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What did you never own up to ?
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Why bungalows for sale are so neglected?
(289 Posts)GNHQ have commented on this thread. Read here.
We have been looking for a bungalow in Surrey lately and got very frustrated with what we have observed being a trend.
Almost all of bungalows were built in the 1930-s and are quite small, typically around 65m2. They are in a really poor state and have not been updated for a few decades. Many show signs of utter neglect. Most of them have suspended floors, rising damp issues or damp and mould from leaky roofs and gutters. Doors and windows need changing, not to mention pink and avocado bathrooms and pine kitchens together with polystyrene tile ceilings. They have EPC of D or even E.
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. We have seen plenty of probate properties still on the market a year later with dirty dishes still left in the stinking dishwasher, food left in the fridge and gone mouldy, kitchen units left dirty still full of contents.
The saddest one was a perfect in every sense bungalow, so well laid out and built, where the water butt leaked, stayed unnoticed for ages, created damp in the wall and eventually black mould took over the whole wall behind the built-in wardrobe. The doors were left open, and the mould spores disseminated all over the house, infecting every inch of surfaces, carpets and fabrics. This is how you get what is called a “sick building syndrome”. You will never get rid of that mould completely, the spores will make sure it comes back.
So on one hand, there is a real shortage of bungalows for the aging population, and on the other hand there are plenty of them but in such poor condition that nobody would buy them. Relatives overprice these bungalows in a hope to get a bigger inheritance, so the buildings sit empty for over a year getting musty, mouldy and accumulate problems – and depreciate to the point of becoming unsellable. Yet they do very little to make them sellable in the first place, like dealing with leaks and damp or at the very least giving these properties a good clean and empty the appliances.
It makes me so sad to watch some great houses going to waste instead of becoming cosy and loved homes. The only thing that could stop this madness would probably be the condition under which properties could be marketed – to be cleared, cleaned and issue free.
Some properties even got extended but we have seen so many extensions that were given little thought and resulted in convoluted layout, blocked light and fresh air and unusable or lost space.
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Indeed. And many people would be glad of the opportunity to bump into someone and have something to discuss with them.
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"But you were not a part of a communal setup where you can't avoiding bumping into people and having communal matters to discuss on a regular basis."
It is called "life".
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Before buying a flat in my block, I lived in detached and semi-detached houses. And had wonderful neighbours of various ages and backgrounds.
By saying 'nothing in common' I did not want to go into details about my elderly neighbours acting patronising, arrogant, unreasonable, stubborn and inconsiderate, even aggressive. I never even disliked old people until I moved here. It is great that some of you had wonderful neighbours, but they are not all nice, and this is a well known fact.
However, I don't see why I should explain myself and go into details. And since this thread is going off topic and turning into a group personal attack, I am leaving it. It has been made clear by some of you with quite hostile comments that I should not even be on this forum, which made me think how lucky I am that you are not my neighbours and I can just leave.
Have noticed a trend here people saying they don't or wouldn't live by someone you have nothing in common with. Why would you want to? I love the fact where I live we are all different so have different life experiences and being different ages view the world differently. Here in the north west I have never know such friendly kind people. Where I used to live 100+ miles south of here I could have been dead on the floor and no one would notice. Here if no one sees me for a couple of days they knock my door to see if I am ok.
I had only lived here for 3 days the postman knocked my door to introduce himself. I am on first name terms with most of the people from various companies I have deliveries from.
Even through Covid even though bubbled with my daughter and family if my neighbours where going shopping they checked to see if I needed anything.
Where I used to live I was seriously ill with jaundice for 5 months apart from going for weekly blood tests the only people who bothered with me were my family members who lived close by . Not one single neighbour bothered with me and when I left that house I had lived there 34 years. And most of my neighbours have lived in the street longer than me or about the same time we moved in.
Over the years when my husband was alive he helped an lot of neighbours and I did what I could even if was taking in a parcel for them.
This thread started with RusBun saying there wasn't any bungalows that didn't need a lot doing to it. And like in real live it turned into something different.
I moved to live closer to family but am very independent. In my sit fit class I am the youngest at 65 the oldest is 91. But I love it . We all have health problems and all different but we encourage eachother and say if we notice if someone can do something they couldn't a few weeks ago. So how many here wouldn't join this group because of age difference or backgrounds?
My craft group we are a mix of ages ranging from late 20's to mid 80's. It mixed media so we just take what we work on. We would never have met if it wasn't for our love of craft but we just clicked . Yes we are loud and talk a lot and subjects range from the normal to racy . But we met every week for 2 hours no matter how ill or whatever is going on in our lives because we have the support of others.
Sadly heard yesterday one of our mad cap group is expect to died very soon. We have a closed what's app group and keep in touch most days.
