Buying a house can be a daunting process; it's easy to make massive decisions that you're not 100% about, but sometimes it's best to take a breath and hold out for the right place for you.
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 the buying process, how they managed to get on the property ladder, and how they plan to make it their own in a cost of living crisis.
Chloe Hodgson, 29, from Aigburth never gave up hope when it came to buying a place with her partner Jack, despite looking for "months" and feeling like it was "never going to happen".
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She told the ECHO: "We were let down on so many houses and were starting to lose all hope and then this one came on the market. We both loved it as soon as we saw the estate agent pictures, but they were only doing one day of viewings and Jack couldn’t make it due to work commitments so I went alone.
"It needed work but I fell in love with how bright the rooms were, as well as the original features like the wooden floorboards and stained glass windows in the hall. I could visualise exactly what we would do with each room."
The mid-terrace property was on the market for £250,000 and the couple nabbed it for £255,000, a small price to pay when you're a three minute walk from Sefton Park and just down the road from the many bars and restaurants of Lark Lane.
"We were renting in the Baltic Triangle previously and we both loved the lifestyle that we had in town of being able to walk to bars and restaurants. When we started looking for houses we knew that the location was one of the most important things to us, so having Lark Lane so close is perfect for us now."
Chloe told the ECHO the couple doesn't have a "huge budget" and tops up their pot whenever they can. She said: "We had about £4,000 left over after we’d paid our deposit and all our fees, so we’ve really had to be sensible with what we spend. After that’s gone it’ll be a case of just saving monthly for any future jobs we want to do.
"We’re quite lucky that our mortgage now is cheaper than what we were paying to rent, so we have a little extra now that tends to keep the reno pot topped up each month. We do also try and save money where we can by buying second hand and selling our unwanted things, Facebook marketplace has come in handy for this.
"We’re trying to be as realistic as possible and only doing the jobs that really need doing. We’ve tried to DIY anything that we can do ourselves so that we can free up money for other things. It can be overwhelming when you think about everything that needs doing in the whole house, so we’ve found it easier to focus on one room at a time."
The couple has started work on their home and also shared their vision of the future: "One of the first things we did was rip up the carpet on the stairs as it was so old and smelt really musty. We still need to sand the stairs down, and will eventually paint them and install a runner. We’ve also cleared out the garden as it was absolutely full of overgrown plants and bushes. It looks nearly double the size now.
"The biggest room we’re properly focusing on though is the dining room. So far we have exposed the brick on the chimney breast and installed some more plug sockets. We want to get a new radiator and then I think we’ll be ready to re-plaster and paint the walls. We’re going to attempt to make our own built in cupboard in the alcove."
The next "big job" will be the bathroom, according to Chloe: "We’d absolutely love to make it bigger and we’re hoping that we’ll be able to extend into the second bedroom to make that room a little smaller, but gain more space in the bathroom.
"If that can’t be done then we’ll reconfigure the existing layout to try and gain as much space as we can. Other than the bathroom, we’d also love to eventually add another bedroom by extending into the loft."
Chloe gave one piece of advice when it comes to buying a house, and it's "don't rush into decisions".
"It’s a slow process which can be frustrating. There will always be unexpected costs so mentally prepare yourself for those. For example when we first moved in, our bathroom window had broken so that it was permanently stuck open. We hadn’t planned or budgeted for a new window, but obviously with the cost of living crisis we needed to make sure it got fixed before winter."
While it's just Chloe and Jack in the house at the moment, the pair are considering expanding their family: "We would love to get a dog in the near future."
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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