Would you buy this house ?

Soldato
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I also live in Harrow, so Im quite close to Watford.
Presuming you need to commute in to London, you are over a mile away from the tube station. Shared driveway.

Dude, £850k is too much.

Have you not thought about somewhere in Harrow, spending the same sort of money? The advantage is that you will be walking distance from a big town centre and you have multiple forms of transport into London. Even if you don't work in Central London now, in the future, you probably will, so transport links are VERY important. If you work in Central London, you are probably looking at a 2 hour journey into work (4 hours return trip), including walking to the station.


If you are happy to commute for 2 hours, then look elsewhere (as others have suggested).

If that place was in HA1, I would say go for it, but WD17 is too far out and £850k is a lot of money. Have you tried discussing the price with the vendor? If you really want it, then try and knock £100k off the price.
 
Soldato
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Would love to, but can't really be more than about 15-20 mins from work due to cover/rota reasons. Watford is about as far out as I can go. And have to drive also, can,t use the train etc as need my car at work.



Mehul

Assuming you are going to live in that house for many years (say 10 years minimum), are you sure you won't ever get a job in Central London? If you do, your commute will be too long.

For £850k, I would want every possible box ticked, with no compromise.
 
Soldato
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For £850k, I would want every possible box ticked, with no compromise.

You will find that 850 will nget get that much in the london area.

I know its a lot of money but the fact is that a good 5 bed house in london with a garden and good local schools will set you back that much.

Even in sheffield a nice house in a good area (s10) will set you back 500+k.

For exmaple this place, its in a very nice area, good size and spec with a small garden.
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-20391046.html
 
Soldato
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I know its a lot of money but the fact is that a good 5 bed house in london with a garden and good local schools will set you back that much.

Watford is actually quite a fair distance outside of London. If he was talking within a 10 mile radius of Central London, I would 100% agree with you, but Watford is quite a distance away.

I'm pretty sure I could find a decent 5 bed house, for the same price, which ticks all the boxes.

Bear in mind that especially with new builds, you have the option of negotiating the price downwards - so don't forget this. Also bear in mind that new builds usually have very small rooms (to maximise profits). Personally, I would never want to live in a new build unless, I got a stonking bargain. New builds often have stud walls (not real brick walls), have small dimensions, low ceilings and in general, don't have the character or heavy weight "feel" of an older property - but this is just my opinion (not fact).

What is a fact though, is that new builds command a higher price than the equivalent old build. So if you want to get better value for money, you might want to look for an older property.

Ultimately though, its your money and if you really really like the property, then get it - who cares what other people think?
 
Man of Honour
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Sell one of the cars. Problem solved.

And when the price of petrol rockets up in the next six months..... you'll be glad you only have one car.
 
Man of Honour
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And when the price of petrol rockets up in the next six months..... you'll be glad you only have one car.

Haha, surely it makes no difference how many cars you've got - you can only drive one at once, covering say 10,000 miles in 2 cars has the same petrol costs of as covering 10,000 miles in one car!
 
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ugh, horrible location, but that's my opinion of nearly anywhere in London

house in country + public school fees + commute,
given that amount of money then no way would I buy a bling house just to live next to a school

heh, I see what you mean about the parking, what a nightmare :D

still, it's a nice problem to have ;)
 
Man of Honour
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[TW]Fox;16607894 said:
Haha, surely it makes no difference how many cars you've got - you can only drive one at once, covering say 10,000 miles in 2 cars has the same petrol costs of as covering 10,000 miles in one car!

That's a very simplistic view. And life is never that simple. Families with two cars often need to have cars going in different directions at the same time. Otherwise there would be no need for the second car. But there are other cost saving benefits to disposing of a vehicle in a multi-car household, apart from fuel, which I would have thought you might be familiar with ;)

Mehul has a couple issues with the house and disposing of a vehicle would resolve one of the problems. But a decision such as this depends entirely upon his family's circumstances and the possibility of alternative forms of transport being available.
 
