My interest in property began way back in the 1980s.
I had recently qualified as a teacher and had started work at Gospel Oak Primary school in Hampstead, North London. The problem was that I was still living at home.....in Luton!
Every morning, at the crack of dawn, my Dad dutifully drove me to Luton bus station where I'd board the coach to the Finchley Road station in London (which took just over an hour), I'd then get a train from there to Hampstead.
In the first term of my probationary year, life consisted of little more than lesson plans, marking and commuting.
A fellow graduate friend of mine was also commuting from home and travelling from Kent to London (to the Borough of Camden and Westminster (as it was then) where we both had jobs, albeit at opposite ends of the borough).
Amazingly, a relative of mine was looking to invest in property in the London area and asked my friend and I to hunt on his behalf with a view to us renting from him and his co-invester. My friend Mel and I joined forces and began flat hunting in Acton, West London (where she had lived for part of her childhood) which was accessible for both of us regarding work.
It was at this time that I caught the property bug!
We viewed dozens of properties from new builds to Victorian wrecks and flats with the freehold to maisonettes with shared gardens. I remember that one of the estate agents was a former nurse who explained that she had given up her rewarding but very demanding career to become an agent and she seemed to be riding high on the thrill of all things property.
The thrill for me was walking into any house, flat or maisonette and letting my imagination run wild but ultimately, it was the period properties which were infinitely alluring and captivating. They sat proud and triumphant in all their original glory...even those that had been adapted or modernised were bursting with character and period style. I was well and truly hooked.
Unfortunately, my relative and his business partner decided not invest in London so I began scouring the London Standard property pages for somewhere to rent in North London.
Within a day or two, I had found suitable accommodation...practically next door to work where I could almost hop out of bed into the classroom!
And oh what a beauty of a place!
It was a huge multi storey, rambling Victorian pile that was owned by an eccentric academic couple with a very young adopted son and little money to restore their amazing home. The property was in Savernake Road with a garden that backed onto a railway but even the clatter and rattle of trains going by at frequent intervals couldn't begin to impact negatively on this majestic specimen of prime Victorian architecture.
I agreed to rent a room on the second floor which was furnished with an old oak bed and dresser with William Morris type 'Willow' style curtains. The room was quite dark as it faced North but was brightened in part by the Arts & Crafts style wallcoverings and neutral traditional paint colours. Every part of the house was original....doors, windows, floors.... which all seemed to creak with the weight of responsibility to last for at least another century. The kitchen, which the family also used, was a combination of shabby chic free standing units (more on the shabby side) alongside the original cupboards and ancient Aga.
However, I was in my element...the only issue now was that I was ridiculously close to my place of work with my Year 5 pupils able to watch my every move...or so it seemed!
Soon my graduate friend moved in to the attic room in the house It was a glorious testament to authentic period styling and character. An absolute gem!
I only lived in Savernake Road for a few months before I stepped on to the property ladder in Acton but it was the most magical time for me as I began my journey towards a career in property...albeit over 25 years later!!
Saturday, 25 June 2011
Saturday, 4 June 2011
Blow the money
In retrospect, I knew that this one was a non-starter but I'm a sucker for houses needing thoughtful care and attention in the fear that they will be ruthlessly exploited and stripped of their character and features...it literally hurts!
So, against (my) better judgement, we set the ball rolling with this one. Again, we were back to a case of needing to sympathetically pull everything back to its bare bones and starting again. Our experience was such that we had a very clear idea of what the price should be....considering the market and the neglected state of the property and our offer, after some negotiation, was accepted. The dulcet tones of bells ringing and fireworks cracking alighting my mind's sky...not at all which was a bit worrying but, nonetheless, we proceeded to pursue this as our next family home.
I have to admit that I was finding it difficult to visualise the end product as, for example, the separate bathroom and toilet were hidden at the back of a half landing with hardly enough room for Button, our cat. I'd imagine that the bathroom and toilet fittings had seen better days about 30 years before. But the 5 bedrooms were huge and all had special features such as original cornicing and fireplaces...even the radiators worked but the floors were a bit wonky.
The garden was very large with mature trees and lush shrubs, thanks to the nieces from Weston, but still required some considerable landscaping.
Oh, forgot to mention that the kitchen was non-existent and consisted of an aluminuim sink with a cold tap, was painted bright orange and had a chintz style rag dressing the window!
At this stage, we had a new mortgage offer and alongside the general survey from the lender, Mike began muttering about potential drainage problems, underpinning and a whole host of other horrors. So we had a full structural survey at eyewatering cost to our ever depleting resources.
The report was not good and, to make matters worse, our lender asked us to spend yet more money on having a more sophisticated survey done with no guarantee that they would approve the loan following this type of spend.
We had no option but to lower our offer.
The estate agent was furious and the vendor's representatives were disgruntled to say the least and refused our latest offer.
Several months later, we were still smarting from this experience and felt very strongly that our last offer was totally fair. Indeed, we regularly clicked onto nethouseprices to view the eventual sale price.
VINDICATION!!! We were not too surprised to note that the eventual sale price was almost identical to our final offer.
Worse still, however, was the new owner's idea of property enhancement. One afternoon, long after we eventually purchased our house, I took a detour and drove down the road where this house was situated.
I was so shocked at the property's 'transformation'...the uPVC screamed out contaminating the soul of the building....even the brand new glass window panels looked plastic and artificial. The plants and shrubs in the front garden had long been suffocated with unnaturally coloured paving slabs, totally out of character for this beautiful house.
The property now sat awkwardly, embarrased and shamed, in its new modern outfit....the remnants of its glorious past and bespoke decoration and character, flung nonchalently into a roadside skip by those with money who know no better.
