Looking at houses / need some help....

[NICKYB]

Hi all,

I viewed a house last week, realy liked it but needs a hell of a lot of work!
The one thing that really annoyed me was the garden:

The rear of the house has an extension (this takes up a lot of the garden but adds much more to the house) for some reason there is a garage in the middle of the garden!

With a side garden next to the garage would i need planning permission to move the garage?

Its a semi detached with a bike path next to the garden so no neighbours should have a problem with it.

The house is currently up for £152k (6 months no offers)
Before we even got through the door the estate agent said they would take £140K

To be honest my limit is £140K and looking at it we would need to spend 10k to get it to what we want.

Do you think an offer of 130k is pushing it?

 

[Geezer]

If you don't ask you don't get. Nothing to lose!

 

[Ade B]

Re planning permission, assuming you will be the freeholder and the property is not in a conservation area or listed, have a look at the Planning Portal under permitted development. I'd be very surprised if you couldn't move the garage.

There may be party wall issues if you are proposing to rebuild the garage on or near the boundary. Have a look here for more info - there's a pdf download which is pretty comprehensive. Party Wall issues are usually more aggro than planning in our experience which may account for the present location of the garage.

Also check the deeds, there may be covenants etc. which limit development to the property - this may or may not have been adhered to by the previous owners...

HTH

Ade

 

[macscrooge]

As far as making an offer goes - what's the worst that can happen? I have always managed to haggle a few grand off the price of every house I have bought.

 

[CAT220]

What is the saying, "if your not embarrased by your first offer then your offering too much" or along those lines. Worst they can say is no.

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

Cheers,
C

 

[crockers]

Some people - if offered way too little will think the person making the offer is a time waster and just laugh..and not treat him as serious.

In this market though -- think of the most you will pay then offer a good £20k+ below this..

Look at it another way - If the house is on for £150k and you offer £140k and they accept it - you are both happy...

Then you wake up the next day and wonder - should I have offered less...they think should we have accepted more -- and you're both unhappy.

BUT -- if you both work towards an agreement - you both feel you have won.

 

[BQF]

£130k? For a house?

I'm obviously living in the wrong place....

 

[renault12ts]

£130k? For a house?

I'm obviously living in the wrong place....

It must be just the kitchen?

 

[Oily Rag]

£130k? For a house?

I'm obviously living in the wrong place....

Yes, you are.!!! But it's not your fault. North/South divide and all that.!
The price you pay for location,location,location, unfortunately


P.S.To O.P. If they are happy to take 140k, then offer 125, gives you 15k to budget for the unexpected, limit yourself though, say 130k tops and stick to it.

 

[Tan]

We purchased our house when the market was very buoyant and we offered £20k under the asking price and it was accepted.

Before I made the offer I told my sister in law, who was an Estate agent at the time what I was going to do and she said that it was too low but the vendor didn't.

I always find making offers on anything, so long as you say it with a smile on your face then it causes less offence and leaves the door open for negotiation.

 

[alanf]

Go for 130 you can always increase your offer. As for prices the last house i bought was 69k then 57,68,66 and 72k. All bought in the last 18 months and all giving me an average £500 a month rent. It's not all bad up North.

Alan

 

[Honey Bear]

The price you pay for location,location,location, unfortunately

I've told them some one needs to get that show off the telly. Lol

I'm looking for a property of my own too. But imtempted by a garage In an old railyway arch. It's not freehold but the price is just about right. So I need to haggle into the depths of shame to get it near to what I want to pay for it.

I wish you all the luck in the world mate. Though by the sounds of it, if they will accept 140k they will accept lower too; I'd offer a serious but "not what they're expecting" amount. Make your first offer an odd number - this makes it look like you haven't just made it up if the top of your head. Remember they'll need to work for your money too.

I nearly landed a fantastic deal on a flat till I pulled out. It just wasnt right. And I would have been the only one living in the conversion. I might make an offer on the 3 flat property if the other flats don't go.


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[NICKYB]

cheers all...i have a lot to think about before making an offer (i do however feel much better about making the 130k offer)

 

[Honey Bear]

Keep us updated. We hope things go well for you.


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[rees_A]

Any chance you can send me the number for the estate agent, I'll make an offer of £120k
for it, you can then go in at £130k and the sellers will think..Well it's 10k more than the last offer ...lol

 

[Chattonmill]

I made an offer on my house in the silly territory. Was up for £220k and I offered £170k. The offer was turned down. I thought I would wait two weeks and go up £10k, but a week later I got the call asking if my offer still stood!
Turns out it was a bit of a messy divorce going on and the house was the last thing to be finalised.
She had run away with another woman and taken the kids, he didn't take that one well....

 

[NICKYB]

Believe it nor not a mate of mine put an offer on a house 100k under the asking price, this was refused and unbelievable he had a call 3 YEARS later asking if he was still interested (He ended up buying it 100k less!!)

 

[Spin_bowler]

Remember it is just what it says, an asking price, it's not set in stone. We're in the middle of the moving process at the moment and the most we saw a seller come down was £60K on a £550K house. It still wasn't low enough in our opinion so it didn't go through but there are definitely deals to be done.

As others have said it's a business transaction at the end of the day and no-one should be offended by any offer, no matter how low as long as it's made in the right spirit and seriously. They only have to say 'no' to make it go away, after all.

 

[A210AMG]

I would go in low...

You can always up it a little. Its been for sale for 6 months and no Offers. How desperate are they to sell....

Also are you a first time buyer (no chain) that WILL give you an advantage.

I would even go in at £120K and see what they say. You never know. I've bought some houses with some low bids before now you maybe supprised.

Have you had any sort of survey done also? as thats a point to come round to a deal...


Good luck

 

[Piff]

A lot can be down to how the house is priced in the first place. When I last moved, I needed to sell quickly so the house was priced accordingly.
House priced at £150k when other similar houses were priced at £160k
Sold to the first viewer at the asking price.