I need to sabotage a bid.
Discussion
Cheib said:
When I lived in Camden (up until two years ago) it was the opposite...you couldn't convert flats back into houses. When I first moved to the area in the early 90's flats and houses were pretty much identically priced in £ per sq ft. Houses now sell for much more per sq ft than flats.
Some people tried to get round it by converting the top two floors into a maisonette and then having the bottom story as a separate flat. Once all the work done and Building Control and Planning signed off they'd take out the dividing walls and the IKEA kitchen that had been put in the downstairs flat.
I believe it's still the same in Camden. In order to convert flats back into a house you need permission to go from e.g 6 flats to 5, then a new permission to go from 5 to 4 and so on. It can be done but it's painful.Some people tried to get round it by converting the top two floors into a maisonette and then having the bottom story as a separate flat. Once all the work done and Building Control and Planning signed off they'd take out the dividing walls and the IKEA kitchen that had been put in the downstairs flat.
easytiger123 said:
Cheib said:
When I lived in Camden (up until two years ago) it was the opposite...you couldn't convert flats back into houses. When I first moved to the area in the early 90's flats and houses were pretty much identically priced in £ per sq ft. Houses now sell for much more per sq ft than flats.
Some people tried to get round it by converting the top two floors into a maisonette and then having the bottom story as a separate flat. Once all the work done and Building Control and Planning signed off they'd take out the dividing walls and the IKEA kitchen that had been put in the downstairs flat.
I believe it's still the same in Camden. In order to convert flats back into a house you need permission to go from e.g 6 flats to 5, then a new permission to go from 5 to 4 and so on. It can be done but it's painful.Some people tried to get round it by converting the top two floors into a maisonette and then having the bottom story as a separate flat. Once all the work done and Building Control and Planning signed off they'd take out the dividing walls and the IKEA kitchen that had been put in the downstairs flat.
Net result was the same amount of homes (or maybe a gain of 1 flat for the area) so council were happy.
So, for anyone interested, update yesterday.
We have had a cash offer at £1.2m for our home. It is obviously less than we would like, and less than asking, which is in turn less than valuation, but it leaves us with a small profit from the refurb, and would allow us to offer on the new house. It is more even after EA fees than the webuyanyhouse crowd were talking about.
There are apparently now only two viable bidders on the house we want - developer offering at asking, and us offering above.
Every extra pound we make on our home goes to refurbishment costs of the new house, so it is important.
The real question now is this - and it is decision time:
- do we want to leave a lovely, 3000 square foot, semi-detached, fully restored and (relatively - C Grade) energy efficient home, for
- a much more beautiful, with far larger garden, basket case that is detached, Victorian, 3300 square foot (but much better internal space generally), that needs a full renovation and will put us financially on the edge? Oh and has Knotweed 5 metres from the house in the garden (being dealt with with insurance backed guarantee)
Many older people I know say that they pushed themselves massively when younger, and through all the cycles, 20 years later they do not regret it. I have to say I see this - and the detached house offers FAR more potential than our semi, which can be extended no more. In future years the big house could go to 4000 square feet with Permitted Development rear extension, more with a garden room too, as the garden is so big. Our house is at its limit at 3000 square feet.
But it will mean some struggle now, at a time we are trying for a child (biut also means that right now we have disposable income as no kids to feed), and the economy and country in general are in very uncertain times. Certainly house prices could be due a correction. In a way the latter doesn't bother me on this so much as we really are looking at the forever home, and will only move if forced, and have shares/a flat to liquidate if we really need to pay down debt (although you'd have to do both before financial markets Armageddon, so not sure how much of a safety net this really is!)
I can see an amazing family home in the bones of this building. But it will take some resources and effort. Done, it really is a dream London home, as opposed to ours which is a nice London home but was never intended to be the forever house.
As you can tell, last minute jitters over here. And still a long way to go - having our own offer only means we can make an offer, not that it will be accepted, or that we will reach exchange even if it is. Many a slip etc...
Of course, the real decision maker here is Lady F, as I do not want to put her through more stress and uncertainty unless she genuinely wants this house.
We have had a cash offer at £1.2m for our home. It is obviously less than we would like, and less than asking, which is in turn less than valuation, but it leaves us with a small profit from the refurb, and would allow us to offer on the new house. It is more even after EA fees than the webuyanyhouse crowd were talking about.
