Bungalow on an awkward plot - to buy or not?

Personally, do not really understand this thing about large kitchen/diners/living rooms. Think I can see how they work when you have children at home, can be preparing a meal and keeping an eye onthem doing homework, etc. However, for older people, think they are horrible.

In the seaside town in which I live, a lot of the very large older buildings are being made over into very smart, expensive flats. All have a Living room, with the kitchen at the end of it, and there is no way I would want to live in one of them. Firstly, how do you deal with cooking smells if not able to close the door and open the window. ALso must be aleways on edge if kitchen is slightly messy, any visitors cannot help but see it when enjoying a cup of coffee inthe living room. Do really want to keep kitchen as a separate room which can be closed off.

Both my bathroom and En-suite shower room are totally internal, no outside walls whatoever. One extractor fan covers both. Extremely successfully no problem with either damp, mould or smells), I actually like internal bathrooms, etc as they are so much easier to keep warm.

Found the comment about toilet being other side of wall to dining room rather strange. I assume that person would never have an en-suite.

Are you going to put in an offer on this bungalow?

Reading between the lines of your post I wonder if you have already made your mind up? No property is going to be without drawbacks and compromises often have to be made. However can't help ' feeling ' this property is not what you really want ? My advice for what it's worth is to think very carefully before going ahead - good luck with whatever decision is made.

Germanshepherdsmum, it is a valid point. But large open plan kitchens have been used in the last two decades not in only large properties, but even small flats have open plan kitchen/living/dining these days. We have a kitchen/diner now, and this where we (hardly ever) entertain guests. You just have to keep kitchen tidy. I spend all day in that room, I love the feeling of space, I only need to heat one room most of the time. And the lounge is only used in the evenings to watch TV, and even then it is mostly DH that sits there to unwind after work. In any case, he loved this idea over the prospect of taking the chimney down.

Dd’s coach house had a lounge and a dark pokey kitchen when she bought it. She had the kitchen taken out making one large rectangular room. It looks good. The kitchen is actually bigger than it was before and the kitchen furnishings are white. The dinner area is separated from the lounge area by the compact settee. It doesn’t look cramped but very light and airy. When she bought it the price had dropped as it wouldn’t sell. With the work she has done it is very sellable. Often buyers can’t see the potential so don’t be too negative. Just think how it will look when it’s done. You need one of those visual imaging programs to put ideas up on screen.

Yes, I was thinking of trying those 3D home design programs, can anybody recommend one?

Clearly, you are wary as it has been on the market for ages, give it a miss.

Shelflife

Reading between the lines of your post I wonder if you have already made your mind up? No property is going to be without drawbacks and compromises often have to be made. However can't help ' feeling ' this property is not what you really want ? My advice for what it's worth is to think very carefully before going ahead - good luck with whatever decision is made.

It is a difficult one when you have to get what you want of the size you need, of re-assuring standard and in the right area - but in the budget you have. One of these components would have to be compromised. Realistically, most other properties are even worse: on a busy road, or in a terrible condition, or too small etc etc. Some have leaky roofs, gutters and even black mold infesting the whole room. Some are extension disasters, where the layout just does not work. This is probably the best of the worst.

Having said that, we have high standards and been really spoiled in our recently build, very modern and very spacious 1400 sq ft loft apartment, and it feels like we have to bring our standards way down in order to move into a house.

Before this apartment we always lived in houses some quite large ones, and it feels like we have to go back to the level where we started years ago (due to this area being so expensive, but the DH's job is so uncommon and it is in this area).

So for us it is not downsizing but downgrading.

UPDATE:
We did put an offer on this bungalow on Monday. This morning we almost lost hope and decided what is meant to be will happen, then had a call from the EA at the end of the day.
We offered initially 11.5% below the asking price, made 3 offers in total, and got it accepted today at 10% below the asking price. We are going out tonight to celebrate. It is a bit scary to make a leap, but we just put our trust in fate and see what happens. Wish us luck!

I would like to thank everybody for your advice, sharing own experience, thoughts and ideas. I am really touched by your help, GNetters.

Good luck RusBun. When it’s done to your liking I hope you will be very happy.

It must be a relief to have made a decision. Hope it all works out well for you.

Congratulations Rusbun. Well done. Exciting time for you. 🙂

So pleased to read your news. It seems you have found the perfect home. Will you keep us updated on your progress? I find it interesting and helpful to know how a house purchase is progressing. Then of course there's the alterations to look forward to. Hope everything runs smoothly for you both and that you will have many happy years in your new home.

