Piece of cake isn’t it? Perhaps not…
No, I am not talking financing, lets leave that to the banks and building societies. Once you have that sorted it’s a case of finding the right property for you and your future. One thing on financing, I will say, is make to sure you have budgeted for everything. Struggling with mortgage payments and household bills for new homeowners (water, gas, electric, council tax, TV, telephone, travel expenses, food, household maintenance inc furniture and leisure), is something we have all done and it is harder than you think.
Finding a Home
Most people, especially first time buyers, are drawn to the glossy brochures of a new housing development with fancy show houses and sales office with pleasant, helpful staff who give you choices of finishes…. however, is this deceiving?
You may think this is obvious, but many get carried away with the glamour so here’s what to look out for:
The site layout
This can be quite difficult to see, especially in early stages of development, as the site plans in the show office will show green spaces, drives and parking with pretty pictures of cars and trees.
Check the size of the plot you are looking to purchase. With garden spaces and parking areas it is important to leave room to open a car door so you are able climb out without it hitting anything. What type of car do you drive? It’s a hassle if you have young children, are elderly or disabled to enter and exit the car in a limited space without causing damage to your car. So be sensible and make sure you have the parking space you need to open your cars door’s fully to get in and out. This is virtually impossible for side drives now-a-days so they are very often not used and roads become full of parked cars. Also remember, space for a future garage may result in less parking on your property. Where do visitors park? The show houses usually have the best-sized plots and best layouts in terms of access and visibility.
Layout of the internal rooms
The warmest and sunniest sides are usually the south with the north being the coldest, darkest side. Check window sizes, even with double-glazing the majority of heat gain and loss is through your windows. So if you can, larger windows to the south (but not too large so it can become unusable in summer) and smaller to the north.
Remember local conditions, as with the prevailing winds; houses built close together and incorrect orientation, nearer coasts, can create a wind tunnels outside your new house, or the prevailing rain could cause problem with the nice French doors. Think about where you and your family spend most of your time at home. Manoeuvring around your new homes winding staircases and corridors may be a problem for the access of chosen pieces of furniture, or large families moving around the house. Winding staircases can cause problems for toddlers and elderly people.
Room sizes and layout
Again, show houses are the better sized and have laid out properties with top of the range finishes. There are some “tricks of the trade” used for show houses, as we would say. The furniture chosen to dress the show houses is designed to make the property look larger and more spacious. Check the sizes and amount of sofas, chairs and tables. Where are the TV and set top boxes? Check the size of the bed shown in the bedroom… yes it will be described as a double, although a 1.2m (4ft) wide bed is a small double; 1.35m (4ft6) a double; 1.5m (5ft) a king; and now we have 1.8m (6ft) super kings on offer in the showrooms. The latter two being 2m (6ft6) in length over the 1.9m (6ft3). Remember, you need storage space (for clothes, luggage, cosmetics etc), dressing space, space to cater for other needs (such as children play space), and furniture space but check the amount of space you have available first. Can you fit wardrobes into the bedrooms or are you going to have to rely on the small box room as storage space?
Heights of ceilings
Strange, you may say… but the standard today is 2.4m and this is dropping to 2.3m and even 2.2m in loft rooms. 2m is the minimum headroom to the centre of the staircase area, but loft rooms are popular as further bedroom however, sloping ceilings can be restrictive in their use. Sitting of showers and hanging space could be compromised, as is comfortable circulation space. And remember, if you have the loft room you lose valuable loft storage space. A lower ceiling again, reduces storage to top shelves of wardrobes.
Services
By services I mean sockets TV and telephone points, radiators, opening windows etc. These all add to your comfort when living in your home. Don’t forget, home telephones / answer machines these days need a socket point too. TV points need more than just your standard double socket, especially if you have sky, play stations, surround sound systems. The positions of radiator can ruin the layout of a room and opening windows for natural ventilation in the two weeks of sun we get in this country. Top hung sashes can be difficult to reach if, for example, a kitchen worktop is in the way.
Like I said, you may think this is obvious but many get carried away with the developer’s glossy brochures and the idea of a new house. You still have to furnish it, up to a point; provide decorating; planting to garden. check; what carpets, blinds or curtains are provided; and does the developer turf just the front garden areas or both? This all adds to the initial maintenance costs. Not so maintenance free!
Many existing older properties sit on larger plots, so why not renovate and extend!
