Tapestry Rails

[robgil]

how much do you need to get for it stacey?
how much will it cost to do the building work and how fast do you need it gone?
perhaps a loan to do the works or a re-mortgage might be an easier solution with a re-think to keep the features and to make any building work reversible?
i wouldnt bother with estate agents, they dont have your best interests at heart, you need to sell this house your self.

 

[Tom]

i wouldnt bother with estate agents, they dont have your best interests at heart, you need to sell this house your self.

I agree, but it can be a scary prospect if you haven't done it before. If Stacey can do it though, she would save herself shedloads

 

[FamilyWiggs]

Stacey - on the forum question, if you come to a forum mainly dedicated to the conservation and preservation of old buildings and ask for advice on where to flog all the historical fabric in your building to fund its permanent conversion into apartments, I think it not unreasonable to expect some fairly negative responses. :wink: TBH I think that folk have been pretty restrained on the whole.

Anyway, on a more helpful bent, there are 661 5+ bedroom properties listed on Rightmove within 20 miles of Humberside airport. No idea if this is your locality, but the sensible ones start at about page 7 or page 8 of the link below:

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/Humberside-International-Airport.html?minBedrooms=5&displayPropertyType=houses&oldDisplayPropertyType=houses&radius=20.0&index=60

Maybe this will help you talk to some of the agents again, or identify some agents it might be worth contacting about your property.

It does seem like you are in a difficult situation. If someone is offering £5k for your fireplaces in order to sell them on, then this seems rather extraordinary; either that or you have some very fine examples. Any chance of some pics - we may be able to help better of we can see what you're working with.

 

[middi]

Hi Stacey.

We do noT know the full circumstances that have prompted your removal of period fixtures and fittings. Whilst the people on this forum would ( most likely in my estimation) be very sympathetic to any precarious situation you may find yourself in I don't think any of us would be very sympathetic towards removal and "selling" of period features.

It is not in the spirit of this forum. Nevertheless you have to do what is best for you given the situation you may find yourself in. Unfortunately a lot of people in the past would have used the same reasoning power as yourself,either by design or by default, hence historic fabric and buildings are slowly disappearing into oblivion. At worse they will be totally gone, at best a few door knockers or curtain rails may be found on 21st C. built modern housing estates.
Hope you understand the reason as to why all the concerns expressed in the other rplies to you post.

Middi

 

[JoceAndChris]

Middi puts it very fairly.

Stacey, I'm crying for you - just before Christmas too. You're obviously in an awful situation, are there lodgers with you to help with bills?

We bought our Lincolnshire property whilst living in London - it was advertised in Country Life and Rightmove. I never thought I'd come back to Lincolnshire, but it was such a good deal, and the only period property I looked at that had pretty much all of its history intact. You need to get countrywide with this sale.

 

[staceym]

When I bought my house it had been on the market for 18 months and that was in the market boom. We probably paid way too much for it, but I loved it and it worked for my Partner's business. I have lived here alone for over 3 years now and I have remortgaged and borrowed money just to keep it going, the insurance & heating are over £100 each per month. The damp proof course failed and the electrics all needed re-doing. I owe more than £30,000 than what the house is worth. I would have sold it for £170k but the estate agents were very clear that only a developer would buy it (they remember the house from the first time round) and they would only pay the stamp duty level for it. That isn't feasible. My sister lives in it at the moment, just to stop squatters moving in.

I understand what you are all saying, I really do, my house is gorgeous and I know its history. I love it. But no-one else would. It is isn't in a pretty little village or even on a fancy road in a town or city, it's a townhouse in an industrial town where half the houses are being ripped down as part of its grant from Europe. If I could pick it up and move it to Leeds I would be a very happy girl, but location is everything and it's something I don't have. Those rightmove properties are lovely but none are near me and they are all either 'finished' (i have only managed to restore 3 rooms) or have paddocks or gardens or a good postcode.

There is no land, just a small garden and yard, 4 storeys and lots of rooms. I know you all think this is the easy route for me, but this is the hardest thing I have ever done. I asked the question on this forum because I wanted the items to go to other period properties, not landfill and I thought that you would be able to help, i wasn't trying to wind anyone up. I am having to do this all by myself, with no help from anyone. It's really hideous.