RusBun glad your offer has been accepted. But until contracts have been exchanged it's not a done deal. I hope all goes through smoothly and the survey doesn't show something that will cost thousands to put right.

Once the survey is done you will need to keep pushing your solicitor and estate agent to make sure everything is being done. And make sure your solicitor pushes the sellers solicitor. Once the contracts have been exchanged you will still need to push for completion date.

That's another thing don't exchange and complete on the same day. Make sure you have at least a week between them.

As someone who had 2 buyers pull out on me one day of exchange of contracts and other 4 days before exchange. The executors of the will keep the bungalow for me. Should have moved September 2018 finally did August 2019.

I am not being negative but realistic

There is a thread further down about stress of buying and selling. Might be worth you reading it. I joined it in March 2019 after the second buyer pulled out and at my wits end and found I wasn't alone some had it worse than me. That thread saved my sanity and many tears and sleepless nights.until I moved and have never been happier.

Fingers and toes crossed everything goes smoothly for you.

Whiff is right of course. Its not a done deal yet. Fingers crossed all goes smoothly.

Thank you for letting us know. I can certainly see the potential in this property - although I'm aware that it may nt work in practice. I often recommend Home Building & Renovating magazine and their exhibitions (don't be tempted by Grand Designs!). Don't rush - move furniture about and make chalk marks on walls & floors to see how it all might work.

I don't know your neck of the woods, but a good friend move there a year ago (to be near her grandchildren). I was completely astounded by the cost of property - so I see the compromises that have to be made to get anywhere near the kind of property that is fairly normal for those of us in cheaper areas!

Good luck!

Well done! So glad you went for it. Please do keep us updated. If all goes well, you will have a busy and frantic time ahead for some time but I bet you won't regret it. The end result will hopefully make up for the inevitable hiccups along the way. Don't be daunted. We've done it a few times and would do it again if energy allowed!!

This morning I woke up having second thoughts and anxiety.

The lovely old lady next door on the left is in her mid 80-s. When we chatted to her, she mentioned that the vendor upset her by objecting to her radio being heard in his garden. She likes listening to the radio as the background noise (as many of her generation do), and her kitchen windows face the vendor's house and garden, thus he can hear her the radio in his garden.

She also mentioned that the vendor complained about other neighbours' noisy dogs and children, and albeit they don't go on for too long, she finds them annoying too.

Now I have a dilemma added to my other doubts. The plots are very small and all the adjacent properties are so close together. I don't want to fall out with the neighbours complaining, but I am very sensitive to any noise due to my condition, and I would not be able to sit in the garden when there is a sound of a radio, non-stop barking dogs or noisy children, as much as busy traffic or frequent aircraft noise. I am speaking from experience of living in previous properties, not just out of fear.

Ideally I am looking for a peaceful hideaway so I am now unsure and really torn. Do I listen to my gut instinct? DH says there will be neighbour noise wherever you go, but where we live now is really quiet and neighbours make noise only occasionally.

I feel like holding out a bit and carry on looking as I have an inking something better will turn up, especially in the falling market. Or am I just being anxious? It is such a serious decision to get it wrong

Constant radio noise can be unbearable.. I'd keep looking

This will not be a peaceful haven. The neighbouring properties are far too close for that, and you already know you will be hearing one neighbour’s radio and other neighbours’ dogs. Your neighbours will doubtless have family (including children) visiting and be outside in the warmer weather. I don’t have a medical condition which causes it, but the older I get the less tolerance I have for other people’s noise. Our current property was chosen partly the for peace and quiet it affords, which we both treasure. I couldn’t enjoy living with noise from close neighbours. It’s just the way I am. We have been looking to move closer to family, but the lack of neighbour noise is a very high priority. .After decades of stressful work I can’t explain how important peace and quiet have become. Pull out now and find something which ticks that very important box. You won’t regret it.

GSM is right. I feel the same.

If you had made the offer under Scots house-buying rules, it would be binding once accepted. This is far better than the English system where what seemed a completed deal could be gazumped - but it does mean that second thoughts after the offer is in and accepted are not possible. Look before you leap!

We spent 4 years looking for a bungalow as ds was about to go into a wheelchair. I became a walking estate agent in that time. We looked at houses to put stair lifts in as we became more desperate. In the end we got our large bungalow with fantastic views. Ds loved it. So glad we waited.

I'd give it a miss if you have doubts.
The doubts are not going to go away.

That is why we are still where we are after looking for years, although there may be far more choice where you are.