Getting on the property market is a difficult task for first-time buyers today thanks to soaring house prices and rising mortgage rates. But one proven way that you can get a foot on the ladder quicker is through buying a doer-upper.
Not only can run-down, older properties be bought for a much cheaper price but, if you can find a hidden gem that's in a great location too, then you'll reap the benefits when it comes to selling it on in the future.
First-time buyers Ellen and Jack saw potential in a dated rental property in Stockport, which they described as ‘the worst house on the nicest street'. After buying it under their budget for £200,000, they have since transformed it into a lovely two-bed starter home.
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Ellen, 25, spoke to the Manchester Evening News as part of our Where I Live series. Each week we chat to a different homeowner about their buying and renovation journey; and then take a look inside to see how they've made their house a home.
Ellen, who grew up in Chorlton, says she has had ambitions to own her own property since leaving university.
"Pretty much as soon as I finished university I wanted to get on the property ladder. I’d had pretty bad experiences with renting whilst at uni and all the delights of a student house so I thought I would much rather move back home, save up and then be able to buy my own house," she said.
Ellen and her boyfriend Jack each lived at home whilst saving up to buy, which they acknowledge was a big factor in helping them to save.
"I moved back in with my parents and my boyfriend was already living at home. That massively helped us to save, I don’t think we would have been able to do it without living at home," Ellen said.
The pair decided to start their hunt for a house just as lockdown was lifting but due to increased demand, Ellen and Jack had to expand their search area.
“We were looking to buy during Covid so as soon as restrictions lifted again we started looking around at different areas," Ellen said.
"We were originally looking to buy in Stretford, Sale or Urmston but then we decided to expand our search area outwards a little bit just because of the prices. I think that really helped us to get on the ladder when we did.
"We ended up looking in Cheadle which just seemed a little bit more affordable than what we could get if we bought anywhere in Trafford."
The couple were looking for a two-bed terraced house with a driveway and a garden, but wanted somewhere that they could put their own stamp on.
"Because there's just two of us we were only looking for a two-bed terraced house. We decided that we wanted a doer-upper and something that we could add value to.
"I really like traditional features so buying an older house was big one for me. We very much wanted a project that we could get stuck into.
“We only viewed about five or six houses because we were quite strict with what we wanted. We did viewings across two weeks but we saw this house really early on in the search and we just got a really good feeling about it."
Ellen and Jack found a 1890s home on a pretty street in Cheadle, which Ellen said she could see potential in right away.
"It was the worst house on the nicest street. It was on an unadopted road which is quite secluded and feels a little country lane.
"Everyone else had nice front doors and nice plants outside apart from this one, but we knew it had so much potential and was a little gem.
"The house itself had been a rental property for at least 30 years. It was just very basic, there was some quite bad damp and mould and it was all quite dated and neglected. But it had all of the original fireplaces which I loved.
"When I walked in straight away I thought ‘well we can knock this wall down. We can do this, we can restore that’."
In August 2020 the pair bought the two-bed terrace for £200,000 - which was below asking price and also below the couple's initial budget.
“This house was below our budget so we knew we had more room to add our stamp to it with whatever we had left from what we’d saved up," Ellen said.
“I think that was a really reasonable price and I think we were really lucky as we bought it the week before the stamp duty got removed so we were ahead of that whole mad rush with first-time buyers."
Ellen and Jack both lived at home for the first two months whilst they began renovating their new home.
"We got the keys in January 2021 and then we moved in in the March. We had about eight weeks where we were here every night just trying to get at least one room in a liveable condition so that we could move in," she said.
“We started with the bedroom as that was the quickest fix. It was just a case of stripping the wallpaper, repainting and putting in a new carpet. There wasn’t anything too challenging to do in there and the same with the living room, that was quite an easy one to do.
"The biggest work we did to start with was in the kitchen. We had a supporting wall knocked down between the kitchen and the back room to make it open plan. As soon as we walked in the house I knew that’s what I wanted to do.
"Once we did those three rooms we've then just made our way through the other couple of rooms gradually over the last two years."
The couple did a lot of DIY work on their house which they say helped them to keep costs down.
"When we started we didn't really know what we were doing. We made quite a few mistakes along the way like not putting primer on the woodwork and we used lining paper in our bedroom which doesn't look how I would like it to," Ellen said.
"But I think as we built up our experience and our skills, by the final room I felt like we’d got it nailed for exactly how we wanted it to look.
"In terms of DIY I replaced all the socket faces across the whole house, we put new light fittings in ourselves, and we did all the stripping, painting and panelling. The only thing we got people in to do was fit the kitchen and bathroom.
"Doing it ourselves definitely helped us to keep costs down. For example the fireplaces needed tiling and I looked at getting a tiler in and it was just so expensive on top of the cost of the tiles. So I just watched YouTube videos and learnt how to do it myself."
The entire transformation took the couple around two years and Ellen says she is thrilled with how it has turned out.
"From start to finish it took us two years and I’m really happy with how it looks now. We get so many compliments on it and it’s just a really nice place to be," she said.
"Our house is quite colourful. I did quite a bit of research into traditional Victorian colours and so the green that we've got in the living room is of that era, and likewise in the hallway the wallpaper I’ve picked is inspired by William Morris.
"I would say our interior style is quite fun and I think I surprised myself with the choices we've made. Originally I was quite into white grey and cream but once we got going we got a bit bolder with the choices we made."
Giving us a tour around her home, Ellen described: "You open the front door and there’s a narrow hallway. To your right is an open archway into the living room and then if you come further down the hallway there's an L-shaped kitchen diner.
"The stairs run up the middle of the house and they are very steep. Once you get to the top of the stairs to your left hand side is the master bedroom. If you look down the landing on the right hand side is the second bedroom which is also the home office, and then at the end of the corridor is the bathroom.
"All the rooms have got an original chimney breast and a fireplace."
Speaking about her plans for the future, Ellen said: "We had it valued last summer and we were really happy with what its gone up to.
"I think it's a perfect house for a couple but I think we probably will outgrow it going into our thirties, but it’s been a brilliant starter home."
Giving advice to first-time buyers, Ellen said: "I think you've got to set yourself really realistic goals and I always found that the best way of saving up was as soon as that pay check comes into your bank, put money in your savings that day.
"We both had Help to Buy ISAs too which I would recommend to anyone. We were paying the maximum amount into that every month for at least three years.
"In terms of renovating, I built a little mood board for each room with paint samples, carpet samples and fabrics. For every room I also made a list of all the work that needs to be done as it’s helpful to know what comes next because I think you can do things in the wrong order without realising."
You can view more of Ellen's home on her Instagram account @house.at.no.9.
Want to feature your home in Where I Live? If so, please email your details to phoebe.jobling@reachplc.com.
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