Why bungalows for sale are so neglected?

Plenty of houses are the same, buy at the right price, do them up and live happily ever after.

I don't think you can blame the relatives.
Lots of elderly people loathe upheaval and I have known a number over the years who won't spend on property maintenance.

RusBun on your other thread you said you have had your offer on a bungalow accepted. So why are you complaining about the state of bungalows in your area. Like to point out not all bungalows are like that you are just taking about bungalows in Surrey . I don't know what your price range was so no idea how much or little you had to spend.

I brought my bungalow in the north west 4 years ago for £220k it is now worth £320k. The owner before me had had it rewired ,new boiler and new roof. But could see what needed to be done to make it mine and safe for me due to disability. Had a good survey done and just a couple of things I didn't know but nothing red few yellow and rest mainly 1. So before I moved already planned what order to do things. Took almost 3 years to get it exactly how I wanted it. As Covid stopped having tradesmen for a while.

If you expect any property to be perfect buy a new build. Or have one built as you want it.

I doubt anyone buying your property will be happy with everything . I knew exactly what needed doing to my old house but it was up to my buyers surveyor to point them out to my buyer. My kitchen was 30 years old when I left . Yes it was dated but worked and was in good condition. I was widowed in 2004 and moved in 2019.

Your last but one paragraph made me think is the house you are selling exactly as that paragraph? Somehow I doubt it .

NotSpaghetti

I don't think you can blame the relatives.
Lots of elderly people loathe upheaval and I have known a number over the years who won't spend on property maintenance.

I am talking about houses that have been empty for a long time, some as a result of probate. Since nobody is living in them, they could be cleaned and repaired by those receiving inheritance?

I have to say every bungalow we viewed in Devon was pristine, empty ones too, and they sell like hot cakes.

RusBun:

'Whilst most of those faults and undesirable features are due to age, some are due to sheer neglect from the relatives of the elderly owners.'

I think that comment is a bit unfair. Of course, some of us would want to get in there, have the place cleared - and start a good old spring clean. We'd be breaking the law, though, to do anything before probate was granted.

I was a good two hour journey away from my mother's place. I was near retirement, caring for a grandson, coping with a back injury - and pretty elderly myself - so no, a sibling took over.

1930's places tend to be damp, often made worse by double glazing, draughtproofing and blocking of original air vents. Left unheated with windows shut, they deteriorate rapidly.

My late MIL, bless her, was a lovely lady - but didn't want anything changed, moved, maintained or improved. She complained bitterly about anything that was replaced or updated, hardly used any heating - and stored a whole load of junk, too - really hard work for relatives to 'help' at all.

The bungalows I've looked at have been on large plots, so are often sold to developers, demolished and replaced with three or four new build houses. The sellers have no incentive to change them.

Whiff, I am glad it is possible to buy a bungalow in a decent condition in the North West for as little as 300K. My post is just a general observation. If my property was in a bad condition, why would I complain about other properties being like that?

There is absolutely nothing in Surrey below half a million, and the price range we looked at was up to 750K. For the same money money you can get a decent house here, all updated and renovated, or a new build, because bungalows cost way more than houses.

The bungalow full of black mould was up for 750K, a year later reduced to 700K, still not sold. Black mould is a serious health hazard, I was ill for 2 days after visiting that property for 2 minutes.

There are no new build bungalows anywhere in this area, they stopped building them decades ago, and building plots here cost 600K. It is quite a task to completely renovate or build a new property when you are a buyer with poor health. I mentioned all this before.

A 30s bungalow would have been cheaply built and far below todays standard it best solution is often demolish and rebuild, several in this area have suffered that fate.
Nice bungalows in this area sell for at almost £100k premium over a similar house, retiring couples value them.

Well my house is 150 years old with all original doors and windows, fireplaces etc and is in need of thousands and thousands spending on it but I m blowed if I m going to spend cash I haven’t got on doing it up for someone else to enjoy , it can go on the market for a knock down price and some builder will do it up and turn it into flats but I won’t know anything about it

RusBun

NotSpaghetti

I don't think you can blame the relatives.
Lots of elderly people loathe upheaval and I have known a number over the years who won't spend on property maintenance.

I am talking about houses that have been empty for a long time, some as a result of probate. Since nobody is living in them, they could be cleaned and repaired by those receiving inheritance?

I don’t understand why you would think that those selling would upgrade them RusBun, because it would cost the seller more to upgrade than selling in the current state for a lower price?
It must be frustrating to be looking for something that doesn’t exist where you are, but I think you need to either widen your search area, or buy a house that meets your specifications, and install a stairlift.

Of course, some of us would want to get in there, have the place cleared - and start a good old spring clean. We'd be breaking the law, though, to do anything before probate was granted.