There are apparently now only two viable bidders on the house we want - developer offering at asking, and us offering above.
Every extra pound we make on our home goes to refurbishment costs of the new house, so it is important.
The real question now is this - and it is decision time:
- do we want to leave a lovely, 3000 square foot, semi-detached, fully restored and (relatively - C Grade) energy efficient home, for
- a much more beautiful, with far larger garden, basket case that is detached, Victorian, 3300 square foot (but much better internal space generally), that needs a full renovation and will put us financially on the edge? Oh and has Knotweed 5 metres from the house in the garden (being dealt with with insurance backed guarantee)
Many older people I know say that they pushed themselves massively when younger, and through all the cycles, 20 years later they do not regret it. I have to say I see this - and the detached house offers FAR more potential than our semi, which can be extended no more. In future years the big house could go to 4000 square feet with Permitted Development rear extension, more with a garden room too, as the garden is so big. Our house is at its limit at 3000 square feet.
But it will mean some struggle now, at a time we are trying for a child (biut also means that right now we have disposable income as no kids to feed), and the economy and country in general are in very uncertain times. Certainly house prices could be due a correction. In a way the latter doesn't bother me on this so much as we really are looking at the forever home, and will only move if forced, and have shares/a flat to liquidate if we really need to pay down debt (although you'd have to do both before financial markets Armageddon, so not sure how much of a safety net this really is!)
I can see an amazing family home in the bones of this building. But it will take some resources and effort. Done, it really is a dream London home, as opposed to ours which is a nice London home but was never intended to be the forever house.
As you can tell, last minute jitters over here. And still a long way to go - having our own offer only means we can make an offer, not that it will be accepted, or that we will reach exchange even if it is. Many a slip etc...
Of course, the real decision maker here is Lady F, as I do not want to put her through more stress and uncertainty unless she genuinely wants this house.
Edited by Harry Flashman on Wednesday 21st June 10:06
Way I see it you are in a position to waste a few professional fees here and there to pursue the forever(thismonth) house. Its not like you will be selling up, and then watching the forever one vanish to the developer, is it?
With regard to pushing yourself, its always a good idea in the longer term. Your mileage will vary at Yr 5, as opposed to Yr 20, but absent a Labour Govt destroying London's value as a property investment haven, demand will exceed supply, so you should win in the long term.
Obviously you are already putting cash into school fee funds for the future, and if you have spare monies at the end of the month, making your home habitable/adequate/lovely (delete as fund appropriate) seems like a better use than coke and hookers
With regard to pushing yourself, its always a good idea in the longer term. Your mileage will vary at Yr 5, as opposed to Yr 20, but absent a Labour Govt destroying London's value as a property investment haven, demand will exceed supply, so you should win in the long term.
Obviously you are already putting cash into school fee funds for the future, and if you have spare monies at the end of the month, making your home habitable/adequate/lovely (delete as fund appropriate) seems like a better use than coke and hookers
Harry Flashman said:
So, for anyone interested, update yesterday.
We have had a cash offer at £1.2m for our home. It is obviously less than we would like, and less than asking, which is in turn less than valuation, but it leaves us with a small profit from the refurb, and would allow us to offer on the new house. It is more even after EA fees than the webuyanyhouse crowd were talking about.
There are apparently now only two viable bidders on the house we want - developer offering at asking, and us offering above.
Every extra pound we make on our home goes to refurbishment costs of the new house, so it is important.
The real question now is this - and it is decision time:
- do we want to leave a lovely, 3000 square foot, semi-detached, fully restored and (relatively - C Grade) energy efficient home, for
- a much more beautiful, with far larger garden, basket case that is detached, Victorian, 3300 square foot (but much better internal space generally), that needs a full renovation and will put us financially on the edge? Oh and has Knotweed 5 metres from the house in the garden (being dealt with with insurance backed guarantee)
Many older people I know say that they pushed themselves massively when younger, and through all the cycles, 20 years later they do not regret it. I have to say I see this - and the detached house offers FAR more potential than our semi, which can be extended no more. In future years the big house could go to 4000 square feet with Permitted Development rear extension, more with a garden room too, as the garden is so big. Our house is at its limit at 3000 square feet.
