Discussion
Zonergem said:
So what happened?
I forked out for a surveyor to go in on Tuesday, in the name of due diligence and to allow me to make my bid not STS. There's so much work that it almost seems beside the point. Nothing wildly untoward, the roof maybe a little worse than I had bargained on.
I also went in to visit the surveyor on site and spent another hour in the house, digesting all the advice I'd been given and trying to picture the finished project. For the first time I was 'alone' in the rooms - no agent, no family, no architect or whatever. A "sense check", if you will.
And I couldn't do it. Too big, too stuffy in summer and terrifying heating bills in the winter. I thought we'd always feel we'd overpaid, that we'd slog our way through the work losing blood and treasure only to end up with something we hated.
So I emailed on Weds morning to withdraw from the process and rescind our previous offers.
And blow me if by 3 pm the agent wasn't on the phone telling me that the other cash buyers had seen the light and dropped out too, and did I want a bit more time to go back in lower?
Bloody hell.I forked out for a surveyor to go in on Tuesday, in the name of due diligence and to allow me to make my bid not STS. There's so much work that it almost seems beside the point. Nothing wildly untoward, the roof maybe a little worse than I had bargained on.
I also went in to visit the surveyor on site and spent another hour in the house, digesting all the advice I'd been given and trying to picture the finished project. For the first time I was 'alone' in the rooms - no agent, no family, no architect or whatever. A "sense check", if you will.
And I couldn't do it. Too big, too stuffy in summer and terrifying heating bills in the winter. I thought we'd always feel we'd overpaid, that we'd slog our way through the work losing blood and treasure only to end up with something we hated.
So I emailed on Weds morning to withdraw from the process and rescind our previous offers.
And blow me if by 3 pm the agent wasn't on the phone telling me that the other cash buyers had seen the light and dropped out too, and did I want a bit more time to go back in lower?
Zonergem said:
And blow me if by 3 pm the agent wasn't on the phone telling me that the other cash buyers had seen the light and dropped out too, and did I want a bit more time to go back in lower?
Simpo Two said:
At times like this I wonder if the EA is telling the truth. You have to assume he is, but could he just be making it up to get more money for the vendor?
Ba-dum-tish. This is house buying, trust no-one.
Hi
Have read this thread from beginning to end and there is/was much good advice, some of it contradictory, but I suspect, knowing you as I do that your head was firmly screwed on but your heart was trying to take control.
Buying houses, for the family not just yourself can be a very complex business and dealing with Estate Agents, Sellers, Developers both real and fictitious.
So you now know what you can really buy it for, not what the EA is trying to achieve.
But you don't now get the "feel" of the place, yes winter heating bills can be expensive in an old house and make no mistake, keeping to a renovation budget can be difficult, as me how I know. I've done a few although not on such a grand scale. It's when you get outside labour in that the price goes up and when you discover that C,D, & E need replacing not just A & B.
Check out the schools, take your family along to view, your wife may get a totally diffferent feel for the place than you. Second and third visits will either convince you that the pain is worth it or that you can find other, better places elsewhere.
But echoing PhilboSE and your own comments, it's better, in my opinion, to buy somewhere that needs work rather than accept someoneelses ideas and designs.
Oh and don't trust an Architect or their budget either....They do have a tendency of making every new design a showpiece for their own business with the Client picking up the additional cost. Know too many people who have had to rein in their Architect.
Right, I'm of now, have a full day planned here just no sure which job to get on with first, decorating, fencing, paving, stopping the polytunnel flying away..
The heating, kitchen, garage build are on hold.
Good Luck
Tony H
Have read this thread from beginning to end and there is/was much good advice, some of it contradictory, but I suspect, knowing you as I do that your head was firmly screwed on but your heart was trying to take control.
Buying houses, for the family not just yourself can be a very complex business and dealing with Estate Agents, Sellers, Developers both real and fictitious.
So you now know what you can really buy it for, not what the EA is trying to achieve.
But you don't now get the "feel" of the place, yes winter heating bills can be expensive in an old house and make no mistake, keeping to a renovation budget can be difficult, as me how I know. I've done a few although not on such a grand scale. It's when you get outside labour in that the price goes up and when you discover that C,D, & E need replacing not just A & B.
Check out the schools, take your family along to view, your wife may get a totally diffferent feel for the place than you. Second and third visits will either convince you that the pain is worth it or that you can find other, better places elsewhere.
But echoing PhilboSE and your own comments, it's better, in my opinion, to buy somewhere that needs work rather than accept someoneelses ideas and designs.
