Don't Make These First-Time Buyer Mistakes

[@martinlouden9005]

My late wife and I bought our first and only home 25 years ago. Whilst viewing each house we took video footage of each one (with permission of the owners of course! ) so that we could take a proper, measured look at each house when we returned home each evening. This was unequivocally helpful. And it afforded us the chance to spot all the pro's and con's and allowed us not to be subjected to the initial excitement of any particular house! I guess that the 25 happy years we have spent here are testament to those videos!

[@jamiegleave7620]

Roger, good video. I was 24 when I got my first place. It was a self contained flat upstairs and a former accountants commercial premises downstairs. No central heating (storage heaters), 2x electric meters etc. I had zero DIY experience other than watching my old man do stuff. The whole front face of the building got rebuilt to convert it into a single dwelling. New windows and doors throughout, central heating fitted, you name it, it got done. Took me 8 years but I learned an awful lot, and made a tidy profit along the way.

[@lighthackerslimited]

Been a DOP in the TV industry for over 30 years.. Roger here needs signing up for his own show. Serious wealth of bare bones facts, GREAT manner on camera and the type of guy I'd watch time and again after wrapping the shoot with him.

[@SkillBuilder]

Hi Light Hacker I have done a fair amount of tele back in the day but most of it was rubbish and paid very badly. Television producers do not trust the audience, they want eveything cut to the point where it makes no sense to anyone. Michael Portilo flits between places and barely has time to engage with people.

[@evewilkinson9653]

@@SkillBuilder Hi Roger, I don’t suppose you would look at a house for me in Kent. I have had a full survey (yesterday) and I would really appreciate your opinion. Love your KZbin videos. Eve

[@philipsinclair3691]

Roger. That other damp problem house you visited. A famous architect told me stone has to breathe. Maybe render should be off and lime mortar pointing put in.

[@ImranKhan-dr8bb]

Sometime you come across videos that are just gold - like this one

[@gingerelvis]

Good advice all round here. I bought my first house 3 years ago and you aren't kidding about needing to be devoted if it's a fixer upper, it takes more time than you ever imagine. Don't fall for thinking it's just a bit of decorating, my place had barely been touched in 40 years and I don't think there's an inch I haven't gutted and worked on. That being said if you're a handy DIYer willing to learn and stick at it it's well worth doing to get the most out of your budget and make a really nice property. It's true what you say about people falling in love with a place with a nice kitchen and bathroom too, all things that can be changed.

[@lukeshepherd9529]

I opted for the most expensive RICS survey which completely failed to spot a gap in the bath over the shower which rotted through an entire beam and half the floorboards in the adjacent room. My advice is to hire a builder to have a proper look and always look under the bath.

[@rob5944]

I agree. The surveys we've had in the past generally weren't worth the paper they were written on. Our current house we bought outright so we didn't need one, I simply cast my eye over it. On the second visit brought our daughter-in-laws father who is quite handy for a second opinion.

[@gordonmackenzie4512]

In Scotland We have something different. No house can be marketed for sale, by law, without a home buyers report. These are done by surveyors, who provide a full report, energy performance certificate and valuation. Any defects are noted and recommendations supplied. This removes some of the risk and gives some reassurances to buyers. Seller obviously foots the bill for the report. Each property for sale only needs one initial survey, rather than multiple potential buyers paying for surveys.

[@Jules_Pew]

Wish this was in England. Paid for a survey, buyer withdrew, so seller sold to someone else was gut wrenching when you're on a budget. Only good thing that came out of it was meeting an old structural surveyor who verbally viewed our next few potential properties.

[@janoginski5557]

The Home Buyers report in Scotland is a less than satisfactory in reality they are not worth the paper they are written on, don’t rely on these reports get a real building surveyor or an experienced & articulate builder.

[@lukeshepherd9529]

I opted for the most expensive RICS survey which completely failed to spot a gap in the bath over the shower which rotted through an entire beam and half the floorboards in the adjacent room. My advice is to hire a builder to have a proper look and always look under the bath.

