(no subject)
Not quite a call for knowledge, more a general fish around for - well, not advice as such, more people's impressions. After being dropped at the last minute by the seller of the house I *was* going to buy, I have been looking all round for somewhere to move into, and have narrowed down the search options for one of four. All are in the same area, a suburban village that is slowly being subsumed by South Belfast. It's 10 minutes by train from the city centre (more by bus, possibly much more depending on the traffic). I've cycled it in to work from there in under 25 minutes, so it's within reasonable travel time when I don't want to use public transport. All are nice enough in their own way, but I'm having trouble choosing which one to go for, and fear that if I wait too long all four might go. That's where you, dear LJ-verse, come into it.
These are the properties, in descending order of handiness to local amenities (train, bus, Tesco, off-license etc):
1) Average sized 2-bedroomed mid-terrace, about as close to everything as it's possible to get.
Average sized lounge, with archway through to small dining area with storage along one wall. Archway to the right through to kitchen, door to the left through to rear porch and bathroom. Doors out back to small "City"-style patio garden (with right-of-way for the other houses in the block for their bins).
Upstairs are two bedrooms, one large double and one large single/small double.
The house looks lovely, and is a good size for my needs, but there are a number of issues:
a) there is no central heating
b) all the windows are single glazed
c) the kitchen/bathroom extension is a flat roof.
Now, I know there are ways and means of keeping a flat roof leak-free (mostly involving constant vigilance and maintenance), and a very good set of curtains are as effective as all but the most expensive double glazing, so really the only main problem here is the lack of central heating. The question is: is the installation of a boiler, 4 radiators and a heated towel rail the sort of job that I would either want or be able to afford after buying?
(The one advantage with this house is that I really do like going up on the roof whenever I can, I think it must be the cat part of me finding a release.)
2) Fairly large 3-bedroomed mid-terrace, about a minute away from the train, 3 minutes from the post office, 4 minutes from Tesco/off-license.
Large through lounge, opening into dining area and kitchen. The main bathroom is just off the dining area. The kitchen extension was re-built recently, but the roof (single slope, shallow pitch) is unfinished and the kitchen itself is only half-installed (the base units are in, as is the cooker and sink, so it's at least functional as a kitchen). The kitchen door opens into a small utility area with sliding patio doors opening onto a rear patio area enclosed with a low wall.
Upstairs is lovely, with two large double rooms, one large single and a separate W.C. The smaller bedroom (at the rear of the house above the dining room/bathroom) has a cat-flap in the window opening out onto the kitchen roof, while the larger back bedroom has a small south-facing balcony.
It's got a lot of potential, but there is some work to be done to make it a really nice home. It's fairly well, priced, though, which could allow me to afford to get at least some of the work done immediately.
3) Average sized 2-bedroom first floor apartment in a 4-apartment block in a quiet cul-de-sac in a very pretty residential area - lots of trees and greenery. About 5 minutes walk to the train station, 8 minutes to the post office, 9-10 minutes to Tesco.
Entrance is through the side door, flight of stairs up to the main hallway, which all the rooms open off. The lounge is fairly roomy, the kitchen is a decent enough size, large enough for a small table and 4 chairs, and contains the boiler for the gas central heating. The bedrooms are a reasonable size, one medium double and one small double. Bathroom is average sized. Access to the roofspace through the hall.
Outside, there is a small enclosed garden, half in paving, half in lawn, with a shed. To the rear are fields and trees.
This is a lovely looking property, ready to move into, and it does have a garden, which none of the others do. But it's slightly more expensive, so the question is: is a garden and a property that I can basically move straight into worth the extra £4k?
4) Small 2-bedroom end-terrace, about 10 minutes away from the train station, slightly less than that to Tesco, and about 4-5 minutes from the village main street.
The lounge/dining room and kitchen have all been knocked into one, producing a fairly large room which gives a nice open feeling to the downstairs while still keeping the living/eating areas nicely separate. Outside is a fair-sized rear yard with oil tank and boiler.
Upstairs are one medium/large double and one large single/small double bedrooms, and the bathroom, which has been recently renovated.
While the house feels roomy thanks to the downstairs being all knocked into one, it's not actually that big. Just big enough for two people, certainly, but the problem is that both Lucy and I are hoarders - we find it very hard to chuck stuff out. Obviously before I move I'm going to have to do that, but it's tough, y'know?
