The couple selling had lived in the house for over 40 years and were really keen to move north of the border to be near family and friends.
The rather facetious offer we made was around £100,000 less than the asking price. Well, to be honest, we'd already resumed our search for the ultimate dream home when there was no word from the chirpy estate agent 4 days after the offer had been made.
Then, the mobile began singing and, amazingly, we learnt that the vendors had accepted our offer!
However, our joy and hopes were soon dashed after further investigation revealed untold horrors (even ones that left us shaky despite our seasoned experience within the field of rescuing propery wrecks) and we, regrettably, had to withdraw our offer as the house wasn't worth the price pursuing without a further drop in the price. In our experience, it is important to define the point of needing to move on....which is exactly what we did despite our love of and vision for the property.To add to the tale of woe, our lender had been bought out by another building society and we informed by our broker that we would have to find a property, have it valued and approved by them by the following Monday (about 5 working days) or lose the mortgage and apply all over again!
Much weeping and a wailing, as you can imagine how this little tale panned out.......but .I must tell you that the plot certainly thickened with the next property!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)