House Viewing

[Raggamuffin]

Well, apartment.

Going with my gut on this one as its well priced, conveniently located, long lease and well presented. Also on the doorstep to lots of shops and multiple parks. Within an hours walk to the city centre, should I choose to do so.

Being a morning person these days could make living in a city suburb quite pleasant. Mornings in fenland towns have a wonderful stillness to them. After work I tend to spend most of my evenings at home, so I think it might be something I really enjoy.

What I will do is walk around the area a few times after the viewing. Maybe some early morning drives before work. Visit the parks, walk the local streets and get a feel for the place.

Offers over 85k. Going to offer 88k if it feels right when I go to view it. Speaking of, I rang them, wasn't expecting anyone to answer, but they did. Pre-9am on a Sunday. On call I imagine.

Asking to do a viewing tomorrow. I'll get a call back tomorrow. Also I checked and there's 245 years left on lease. Which is awesome.

Not a bad size, bear in mind that this is UK and we're stingy as hell on square footage on housing.

It's all electric. Gas scares me, so I'm overjoyed about that. Also, purpose built apartments are often ugly. But, at the same time I'd rather it be purpose built than someone buying a house to then convert it into flats. So, whilst this one isn't anything special on the eye - it was built with a purpose in mind, and does that effectively.

1 - current job location
2 - new office location

I will see if the shorter commute helps with work. It'd give me nearly 2 hours more free time per day. Perhaps it'd feel less draining. I know it's a safe job. I could stay there long enough to pay off my mortgage within 10 years - which is my long term aim.

When my parents pass, I will buy my forever home and have this flat as a £500+ a month source of income.

Ed

 

[Suzette]

That looks quite nice!
You definitely love the extra 2 hours of free time.

Personally, I prefer simple. Simple to care for. You can't permanently loose anything and you don't have to create a map or plan a schedule to find the kitchen.

Sizes in the west of the U.S. are INSANE. I recently discovered that they make refrigerators for houses that are 5 feet wide! That is bigger than a Hong Kong "coffin flat". Well, not really, but almost. I suppose that is a good thing. You can store plenty of bread for all the bread crumbs you will need to find your way around your starter castle home.

 

[Gerald Wilgus]

Nice. The walkability to things is nice. While there are reasons we chose to live in the country now, previously I lived in a very walkable town near Chicago that also had train service to the Union Station. It was always a treat to walk to breakfast, dinner, or the movies. And being a mile from the intersection of two cross-county bike trails was nice.

 

[watersprite]

Thoae are nice pictures. Looks good.

I purchased a place (U.S.) that had (has) walkability as a major factor in tthe decision. I might not love some other aspects of this place, but being able to walk just about everywhere is great. Having quiet, or fairly quiet neighbors is even more important. See - if you can - if there are rules about noise.

Good luck.

 

[Thinx]

It's nice. Apart from the weird picture in the living room. But they'll probably take that with them. Hope you get it.

 

[Gracey]

Fingers crossed it ticks all of your boxes on viewing Ed.
A flat like that is cheaper to heat and easier to clean.

There are UK sites such as 'Up my Street' and 'Check my Street' in addition to similar information provided by Estate Agents on the demographics & crime stats for your postcode.
(Who works, what percentage are on benefits in social housing, age ranges of local children and information on how many times the flats have changed hands in the past)

I don't know if it's relevant to the height of your building but the cladding/ insulation the builders used in the construction of the flats. Whether or not insurance companies approve the materials used in your building (fireproof) you may struggle to afford insurance premiums or sell the flat on otherwise.

One of my offspring has recently got their own place. They visited the area/street on a Fri & Sat night & if there was an event on, such as a footie match.
Gave them an idea of how fond of noise, parties, beer & weed their potential neighbours were

Hope it's what you're looking for Ed. Good luck.

 

[SDRSpark]

Beautiful!!!!

If the housing market is there anything like it is here, don't wait a single minute - it'll possibly be gone before you decide (I just bought a house and oh boy. They were only accepting offers for 2 or 3 days on a lot of places, with limited showings, and I couldn't even get in to see them let alone get an offer accepted).

I lived in the center of town for about 10 years and I loved it. The only thing that REALLY frustrated me was that it was a parade route. All the other problems were condo association problems, not location problems.

Being able to go out and walk to a restaurant or bar or local business was a joy, and daily walks in the park became something I really looked forward to (as long as the weather was decent) - we had a paved hiking/biking trail nearby.

 

[Raggamuffin]

Earliest I could get a viewing was Friday. This was due to the tenant. But they're on a rolling month contract, so the flat would be empty should I wish to buy it.

Going after work at 17:45. It'll be good to get a feel for the area in the evening. I think I might visit the area on Friday morning too. Spend an hour or so walking about. Get a feel for the place.

Done some street view checking of the area. There's a school behind the flats, and an old people's residence next to our flats. The school I'm sure could get noisy, but it'll be when I'm not at home. Same goes for school traffic etc. - won't be a factor when I need to drive.

The nearby shopping centre is highly rated. There's also every shop I'd ever need in terms of day to day purchases and essentials. All within 5 minute walk.

I was looking at cycle routes to work. Half hour and quite varied in terms of where it takes me. Mostly park footpaths and away from roads. I hadn't noticed that on desktop Google maps there is now an option to send the route to your phone. That way I can customise the route to avoid busier roads or locations etc to ensure it's the safest possible for cycling.

I asked if the flat could be taken off the market if the seller is happy with my offer. They said this would obviously be up to the seller, but they couldn't forsee it being an issue. That'd give me peace of mind etc.

Anyway, I'll go with my gut on the day. Get a feel for the atmosphere in the area both morning and when it's dark.

There's also a 24 hour gym close by. Looks like it'd be an 80 min walk into the city centre, but only a 15-20 min drive depending on traffic. The large meadows nearby would be perfect for long cycles and walks etc. I can follow the river along said park, and it takes you all the way into the historical centre of the city, which has a lovely medieval cathedral.

Ed