Hello everyone,
Until recently, we were planning to build our own house, but we are now leaning more towards buying one. We have already found a house that meets our expectations. Therefore, I would like to ask for your opinion on this property.
The house is located near a village with 1,400 inhabitants, close to a river. However, it is about 2 meters (6.5 feet) above the river level, so flooding should not be an issue. To access the property, you have to cross the neighboring property, which has an easement registered for this purpose. There are also two easements registered directly on the property, the significance of which I still need to clarify with the local building authority.
The house itself has 195 m² (2,098 sq ft) of living space and was built in 2005. The exterior walls are made of 24 cm (9.5 inches) Ytong blocks, and the interior walls are made of the same material with a thickness of 17.5 cm (7 inches). There is no additional insulation on the walls, but the roof is fully insulated. We have already consulted a known architect who inspected the house from the outside. Although it is large, it is primarily built with basic materials (24/17.5 cm Ytong blocks, simple bricks, prefabricated garage, system staircase, etc.). The house is heated by a gas central heating system with a gas tank located in the garden. There is no basement.
What do you think about the property based on these general details, especially regarding the use of Ytong blocks?
What disadvantages are there due to the construction method of the house?
Is the purchase worthwhile? The asking price is around 340,000 euros (region Heilbronn).
I would be very grateful for many opinions!
Until recently, we were planning to build our own house, but we are now leaning more towards buying one. We have already found a house that meets our expectations. Therefore, I would like to ask for your opinion on this property.
The house is located near a village with 1,400 inhabitants, close to a river. However, it is about 2 meters (6.5 feet) above the river level, so flooding should not be an issue. To access the property, you have to cross the neighboring property, which has an easement registered for this purpose. There are also two easements registered directly on the property, the significance of which I still need to clarify with the local building authority.
The house itself has 195 m² (2,098 sq ft) of living space and was built in 2005. The exterior walls are made of 24 cm (9.5 inches) Ytong blocks, and the interior walls are made of the same material with a thickness of 17.5 cm (7 inches). There is no additional insulation on the walls, but the roof is fully insulated. We have already consulted a known architect who inspected the house from the outside. Although it is large, it is primarily built with basic materials (24/17.5 cm Ytong blocks, simple bricks, prefabricated garage, system staircase, etc.). The house is heated by a gas central heating system with a gas tank located in the garden. There is no basement.
What do you think about the property based on these general details, especially regarding the use of Ytong blocks?
What disadvantages are there due to the construction method of the house?
Is the purchase worthwhile? The asking price is around 340,000 euros (region Heilbronn).
I would be very grateful for many opinions!
B
Bauexperte22 Jul 2014 13:29Hello,
Why the house is being sold doesn’t really matter in my opinion, as long as an expert does not identify major renovation needs. And, as "K1300S" correctly pointed out, you don’t have to assume the worst right away. Sometimes it is simply personal changes that also lead to changes in living arrangements.
Best regards, Bauexperte
Timmi1608 schrieb:That was meant ironically.
It was a man with three children; the woman was not there at the moment. Whether it was a divorce, I don’t know.
Why the house is being sold doesn’t really matter in my opinion, as long as an expert does not identify major renovation needs. And, as "K1300S" correctly pointed out, you don’t have to assume the worst right away. Sometimes it is simply personal changes that also lead to changes in living arrangements.
Timmi1608 schrieb:However, I would doubt if your architect friend is the right contact for this. There are— for good reason— experts who specialize in these cases and continuously update their knowledge. To explain: I can also appraise real estate based on my many years of experience in this job; it simply comes from experience and considering certain key data as well as deducting “X” for existing renovation work. I also recognize most defects—but: if you asked me, for example, whether you can dry out a damp basement in a house built in year “X” using resin injections or not, I would have to pass (maybe not anymore today, because I just had that case last week). There are countless such examples that can be the deciding factor when buying an existing property. That’s why—invest €5/600.00 and inspect the property together with an expert who focuses, among other things, on existing property appraisals. By the way, their report will also help you with the upcoming financing; your architect’s statements less so.
The architect determines the value of properties that have to be sold in foreclosure, so he is very knowledgeable. We will not buy without him having appraised the house.
Best regards, Bauexperte
T
Timmi160825 Jul 2014 15:26Hello everyone,
We visited the house again and took a close look. Besides some minor repairs, which are probably necessary with any purchased house, we mainly noticed the many cracks on the upper floor. According to the real estate agent, these are settlement cracks. Apparently, there are no load-bearing walls on the upper floor; it seems to be made of solid gypsum walls about 10cm (4 inches) thick (probably prefabricated panels). Is this material known for cracking?
On the ground floor, there are no cracks like these, but Ytong blocks have been used throughout there.
I will definitely follow your advice and have the house inspected by a surveyor. If the cracks can be fixed with minor repairs, that’s not a big issue. However, if they affect the structural stability, that would be a different matter.
Overall, we noticed that the builder really cut corners everywhere, probably to achieve the large living area. But that also fits well with us, since we originally didn’t expect to consider such a large house. For example, the huge dormers on both sides are nice. This makes the house almost two stories tall except for about 0.5m (1.5 feet) of sloped roof on each side.
By the way, the owner is moving away because of his long commute. He had the opportunity to work for a large employer in the area and bought the house beforehand. However, that job didn’t materialize, so now he’s moving away. Since he originally bought the house from a bankruptcy sale, he’s probably making a good profit at my expense…
We visited the house again and took a close look. Besides some minor repairs, which are probably necessary with any purchased house, we mainly noticed the many cracks on the upper floor. According to the real estate agent, these are settlement cracks. Apparently, there are no load-bearing walls on the upper floor; it seems to be made of solid gypsum walls about 10cm (4 inches) thick (probably prefabricated panels). Is this material known for cracking?
On the ground floor, there are no cracks like these, but Ytong blocks have been used throughout there.
I will definitely follow your advice and have the house inspected by a surveyor. If the cracks can be fixed with minor repairs, that’s not a big issue. However, if they affect the structural stability, that would be a different matter.
Overall, we noticed that the builder really cut corners everywhere, probably to achieve the large living area. But that also fits well with us, since we originally didn’t expect to consider such a large house. For example, the huge dormers on both sides are nice. This makes the house almost two stories tall except for about 0.5m (1.5 feet) of sloped roof on each side.
By the way, the owner is moving away because of his long commute. He had the opportunity to work for a large employer in the area and bought the house beforehand. However, that job didn’t materialize, so now he’s moving away. Since he originally bought the house from a bankruptcy sale, he’s probably making a good profit at my expense…