[@janoginski5557]

@@lukeshepherd9529 hi Luke he must have been a plonker, it's one of the very first areas to look at, ask any decent or experienced builder. And yes we've carried out remedial work on quite a number of these kinds of jobs. Almost always found that rot had taken a hold on the joists & in several cases dry rot, expensive & somewhat inconvenient for the property owner, altho in 2 cases the client refused to pay the full amount for the work that was done, in both cases they had insurance money, which they obviously decided to keep a hold of, charming, NOT.

[@gordonmackenzie4512]

@@janoginski5557 That’s not the actual point of it. Before the HBR folk could pay for dozens of valuation surveys and gain nothing if the house sold to someone else. The potential buyer still has the option of a full structure survey or Builder inspection.

[@impamiizgraa]

This is a fantastic video for home movers as well! Brilliant as always, Roger. I am buying my 2nd property, but it feels like my 1st because my 1st was actually shared ownership flat -- still paying rent, leaseholder of a new build. It's a more stable form of renting. Now, I'm buying an old bricks and mortar house with a front and back garden - this feels like my 1st real purchase and these tips are fantastic!

[@SkillBuilder]

Best of luck with it all. There is nothing like having a proper house with some private space. I hope it all goes well for you.

[@bordersw1239]

Bought my first house over 30 years ago, the surveyor advised me not to buy it due to loads of issues, including damp. Had a new damp course, which partially worked, decorated and carpeted it, sold it 6 years later for a decent profit, I drive past it occasionally- still the same roof, same render, mostly the same paint. Can’t help feeling the surveyor wanted it for himself.

[@MinkieWinkle]

Never buy a new build. if there was ever a truer statement, it is "they do not build them like they used to"

[@dan1strike]

cardboard city lol

[@mazdamaniac4643]

New builds: Built to a price, not to a specification. They may have looked the business on paper as designed, but the final build will have been cut to the bone to save money. Sub-standard insulation (what it had anyway), badly fitted electrics/plumbing/doors/windows...you name it, I've had to put mine right. I can't recommend anyone to buy a new build, you really don't get your money's worth.

[@billy4072]

New home quality control...you tuna melts! Lol

[@MinkieWinkle]

@@mazdamaniac4643 i am finding new builds today just being a tick box exercise. just adding pointless things for the sake of putting a tick in the box. which just added to the cost. E.g New build two bed houses near me, both bed rooms are pretty small. double bed and a wardrobe that is about it. a shared Bathroom as you would expect. but the master bed, has an ensuite too. so two bathrooms in a two bed house. it makes zero sense at all. to give up all that potential bedroom space for the sake of an ensuite is madness. I mean i could understand a ensuite in a decent sized family home where the bathroom is in constant use by guests. the kids etc. then yeah, a nice little ensuite is good. But in a two bed. and having two tiny rooms. No there no point beyond trying to stick a tick in the box trying to get advertising glory "master bed with WITH A ENSUITE" what a waste of good space Or tiny two beds, "with a walk in wardrobe" i am just sitting there as a buyer thinking to myself. i just want a room where i can actually walk around the bed with furniture in the room. instead of another door way that can not be used anymore as to not put anything in the ark of the door to the "walk in wardobe" which just tends to be a rail and shelves.

[@mazdamaniac4643]

@@MinkieWinkle Aye, completely agree. It's surprising how many new build homes I've seen that just can't fit any furniture. Furniture tends to come in a range of fairly standardised sizes, but these rooms are far too small. It's like the houses haven't been designed with furniture in mind. Living rooms you can't get a 3-seat couch into, but a 2-seater won't fit either because there isn't enough space beside it to put a table or something there. I've gone through tons of furniture that ended up being sold on, because it simply wouldn't fit in the space available. I too have the excessive amount of bathrooms problem, I'm taking one out to put in a decent sized shared bathroom with a full-size bath unit and taking out another to turn into a utility room. Both of these things are far more practical.

[@Adventwore]

Just a tip, have a look at the depravation map it gives so much data on the area.

[@madgebishop5409]

the stock footage in this episode was hilarious! Roger is the new Phil and Kirsty

[@rob5944]

Without all the bull...👍

[@rob5944]

I've often noted that poorly maintained and unkempt houses could gain a few thousand in value by the application of a lick of paint and a good tidy-up!

[@douglasmorris8364]

A fixer upper! My equation - Double your estimate and time and you just might be ok :)

[@psi10001]

Underrated video, excellent advice

[@haydenhoneyfield6155]

Honestly I just brought my first house but if you have friends in the area ask them or any local people what the area is like and what to avoid also go to a mortgage advisor instead of a bank they can get you a better deal and don't cheap out on the survey report and also try and haggle with the price don't take the first price you get given and banks won't give you a mortgage you can't afford as they check all this before buying

[@jimdavis5230]

I have found that the basic survey you have when you apply for a mortgage isn't worth the paper it's written on. I therefore recommend paying for a full structural survey before you buy any property.

[@johncranna]

No! No! A mortgage valuation is not written on paper, is not a survey and is not done for you the lender. Roger described it perfectly when he said it is purely to let the mortgage lender know if property is worth the money they ate lending. And a full structural survey is a waste of money for 90% domestic properties. I'm often asked about the difference between Homebuyers report and the 'full'survey and I tell them 'about £600!). Anything picked up on a full survey should also have been picked up on a Homebuyers report. They are both purely visual surveys. If a surveyor can't lift floorboards, see behind render or plaster or get full access to the roof then the full survey will not make anything magical happen!

[@kubhlaikhan2015]

Neither are worth the cost of the paper they probably aren't even written on. You need to learn to spot major issues for yourself - its the only way. Its a short list and its not rocket science: mostly it means the roof and the foundations, followed by damp and window frames. Also check the bounce in suspended floors and whether you have a modern consumer unit (because if it isn't you probably need rewiring as well).

[@petemoring67]

RIDDLED!! With Common-Sense! .... We Luuuurv a bit of Common! Sense Roger .... TEN Out Of Ten 👍🤠

[@guycyber1584]

What are your thoughts on buying a first home with a Lifetime ISA (combining the deposit with a partner)?

[@gdfggggg]

Yo Rog! Love your stuff mate. Keep it up.

[@SkillBuilder]

Thanks, will do!

[@gdfggggg]

@@SkillBuilder excellent!

[@jjohanesson9139]

Absolute diamond.

[@eamonhannon1103]

Was that you in the hoodie breaking in Roger ?

[@SkillBuilder]

Eamon He was rubbish, he took a jemmy to a window that was open.

[@alberttatlock5104]

First Tip keep in with your Grandparents!😂

[@thegrandmuftiofwakanda]

...and grease the stairs.

[@JoshuaDay]

If only I saw this video when it was posted, before I bought my first home 🙃

[@brianp7022]

New builds offer so much peace of mind... In general. However I am not a tradesperson but as a keen Di-yer I see the corners cut with these properties and how they maximise profit. I respect all the trades whom work on these projects but it only takes one to do a shoddy job and it can be a nightmare to unravel...it reminds me when we moved into our house in 2008- the property was only 4 years old and one day a sub contractor for UU turned up and began digging up all the manhole covers in the road... Curious to this I asked him why and he said "not to spec" shrugging his shoulders 😂I mean, how the hell does that happen?

[@kd2239]

"as a keen Di-yer"... i agree on the importance of building DIY knowledge to maintain your own property. I was determined to learn after i bought my own house and youtube is an unbelievable tool, this channel SkillBuilder and others have taught me so much. I try not to get trades people at all now because my experience has been very bad. They are all so busy and are charging crazy money and their standards are quite poor as they are just rushing to the next job. I try to do everything myself. I even installed new electrical sockets and fixed plumbing leaks myself. Its very satisfying.

[@wibbley1]

Newbuilds offer peace of mind? The NHBC scheme is just insurance, they don't even inspect them properly, if at all. Faults have to be reported within two years of construction to get your 10 year warrantee. New builds are shoddily built, using the cheapest materials & unskilled labour. For example, joists are just two bits of 2x2 with a particle board spacer & creaky chipboard flooring put on top. Silicone is used around all the woodwork & windows, not plastered correctly. Walls are plasterboard stuck on the wall. Roof trusses are made out of match-wood. Push-fit shite plastic plumbing is used. Cheap no-name appliances installed. Often they are built on flood plains or unsuitable ground. Recently in the news, worthless houses, which would have sold for 20 mill, are all having to be torn down due to unsuitable foundations. Local builders are quoted of saying the land in that area shifts & is unsuitable for building. The only new-build I would have would be project managing a self build. Using stilled labour and traditional building methods. www.homebuilding.co.uk/news/newly-built-homes-worth-pound20million-to-be-demolished-due-to-dodgy-foundations

[@gdfggggg]

I live in a new(ish) build, and it’s been great. Pre 1970’s/80’s house are a ball ache. Victorian and before can potentially break the bank.

[@ln5747]

​@@wibbley1Bollocks. Most folk have an excellent experience with new builds aside from some initial snagging with considerably less upkeep than trying to keep on top of an old house.

[@RI-uv3lm]

👍Roger. Great tips

[@tonyflying1550]

Is it worth getting a Snagging survey done ?

[@SkillBuilder]

On a new build, the answer is yes but getting the builder to carry out those jobs is not easy.

[@livingladolcevita7318]

what we could do with is a law against gazzumping. Once a deposit is paid all are committed.

[@relobmit]

Always remember that when you buy a property, you are purchasing *both* an asset and a liability. Escalating ground rents and services charges can - in extreme cases - make a property worthless in the long term.

[@frankmckie2992]

My gripe is ex council houses built with tax payer's money sold by government to private owners....... where did our money go ?? Where's the house's? Not In New council houses anyway...... sure if you want to buy a house fantastic..... if you can afford one fantastic too ...... but where is the affordable council houses for them that pay their taxes on a wage that can't get a mortgage?

[@SkillBuilder]

Hi Frank I agree 100%

[@SteveAndAlexBuild]

Mmm beware new builds 😫😫🧱👍🏽

[@SkillBuilder]

You bought one, is there a tale to tell?

[@janoginski5557]

Correct Steve & Alex, I’m an experienced old Git who’s been in the Trade for too many years , my experience is that new builds display or tend to do, a lot of problems with their quality, a lot. We’ve carried out work such as settlement cracks, floors running off level, badly, roof detailing, allowing water ingress, water ingress through stone cladding, endless problems, I’m not saying that you cannot or will not find problems with old builds but they are usually brought about by the interventions of shoddy tradesmen or the ravages of time. All the best.

[@jimgeelan5949]

Building price thermostat, cls price

[@SkillBuilder]

jim Thermometer or barometer even?

[@rob5944]

Sound advice, but more storage space also means more accumulating crap.

[@alllifematters7080]

Great content as always 🥰

[@carolinegathercole8473]

The rising cost of house maintenance today is the reason that properties fall into disrepair because people cannot afford to do the repairs.

[@alexthomson7465]

How do you find a local builder who knows a lot to just run their eye over it? Easier said than done

[@SkillBuilder]

That is true but they are out there and if you can find somebody that your friends have used that is always best.

[@alexthomson7465]

@@SkillBuilder first time buyers rarely know people to help. There in lies the trap

[@boyasaka]

Never EVER EVER EVER buy a lease hold flat with monthly maintenance charges , and if and when the leasehold gets short ( under 60 years left in the lease , no one can get a mortage on it It’s a absolute minefield To extend the lease so you can sell it The lease owner can just take ya eyes out

[@SkillBuilder]

Good advice Chris it is a bloody minefield. It is like owning a place and no owning it

[@ln5747]

Nonsense. Plenty of flats have extremely long leases and the maintenance charge is usually acceptable (unless an old or luxury development) which takes away much of the hassle.

[@boyasaka]

@@ln5747 have you any idea what your talking about ?? Yea plenty flats may have long leases , and plenty don’t tens of thousands of flats built in the 60s and 70s came with a 99 year lease , They now have 50 years or less left on them and people can’t get a mortage on a lease less than 80 years , also many newer flats were sold with a doubling ground rent So for first 5 years it’s say 500 a year Then next 5 years it goes to 1000 a year Next 5 years it’s 2000 a year Next 5 years it’s 4000 a year Next 5 years it’s 8000 a year Next 5 years it’s 16000 a year Bla bla bla And this is just ground rent not the monthly / yearly maintenance charge And simply because it’s a minefield and the big companies that own the freehold are simply robbing people blind , next year there is to be the biggest goverment reform for 40 years on freehold law ( freehold housing act ) So please don’t comment on something you know absolutely nothing about And as for acceptable monthly maintenance charges Even on a flat that costs only £90 k The annual service charge can range from £1500 a year to £3000 a year So someone buying a “ cheap flat “ for 90k On top of the mortage they could be paying easily £200 per month maintenance change There is flats near me Built 20 years ago and all sold for between 180k and £280k Fast forward 20 years and they selling for between 80k and 120k Cos the annual ground rent is now 6k a year All am saying is buy a house not a flat unless you want hassle and to Chuck money down the drain

[@ln5747]

@@boyasaka as someone who owns 11 flats (and about the same for houses) I think I have a fair idea of what I'm talking about. You have listed the worst examples of flats with buyers who don't know what they're talking about and have bought without doing their due diligence (maybe yourself hence your vitriol about flats).

[@paulhiggins9492]

My advice is run from here as fast as you can

[@robertbamford8266]

The (real) estate agent you can trust can be a key participant. Point you to a competent home inspector and mortgage company. Also to contractors. In all cases, you still have to do due diligence.

[@kd2239]

Never trust a real estate agent. My local real estate agent will sell you the house and also provide you with the mortgage. So if you get mortgage approval for €300k good luck pretending you cant afford to go higher than €250k on the shit box he is trying to sell you!!! Such a corrupt system. I bought my house 8 years ago, never ever want to buy another, the housing market is a sess pit.

[@robertbamford8266]

@@kd2239 Sorry you had to experience that. Certainly plenty of other similar stories, particularly revolving around unscrupulous (or incompetent) mortgage lenders.

[@mariodicostanzo8212]

Tip Number 11 : pray constantly the almighty God that the housing market system as it is, in this country, implodes and that a new one, honest, realistic, competent free from greedy people comes to life. Also: about all the people that put a squirt of paint on the walls and then re-sell properties for stupid amount of money, shame on you! A house it's not a bottle of wine. In time, without real improvements it devalues not the other way round. Stop this disgusting practice (to mention only one of many)

[@thegrandmuftiofwakanda]

If the housing market in the UK implodes then first time buyers will have a far bigger problem than not being able to buy a house.

[@mariodicostanzo8212]

@@thegrandmuftiofwakanda when a basic need like being able to afford a simple house, becomes either not affordable or a life long commitment, then I don't think we are that far from your definition of "bigger problems" anyway

[@thegrandmuftiofwakanda]

@@mariodicostanzo8212 You think a mortgage being a "life long commitment" is a new thing? Clearly you are too young to remember Black Wednesday and new buyers being trapped in negative equity in the early 90s with 27% interest rates, when the average salary was less than £17,000 PA. I hope you are bright enough to understand the point I originally made. If the conditions come about for a property price crash in the UK that means you don't have a job, yet alone a home. In fact, it could even mean fighting over the last loaf of bread in Tesco. Be very careful what you wish for. This is a stack of cards.

[@mariodicostanzo8212]

@@thegrandmuftiofwakanda I'm sure you're right and of course worse conditions existed before, but that doesn't mean we should accept the current state of things. I really believe we could live in an abundant world for everyone, if only some practices of pure greed and dishonesty were to end. And who's in charge of making sure that, especially on basic needs like housing, nobody speculates and makes life impossible for others? The government. Do they do that? No. So the system is rotten and only a deep reform can do. That's the meaning behind my word "implosion". Certainly I'm not advocating for a return to the Jurassic life

[@mariodicostanzo8212]

Listen to this anectodal story. In 2014 I was renting a 3 bed semi-detached in the west midlands for 495£ per month. The house price to buy was 108k 5 years later the house price became 138k. And 620£ for renting a month. Now apart from the many other considerations, the one I want to make here is this: in those five years I've been in that house not one single job of improvement was done by the landlord. Not one. Not even a paint. And I paid always regularly. So my question is: how can it be that the price of something 5 years older, meaning less valuable than it was 5 years earlier, is actually going up and not down? And the answer is: because the system that allows that to happen is based on greed and dishonesty. Who's responsible for letting that happen? It's the government. For people on minimum wage, an increase of 30k on price means years and years of more work. And this is a small example. And I'm not gonna get into the craziness of interest rates with bank!! The system needs reform from its foundations, regardless of how much worse things were in the past

[@stephfoxwell4620]

As an FTB just buy something. Get on the ladder. You will probably move within three years anyway.

[@Allegedly2right]

Don’t go near it if it has a dreaded Heat Pump I kid you not ask to see the electric bill for the year never mind the clap trap about SCOP my pump is on top of the game in Summer because it ain’t on funny that Heat Pump off in the Summer.

[@michaelfraser5723]

it's aka fleecing the sheep mort guages

[@andljoy]

New builds are for people with too much money. I would never buy a new build.

[@thegrandmuftiofwakanda]

'ello I'm that Roger Busy Bee off that Skill Builder Channel wot you all like and today I'm gonna be showin' ya all that whilst I might not have Kirsty Allsop's looks I am in fact a lot slimmer than her and have brains she couldn't get if her dad was Newton.

[@change2023now]

Top tip number 1: don't buy right now. Wait for the impending reductions inbound soon

[@luketaylor8602]

People have said that for years, if you get a decent deal now it will still be worth more in 10 years time. "It's time in the market, not timing the market"

[@change2023now]

@@luketaylor8602 I would generally agree however the data shows a very sharp correction occuring right now. The bull run in housing prices over the last 3 years is the biggest bubble since 2008 and the effects (I believe) will likely be much worse. Take a look at Moving home with Charlie channel, he has lots of stats on this, especially the videos with his pal Alex Waterhouse.

[@lukeh3020]

This is a risky game to play. Ultimately the long term economics stack up - 600k net immigration last year, plus births minus deaths, and they only build 200k homes.

[@thegrandmuftiofwakanda]

Not gonna happen, and even if it did it wouldn't solve any problems. There still won't be enough houses.

[@change2023now]

@@thegrandmuftiofwakanda Supply is currently up and demanded is down. We're likely to see a serious credit crunch very soon, this will put more downward pressure on prices. Boe interest rates are continuing to go up and affordability down. Doesn't take a genius to work out where we are heading.

[@j2shoes288]

Find an estate agent you can trust? Er? What send out emails, to them, asking if they can be trusted? or ask them questions, like if you find a fiver, on the street, what would you do with it?

[@peteryates308]

The stock footage in this video is magnificent 🤌 I just finished renovating my first house. Took longer and was more difficult and expensive than I anticipated. The sense of achievement is amazing though.