There is a house I walk by occasionally that I absolutely love. It’s old and run down but definitely art deco in a modest kind of way, with round balconies and a gold brick doorway. As a joke, I keep telling people this is my future house.
I say as a joke because I am a broke millennial. I have accepted my fate of never moving past paying rent for a place to live and spending the remainder of my minimalist income on avocado toast and oat milk lattes.
But recently, I saw a “For Sale” sign in front of the house and this is probably my only chance to ever see its art deco interior, if any is left, before it’s all turned into a modern and soulless place.
I have called the seller and I overheard its asking price when they referred to it as the “1.1 million euro house”. They asked twice if that was indeed the one I wanted to visit.
The visit date will be set next week.
Now, how do I sound like I’m the kind of person who doesn’t flinch at the idea of spending a million euros on a house? What questions do I ask? What might they ask me in return? What are things I shouldn’t say?
Some extra information:
- This is in Brussels, Belgium
- A permit was requested to split the house into 5 apartments (2 floors could be built above the existing 3)
- It was originally built as a single family home
Edit: this is the house
UPDATE
I got a phone call last Monday about the house. They offered a visit that very day. So I quickly got ready. I tried to make myself look legit (thanks @boogetyboo@aussie.zone and @ultranaut@lemmy.world for the advice) by downloading the permit info, printing it and putting it inside a notebook. It was new and blank, so to make it look used, I added a few papers and paperclips sticking out and a big binder clip holding it open at a random page, where I took some notes: permit number, number of rooms, asking price.
I then met with the real estate guy, I felt apprehensive but excited. I greeted him and he asked if I was more interested in the single home or the apartment project. I said it would be apartments but I was open-minded about the single home. I told him the funds were coming from a relative. I asked if I could take photos for them. And then we started the tour.
A big round staircase is the first thing I saw. Beautiful parquet with exotic wood. Round panels bringing light in here and there. One room still had big yellow flower wallpaper.
My first thought was that the place was much bigger than it looked.
The basement was very damp and moldy in some places. The electrical system was very outdated.
The gound floor still had a wooden built-in cabinet.
I saw a succession of big rooms, rounded edges, big windows. Lots of light.
Next floor still had a bathroom with red tiles, a bidet and very old fixtures. A rusty balcony with windows rounded at the corners.
I asked a little about the house. It was built in 1926, belonged to a doctor.
The plaster was falling off the walls, which were cracked in places. The house seems to have been unused for decades.
The real estate guy told me he estimated the repairs to be probably around another million euros.
Next floor was much of the same, it had a very cool cast iron fireplace with rounded shelves. We walked on a pretty sizeable terrace and looked down at the garden. There was the nicest little staircase curving down to the (overgrown) garden that was just way too damaged to be saved. It was heartbreaking to see everything so broken and rusted. (I don’t have photos of it, my bad.)
There was an old minuscule kitchen in a corner. It had sideways cabinets to save space.
I asked about several things (thanks @eezeebee@lemmy.ca and @JaY_III@lemmy.ca for the suggestions), whether there was a humidity problem, whether the cracks were structural, whether the garage got flooded, whether that was asbestos around the basement pipes, and each time the real estate guy said “Hm, I don’t know”. Like thanks but you’re not helping me in my decision.
At one point the guy said I could make a lower offer - like a million - if I wanted it as a single home.
Outside I said we’d keep in touch. I don’t know how passable I was, but he did ask me if I was an architect, so maybe I had some credibility?
So then I went home. I was happy that I finally got to see the house and that it still had stuff inside, but very sad that it is in the shape it is and that I can’t save it.
The easiest approach would likely be “scouting” on behalf of an associate, perhaps they couldn’t make it and sent you. Take lots of pictures for your associate, and you’re not personally involved with the purchase makes it easier to handwave questions.
If you insist on pretending to be rich keep discussion light, talk about potential renovations, take pictures to send to your designer. Ask about the history of the home, dig for unique characteristics. Inquire about the area and what kind of “crowds” to expect. Don’t dress too fancy, don’t pull up in a 09 civic (park around the block and walk), and if they ask, you made a small fortune trading crypto.
Thanks, I ended up going with “wealthy overseas relative who I have to report to”
Holy shit OP DELIEVERED. Fantastic stuff, thanks for sharing! Glad you got your opportunity to check it out.
Some wealthy people don’t give a shit whether you believe they have wealth. You don’t need to prove anything to anyone until and unless you make an offer. Ask questions, and don’t answer questions. Give vague, short responses and neglect to elaborate.
This is the correct answer. Don’t overthink this. Just go, have a look and that’s it. Tell everybody involved that you don’t have to proof anything if they ask.
I know people who could afford this house easily that walk around like a regular farmer. Sales people having regular contact with wealthy people know this.
That doesn’t look like a million euro house at all…
“Hi, I’m Vincent Adultman. Just in case you’re wondering, I’m definitely not 3 kids in a trenchcoat pretending to be an adult. Now let’s do a business.”
That’s how it felt the entire visit
Ask if there’s any history of water damage or flooding - it looks like the garage would let water flow down into it. There are visible cracks near the roof. Important things to know to protect your “investment”.
Also, please do follow up. I want to know how this goes.
Thanks for the suggestions, I did ask about those. The agent had no idea but it made me sound more legit. Also, I posted an update!
Thanks for going through with it and posting the update!
I don’t think a rich person who “won’t flinch at spending 1.1 million euros” would actually ask those questions, they’d just spend whatever they need on it lol
Like a 60k repair to them would be like 50$ to you or me
So in your head, people are rich because they throw away their money?
