The property market can be dog eat dog for buyers and sometimes it's worth managing your expectations when it comes to buying your dream house.
In our Where I Live series, the ECHO will explore one house from across the region each week, with the owner giving us an insight into how they've made their house a home.
Amy Aziz, 27, from the Wirral , put offers in on five other properties before finally getting the keys to her house in March 2021.
She told the ECHO: "I was buying at a very competitive time. As I was buying as a first time buyer with no renovation experience, I was initially looking for a fully finished home I could move straight into.
"However, these kinds of properties were being snapped up above market price, so I eventually decided to go for a house that needed a little bit of work. This house came up in the area I was looking in and had a really homely feel when I went to view it. It seemed like only cosmetic work would be required, which was ideal."
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Amy eventually moved into the 1930s house six months after completing, and after renovating her bedroom, bathroom and living room.
While Amy was a novice to DIY, she got "stuck in" to keep a handle on outgoings. She said: "I didn’t even know how to paint a room. But as I was on a budget, I had to get stuck in. It was a steep learning curve that involved a lot of Googling and asking for advice from handier people I knew.
"I made my share of mistakes but now I’m so glad I’ve done most it myself as I’ve gained so many new skills (and power tools) and would feel confident enough to take on another renovation."
She's since stripped back each room to "start from a blank canvas", changed the light schemes, installed new flooring and redecorated.
Amy said: "Some rooms like the bathroom had to go back to brick whereas in the kitchen I was able to up-cycle the old units. I added character by installing cornice, wooden beams and a log burner. I like the warmth of natural materials such as wood, stone and marble so tried to incorporate as much of that as possible."
Amy has uncovered some hidden gems while carrying out the restoration, including some photos hidden behind the fireplace: "One of the best surprises was pulling up the carpets downstairs to find original pitch pine herringbone flooring. There’s also an underground safe which I’ve still not been able to break in to."
She now has some words of wisdom for other first time buyers, she said: "Start by deciding on what overall look you’d like to achieve, and use similar colour schemes and style of furniture throughout the house for a cohesive look. To visualise it better I like to screenshot photos of the furniture I’d likely buy, remove the background and arrange them onto a photo of the room to create a quick mock up.
"If you’re on a budget, shop around for furniture and think outside the box. You can often find ways to style or alter flat pack furniture to look more bespoke, or find beautiful pieces to up-cycle on Facebook Marketplace or Ebay."
While Amy has "caught the renovation bug" and can see herself moving in the future, she won't be going anywhere in the current market, she said: "Given the increase in mortgage interest rates I won’t be looking to move imminently so I’ll take my time finishing off the rest of my house for now."
Would you like to be included in the ECHO's Where I Live feature?
We'll be taking a look inside a different property each week. If you're splurging on a renovation, trying your hand at DIY to save money, or have a passion for interiors, let us know.
Please email your name and details to storm.newton@reachplc.com
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