Who will buy these homes?

Allira

M0nica

Why is there aan assumption that if a house/bungalow is not brand new thaat it will be a wreck and need lots of work done on it.

We are serial home improvers and over our years of home owning have sold three properties varying in age from 75 years to over 550 years old, one this year and all were in immaculate condition, with modernup to date services. The same applied to my parent's bungalow. our last house was slow to sell because it was higher priced and the market was poorer, but all the others sold in days because they were in good order.

We have just bought a project house from owners just into their 50s and it is a mess.

That is our experience in the bungalows we have seen and looked at online.

It is not an assumption.

Allira

See my point above re part of the country is in - and hence my West Wales house here was barely habitable in my opinion when I bought it and there was a lot like it. But that is a large part of why I could afford to move up a level or two and hence I moved here....and then only kept the windows and the interior doors on my current house and everything else went (external doors/garden/gutters and downpipes/central heating system/kitchen/bathroom/walls were replastered).

Mind - I didn't expect to have to give a ghost their marching orders the day I moved in LOL. A friend drove me over and stayed a bit to help me unpack. All the stuff from my removal van had been brought into the house and they had left and then the ghost turned up. My friend and I both heard a loud knock inside the house and absolutely nothing physical that could have caused it. We looked at each other a bit shocked and I just thought "Unexpected complication. It's the last owner of this house - who recently died. I think she just wants to know whether I'm the new owner". I turned round and said - very firmly - "I'm the owner of this house now. Can you please leave?". She did duly leave.....not a peep more out of her....and neither of us said a word. We just got on unpacking.....

I've seen some "shockers" of houses and had other people tell me of worse....

Cariadagain, Probably partly to do with what the person is used to seeing - ie in their own part of the country. Standards a house is at do vary in different parts of the country on average.

Would be my thought as well. Some people prefer no work aka move in ready and some are willing to diy (or pay) accomplishing that which they desire.

M0nica

Why is there aan assumption that if a house/bungalow is not brand new thaat it will be a wreck and need lots of work done on it.

We are serial home improvers and over our years of home owning have sold three properties varying in age from 75 years to over 550 years old, one this year and all were in immaculate condition, with modernup to date services. The same applied to my parent's bungalow. our last house was slow to sell because it was higher priced and the market was poorer, but all the others sold in days because they were in good order.

We have just bought a project house from owners just into their 50s and it is a mess.

Probably partly to do with what the person is used to seeing - ie in their own part of the country. Standards a house is at do vary in different parts of the country on average.

I was very clear when I sold my last house (the starter one) that it was very average type condition for the area. I expected anyone viewing it there to look at it in that light - and it was that way because it was a starter house (ie I'd always known from Day 1 that I meant to move on from it when I could). That influenced how much work I did on it. It was clear to me that I'd have finished it/had to finish it if I'd planned on staying there.

In a poorer area of the country I doubt it would have been regarded as "Work to do - quite a bit of it and fast" and very little would have probably been done to it.

I know I get gobsmacked when I see details for houses that have 1970's carpets, 1980s kitchens, there's something somewhat illogical basically on how the house has been got together (or not...) and it doesn't even "function" very well. That being because it's way worse standard than my half-finished Victorian terrace house I had.

Wishing you good luck with your project house though. I'd have loved for my last house to be "ready to roll" when I moved into it. I'd have loved my current house to be a higher standard than "You have gotta be kidding me - agh!" when I moved into it.

Houses do take longer to sell if they're not "finished" and hence part of why I'd pinned down to the day pretty much how long my last house would take. Wish I'd kept the website I used that analysed your answers to questions and then would compare just for your area and it was pretty spot-on - at 3 months (because I'd put "average condition", "average area"). That and my own "watching equivalent houses there on RightMove" and the website and I both agreed at 3 months. It had two buyers after it at once and having a bidding war on it one day before 3 months was up. So the website and I weren't far wrong.