With pictures, ideally!
Just posted a update!
Thanks for letting me know. I’m glad you got to check the place out. Thanks for sharing it with us!
I’m from California so my wealth meter is broken beyond all reason. Is 1.1 million euros really considered “rich?” Everybody’s making jokes about wearing a monocle or not asking questions about flooding and I’m sitting here thinking about the house on my street that sold for about that much recently…and is a tear-down. 😭
Edit: actually wait, it was more like twice that much… it was like $2.3 mil and there’s no way they do any less than strip it to the framing.
There’s no comparison.
Your housing is so badly and cheaply constructed that if you tried to build like that, even in Belgium, the council would demand you tear it down at your own expense and start again
This is a perfectly good, liveable, hundred year old house in need of renovating, that’ll easily last another hundred
Also depends where it is. There are parts where a million will get you a 3 bedroom cottage, and parts where that’ll get you a castle
There are 100 year old houses in America made of fine timber or brick that look better than this and will last longer.
It’s a big country. Modern construction is rarely built to last, but there are millions of homes here that would fit your description without issue.
You can punch your hand through your plasterboard mate lol
I don’t have plasterboard walls. They are lath and plaster.. The studs and framing are beautiful old hardwood.
It’s a sturdy and lovely old house that has stood the test of time. It’s one of the millions in the states that I was talking about.
So will an earthquake. It may be “cheap” but we do it that way because it’s light. At least in California. That way if it falls on you, you might not die.
At least that’s what the builder told you so he could buy his third boat lol
I don’t have much advice, besides wearing an expensive-looking suit, but if you have the chance to take pics, we want to see the interior too!
Just posted a update!
I can’t help, but would love a update once you are done.
Bonus points if you wear a recording device or film some of it.
Just posted a update (no video though)!
Amazing thanks for the update that is some cool closure.
I can’t really help you, but I do want to say: if you get in I want poctures, that house looks awesome.
Just posted a update!
thanks, looks awesome
You want to know rental prices for each unit. The last assessed tax rate. How the utilities are paid, ie, each unit has its own billing or if its all comon. What the building rates for utilities are that are not covered by the renters. Age of all building utility like water boiler / heat or anything like that and if they are on a maintenance contract. And as you walk around you are inspecting for what repairs need to be done. No need to look impressed by what you see, you are only looking to see if the property will be a cash generation machine or money pit.
Aka ack like a landlord
Thanks, I wrote down all your questions in my notebook. Turns out everything has to be redone so that was easy. This house is definitely a money pit. But if I had infinite money, I would totally restore it.
I’ve never gone house shopping in Belgium but in the US at least, you would be fine just staying vague if they ask you any personal questions as long as you keep it friendly and aren’t rude about it. If you wanted to say you have an uncle or someone like that who is thinking of investing in apartments and he wanted you to check it out for him since you live in the area, that is a totally plausible story and will provide plenty of cover for you to be yourself. In my experience in the US at least, real estate agents want to show you the properties they are selling. They don’t want you to waste their time, but if they are selling a house they generally want as many people to check it out as possible. Ideally those are people who actually want to buy it, but anyone checking out a property they have for sale is always better than no one.
Thanks for the advice, which made me less nervous to meet with the real estate person, especially because they had a visit just before me
1.1 million sounds like a goal if you can turn this into rental units. Based on the picture heavy renovation is needed, so focus on modification and the status of the permit is the important stuff.
Thanks, I tried to focus my questions on renovation during the visit. But it was actually pretty obvious, everything has to be redone.
Those pictures are rough, imo a legit offer would be about 500k less (or more) than a comparable move in ready place.
Ooooh, there’s a short story you should check out, by Vonnegut- “Any reasonable offer”
Let’s get you into a beautiful house. Options:
As a student, overseas relative is helping you buy, has set the budget and you’re going around and looking at places to get a feel for what’s available in the price range
Or maybe you’ve just taken a new job position nearby and want to stay in the area and the exterior has the charm you’re after,and curious to see what you get inside for the price
Pull up a few other places being sold for same price range and note a couple of small things that one of them has, that this might not. Act like those are a bigish deal because “the one over in sint-gilles has xyz, and that was one of the things on my partner’s list of deal breakers”
Look wealthy, mention offhand that financing is handled by the trust, and the board is open to investing, and you just wanted to put eyes on the place before you advise them to commit,then ask a few questions about the neighborhood after dark, so they focus on convincing you without paying too much attention to the rest
They’ll likely poke a bit about your story, and wonder about your financing, but its also super normal for people to be at the end of a long day and focused on paying attention to remembering details of the house or taking pictures and not really bothering to talk, so deflect or ignore.
Check a few faucets, ask when the electricity was brought up to code, and ask if they’ve already gotten estimates for any repairs that would need to be made before you were to move in
Do report back!
Yes, overseas relative was the story I went with. It also allowed me to justify taking a bunch of photos.
Show up in a ripped shirt with a mustard stain on it looking dazed and slightly disinterested, like you already visited 4-5 houses that day.
Having bought 2 in my lifetime so far my approach has always been to say bugger all to the agent. I owe them nothing. If I have questions I ask, if they ask me questions I give them the most limited information possible, obviously being polite. I always kept my cards close to my chest until it was time to lift the auction paddle.
Say very little; it’s none of their business. Dress how you normally would.
Thanks for your advice. This helped me feel less nervous about the visit. I did stay vague but friendly when he asked me personal questions.
