FREE GUIDE FOR PROPERTY BUYERS

Every property listing is an advert. Here's how to read what it leaves out.

A 15-minute guide for experienced professionals considering property in Wiltshire. Learn what common listing phrases can mean, what the photos don't show, and the five questions to put to the agent before you view.

Free PDF, six pages. No sales call unless you ask for one. Unsubscribe whenever you like.

The Problem

A listing is written to sell a house. That's the agent's job, and they're good at it.

"In need of modernisation" might mean a tired kitchen. It might mean a full rewire, a new boiler and a roof on borrowed time. On paper they look the same. In your budget they're tens of thousands of pounds apart.

Most buyers don't find out which until after the survey, or after the purchase.

What you'll learn

Part 1. Words about the building. What "character features", "deceptively spacious" and "recently renovated" can really mean, and the one question to ask about each.
Part 2. Words about the money. Why "cash buyers only" can be a warning sign, and what a run of price cuts may be telling you.
Part 3. Words about the sale. What "no onward chain" and "auction" can mean for your timescale and your risk, including flood risk near Wiltshire's rivers.
Part 4. What the photos leave out. The missing kitchen photo, the absent floor plan, the wide-angle lens in a small bedroom.
Part 5. Five questions for the agent. Ready to copy into an email before you view.

A taste of what's inside

"Cash buyers only Sometimes the seller wants speed. Sometimes a mortgage lender won't lend on the house, because of how it was built or what's wrong with it. If a bank won't lend on it now, a future buyer's bank may not either. Ask › Why is it cash only?"

Who's it for

This guide is for you if

you have capital you'd like to put into property, but not another job to go with it
you are interested in freehold houses, whether terraced, semi-detached, detached or bungalow
you want to understand the risks before you look at the returns
you are considering Wiltshire, whether you live here or have a connection to the area
you would rather ask one sharp question than learn an expensive lesson

It isn't for you if you're looking for flats, HMOs, a "guaranteed yield" or a get-rich-quick deal. You won't find any of them here.

Who wrote it

I help busy professionals invest in Wiltshire property by finding, assessing and delivering suitable opportunities, without them having to become landlords, developers or project managers.

My background is in buildings, from architectural practice to development monitoring for investors. I read a listing the way a builder reads it. I look past the description to what the building is likely to cost, what could go wrong, and what nobody has checked yet.

Pamela Chitolie MCIOB, Director of Property Consultecon Ltd.

Proof

A recent example of the judgement behind this guide:

A property I walked away from. A three-bed cottage in a Wiltshire market town looked like a straightforward refurbishment at a sensible price. Closer inspection found a sunken concrete pool hidden by a garden shed, and other structural risks no listing mentioned. I advised against it. It later sold at auction to someone else.

Sometimes the most valuable advice is "don't".

Questions

Is it really free?

Yes. Six pages, no catch. If you want help with a specific property later, that's a paid service, and you'll only hear about it if you ask.

Will I get sales emails?

You'll get the guide, plus a few short emails on buying property with your eyes open. Unsubscribe whenever you like

I'm not in Wiltshire. Is it still useful?

Most of it applies anywhere in England. The flood and river notes are local.

I already invest in property. Will I learn anything?

Possibly not everything. But it takes 15 minutes, and one question you hadn't thought to ask could save a great deal more than that.

Can't I just use AI, or a property analysis tool?

They're useful, and I use them too. But a calculator only runs the numbers you give it. It can't tell you what the works will really cost, which sales in the street genuinely compare, or what return is worth the risk. Get the sale price slightly wrong and every other figure is wrong with it. Nor can it walk the house. On one cottage I assessed, everything a desk tool could see said sound, needs modernising. The site visit found a rotten floor and a structural problem, and the most I'd pay fell by tens of thousands. AI can write a report. It can't put its name to the numbers.

Read the next listing with a builder's eye.

FREE GUIDE, SIX PAGES, 15 MINUTES

Property Consultecon Ltd · [email protected] · 07706 115396
By downloading, you agree to receive occasional emails from Property Consultecon. Unsubscribe at any time