But it will mean some struggle now, at a time we are trying for a child (biut also means that right now we have disposable income as no kids to feed), and the economy and country in general are in very uncertain times. Certainly house prices could be due a correction. In a way the latter doesn't bother me on this so much as we really are looking at the forever home, and will only move if forced, and have shares/a flat to liquidate if we really need to pay down debt (although you'd have to do both before financial markets Armageddon, so not sure how much of a safety net this really is!)
I can see an amazing family home in the bones of this building. But it will take some resources and effort. Done, it really is a dream London home, as opposed to ours which is a nice London home but was never intended to be the forever house.
As you can tell, last minute jitters over here. And still a long way to go - having our own offer only means we can make an offer, not that it will be accepted, or that we will reach exchange even if it is. Many a slip etc...
Of course, the real decision maker here is Lady F, as I do not want to put her through more stress and uncertainty unless she genuinely wants this house.
You're right, abdicate decisions to Mrs F.We have had a cash offer at £1.2m for our home. It is obviously less than we would like, and less than asking, which is in turn less than valuation, but it leaves us with a small profit from the refurb, and would allow us to offer on the new house. It is more even after EA fees than the webuyanyhouse crowd were talking about.
There are apparently now only two viable bidders on the house we want - developer offering at asking, and us offering above.
Every extra pound we make on our home goes to refurbishment costs of the new house, so it is important.
The real question now is this - and it is decision time:
- do we want to leave a lovely, 3000 square foot, semi-detached, fully restored and (relatively - C Grade) energy efficient home, for
- a much more beautiful, with far larger garden, basket case that is detached, Victorian, 3300 square foot (but much better internal space generally), that needs a full renovation and will put us financially on the edge? Oh and has Knotweed 5 metres from the house in the garden (being dealt with with insurance backed guarantee)
Many older people I know say that they pushed themselves massively when younger, and through all the cycles, 20 years later they do not regret it. I have to say I see this - and the detached house offers FAR more potential than our semi, which can be extended no more. In future years the big house could go to 4000 square feet with Permitted Development rear extension, more with a garden room too, as the garden is so big. Our house is at its limit at 3000 square feet.
But it will mean some struggle now, at a time we are trying for a child (biut also means that right now we have disposable income as no kids to feed), and the economy and country in general are in very uncertain times. Certainly house prices could be due a correction. In a way the latter doesn't bother me on this so much as we really are looking at the forever home, and will only move if forced, and have shares/a flat to liquidate if we really need to pay down debt (although you'd have to do both before financial markets Armageddon, so not sure how much of a safety net this really is!)
I can see an amazing family home in the bones of this building. But it will take some resources and effort. Done, it really is a dream London home, as opposed to ours which is a nice London home but was never intended to be the forever house.
As you can tell, last minute jitters over here. And still a long way to go - having our own offer only means we can make an offer, not that it will be accepted, or that we will reach exchange even if it is. Many a slip etc...
Of course, the real decision maker here is Lady F, as I do not want to put her through more stress and uncertainty unless she genuinely wants this house.
Edited by Harry Flashman on Wednesday 21st June 10:06
Harry Flashman said:
So, for anyone interested, update yesterday.
We have had a cash offer at £1.2m for our home. It is obviously less than we would like, and less than asking, which is in turn less than valuation, but it leaves us with a small profit from the refurb, and would allow us to offer on the new house. It is more even after EA fees than the webuyanyhouse crowd were talking about.
There are apparently now only two viable bidders on the house we want - developer offering at asking, and us offering above.
Every extra pound we make on our home goes to refurbishment costs of the new house, so it is important.
The real question now is this - and it is decision time:
- do we want to leave a lovely, 3000 square foot, semi-detached, fully restored and (relatively - C Grade) energy efficient home, for
- a much more beautiful, with far larger garden, basket case that is detached, Victorian, 3300 square foot (but much better internal space generally), that needs a full renovation and will put us financially on the edge? Oh and has Knotweed 5 metres from the house in the garden (being dealt with with insurance backed guarantee)
Many older people I know say that they pushed themselves massively when younger, and through all the cycles, 20 years later they do not regret it. I have to say I see this - and the detached house offers FAR more potential than our semi, which can be extended no more. In future years the big house could go to 4000 square feet with Permitted Development rear extension, more with a garden room too, as the garden is so big. Our house is at its limit at 3000 square feet.