Oh and don't trust an Architect or their budget either....They do have a tendency of making every new design a showpiece for their own business with the Client picking up the additional cost. Know too many people who have had to rein in their Architect.
Right, I'm of now, have a full day planned here just no sure which job to get on with first, decorating, fencing, paving, stopping the polytunnel flying away..
The heating, kitchen, garage build are on hold.
Good Luck
Tony H
Ummmm, did you miss the post where I decided it would be a foolish endeavour?
But for the sake of completeness here's the property:
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/s6p/74284409
and the comparable
https://www.onthemarket.com/details/1627165/
But for the sake of completeness here's the property:
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/s6p/74284409
and the comparable
https://www.onthemarket.com/details/1627165/
Zonergem said:
Ummmm, did you miss the post where I decided it would be a foolish endeavour?
But for the sake of completeness here's the property:
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/s6p/74284409
and the comparable
https://www.onthemarket.com/details/1627165/
Not my kind of place, but could be wonderful when done. Is that a crapper in the hall? But for the sake of completeness here's the property:
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/s6p/74284409
and the comparable
https://www.onthemarket.com/details/1627165/
Skyedriver said:
Too close to the centre
Traffic in and around York is busy
York floods
AND WHERE'S THE GARAGE?
Want to be centralTraffic in and around York is busy
York floods
AND WHERE'S THE GARAGE?
Cycle in town or get the train
It's on top of the Mount (clue is in the name)
Carry on renting a heated storage space OR get rid of the cars
(I know, I'm not doing PH very well)
Zonergem said:
Skyedriver said:
Too close to the centre
Traffic in and around York is busy
York floods
AND WHERE'S THE GARAGE?
Want to be centralTraffic in and around York is busy
York floods
AND WHERE'S THE GARAGE?
Cycle in town or get the train
It's on top of the Mount (clue is in the name)
Carry on renting a heated storage space OR get rid of the cars
(I know, I'm not doing PH very well)
My parents, when in their early 80's much regretted not getting a bungalow in their previous house move (when in their 60's).
Us, we've had bungalows for years.......
And did I hear you say "sell the cars"!!!!!!
I do like some of these big town house properties in York. That one could be made into something very nice indeed.
There is no significant flood risk in that part of town. If that house flooded, you would probably be able to see an ark out of the window
Other than the structure and the price, another thing I would look into, if I was considering it, would be to check which other properties nearby (particularly near neighbours) are still owned by the school and what they are used for.
There is no significant flood risk in that part of town. If that house flooded, you would probably be able to see an ark out of the window
Other than the structure and the price, another thing I would look into, if I was considering it, would be to check which other properties nearby (particularly near neighbours) are still owned by the school and what they are used for.
2 was school property and is now flats, at least one of which is a short-term rental property.
https://www.booking.com/hotel/gb/mansion-house-apa...
However the staircase configuration in 2 is different from 3 (smaller and less central) so makes it easier to convert to flats.
The brick built extension to 3, which is known as College House, will be up for sale next. All the heating etc is run out of the basement at 3 so once the properties are split it's clearly on the block too. Will make flats, potentially with off street parking.
But 3 is just too big to be a sensible family home and the central stairwell gets very gloomy at ground floor level.
https://www.booking.com/hotel/gb/mansion-house-apa...
However the staircase configuration in 2 is different from 3 (smaller and less central) so makes it easier to convert to flats.
The brick built extension to 3, which is known as College House, will be up for sale next. All the heating etc is run out of the basement at 3 so once the properties are split it's clearly on the block too. Will make flats, potentially with off street parking.
But 3 is just too big to be a sensible family home and the central stairwell gets very gloomy at ground floor level.
Edited by Zonergem on Monday 30th July 09:40
Mmmhmmm, she'd still object to the noise. I'd be more tempted to take on the Ashberry guesthouse that Barry Crux has for sale - corner of the Mount and Scarcroft Rd - but again, traffic.
The sad punchline is that we are already involved in a BAFO situation with the same agent on an off-market property, all pre-tarted up and ready to move in. Much higher asking than the first, natch. A solitary viewing yesterday morning, a couple of pertinent questions answered, a full asking price offer and then straight to BAFO by midday today. And still no answer, vendors maybe deciding whether to go to market and try for even more?!
The sad punchline is that we are already involved in a BAFO situation with the same agent on an off-market property, all pre-tarted up and ready to move in. Much higher asking than the first, natch. A solitary viewing yesterday morning, a couple of pertinent questions answered, a full asking price offer and then straight to BAFO by midday today. And still no answer, vendors maybe deciding whether to go to market and try for even more?!
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