So don't dismiss not living by someone you have nothing in common with. You will miss out on knowing some wonderful people.
Callistemon21
Caravansera
RusBun
25Avalon
Some areas have bungalows, apartments, and other properties that only those over 55 can buy. That keeps the purchase cost down.
They are very popular with over 75-s.
Who will have passed 55 and 60 to get to 75.
How do you know how old someone was when they moved to a particular property?Well, my DN was about 18 months old when he moved to a bungalow 😃
But you were not a part of a communal setup where you can't avoiding bumping into people and having communal matters to discuss on a regular basis.
Bungalow means something different where I live. Usually temporary things in someone’s backyard . I think bungalow is a single storey house for us. I would avoid one, personally, because I think going up and down stairs is good for you however difficult.
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Highly likely, I would say.
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Caravansera
RusBun
25Avalon
Some areas have bungalows, apartments, and other properties that only those over 55 can buy. That keeps the purchase cost down.
They are very popular with over 75-s.
Who will have passed 55 and 60 to get to 75.
How do you know how old someone was when they moved to a particular property?
Well, my DN was about 18 months old when he moved to a bungalow 😃
I am just saying that is a different generation with a different mindset. Like our flat neighbours where we are now. Nothing in common.
RusBun
25Avalon
Some areas have bungalows, apartments, and other properties that only those over 55 can buy. That keeps the purchase cost down.
They are very popular with over 75-s.
Who will have passed 55 and 60 to get to 75.
How do you know how old someone was when they moved to a particular property?
DrWatson
For Callistemon, well, sadly I'm NOT sufficiently clairvoyant to know what YOUR search criteria might have been (that "bit too far out for DH's work and relatively expensive compared to some other areas" stuff). I wasn't replying to you! Very likely some folk on here have been looking in Lincs, or Staffs (one or two have mentioned Lancs), none very relevant to Surrey. But give me more clues, and for a suitable payment I'll have a dekko for you at what might be feasible in relevant areas?!
What are you talking about?
I didn't ask for any help from you.
The tone of your post sounds rather sarcastic.
RB has snapped it up DrWatson. If you CBA to RTFT you would know that and the relevance of Epsom, rather than relying on others to fill in the gaps in your knowledge because you’re so terribly busy and you presume that nobody else is.
DrWatson
For RusBun and MOnica, how does 'Epsom' come into it? The original query doesn't mention Epsom, and I'm not clairvoyant (If I had been, I'd have won the Lottery many times over, and not be here at all?!!).
Oh, and if 'Epsom' appears somewhere on here in the intervening 8 pages or so, I do 3 voluntary jobs, haven't unlimited time to plod through that lot (some on p1 are irrelevant as it is). But please do say (RB) how a 3-bed Bung is "tiny, only just big enough for one person"??!! Shouldn't you have snapped up that really cheap corner plot one?!
If you look carefully at the square footage, then you will see that a 3-bedroom house on circa 650 sq ft is a collection of shoe boxes put together. Claustrophobic to say the least.
For RusBun and MOnica, how does 'Epsom' come into it? The original query doesn't mention Epsom, and I'm not clairvoyant (If I had been, I'd have won the Lottery many times over, and not be here at all?!!).
Oh, and if 'Epsom' appears somewhere on here in the intervening 8 pages or so, I do 3 voluntary jobs, haven't unlimited time to plod through that lot (some on p1 are irrelevant as it is). But please do say (RB) how a 3-bed Bung is "tiny, only just big enough for one person"??!! Shouldn't you have snapped up that really cheap corner plot one?!
For Callistemon, well, sadly I'm NOT sufficiently clairvoyant to know what YOUR search criteria might have been (that "bit too far out for DH's work and relatively expensive compared to some other areas" stuff). I wasn't replying to you! Very likely some folk on here have been looking in Lincs, or Staffs (one or two have mentioned Lancs), none very relevant to Surrey. But give me more clues, and for a suitable payment I'll have a dekko for you at what might be feasible in relevant areas?!
25Avalon
NotSpaghetti
25Avalon... yes, but they don't want one of those.
I never said they did. I don’t even know if there are any in or around Epsom but it is one way to keep prices down that other parts of the country have adopted. It also means no screaming kids, noisy barbecues etc just mogs 😂
And a Murder Club (on Thursdays or any day you choose).
NotSpaghetti
*25Avalon*... yes, but they don't want one of those.
I never said they did. I don’t even know if there are any in or around Epsom but it is one way to keep prices down that other parts of the country have adopted. It also means no screaming kids, noisy barbecues etc just mogs 😂
Does that mean that you wouldn’t consider such a property RusBun? How do you know that they are very popular with people over 75?
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