But it will mean some struggle now, at a time we are trying for a child (biut also means that right now we have disposable income as no kids to feed), and the economy and country in general are in very uncertain times. Certainly house prices could be due a correction. In a way the latter doesn't bother me on this so much as we really are looking at the forever home, and will only move if forced, and have shares/a flat to liquidate if we really need to pay down debt (although you'd have to do both before financial markets Armageddon, so not sure how much of a safety net this really is!)
I can see an amazing family home in the bones of this building. But it will take some resources and effort. Done, it really is a dream London home, as opposed to ours which is a nice London home but was never intended to be the forever house.
As you can tell, last minute jitters over here. And still a long way to go - having our own offer only means we can make an offer, not that it will be accepted, or that we will reach exchange even if it is. Many a slip etc...
Of course, the real decision maker here is Lady F, as I do not want to put her through more stress and uncertainty unless she genuinely wants this house.
It really is down to you. the new place would be a lot of work but if it really is the dream then go for it. But - the missus needs to come first. Being pregnant and having a kid gives stresses I never thought possible until I did it myself....We have had a cash offer at £1.2m for our home. It is obviously less than we would like, and less than asking, which is in turn less than valuation, but it leaves us with a small profit from the refurb, and would allow us to offer on the new house. It is more even after EA fees than the webuyanyhouse crowd were talking about.
There are apparently now only two viable bidders on the house we want - developer offering at asking, and us offering above.
Every extra pound we make on our home goes to refurbishment costs of the new house, so it is important.
The real question now is this - and it is decision time:
- do we want to leave a lovely, 3000 square foot, semi-detached, fully restored and (relatively - C Grade) energy efficient home, for
- a much more beautiful, with far larger garden, basket case that is detached, Victorian, 3300 square foot (but much better internal space generally), that needs a full renovation and will put us financially on the edge? Oh and has Knotweed 5 metres from the house in the garden (being dealt with with insurance backed guarantee)
Many older people I know say that they pushed themselves massively when younger, and through all the cycles, 20 years later they do not regret it. I have to say I see this - and the detached house offers FAR more potential than our semi, which can be extended no more. In future years the big house could go to 4000 square feet with Permitted Development rear extension, more with a garden room too, as the garden is so big. Our house is at its limit at 3000 square feet.
But it will mean some struggle now, at a time we are trying for a child (biut also means that right now we have disposable income as no kids to feed), and the economy and country in general are in very uncertain times. Certainly house prices could be due a correction. In a way the latter doesn't bother me on this so much as we really are looking at the forever home, and will only move if forced, and have shares/a flat to liquidate if we really need to pay down debt (although you'd have to do both before financial markets Armageddon, so not sure how much of a safety net this really is!)
I can see an amazing family home in the bones of this building. But it will take some resources and effort. Done, it really is a dream London home, as opposed to ours which is a nice London home but was never intended to be the forever house.
As you can tell, last minute jitters over here. And still a long way to go - having our own offer only means we can make an offer, not that it will be accepted, or that we will reach exchange even if it is. Many a slip etc...
Of course, the real decision maker here is Lady F, as I do not want to put her through more stress and uncertainty unless she genuinely wants this house.
Edited by Harry Flashman on Wednesday 21st June 10:06
But, is it the dream house or the dream London house?
Are you firmly 100% attached to the particular area? £1.2m in cash can go a hell of a long way a bit further out....
Harry Flashman said:
I am dithering, I know - but this is a big push even for me.
Also, Lady F had a tough time losing the baby at the start of the year; so I take her emotions seriously., If she says she can't handle the stress of another refurb, I will listen.
king softy 
- but it's the right way - the ONLY way!
Our cash buyers just upped to asking price, but we have to leave all the brand new white goods in the house. I am OK with this - we didn't (thankfully) go for Miele stuff, so this is not a problem: about £5k worth of stuff for a £50k increase in proceeds. No-brainer and gives us £45k extra for refurb of new project.
Time to call the wife...
Time to call the wife...
Been watching with interest, after looking at the "new" house it dies look like a lot of work, is there a half-way house that would minimise day 1 disruption but not represent wasted money for future projects?
Looking at the place a large part of the house isn't far away from being liveable, assuming no major structural layout changes would it be worth polishing what you'd be getting at minimal cost and time to get something that's comfortably liveable whilst leaving an element of heavy lifting for later, breaking down what is a large project into manageable chunks to be done over time.
