Owning your own home

Stevens Crescent, Totterdown.

It seems you have to have a lot more money to buy in BS5 these days than when i bought here 7 years ago. There is not a chance in hell I would pay the amount of money it costs for a 2 bed house round here these days.

Live somewhere else. That’s my advice.

Asking price is a bit irrelevant, the price they're selling at is the price they're selling at (although I'd have a chat with the estate agent, accepting they may not be 100% honest, whether these sales are actually completing at that price).

It might be worth looking somewhere else, where are all the people that are being priced out of these areas going to instead?

Trowbridge.

TBH it feels, to me, like there is a price bubble growing in Bristol ATM. Could be wrong, but I'd wait for winter. Sales seem to be a bit slower then/less competitive, and it would let the effects of lockdown & the stamp duty holiday wear off a bit.

I think it's a little unrealistic to think it will wear off (sadly), the sold prices during this period will push the pricing up as they will become the comparables for valuing anything going forwards.

So while maybe less competitive in the future, the prices will have already shifted north.

I'm not sure about a bubble. Look what you would get for that money in a part of London a lot grimmer than BS5. With covid and home working, the cat's out the bag

Yeah, I do acknowledge that. The reason I think bubble is partially the values, but also the way people are buying at the moment. Viewings full in 10 minutes, bids before viewings, bids at 10, 15, 20% over asking. It points, to me, at a collective urgency (for want of a better phrase) where getting a place comes before assessing the value of the house itself.

I mean who knows. But it was like that when I bought in BS2, 5 years ago...

@hoops where do you reckon? It is bonkers, and if I do it I'll feel I won't make anything on the house (though not buying for that reason- fed up of renting). Cheers :)

@aggi will ask that and check land registry

@lemonade you're st werburghs right? Re-assuring to know it was like that 5 years ago.

@LHL I'm gonna keep my hat in the ring but trying not to be tempted to pay over the (already inflated) odds for something for the sake of getting a house

They're not building anymore nice Victorian houses, all the developments are even more expensive (cooperation road one bs5, brook dye works in st werbs) and bs5 is becoming more desirable all the time I think, so it might keep going up. But in 5 years, would it really be 500k for a 2 bed house?

@danb lovely house just had a look.

Not just bristol, Glasgows the same. Lot of people i think are gonna be left with custard on there face if shit goes south.

Land registry is a bit behind, it will give an idea but will be missing the last three months or so.

You can download all data for a postcode, e.g. BS5 on the website

Yep St Werburghs. Don't think I would be able to afford my house if I was buying now, but altho things were a little cheaper when I bought, it was still super frenetic.

There seem to be decent if somewhat unfashionable 1930s 3 beds in Eastville for sub £350k. If you are not dead set on Victorian there is better value to be had.

Or for something else not period but in good nick and good location:
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/109372412#/

Most of the older Building Surveyors I know tend own Edwardian - 1930s properties. Understanding of materials, labour skills and adaptability of buildings is seen as having peaked in this era.

@Currid I've heard this too. The BS5 area (speaking about Easton specifically here but will apply wider) according to domestic surveys (forum recommendation) wasn't always as desirable/affluent as it is becoming now and so a lot of the houses have been maintained cheaply/badly. So you could get a real lemon.

All my local friends will be in Clifton/redland renting for the next 3-4 years so want to be able to get from Stapleton road there on the train easily. Going further out than greenbank/Easton isn't on the cards at the moment though it may if I am priced out. Do think it's a better investment to get a house in Easton/greenbank rather than a small flat in those areas plus space for bikes and no leasehold problems.
Appreciate all the advice as always. Looking at 4 this weekend, will link them after work.

If you are all this side of Bristol, bristol grit Wednesday nights is great I find. Nice group, interestesting routes, pub after.

Good luck @bobble, hope it goes well

@LHL cheers, will be odd updates in here. Looks like quite a few of us here, would you be up for a ride/beer one weekday evening? Would invaluable to chat about all of this in person with some people who have been here a while

Bristol isn't that big, I would never bother getting a train within Bristol*, as it's almost always quicker to ride, or even walk, when you take into account the walk to station, wait for train, walk from station.

Apart from maybe from Filton/Patchway

@danb good point and did even scoot across bristol the other day.
I haven't mentioned this a while ago but not been speaking about my situation for a while but being relatively young, hoping to rent a room out under the gov scheme for the next few years to cover some of the mortgage. So it needs to be somewhere where a friend/colleague would want to live

My building survey has come back fine (as it can be) on a mid terrace Victorian property -but it is suggested the property has rising damp. This has been measured using a moisture meter, there is no visual evidence as the property has been entirely refurbed new plaster etc.

There is some damp in the cellar noted by myself and the Surveyor (as expected), but this doesn't concern me as I have already budgeted to get someone in to redo the floor membrane, concreate etc and tank/waterproof the walls etc, as this space will be for bikes and a workshop.

I've asked my solicitor to enquire if any DPC was carried out as part of the refurb, the surveyor says there is evidence of chemical treatment at the back of the house. It's not a deal breaker, but I also don't intend to strip off brand new plaster to find out if there is an issue or not, so it might be something we have to keep an eye on and deal with later down the line if it is an issue.

Has anyone experienced this and have any advice?