Whereas someone had bought a very similar house a few doors away and had thought they were staying there - so he finished the house and to a pretty reasonable quality. He then got some unexpected money and sold it after all - his took 10 days. I sighed heavily at how fast his had gone - but I was totally expecting it - as he had finished it and it was done very nicely.

M0nica

Why is there aan assumption that if a house/bungalow is not brand new thaat it will be a wreck and need lots of work done on it.

We are serial home improvers and over our years of home owning have sold three properties varying in age from 75 years to over 550 years old, one this year and all were in immaculate condition, with modernup to date services. The same applied to my parent's bungalow. our last house was slow to sell because it was higher priced and the market was poorer, but all the others sold in days because they were in good order.

We have just bought a project house from owners just into their 50s and it is a mess.

That is our experience in the bungalows we have seen and looked at online.

It is not an assumption.

Why is there aan assumption that if a house/bungalow is not brand new thaat it will be a wreck and need lots of work done on it.

We are serial home improvers and over our years of home owning have sold three properties varying in age from 75 years to over 550 years old, one this year and all were in immaculate condition, with modernup to date services. The same applied to my parent's bungalow. our last house was slow to sell because it was higher priced and the market was poorer, but all the others sold in days because they were in good order.

We have just bought a project house from owners just into their 50s and it is a mess.

Calendar Girl - we lived in a maisonette above the library in a rank of shops when we first married. We did buy it & then rented it out when we had our second child.
The rooms were a good size, we had a large patio for flowers & clothes-drying & as a maisonette, we went upstairs to bed.It doesn't cost much to do them up, but I think property developers / large home building companies have a fixed idea of "what people want" & choose to deliver that, rather than some compromise housing which would probably rent very well.

We have a Debenhams too, there was a hotel plan, that’s been dropped, the council want it to remain commercial but I really don’t see it happening, so apartments is an alternative.

In my nearest city, some large department stores, now surplus to requirements, are being developed for a mixture of retail and residential use, which seems a good idea.
The top floors of Debenhams had a wonderful view if the cathedral: the new owner of those apartments will be happy with that, I'm sure.

David49

“I like the view over their garden. We can see for miles, lovely and calm.

Developer should plant some lovely big trees.

Because the plot size is small I think they are overpriced, they will sell but it will take a while, the village is not my style anyway too upmarket.

I like the view, out for miles, as from our home. I don't know the market price. I wonder why people don't look at farm homes to modernise?

“I like the view over their garden. We can see for miles, lovely and calm.

Developer should plant some lovely big trees.

Because the plot size is small I think they are overpriced, they will sell but it will take a while, the village is not my style anyway too upmarket.

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202508/medium-gdwbp8-34013-34056139-img-50-0000.jpeg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202508/medium-c6yw9f-34013-34056139-img-45-0000.jpeg

David49

Allira

As I’m retired a 3 bed bungalow with a decent garden is my and many others first choice

Could you let me know where these desirable 3 bedroomed bungalows are situated please?
The few round here are certainly not new builds and may be in need of extensive renovation, which could be offputting for older people.

They are like hens teeth and you pay a premium, there were quite a lot built in the 1960 and 70s they need refurbishing.
New build they take up more space so are less attractive for developers.
In the next upmarket village a 1930s bungalow was demolished and 2 new built they look quite compact 3 bed open views to rear.
Make sure you’re sitting down before you open the link

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/164867987#/media?id=media0&ref=photoCollage&channel=RES_BUY

My MIL died 3yrs ago her 1980s 3 bed bungalow in a workaday village was valued at £350k

I like the view over their garden. We can see for miles, lovely and calm.

Developer should plant some lovely big trees.

Ps I'd change the layout too!!

therapy
where did that come from?!
they

David49

Allira

As I’m retired a 3 bed bungalow with a decent garden is my and many others first choice

Could you let me know where these desirable 3 bedroomed bungalows are situated please?
The few round here are certainly not new builds and may be in need of extensive renovation, which could be offputting for older people.