Soldato
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ugh, horrible location, but that's my opinion of nearly anywhere in London

house in country + public school fees + commute,
given that amount of money then no way would I buy a bling house just to live next to a school

heh, I see what you mean about the parking, what a nightmare :D

still, it's a nice problem to have ;)

Didn't read the thread then? OP has to be within easy commute by car.

OP I still think you'll be able to get something better than that for the same money in the sort of area you need. As sunama says, you're paying a hefty premium for the new build status.
 
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WTH at that price???

When I were 11, My folks got a huge newly built detached stone house with a double garage, huge driveway, 4 double bedrooms, around 5x5 metre living room, kitchen, and main bedroom on a quiet, silent cul de sac with never a single car going by except for the people who live there / visitors (the noise the birds and neighbors kids make are annoying though :p).

Every house has lovely gardens, but the views from the inside are cramped, and it is right next to a huge cricket pitch that only our street has access to anytime there isnt a game on without requiring permission. And we have wild squirrels, but they tend to dig up and eat the bulbs that we plant :(.

£180k???? Mortgage paid off in around 10 years, If I move out then I have to live in a crapper building that would be even more expensive......

But its in Bradford and Bradford sucks. Its one of the nicest, poshest streets in bradford, but you just walk somewhere else for just 5 minutes and your in the middle of a cheap dump or right next to a church or mosque with signs outside insulting Atheists.
 
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Soldato
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Personally...no.

£850K IMO is taking the michael, even though it has a high spec finish.
That said, I've been saying for years house prices are a joke.

I've lived on busy main roads & couldn't go back to it now that I've moved to a more quiet setting. (cul-de-sac)

End of the day however, where you live is a personal choice, only you know your situation, so only you can answer if the place is right for you.

Good luck with whatever you do decide though, as moving is a stressful time, I've just moved myself. lol
 
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OP
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Hi All

Thanks for your replies. . . . . i think you are all right ; 850k is just too much for the house.

If it helps with some of the comments, I am now in a job where (touch-wood) I will be permanent for the next 35 years - so will never have to move job.

This is why the location is limited, and to be honest, I have to drive to work as we work off-site also, so communing/public transport is not really an issue for me. My wife also has to drive, so 2 cars is a neccesity.

R

Mehul
 
Soldato
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How would people feel about paying 600 to 800k for a nice 3 bed royal connaught park in Bushy?

http://www.royalconnaughtpark.com/

I really liked it when we had a look around last year.

£600k-£800k for a 3bed apartment seems a bit steep! It does look a lovely location but still not exactly penthouse in central material...

edit: actually the gallery images suggest those flats are absolutely gorgeous. No doubt the top spec 4 bed ones with a horrendous price tag...
 
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Soldato
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If it helps with some of the comments, I am now in a job where (touch-wood) I will be permanent for the next 35 years - so will never have to move job.

I can almost guarantee you that you won't be in the same job, in the same location, in 35 years. Life has a habit of taking you in unexpected driections.

This is the reason why commuting into London is important. Should you unexpectedly change jobs or maybe get offered a different post, in a Central London location, commuting into London has to be a consideration. Also, if you live in that place for the next 20 years and your kids get work in Central London, commuting would again be a consideration.

If you buy a house within a surrounding area of London, you cannot discount the 'commuting to Central London' aspect. The resale value of your home will consider the ease of commuting to C.London.

i think you are all right ; 850k is just too much for the house.

If you really like it, try putting in an offer that you feel is appropriate. You never know, the vendor may accept.
 
Associate
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4,847 thread views, 3MB file, better check your bandwidth :p

With you being a doctor I can understand the need to be local, but I think you're being over-charged for the new build factor. Personally I think you're better off getting somewhere with its own character for a little less and making it your own home. For 850k you really should make your home ideal, not settle.
 
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