So, against (my) better judgement, we set the ball rolling with this one. Again, we were back to a case of needing to sympathetically pull everything back to its bare bones and starting again. Our experience was such that we had a very clear idea of what the price should be....considering the market and the neglected state of the property and our offer, after some negotiation, was accepted. The dulcet tones of bells ringing and fireworks cracking alighting my mind's sky...not at all which was a bit worrying but, nonetheless, we proceeded to pursue this as our next family home.
I have to admit that I was finding it difficult to visualise the end product as, for example, the separate bathroom and toilet were hidden at the back of a half landing with hardly enough room for Button, our cat. I'd imagine that the bathroom and toilet fittings had seen better days about 30 years before. But the 5 bedrooms were huge and all had special features such as original cornicing and fireplaces...even the radiators worked but the floors were a bit wonky.
The garden was very large with mature trees and lush shrubs, thanks to the nieces from Weston, but still required some considerable landscaping.
Oh, forgot to mention that the kitchen was non-existent and consisted of an aluminuim sink with a cold tap, was painted bright orange and had a chintz style rag dressing the window!
At this stage, we had a new mortgage offer and alongside the general survey from the lender, Mike began muttering about potential drainage problems, underpinning and a whole host of other horrors. So we had a full structural survey at eyewatering cost to our ever depleting resources.
The report was not good and, to make matters worse, our lender asked us to spend yet more money on having a more sophisticated survey done with no guarantee that they would approve the loan following this type of spend.
We had no option but to lower our offer.
The estate agent was furious and the vendor's representatives were disgruntled to say the least and refused our latest offer.
Several months later, we were still smarting from this experience and felt very strongly that our last offer was totally fair. Indeed, we regularly clicked onto nethouseprices to view the eventual sale price.
VINDICATION!!! We were not too surprised to note that the eventual sale price was almost identical to our final offer.
Worse still, however, was the new owner's idea of property enhancement. One afternoon, long after we eventually purchased our house, I took a detour and drove down the road where this house was situated.
I was so shocked at the property's 'transformation'...the uPVC screamed out contaminating the soul of the building....even the brand new glass window panels looked plastic and artificial. The plants and shrubs in the front garden had long been suffocated with unnaturally coloured paving slabs, totally out of character for this beautiful house.
The property now sat awkwardly, embarrased and shamed, in its new modern outfit....the remnants of its glorious past and bespoke decoration and character, flung nonchalently into a roadside skip by those with money who know no better.
Friday, 3 June 2011
Preserved in aspic
Continuing our search and finding another suitable wreck proved to be quite a breeze as we were wafted into the parallel road where (although we weren't aware at the time) there were 3 potentials.
A 'For Sale' board usually gets me twitching with excitement and this little gem was no exception. The house which had all of the original windows was painted black and white and bellowed its potential to those who cared to notice and there were few who were interested in this rather sad neglected gem.
Prior to viewing, we got to meet as many of the neighbours as we possibly could. There were several like minded families a stone's throw from the property with houses which had been lovingly restored.....wooden windows, original stained glass main doors, Minton floor tiles etc. They spoke fondly of the area but also had tales of woe regarding one or two of the rented buildings nearby but, on the whole, the vibe was positive.
Viewing day arrived!
As we crossed the threshold there was a rush of excitement as we stepped onto original tiles into the dark hallway with peeling wallpaper, retro coloured paint and detailed cornicing. We were literally stepping back in time as the house had not been occupied for several years. The owner, an elderly lady, now lived in a care home and the house was being looked after by her nieces who lived in a seaside town in the south west. It was becoming increasingly difficult for them to trek from Weston super Mare to Birmingham on a regular basis and, as costs were ever increasing, the house had to be sold.
My husband was immediately taken with the house. Almost everything had been preserved....windows, fireplaces, patio doors, flooring etc. The space was immense but I felt less keen. Although we had met some great neighbours, the ones that the house was sandwiched between were proving more elusive and were not available after several attempts to meet them. The properties were definitely occupied by tenants and in a poor state of repair which left me feeling vulnerable and suspecting that it would be quite a task to get hold of the landlord should any issues arise. But, oh, this house was a beauty which left me sorely tempted and in a real dilemma!
A 'For Sale' board usually gets me twitching with excitement and this little gem was no exception. The house which had all of the original windows was painted black and white and bellowed its potential to those who cared to notice and there were few who were interested in this rather sad neglected gem.
Prior to viewing, we got to meet as many of the neighbours as we possibly could. There were several like minded families a stone's throw from the property with houses which had been lovingly restored.....wooden windows, original stained glass main doors, Minton floor tiles etc. They spoke fondly of the area but also had tales of woe regarding one or two of the rented buildings nearby but, on the whole, the vibe was positive.
Viewing day arrived!
As we crossed the threshold there was a rush of excitement as we stepped onto original tiles into the dark hallway with peeling wallpaper, retro coloured paint and detailed cornicing. We were literally stepping back in time as the house had not been occupied for several years. The owner, an elderly lady, now lived in a care home and the house was being looked after by her nieces who lived in a seaside town in the south west. It was becoming increasingly difficult for them to trek from Weston super Mare to Birmingham on a regular basis and, as costs were ever increasing, the house had to be sold.
My husband was immediately taken with the house. Almost everything had been preserved....windows, fireplaces, patio doors, flooring etc. The space was immense but I felt less keen. Although we had met some great neighbours, the ones that the house was sandwiched between were proving more elusive and were not available after several attempts to meet them. The properties were definitely occupied by tenants and in a poor state of repair which left me feeling vulnerable and suspecting that it would be quite a task to get hold of the landlord should any issues arise. But, oh, this house was a beauty which left me sorely tempted and in a real dilemma!
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