County Council purchasing second hand home?

mathie

Hi
Pardon my ignorance but if anyone can enlighten me!

Is it possible for the county council to buy a second hand home.
A friend of mine is selling his house and he said that one of the viewers was the county council?

Anyone any information on this?
And are they likely to bid the asking price?

Thanks
M

The_Conductor

Yes, it is possible for the county council to purchase a second hand home. No- they are unlikely to blindly bid the asking price. They are governed by a lot of rules concerning entering into agreements for the purchase or lease of property. They have to be able to demonstrate "value for money" and show that their offer is the best value in the area available to them (normally by recourse to submitting a list of other property in the area showing its recent disposal values.

Benefit of a county council buying, is they should be in a position to close the sale relatively quickly (and for this reason alone- even where their offers are below some of the other offers, they are often dealt with in a preferential manner). In the current market- second hand property is not shifting fullstop. Providing your friend is realistic in his/her expectations, the fact that the council is interested in bidding, is very good news indeed.......

dazberry

My father sold the former family home to the Corporation (aka Dublin City Council) - a few years ago. Neighbours weren't best pleased with the people that moved in mind (and with good reason) - so if your friend decides to sell to the CoCo, I'd advise them not to make it publically know.

D.

godtabh

dazberry wrote:

My father sold the former family home to the Corporation (aka Dublin City Council) - a few years ago. Neighbours weren't best pleased with the people that moved in mind (and with good reason) - so if your friend decides to sell to the CoCo, I'd advise them not to make it publically know.

D.

Why?

Your neighbours could be pricks either way. Doesnt matter if they have CO Co bought homes or not

dodgyme

kearnsr wrote:

Why?

Your neighbours could be pricks either way. Doesnt matter if they have CO Co bought homes or not

Generally people who own there homes care about them more so it does matter.

Nightwish

The CoCo just bought 4 houses in the estate I used to live in. Again the neighbours aren't at all happy, but the houses weren't shifting at all, what with the asking price being OTT.

pow wow

dazberry wrote:

My father sold the former family home to the Corporation (aka Dublin City Council) - a few years ago. Neighbours weren't best pleased with the people that moved in mind (and with good reason) - so if your friend decides to sell to the CoCo, I'd advise them not to make it publically know.

D.

And even if they do keep it quiet it might become obvious anyway. A house at the end of my road was sold to the council and as soon as it was completed they padlocked the gates shut and covered every bit of breakable glass (windows, front door panes) with those metal grills, essentially boarding it up and that's the way it's stayed since.

But in response to the OP yes they do buy them.

godtabh

dodgyme wrote:

Generally people who own there homes care about them more so it does matter.

Talk about generalities

The_Conductor

kearnsr wrote:

Talk about generalities

While it may be a generality- I live in a complex with 23 units, of which 8 are currently owner occuppied. I have to concur wholeheartedly with the sentiment..... The people renting- and their landlords don't tend to care about anything much, apart from keeping the management charge low. The owner occuppiers on the other hand would like the gardening done regularly and the place maintained properly.

I agree that it is a generalisation- but its one that tends to hold true.

Victor

Many councils have schemes for buying houses, especially from the over-55s.

ctc_celtic

with more building contractors paying money to the councils rather than giving them a percentage of the houses they've built, don't you think councils will start buying more secondhand houses, as they will offer better value for money in the present property market?

The_Conductor

ctc_celtic wrote:

with more building contractors paying money to the councils rather than giving them a percentage of the houses they've built, don't you think councils will start buying more secondhand houses, as they will offer better value for money in the present property market?

No. The election manifestos of most of the parties included commitments to reform the legislation governing the provision of affordable housing- as its been proven not to work. I think most of the councils are far more likely to have their knuckles rapped by central government and be told to insist on the provision of affordable housing, not money in-lieu.

S.

dazberry

kearnsr wrote:

Why?

Your neighbours could be pricks either way. Doesnt matter if they have CO Co bought homes or not

While the next store neighbour to the left was indeed a prick, he was not a criminal, although I'm sure he became a lot more palatable with his new neighbour then he had been the 20 years I'd lived there. Having said that I did hear he had a heart attack a while later - whether his new neighbour was a contributor to it I don't know.

And even if they do keep it quiet it might become obvious anyway

It became known before the house was vacated - and the neighbours were less than happy and vocal about it. I'm all for an easy life - I would have said nothing and let them find out the hard way.

D.