westwind

We are going back in May for 7 weeks to have a good look around before making a final decision on whether to go or stay!. We are looking at South Somerset, which is where I come from, but also interested in Dorset and Devon. Wouldn't mind a nice apartment but for us, it would have to have a reasonable sized balcony. Either that or a bungalow in a village or edge of village situation. I'm always checking on Rightmove so have a good idea of prices, well asking prices anyway! I hate having to deal with UK estate agents. It doesn't matter what your budget is, they always show properties way above your limit. I hate that they have For Sale signs but when you enquire about the property, they tell you it's under offer! So I ask why is it still advertised for sale then? They reply that until contracts have been exchanged, it's not sold. In that case I ask if we can have an appointment to see it, they then respond that - no it's not available. Why then do they have a For Sale sign up? Admitedly some do have an under offer sign on, but not many. The whole system in England is archaic and I dread having to deal with these people again. OK, rant over for now.

bandrui

I was doing some checking around on the net and it seems that the consensus is that asking is anywhere from 11% to 30% above asking. I imagine that you could get better prices in the fall than right now in the busy property season.

Totnes has some impressive transportation:

rail: http://www.carlberry.co.uk/rfnlistr.asp?L1=tot003&OP=T
bus: http://www.carlberry.co.uk/rfnlistr.asp?L1=tot003&op=D
daytrips: http://www.tallyhoholidays.co.uk/Tou...e=WebItem&ID=1

I am really enamoured with this house in Buckfastleigh, right on the edge of Dartmoor with lots of walks, in a town with shops, sports, 5 pubs, swimming pool, a weekly farmers market, loads of history and the piece de resistance... drum roll please.... steam train service to Totnes (5 miles away) along the River Dart for £9.50 return on the South Devon Railway.
http://www.southdevonrailway.co.uk/timetable/fares

I know you are going to say that it's quite close to the A road but is shielded by a row of trees and several houses, plus on the other side is nothing but open country. It's a bit above my budget but who knows...

http://www.primelocation.com/uk-prop...d/RNDT6807538/

With 4 bedrooms and lots of space I could do B & B (which I used to do at my house here) and potter in my studio.

aries

A little bit of interest for Buckfastleigh . . . the name has half the letters of the English alphabet, and none are repeated. I've been there many times.

Pistolpete2

The management fees for the first two are around 3,600-4,000 pounds for a year to include insurance, maintenance, grounds and pool keeping plus the cost of a full-time attendant. Pretty hefty! You are paying for the attendant plus the large amount of common facilities and their upkeep. A typical leaseholder service charge on a property of 200,000 in a gated development with limited common areas and no attendant would, I guess, be around 1,500 pounds per annum (ins, maintenance, common area cleaning and the fees of the management company). Maintenance includes provision for the cost of, say, a complete maintenance/upkeep programme to include exterior painting and brickwork every three years or so.

The leases on these properties are long, up around 299 years so their value as leasehold and freehold are pretty much the same but they would start to come down slightly in value if the lease was less than say 80 years.

Bevm

But not so good if two want a shower at the same time.

We've been assessing what to put in our new house. We've gone with the combi because that wouldn't be a problem for us, but I'm not sure how it works for a family of 4 or 5, many wanting showers in the morning.

Bev

Bevm

I find people very cheerful down here. Of course, it's a lovely place to live, and a lot of people here are retirees with more than the minimum money. It's a pleasant, low-stress place, but it points up that "England" varies a lot by location. We've not moved into our new house yet, but whenever we visit to check on the work, some neighor introduces themselves and has a cheery chat.

I went to see The King's Speech last night at the Dawlish Shaftesbury Theatre, which is mostly a rep place but which shows films now and then. Probably seats 200 max. It was great, with people chatting as they went in and left. I was on my own, but exchanged cheery words with those around as we waited.

After, I strolled back down the street between the birds and the Dawlish Water on my left and a pub on the right where young people were sitting outside having a noisy good time, but nothing off about it, wrapped in English flags for St. George's Day.

Bev

Buckkeys

Hi Bee
I get 'newsletters' from rightmove and pretty sure I got this one last month. I will mention that I registered for tiny houses - like Louise's little cottage in Port Isaac [used in the Dr Martin series]. Then I got one re a [Welsh] magnate selling his home. Today I got Kate Middleton's house [was this a joke?] I didn't open it anyway.
Bandrui - take you up on your experiences, but LITTLE, no stairs, in a warm area.
Thanks guys for all possies.

Mummy in the foothills

True, but we can't do that here either. If two shower at once we run out of hot water, as it's the usual big tank in the garage. So everyone takes turns, and I don't switch the dishwasher or washing machine on unless no one is in the shower. We are a family of 5 (we;; 4 now Ds has moved) but sometimes 6 with visitors.

windsong

What an absolutely GORGEOUS house! I adore the bathroom! The only thing I would change is the kitchen. It's well decorated but not my taste. I don't like black and white in kitchens - too stark and too modern for me.

windsong

Give me the typically British complaints over ra-ra any day of the year.

I took a sip of Kool Aid in the first few years I was here - never since - and I have been here 30+ years. Terrible stuff!!!!

johnh009

I always remember when I moved into my first house in Canada and my neighbour, who was actually a very nice person, came round to introduce himself. I suppose the tone was set when his first words to me were "Hello, I'm Joe, I'm a chef and I'm very good at what I do". This was not the last time I was to hear this.

johnh009

I have come across this on numerous occassions and am as baffled as you are. Legally, "Under Offer" means that the vendor has been made an offer for the property but has not yet decided whether to accept before moving to "Sold subject to contract". You would think that if only in the seller's interests, they would invite you to make an increased offer. Like you say, an archaic system.

Pistolpete2

Under Offer means:

A property has an offer accepted by the vendor but contracts have yet to be exchanged.

Pistolpete2

Something picked from the Spanish section of BE Living & Moving Abroad but about apartment life in Paris. Something to consider when pondering apartment life in the UK too.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programme...ent/9463155.st

cheers

Maybe a little over budget but rural also it maybe too far out for some.

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-...-31173698.html


£355,000