UkWinds5353

That's amazing! For every home I viewed there were 10 I liked just as much, and some of which I made the decision not to post just in case they are on the market when we are ready to buy.

UkWinds5353

Are you from Ireland?

christmasoompa

They may well be. We've had quite a few viewings but no offers yet, people really seem to be holding fire until after Brexit. Which we suspected would happen, and I can't say I blame them. So you may find you're in a strong position and as a buyer ready to go and with no chain will be very sought after.

Best of luck.

Moses2013

Not originally (although also Irish routes) but now live in Ireland. Moved from the UK nearly 10 years ago.

Pulaski

Beware of "listed" properties - it means it is a registered historic building and there are restrictions on modifications you can make both externally and internally. For example you might not be allowed to install double-glazed windows, and it is unlikely you could either add an extension or change the layout of the interior much either. I'm not saying "don't buy one" but just be aware of what you are getting into. There are at least three different "grades" of listing with different degrees of restrictions.

In this specific case, note that it has a thatched roof, which will need to be replaced every 20 years or so, but as an American you might be more will to accept that fact!

UkWinds5353

Thanks

UkWinds5353

My family has Irish roots as well. Are you in the Cork area or closer to Dublin? I look forward to taking my kids over to Ireland because for them traveling through Europe is going to be like experiencing a bit of history.

UkWinds5353

P, are you saying American homes are not built to last?

I wouldn't say no to a period home aka "listed" property. it just depends on it's condition and like you said how much work we're allowed to do on it. Starting out we'll probably keep it simple and find a place with expansion potential but not too much of a project property. At some point we might want to add a indoor pool especially with the UK weather. My wife likes older and newer homes but she was raised in a house 80 years old back then. You just don't see that in the States.

Pulaski

Well metal roofs have at last become the norm in my neck of the woods, now that Americans have woken up to the idea that installing a roof with an expected life of 20 years is not sensible!
No, "period" and "listed" are not aka's for each other, they are separate matters. Any older property might be described as "period", in other words it has no legal meaning, but "listed " has a specific meaning and is a potential legal minefield, and while I am not an expert of matters of listed properties, I am fairly comfortable saying that would be challenging to attach an indoor pool to a listed property.

christmasoompa

As long as you are sensitive to it, and get on the right side of your local Conservation Officer, most things aren't an issue, unless you get a real ogre of a Conservation Officer. We've done a 100 sq m kitchen extension, turned a bedroom in to a bathroom, put new windows in and added Velux windows, knocked walls down, and got permission for a standalone annexe in the garden, etc, all with no issues and our house is Grade II* listed.

We've looked at several listed properties with indoor pools just in our area so definitely possible, but again it would just have to be sensitively done and will very much depend on your Conservation Officer. I rather liked this one, which had a clever indoor and outdoor pool - https://www.struttandparker.com/prop...l-street-lot-1

If you do find a listed property you love, I'd recommend making contact with him/her before you commit to buying, to get an idea of how they may feel about your proposed intentions. There are also lots of places you can get good advice, such as Historic England, and even grants available if you buy a property in real need of rescuing.

HTH.

UkWinds5353

You make a very valid point and thanks for reminding me about terminology. Sometimes I'm bad about American colloquialism habits. A familiarity in one culture can totally lose it's meaning elsewhere.

UkWinds5353

That is a stunning property and one I would refer to as going all in which we're not quite ready for. The landmass it self really makes that property but it would require a real commitment. Funny thing is if you want a home to be fully appointed with privacy that is about the price point we'll need to consider. We've budgeted max about 1.8m and mostly because we will buy a second home somewhere with warm weather in another country. And I always like to have options just in case the original plan long term no longer feel satisfying. But you know something, based on what I'm seeing online, I think 1.2m or less might buy us what we want for now. We have bought and sold seven houses and several we thought were keepers, and the one we have now is the one we've enjoyed the most and that's why we'll hold-on to it. But if your home is like that in this link, it must hold a lot of fun memories.

UkWinds5353

Chrismasoompa

Now I understand why you thought some of the properties I posted were hideous. They are compared to that lovely Estate you up loaded

UkWinds5353

If a person is willing to live in the countryside you really can own a small piece of English architecture. This home is quite nice and the land size is manageable.

http://www.struttandparker.com/properties/grove-hill-1

UkWinds5353

I now see the importance of picking the right real estate firm in the UK versus here in America. It's a huge deal especially if they have a reputation for representing certain type of properties.

Strutt and parker is a good source.