 

[JoceAndChris]

I feel very sad for you but can't help thinking there are some whopping errors of judgement in what you're saying.

Electrics needing doing, damp proof courses going wrong, undecorated rooms, that's very normal for the likes of us on here . In fact it's a positive advantage as it gives the freedom to do the house as you want. Not everyone wants a paddock or a labour intensive garden.

You fell in love with it, what makes you think you're alone in your tastes? Someone else would too. Our house took nearly three years to sell - not on mains, no road here, utterly isolated, horrible town, ancient decorations. But I fell in love with it. Someone else will see the potential, so it just comes down to whether you have time to wait? Which doesn't sound like you do.

 

[jocelyn plummer]

Hey Stacey, brave girl for telling all...... have you considered an agent who deals with house auctions?

It is tough doing this on your own, and no doubt you've got people breathing down your neck, but there is some good advice for you in this thread, so try to take a good look at some of the suggestions. There has to be a way forward that is less drastic than your first ideas. Also are you sure that the Agents that have made those suggestions are not covering up for some private agenda for other gains and maybe your loss?
What are the houses around you like, have they been marketed recently--- the land registry or http://www.zoopla.co.uk or www.nethouseprices.com will give you some pretty good ideas.

 

[Tom]

You fell in love with it, what makes you think you're alone in your tastes? Someone else would too.

I agree with Joce. You can't be the only person in the whole country who likes your house! All houses are worth nothing unless someone wants to buy them. You just need to find the right buyer and having countrywide exposure is what you need to help you achieve this.

Our house was on the market for 6 years before we bought it! Please don't despair. The right buyer is out there. Hopefully, between us all we may be able to find a way forward for you

 

[middi]

Ok Stacy, the present "boom and bust" situation.If there is any tiny consolation is that you are not unique to fall victim.

From your point of view it must be very difficult ,I am sure. It must feel like being in a tunnel with a loads of debts to pay and no light at the end of it. Well, if it means selling historic fabric so you can see some light at the end of the tunnel all you may be seeing, as you get closer to solve the problem, is probably someone with a torch bringing you more problems.
No, I do not know what the answer is,especially in this economic climate, but I can only suggest that the decision you have to make has to be drastic, decisive and probably life changing (definetely no regrets attached), I am sure you will feel better for it.

Good luck

Middi

 

[staceym]

Thanks for your posts. I know it sounds like a sob story, it's just desperation..

I tried auctioneers, some said yes go for it, others said to do it, but be prepared for it to only go for stamp duty level - again to a developer. You can put reserves on, but its pricey. I can't afford for it to go for that little and to be honest, I doubt my mortgage company would agree to it because of the risk involved.

The electrics are done. As is most of the dpc, it's been a pricey few years

I do understand all of your points about someone else will be as mad as me, and I would hope that is true. I looked at advertising it on websites similar to this and in magazines for period properties but mine doesn't fit in with them. Most of them are very pretty and worth tonnes of money putting mine in at £170k would look weird - that was the opinion of everyone I spoke to at the time. Maybe I am wrong, but I am not sure I have the time or confidence to deal with timewasters or people coming to look at my house when I am on my own......... stupid I know, but I am quite young, female and tiny and I wouldn't feel safe showing people round my house. Just to let you know what I am up against, the house 3 doors down in my terrace has been for sale for 2 years at £135,000. It has had 2 offers on it and the last house to sell in my postcode was mine!! I need to sell it or do something with it before the interest rates pick up, so hopefully I have next year to do it, but who knows.......

I know the estate agents just looked on mouseprice, because I'd already done that, so I could have guessed what they were going to tell me. It infuriates me that for insurance purposes, my rebuild value is £0.5million but it can't even raise £125k on the market.

If someone can suggest a website or an agent who will deal with it (& that won't cost me huge amounts to advertise it) I could give it a shot for the next 2 months or so, as planning will take that long anyway.

In the meantime, I have found out that I will have more luck searching for tapestry rods and I have also found a fireplace that looks just like mine for £24,500 which can't be right, but I am going to investigate. It was the poshest house in the area in its original life (& the first house in the whole region to get central heating - hence the ship pipes in my cellar!) so who knows.........I have to do something though

 

[middi]

Stacey, if those fireplaces are quite valuable have you considered asking one of the better auction houses as to what the open market value actually may be ?.

You may be surprised.

What you have to take into consideration is the fact that by stripping the " assets" how much will it devalue the property. You have to do some more homework on this point

Middi

 

[Tom]

Stacey, if you can wait a few months to sell, then wait. Now is not the time to be putting any house on the market. People are too wrapped up in Christmas (no pun intended!) as well as being fixated on huge energy bills. The housing market always dips at this time of year, anyway. The thing is, if you put it on now, by the time the market picks up yours will have been on for 3-4 months. If it hasn't sold, people will assume there's something wrong with it when really it's just been a dead marketing time. Plus, houses always look and feel better in the Springtime. You can get the windows open, make it look and feel fresher and more homely, even if there's work to be done. Houses that need work always look gloomier, smell mustier and feel colder in the winter. Do you have time to wait? If so, would that allow you time to splash a bit of paint around to 'freshen it up' (a favourite estate agents tip!).

 

[robgil]

some photos would be nice , just because i am nosey but you never know , when i was looking for a house i ended up asking on here so you may get potential buyers on here also.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Rob is right. Somebody reading this thread could want it, or could mention it to someone who might, so, if you don't want to give the precise address away ( understandable) a little description would be nice.

Most of us on here would, I'd imagine, go along with the notion that these houses are more important, or at least enduring than us and once we've bought them we're the guardians for the next generation. It involves a good deal of discomfort sometimes - as you've found - but there's a moral responsibility with this irreplaceable heritage that makes doing what you propose pretty unthinkable.

I just can't believe you wouldn't get 175k for a 7 bedroom house. Your thinking that it wouldn't fit in with other advertised period properties that are more expensive can't be right, surely? Lots of us on here have small budgets, and want abigg project. And you can filter out time wasters with phone calls.

If this house were mine I'd want it advertised here, on Rightmove and in at least one national newspaper and one period property magazine. Yes, you will have hundreds of people traipsing through ( the previous owner here said the prospective buyers were "dozens and dozens" over 2 years ) - but you owe that to the house.

I find it really hard to believe that you have such valuable fireplaces in an unlisted building, or that the sale of such things really does make financial sense. Send a photo of your fireplaces to the people at the bottom of this post to get a valuation, and look at properties on Rightmove with them to see how much more valuable they make a house. For example my house, which was sold as a three bedroomed property with one acre in a not very nice part of Lincolnshire, went for the same amount as much bigger properties, in a nice Lincs village, without period features. At the time I remember thinking that the period features seemed to be putting around 50 - 80k on the typical house price.

http://www.britainsheritage.co.uk/

 

[Moo]

When we put our house-before-last on the market we, too, began to despair of ever finding a buyer. An estate agent friend (one of the rare ones who really loves houses) had warned us that, because it was (and still is) a rather special house, it might take some time before a rather special buyer came along.
He was right. It was on the market for ages, with lots of viewings but no sensible offers, and in the end we stopped bothering and went on holiday.
We got back to find ourselves at the beginning of a bidding war! ** A bit like the fabled London buses - you wait for ages and ages and then several come along at the same time.

A suggestion, should you decide to have a go at selling it in the new year:
make a list of all the work that remains to be done and get quotes from reputable local builders; then, when potential buyers come round, you can give them an idea of how much it will cost them in total (purchase price + building work). That's what we did, and it seemed to work.

** And the best bit was that the winners were a lovely couple who felt exactly the same about the house as we did, and have done all the things we'd have like to do but couldn't afford, plus quite a few things that we wish we'd have thought of. A bit of a fairy tale, really.

 

[Nigel Watts]

Listed buildings are not infrequently converted into smaller units with all the necessary permissions so I question your contention that the only way to convert your house is to rip everything out first.

 

[Moo]

Careful, Nigel - your IQ's showing!
That's a rather profound observation, and certainly applies to my house. It was once part of something much bigger that, when times got hard, was sliced up to become a small terrace.

 

[JoceAndChris]

And looks absolutely glorious with its beautiful, old and original features Moo.

 

[Tom]

Listed buildings are not infrequently converted into smaller units with all the necessary permissions so I question your contention that the only way to convert your house is to rip everything out first.

Stacey's already said that she needs to sell the period features in order to raise funds to do the conversion. I guess if she had the funds available without selling the features then she'd leave them where they are.