Are you looking for the perfect renovation project? A property that needs just the right amount of work, so that your money will stretch as far as possible and you’ll end up with a home that’s exactly as you want it? Well, there are plenty of opportunities out there – if you know how to find them.
According to the Empty Homes Agency, which campaigns to bring abandoned properties back into use, there are currently about 800,000 empty homes in the UK, of which about 280,000 have been empty for more than six months.
And repossessions, many of which are in need of care and attention, are rising all the time: the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors says the number could increase by 50 per cent this year.
Not to mention conversion possibilities, such as commercial premises, including pubs, which have been closing at a rate of 27 per week since the smoking ban started in July.
How to hunt for a renovation
If you know the area you’re aiming for, your first port of call is local estate agents. But renovation projects aren’t necessarily top of their list of priorities, says David Ireland of the Empty Homes Agency. “There are a lot of properties up for sale but they are not heavily promoted by estate agents,” he says.
Building surveys for home renovation projects
Reworking an existing property is a great way to achieve a tailored home and It’s important to assess the structure of an existing house before starting a renovation project. Even though you’re not building from scratch, the scheme can deliver a space that’s bespoke to your household’s requirements, which is why no two renovation ventures are ever the same. Regardless of what you plan to do with the property, any project will require a careful and well-informed assessment of the original building and its capacity to be altered, extended or in-part demolished. |
“Get to know the local agents and make clear what you want. It’s amazing how the properties are there, but not necessarily the first time you ask. Most estate agents don’t want to clog up the windows or their newspaper advertisements with things that look like wrecks.”
You should also scour local papers – both for agents’ marketing and private small ads – and get to know the area really well simply by walking around. You never know when you might spot a great-looking house with an overgrown garden, boarded-up windows or other signs of neglect.
General property websites, which are free to use, are always worth a try. Bear in mind, though, that you usually have to search by area rather than property type, so you’ll have to trawl through hundreds of places to find the right run-down dwelling for you.
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