They are like hens teeth and you pay a premium, there were quite a lot built in the 1960 and 70s they need refurbishing.
New build they take up more space so are less attractive for developers.
In the next upmarket village a 1930s bungalow was demolished and 2 new built they look quite compact 3 bed open views to rear.
Make sure you’re sitting down before you open the link

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/164867987#/media?id=media0&ref=photoCollage&channel=RES_BUY

My MIL died 3yrs ago her 1980s 3 bed bungalow in a workaday village was valued at £350k

Doesn't surprise me - but will therapy sell at that price as they do look tightly squashed in!

I prefer the one next door 😀

There's a house near here, 1930s detached, standard type of build which has become derelict because the owner was in a care home and refused to sell. When he died the plot was bought by a builder who wants to build 2 or 3 houses on it. So far nothing has happened. I think the neighbours are very unhappy.

Granmarderby no need for live in staff as the wives did it, not that many worked and even if they did housework was their Provence.
I was the project manager on a new build site of 3,000 units until I retired in 2016, the occupants were either younger couples/families or retired people, all wanted small gardens - no time, because of work, or inclination, to manage anything else. Parking of their at least two care where they could see them, less chance of theft, lower insurance, good insulation to reduce bills and easy to keep clean build, low maintenance design.

David49

Allira

As I’m retired a 3 bed bungalow with a decent garden is my and many others first choice

Could you let me know where these desirable 3 bedroomed bungalows are situated please?
The few round here are certainly not new builds and may be in need of extensive renovation, which could be offputting for older people.

They are like hens teeth and you pay a premium, there were quite a lot built in the 1960 and 70s they need refurbishing.
New build they take up more space so are less attractive for developers.
In the next upmarket village a 1930s bungalow was demolished and 2 new built they look quite compact 3 bed open views to rear.
Make sure you’re sitting down before you open the link

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/164867987#/media?id=media0&ref=photoCollage&channel=RES_BUY

My MIL died 3yrs ago her 1980s 3 bed bungalow in a workaday village was valued at £350k

Nice houses David and ones I'd be thinking "Whew - at least the house is move-in standard - and I'd only have the garden to sort out".

Buy ones like that location-wise and it's obvious there will be major disruption around them err long. It's obvious there's a farmer there nipping and nipping at selling off chunks of their farmland and they are going to keep "nipping" and there'll be a lot more building going on and maybe with my pet hate of "Why do people build 1st floor windows that look into other peoples private back gardens? Grrr - that's another house that's not suitable then.....".

I can never understand builders doing overlooking windows or people who put in overlooking windows in a house they're living in anyway.....but they've made it obvious they don't care about other peoples privacy or they wouldnt have done that....(ie tells me all I need to know.....).

Allira

^As I’m retired a 3 bed bungalow with a decent garden is my and many others first choice^

Could you let me know where these desirable 3 bedroomed bungalows are situated please?
The few round here are certainly not new builds and may be in need of extensive renovation, which could be offputting for older people.

Where I am now - there are a noticeable number of bungalows - but they were basically built in the 1960's and 1970s. Hence they all need gutting - but only some of them have been (including mine - as I was the one that did so). There are some that have been built this century - but that location has a premium price tag - and it's better-off older people that seem to be buying them in the main and their reasoning does indeed seem to be along the lines of "I want a modern home - but I don't want to be the one that renovates an older house".

I tend to look at the carpets first - and a lot of them are still 1970s style - but the person living in the bungalow moved in a lot later than the person that put those carpets in and they kept them still - 50 years later.

As everywhere - there are bungalows that are obviously recently modernised and those ones tend often to have obvious evidence of children living there (ie they've been bought by a young couple - instead of an elderly person).

Times have changed for builders I well remember building sites being a sea of mud, now councils and safety inspectors make the build hard roads and proper access before they start work.
They could build houses the same size as the Council Houses of the 1960s with a big garden, to modern energy standards they would cost at least 50% more, that’s not what working families can afford.