With just the two of you (even +1) could you feasibly lock down half the place, focus on getting that 100% and lock all dust and mess away there and live in say the front half - assuming there are no full structural/major layout changes planed?
Looking at the place a large part of the house isn't far away from being liveable, assuming no major structural layout changes would it be worth polishing what you'd be getting at minimal cost and time to get something that's comfortably liveable whilst leaving an element of heavy lifting for later, breaking down what is a large project into manageable chunks to be done over time.
With just the two of you (even +1) could you feasibly lock down half the place, focus on getting that 100% and lock all dust and mess away there and live in say the front half - assuming there are no full structural/major layout changes planed?
Harry Flashman said:
Our cash buyers just upped to asking price, but we have to leave all the brand new white goods in the house. I am OK with this - we didn't (thankfully) go for Miele stuff, so this is not a problem: about £5k worth of stuff for a £50k increase in proceeds. No-brainer and gives us £45k extra for refurb of new project.
Time to call the wife...
Do you have another property to live in? Or are you going to live in the new one whilst its being refurbed?Time to call the wife...
If your missus is pregnant, she may kill you if you suggest this.
kiethton said:
Been watching with interest, after looking at the "new" house it dies look like a lot of work, is there a half-way house that would minimise day 1 disruption but not represent wasted money for future projects?
Looking at the place a large part of the house isn't far away from being liveable, assuming no major structural layout changes would it be worth polishing what you'd be getting at minimal cost and time to get something that's comfortably liveable whilst leaving an element of heavy lifting for later, breaking down what is a large project into manageable chunks to be done over time.
With just the two of you (even +1) could you feasibly lock down half the place, focus on getting that 100% and lock all dust and mess away there and live in say the front half - assuming there are no full structural/major layout changes planed?
This is basically the plan.,Looking at the place a large part of the house isn't far away from being liveable, assuming no major structural layout changes would it be worth polishing what you'd be getting at minimal cost and time to get something that's comfortably liveable whilst leaving an element of heavy lifting for later, breaking down what is a large project into manageable chunks to be done over time.
With just the two of you (even +1) could you feasibly lock down half the place, focus on getting that 100% and lock all dust and mess away there and live in say the front half - assuming there are no full structural/major layout changes planed?
Get in, sand floors (majorly dusty job), seal and mist coat all plaster.
Then effectively close off the top floor, and do some of ground and middle floor - kitchen, reception room, utility. Do the middle floor (3 beds, 3 baths). That is more than enough for us to live in. At a later date, do top floor (install bathroom and tidy up bedrooms, and do the utility area and small front reception.
p1stonhead said:
Do you have another property to live in? Or are you going to live in the new one whilst its being refurbed?
If your missus is pregnant, she may kill you if you suggest this.
Have to kick tenant out of my flat, which is luckily round the corner from the house. We'd still be sharing with two others (friends) but I can do this for a month - it's a decent sized place and has two full bathrooms.If your missus is pregnant, she may kill you if you suggest this.
In reality, the plan, as Keithton suggested, would be to absolutely boss it on a liveable 50% of the house now, so that when (hopefully) she is pregnant, we are either done or just decorating.
When Lady F was pregnant the last time her first 3 months were hard, so I need to get a shift on if this all goes ahead. Anyone recommend a decent builder in London for kitchens and bathrooms? My last guy was lovely, but horribly disorganised - which this project cannot be.
Reading with interest harry. I made the push 2 years ago. From 2004 built semi in a nice area to a 1850 detached in a lovely area with every home issue you could imagine. There have been ups and downs but overall totally worth it. I took a lower bid on my old house to get moving but financially worth it and the house is slowly getting to a point of being proud of it. Totally worth it. I would say you're totally on the money either your other half being on board. If she's not it's a relationship killer for sure. Mine was totally on board and there have been stressful times.
EJH said:
If it's not successful you'll still be in a beautifully renovated house that you have done (and so know is done right) so best case win and worst case different win (without another SDLT bill).
Good luck.
Good luck.
Your current house looks awesome, so worst case, you get to live in it and enjoy your work for a few years Best of luck with the offer though!Gassing Station | Homes, Gardens and DIY | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff