Buying a house ‘Part 2’: ‘So what does it come with guv?’

In ‘Part 1’ I talked about the need to budget for what you will want to do to your new home having purchased it.  Two of the biggest expenses in Interior Design are bathrooms and kitchens and the way that property developers approach these two vital areas of the home vary considerably.  I have had clients buy houses that have come with wonderful bathrooms and kitchens which need little/no alteration.  This can save a client tens of thousands of pounds and can also facilitate a quick move-in.

On the flip side, many homes come with a new bathroom/kitchen that simply does not reflect the homeowners taste – this is a problem as the new bathroom/kitchen that has been installed has been built into the price that you are paying (obviously) and to therefore rip it out and start again would be detrimental if you are concerned with re-sale value.  Therefore, I would only advise a client to buy a property with a new kitchen/bathroom that they plan to subsequently rip out if they simply adore the property as otherwise they are paying above the odds unnecessarily.

As a Designer,  I like properties that come as a shell and that have whitewashed walls.  This is because I don’t think that my clients should pay for investments to the property that have been made to match the taste of the property developer.  Remember, you are footing the bill for any item that a property happens to comes with so it is important not to be too enamored with ‘what a property comes with’ and instead think about how you will implement your Design preferences onto a blank slate.