Allira

^As I’m retired a 3 bed bungalow with a decent garden is my and many others first choice^

Could you let me know where these desirable 3 bedroomed bungalows are situated please?
The few round here are certainly not new builds and may be in need of extensive renovation, which could be offputting for older people.

They are like hens teeth and you pay a premium, there were quite a lot built in the 1960 and 70s they need refurbishing.
New build they take up more space so are less attractive for developers.
In the next upmarket village a 1930s bungalow was demolished and 2 new built they look quite compact 3 bed open views to rear.
Make sure you’re sitting down before you open the link

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/164867987#/media?id=media0&ref=photoCollage&channel=RES_BUY

My MIL died 3yrs ago her 1980s 3 bed bungalow in a workaday village was valued at £350k

When I think of “30s style” houses, it brings to my mind leafy tree lined street. Some front garden, bay windows, porches and some sort of hall way.

I think the design in general -and I’ve noticed some of the early “council houses” adopted this style too, was more affordable and practical than the late Victorian/early Edwardian/pre WW1 properties, in that they took into account the lifestyle that the young families of the period aspired to, with regard to cleaning and maintenance- with no need for live in “staff” if the occupants had been accustomed to this previously.
They may have lacked the ceiling height and bedroom size of the Edwardian terraced and no cellars but they were/are more charming (I am aware that some were badly built)

When I think of new build estates I’m afraid It mainly conjures up images of deserts of mud, noise/problems with utilities, and in places were they weren’t welcomed by the existing residents, far from any local community shops/pharmacies/primary school, tiny mean little gardens filled with lumps of brick and what-have you, where the car or cars take precedence’s over the design of the frontage, which is forgivable in a mid century build but puzzling to me that anyone would find it acceptable to buy one where cars have to be parked right under the front windows! Plus small rooms but lots of bathrooms…what is with this obsession?
Charming they are not and very much a “mish- mash” of derivative styles from the past century. I presume they are warmer and more sound proofed though -they’ve got to have something going for them😊

David, I was responding to the post I quoted above (I won't requote the whole conversation as it is on this page) where you said that We need to compare apples with apples, if we are bringing into the thread older jerry built semis, they are probably not in an upmarket area and the probably need a lot of work to bring them up to modern standards.
Sites in upmarket areas are expensive it may cost £ 250k+ easily, whereas a new large estate it could be £100k or less just for the site. A developer is looking to make a % of the selling price as profit

In my experience (which I'm not saying is yours) the so-called 'jerry built' semis are in 'better' (as in more expensive) areas because they are much closer to amenities. It may be different where you live, but new builds here are on the edges of town and may have one 7/11 style shop, but no school, church, surgery etc, so residents have to drive into the centre of town at least once a day.

It is just not true that the older semis need updating either. They were never a cheap option compared to other housing styles available on the mass market, and their owners have maintained them well. Many have been extended and remodelled over the 90 odd years since they were built. They may not be architecturally imaginative, but the bay windows, gardens and areas such as reception halls and pram-sized porches have always made them a popular choice for families.

I recognise that your mileage may vary, but what I am saying is that there is clearly no universal formula for these things, which your post suggested.

Some disused office blocks were converted into housing, I believe, but they are often not at all suitable for residential purposes.

Jeremy Corbyn's plan to tackle the housing crisis (at least in part) was to reclaim empty properties in cities along with office blocks and the like. But everyone said he was a lunatic. So there we go.

As I’m retired a 3 bed bungalow with a decent garden is my and many others first choice

Could you let me know where these desirable 3 bedroomed bungalows are situated please?
The few round here are certainly not new builds and may be in need of extensive renovation, which could be offputting for older people.

Around the Towns and Villages there are many spaces, fields Farmyards

Productive farmland should never be allowed to be developed for yet more housing.