Fancy a challenge?

[HeyWayne]

I'm sure every village has one - the house that disappears behind the garden.

We had one in our village until recently. I have a feeling the tennant/resident was recently either taken ill, or has sadly departed. The reason I think this is that the house was boarded up for a few weeks, and the garden has recently been hacked back.

Now when I say hacked back, I mean hacked back.

Around the entire house was a mass of brambles, intertwined with grape vines (yes, I know), and various other bushes and shrubs.

Being of a lofty disposition I am able to see over the average garden fence without too much trouble, but this place was just a thick mass of branches, and foliage that you could not see the garden, or house beyond. I could however make out the frame of a greenhouse buried beneath it all, and you would walk past to a throng of birdsong - so it at least served as a wildlife haven I guess.

As I said, it has now been hacked back.

Anyone fancy a challenge?

2 bedroom semi-detached house for sale in Park Leys, Harlington, LU5

[jackie j]

If I had some spare cash that is the sort of thing I have always wanted to do. Do up a run down property and either sell it on or rent it out, the rent wouldnt be extortinate like some are.

[Marthaclematis]

It always makes me a bit sad to see a place like that. I imagine that at some point it was a family home with kids and pets and fun and laughter. And now look at it :-(
Jackie.... that's interesting what you said. Are you saying that you'd let out a property for less than it was worth? So if the average rent for a two bed house was £200 per week, you would let it for say, £180 per week? (or even less!) That's very charitable of you! Or are you a secret millionaire!

[chris]

Wow that's expensive

[jackie j]

It always makes me a bit sad to see a place like that. I imagine that at some point it was a family home with kids and pets and fun and laughter. And now look at it :-(
Jackie.... that's interesting what you said. Are you saying that you'd let out a property for less than it was worth? So if the average rent for a two bed house was £200 per week, you would let it for say, £180 per week? (or even less!) That's very charitable of you! Or are you a secret millionaire!

No not a secret millionaire but I am fed up with my kids having to pay over the odds for places to rent, eldest son pays £750 a month for 2 bed very small house here. I would find out what the rent was worth and charge a reasonable rent. We used to have a house that we rented out, 2 bed small house, we charged what we paid for the mortgage not a penny more. Unfortunatly we sold it in negative equity cos the person renting at the time kept giving us hassle, and we got fed up with it. SOOOOO wish we had kept it on now.

[Marthaclematis]

I'd like to live in Pilgrims Close with fields at the back.

Doooh Jackie, yes, I bet you are kicking yourself.

[Pumpkin Becki]

I've had enough of those sorts of challenges for at least the next five years, thanks all the same Wayney

[jackie j]

Doooh Jackie, yes, I bet you are kicking yourself.

You bet we are, I had my own house and so did OH when we got together, as mine is 4 beds and I had kids he moved in with me and we rented his out, first couple of tennants were fine no problems, the third was a loud mouthed girl with a child and without our knowledge she moved a boyfriend in, he had been in prison a few times, he put a neighbour in hospital and all sorts happened. She didnt pay the rent on time but we had to pay the mortgage and she got the rent paid for her. We got her out and a neighbour phoned us to say get here quick the police are about to break in, we showed them no one was living there and gave them her forwarding adress. I see her in town sometimes and she has been banned from all of the pubs. She now has 2 girls that I feel sorry for. We really struggled and then thought *** this, so we sold it.

[Marthaclematis]

Oh dear, awful !! We rent property but we use an agent - they charge a lot but they take care of everythiing and we are insured for non payment of rent, which has happened once, we got most of the money back eventually. Its not a money earner, there's always something needs doing, more of a long term investment for the future. Though (haa! what am I thinking!) having said that one of the properties is quite literally sinking into the ground - its gone too far for underpinning and so the whole flank wall is going to have to come down and be rebuilt. AND....arrrgghh!! the insurance company are only prepared to pay up to 15% of the cost. I'm not even thinking about it right now. My husband is at work being held hostage by a load of protesting students who have broken into the building and let off smoke bombs... they've built a bonfire in the garden outside and no one can get out. In the meantime the fire alarms are going off in their ears..... Never a dull moment round 'ere.

[Brengirl]

What a waste of a home. We have a very similar place near us. It has been empty for 15yrs and the owner cannot be traced. Local kids (including my own 2 grandchildren use it as target practice. It must be hell for the neighbours. But, saying this, I just cannot understand why it has been left deglected and unloved for so long. If a house is not a home it is an empty space.

[Two_Sheds]

Wow that's expensive

I thought that too. This is what you'd get round here for the same price

and another bedroom if you went 3 miles north of us, which is a bit grottier

[Brengirl]

You would be lucky to get a beach hut for that price round here. A bucket for mod con included.

[rustylady]

Wow that's expensive

Plus you would need to add on the cost of doing a quite considerable amount of work to it.

[Marthaclematis]

OMW... out of curiosity I searched for properties in Great Yarmouth equal to the value of my (terraced, four bed house, in one of the top five 'challenged' boroughs according to the police)... it came up with a seventeen bedroomed hotel !
Its unbelievable the difference in prices in the same country. Salaries in London no way make up for that.

[Brengirl]

Salaries in the SW do not either. We are far below the national average income but are blessed with living in a beautiful county. Problem is our kids cannot afford to live here.