Anyhew, other than being a little on the small side, and a wee bit further from things, it seems to be in extremely good nick, and in fairly quiet residential area. A bit more expensive, but for a house that I could basically move into, it might be worth the little extra.
Taking all of this into account, do I go for the cheaper, handier options which require some work done to them, or one of the not-quite-as-handy but only needing a lick of paint options?
Poll First steps on the property market
These are the properties, in descending order of handiness to local amenities (train, bus, Tesco, off-license etc):
1) Average sized 2-bedroomed mid-terrace, about as close to everything as it's possible to get.
Average sized lounge, with archway through to small dining area with storage along one wall. Archway to the right through to kitchen, door to the left through to rear porch and bathroom. Doors out back to small "City"-style patio garden (with right-of-way for the other houses in the block for their bins).
Upstairs are two bedrooms, one large double and one large single/small double.
The house looks lovely, and is a good size for my needs, but there are a number of issues:
a) there is no central heating
b) all the windows are single glazed
c) the kitchen/bathroom extension is a flat roof.
Now, I know there are ways and means of keeping a flat roof leak-free (mostly involving constant vigilance and maintenance), and a very good set of curtains are as effective as all but the most expensive double glazing, so really the only main problem here is the lack of central heating. The question is: is the installation of a boiler, 4 radiators and a heated towel rail the sort of job that I would either want or be able to afford after buying?
(The one advantage with this house is that I really do like going up on the roof whenever I can, I think it must be the cat part of me finding a release.)
2) Fairly large 3-bedroomed mid-terrace, about a minute away from the train, 3 minutes from the post office, 4 minutes from Tesco/off-license.
Large through lounge, opening into dining area and kitchen. The main bathroom is just off the dining area. The kitchen extension was re-built recently, but the roof (single slope, shallow pitch) is unfinished and the kitchen itself is only half-installed (the base units are in, as is the cooker and sink, so it's at least functional as a kitchen). The kitchen door opens into a small utility area with sliding patio doors opening onto a rear patio area enclosed with a low wall.
Upstairs is lovely, with two large double rooms, one large single and a separate W.C. The smaller bedroom (at the rear of the house above the dining room/bathroom) has a cat-flap in the window opening out onto the kitchen roof, while the larger back bedroom has a small south-facing balcony.
It's got a lot of potential, but there is some work to be done to make it a really nice home. It's fairly well, priced, though, which could allow me to afford to get at least some of the work done immediately.
3) Average sized 2-bedroom first floor apartment in a 4-apartment block in a quiet cul-de-sac in a very pretty residential area - lots of trees and greenery. About 5 minutes walk to the train station, 8 minutes to the post office, 9-10 minutes to Tesco.
Entrance is through the side door, flight of stairs up to the main hallway, which all the rooms open off. The lounge is fairly roomy, the kitchen is a decent enough size, large enough for a small table and 4 chairs, and contains the boiler for the gas central heating. The bedrooms are a reasonable size, one medium double and one small double. Bathroom is average sized. Access to the roofspace through the hall.
Outside, there is a small enclosed garden, half in paving, half in lawn, with a shed. To the rear are fields and trees.
This is a lovely looking property, ready to move into, and it does have a garden, which none of the others do. But it's slightly more expensive, so the question is: is a garden and a property that I can basically move straight into worth the extra £4k?
4) Small 2-bedroom end-terrace, about 10 minutes away from the train station, slightly less than that to Tesco, and about 4-5 minutes from the village main street.
The lounge/dining room and kitchen have all been knocked into one, producing a fairly large room which gives a nice open feeling to the downstairs while still keeping the living/eating areas nicely separate. Outside is a fair-sized rear yard with oil tank and boiler.
Upstairs are one medium/large double and one large single/small double bedrooms, and the bathroom, which has been recently renovated.
While the house feels roomy thanks to the downstairs being all knocked into one, it's not actually that big. Just big enough for two people, certainly, but the problem is that both Lucy and I are hoarders - we find it very hard to chuck stuff out. Obviously before I move I'm going to have to do that, but it's tough, y'know?
Anyhew, other than being a little on the small side, and a wee bit further from things, it seems to be in extremely good nick, and in fairly quiet residential area. A bit more expensive, but for a house that I could basically move into, it might be worth the little extra.
Taking all of this into account, do I go for the cheaper, handier options which require some work done to them, or one of the not-quite-as-handy but only needing a lick of paint options?
Poll First steps on the property market