Is that really true?
That it would be illegal to wash dishes or throw out perishable food, at the very least?
All that must, by law, sit there possibly for years if an old person is in care?

Maybe there is little inheritance to get, if the house price is taken up by care fees.
Maybe there is no-one to inherit and the house is the responsibility of lawyers who, of course, couldn't care less.

Rusban when my mum and dad died I took the estate agents advice when selling the house (which was in good condition)
He said you will never sell the house with an advacado bathroom suite So I used my money to put in a full, very nice, white bath, shower, toilet and basin and while at it I had a new toilet put in downstairs to update the original one
When the new people moved in they ripped out the brand new never used bathroom it broke my heart and wasted my hard earned cash
I would never ever update a house again I d rather sell it for less and let them do the updates

There’s also a case where relatives aren’t able to throw £20,000, £30,000 or more at a property (to bring it up to what you’d consider saleable) and possibly, then have to wait months for that property to sell.
My DF’s bungalow was clean, but dated. The EA said to update if I could afford it (which I did) or just take a low offer, as it would be a ‘builders project’

On a property programme once, I saw a very dated 70s house which found a very delighted buyer who loved all things retro including the avocado bath suite.
Of course the house was clean and in good condition.

Elderly people may have no money to maintain or heat their homes. When they die or go into care there may be no close relatives, none living nearby or even in the UK, or none who have the money or physical ability to clean and clear the house. You know nothing of the circumstances behind any of the house sales. It’s ridiculous to suggest that all houses should have to be cleaned, cleared and free of issues before being marketed.

A lot of people buy, demolish, and rebuild rather than renovate for the simple reason you don’t pay VAT if you rebuild so it’s cheaper to demolish. The new owners of a lovely old but expensive to renovate house near me have applied to demolish and rebuild with all eco and environmental considerations in place. The council will probably agree on that basis never mind the unique history of this house but because it’s just outside the conservation area it doesn’t need an historical survey so I supplied one.

If a house or bungalow is in poor condition it would often be sent to auction then the buyer would decide wether to renovate or rebuild. Renovating to modern standards is often impractical if the structure is poor, rebuilding needs planning permission and that may take months to complete.

The executor would be justified in spending money to preserve and secure a property, certainly removing rubbish and clearing garden would be OK.
Beyond that before probate probably not, unless someone else knows different.

It is very likely that the relatives who inherited the house just don't have the money to do it up UNTIL it sells, so they are in a Catch22 situation, going round in circles while the house deteriorates, or they live too far away to pop in and clear it up themselves. A house near me went on the market when the last of two spinster sisters died. A young couple related to them spent their annual holiday travelling to it to empty and clean (though it had been kept very clean) but it still had old-fashioned decoration and fittings. It is still on the market.

There may not even be any relatives. What agent is going to spend time, elbow grease or money on renovation? they wouldn't get a return on the outlay, and they are not in business to lose money. There are plenty of well-kept houses with modern fittings that will sell on sight and the commission will keep the estate agent in Saville Row suits and expensive cars - particularly in Surrey.

That is another factor - you live in Surrey, where the general expectation is that when you buy anything (not just houses) you pay for the best and don't expect to have to make do and mend. Other parts of the country may have more imagination than money, so the less pristine houses might not still be there to disgust you.

Rusbun - it's exactly the same where we live. I have put it down to two factors - the elderly people who live in them are either incapable physically of renovating/improving their bungalow, or they just can't afford to.

Maybe, in some cases, the family can't afford to do them up once the owners die, or go into a care home. It is frustrating, though. We've been looking for a bungalow to downsize into for ages but they all either need gutting, or if in decent condition, are simply unaffordable.

Another reason for not updating houses and replacing ageing bathrooms etc is that on buying a house many people just gut it and move walls around to make it unrecognisable - or knock it down and start again.

Many bungalows were the property of the elderly, and their relatives, if there are any, may well live a great distance away. The property may well also a charge on it, to pay nursing home fees, as was the case with my father, and at a time when he was charged more to cover costs for those who could not afford to pay.
I lived 170 miles away, worked full time, and devoted numerous weekends to clearing the house of 25 years of accumulated 'stuff'. The house was clean and tidy but in need of modernisation which my father had flatly refused to do, but that was reflected in the price.
Many elderly people do not spend money to modernise their homes because they are worried about the depletion of their savings which they will need (now more than ever) for the future.
Your comments show rather a lack of understanding of other people's situations.

We live in Hertfordshire where there is a shortage of bungalows so any that go on the market are at inflated prices. The new buyers then either tear them down or turn them into two storey houses. Very few have been in the poor condition you have described RusBun.

The advantages of probate properties for sale are that there is vacant possession and often cheeky offers are accepted. Then 20% cheaper to demolish and rebuild.