Hello, dear forum community,
I have been reading along for some time and have already learned a lot, so thank you very much for that!
My husband and I have been searching for a home for ourselves and our two young children for 10 months. Currently, I am interested in a semi-detached house listed as having 4 rooms. However, these are not fully separate rooms. I have two questions about this:
1) One of the four rooms is a converted attic that is open to the stairwell (with a small gallery overlooking the staircase) — so it is not a fully enclosed room. How much would it typically cost to replace the gallery on the top floor with a drywall partition to create a fully separated room from the rest of the house?
2) According to the listing, one of the two fully enclosed rooms on the first floor can be "easily divided." In my opinion, it would only be possible to add a drywall partition through the room (which has two windows), but this would inevitably make one half a walkthrough room since it wouldn’t be possible to fit a second door. Additionally, there is only one radiator in this room. Is it feasible to install a second radiator "with minimal effort"?
Otherwise, the semi-detached house meets our requirements quite well: built in 2017, gas condensing boiler, and photovoltaic system, with no renovation backlog. The location and number of rooms represent a compromise we are willing to accept for financial reasons (yes, I know there are forum members who advise against any compromise, but after extensive searching and many disappointments, I no longer share that view. Therefore, it makes little sense to advise us to simply keep looking for five fully separate rooms in the desired area, as these cost more than 750,000 euros and such offers are very rare at our current place of residence).
Thank you in advance for your answers! Warm regards!
I have been reading along for some time and have already learned a lot, so thank you very much for that!
My husband and I have been searching for a home for ourselves and our two young children for 10 months. Currently, I am interested in a semi-detached house listed as having 4 rooms. However, these are not fully separate rooms. I have two questions about this:
1) One of the four rooms is a converted attic that is open to the stairwell (with a small gallery overlooking the staircase) — so it is not a fully enclosed room. How much would it typically cost to replace the gallery on the top floor with a drywall partition to create a fully separated room from the rest of the house?
2) According to the listing, one of the two fully enclosed rooms on the first floor can be "easily divided." In my opinion, it would only be possible to add a drywall partition through the room (which has two windows), but this would inevitably make one half a walkthrough room since it wouldn’t be possible to fit a second door. Additionally, there is only one radiator in this room. Is it feasible to install a second radiator "with minimal effort"?
Otherwise, the semi-detached house meets our requirements quite well: built in 2017, gas condensing boiler, and photovoltaic system, with no renovation backlog. The location and number of rooms represent a compromise we are willing to accept for financial reasons (yes, I know there are forum members who advise against any compromise, but after extensive searching and many disappointments, I no longer share that view. Therefore, it makes little sense to advise us to simply keep looking for five fully separate rooms in the desired area, as these cost more than 750,000 euros and such offers are very rare at our current place of residence).
Thank you in advance for your answers! Warm regards!
K
Kensington2 Sep 2021 16:04Hello Tassimat & Elefant,
Good, great. That helped me clear my mind and reduced my probably unnecessary doubts. And many thanks for the clear advice regarding the wording of the contract. Should it come to the point that we can proceed with the purchase, I will have the draft reviewed by a specialized lawyer, or at least a lawyer, to be 100% certain. Thank you!
Good, great. That helped me clear my mind and reduced my probably unnecessary doubts. And many thanks for the clear advice regarding the wording of the contract. Should it come to the point that we can proceed with the purchase, I will have the draft reviewed by a specialized lawyer, or at least a lawyer, to be 100% certain. Thank you!
11ant schrieb:
Several forum members have already worked through this here, though I don’t remember exactly who... And I don’t recall if I’ve mentioned this in detail here before, but we did it the same way (as sellers).
Winniefred schrieb:
Don’t worry about it, this is everyday business for notaries, and such matters can be handled properly. Yes, they can, although the notary chosen by the buyer was completely incompetent. In the end, after several corrections on our part, the contract was acceptable. However, since the notary refrained from providing any advice or explanations to the (inexperienced) buyers, we had to deal with implementing some details regarding the additional costs afterwards.
We also arranged for payment and transfer of ownership to happen immediately, with possession transferring after one year. Since even the city tax office to this day does not understand the difference between ownership and possession, this caused even more confusion (on the buyer’s side). Nevertheless, from my point of view, everything was at least legally properly arranged.
K
Kensington4 Sep 2021 13:10Hello K1300S,
Thank you for sharing your experience!
May I ask you three questions about this?
1) In what form was compensation provided in your case for being able to use the property for a longer period?
2) Was there a delay in the handover date, or did the handover take place as planned?
3) What contractual consequences would there have been in case of a delay in the handover?
Thank you in advance for your help!
Kind regards.
Thank you for sharing your experience!
May I ask you three questions about this?
1) In what form was compensation provided in your case for being able to use the property for a longer period?
2) Was there a delay in the handover date, or did the handover take place as planned?
3) What contractual consequences would there have been in case of a delay in the handover?
Thank you in advance for your help!
Kind regards.
Gladly!
1) No compensation in the form of rent payments has been made. Instead, we agreed on a purchase price that covers all services under these conditions.
2) The handover date is set for October 31st 😉 According to the current status, there will be no delays. Personally, I would not feel comfortable otherwise, because if the other party fulfills their contractual obligations, I hold myself to the same standard.
3) In this case, we have not included any special provisions in the contract, but I believe the building code provides sufficient options. It is understood that this situation is generally much less favorable than straightforward contract fulfillment.
As mentioned before, I would especially advise you as buyers to regulate the issue of additional costs (property tax, wastewater, waste disposal, possibly watercourse maintenance, and building insurance) clearly and understandably to avoid any later disputes over who is responsible for what payments. Although this may seem negligible compared to six-figure purchase prices, people tend to be very particular about small amounts. 😉 The notary should also explain the public-law aspects in particular so you know what you need to arrange privately in this regard.
1) No compensation in the form of rent payments has been made. Instead, we agreed on a purchase price that covers all services under these conditions.
2) The handover date is set for October 31st 😉 According to the current status, there will be no delays. Personally, I would not feel comfortable otherwise, because if the other party fulfills their contractual obligations, I hold myself to the same standard.
3) In this case, we have not included any special provisions in the contract, but I believe the building code provides sufficient options. It is understood that this situation is generally much less favorable than straightforward contract fulfillment.
As mentioned before, I would especially advise you as buyers to regulate the issue of additional costs (property tax, wastewater, waste disposal, possibly watercourse maintenance, and building insurance) clearly and understandably to avoid any later disputes over who is responsible for what payments. Although this may seem negligible compared to six-figure purchase prices, people tend to be very particular about small amounts. 😉 The notary should also explain the public-law aspects in particular so you know what you need to arrange privately in this regard.
K
Kensington5 Sep 2021 21:06Hello K1300S,
Thank you for your detailed help. Now I don’t find it “tricky” at all!
The viewing just took place, we really liked it, and I did my best to present myself as the ideal buyer without coming across as a stalker.
By the way, the owners only have adult children, and even grandchildren already. They are building a bungalow suitable for possible future disabilities. So, in case of construction delays, no small babies will be left homeless, unlike in my worst nightmares :-)
Now we have to wait and see who the owners will choose.
Thank you for your detailed help. Now I don’t find it “tricky” at all!
The viewing just took place, we really liked it, and I did my best to present myself as the ideal buyer without coming across as a stalker.
By the way, the owners only have adult children, and even grandchildren already. They are building a bungalow suitable for possible future disabilities. So, in case of construction delays, no small babies will be left homeless, unlike in my worst nightmares :-)
Now we have to wait and see who the owners will choose.