When looking at buying a house to keep horses at home which is more important to you house or horse facilities.

[setterlover]

As title considering selling up and downsizing next year and interested in people's thoughts.Starting to look at properties to gauge what is around and wondering what people would find the most important really good horse and yard or really posh house
We tend to look at horse facilities as the priority as houses are easier to deal with. Kitchens and bathrooms can be updated conservatory can be added with no need for lengthy planning permissions ( for the most part) whereas putting up barns field shelters and stables all tend to involved planning permissions and often hit snags with just getting the permission as well as the costs of applying and getting it A decent size equestrian barn we put up cost the best part of £1,000 in application fees and took the best part of a year to go through with all the checks and surveys ,( bat survey water and run off etc.) that was before the cost of the actual structure.and the arena we put in at a different property took 3 years 3 appeals before finally got approval.
As long as the house is livable in and tidy we tend to look at the land fencing access and buildings as a priority.
What do others think.

 

[JenJ]

As title considering selling up and downsizing next year and interested in people's thoughts.Starting to look at properties to gauge what is around and wondering what people would find the most important really good horse and yard or really posh house
We tend to look at horse facilities as the priority as houses are easier to deal with. Kitchens and bathrooms can be updated conservatory can be added with no need for lengthy planning permissions ( for the most part) whereas putting up barns field shelters and stables all tend to involved planning permissions and often hit snags with just getting the permission as well as the costs of applying and getting it A decent size equestrian barn we put up cost the best part of £1,000 in application fees and took the best part of a year to go through with all the checks and surveys ,( bat survey water and run off etc.) that was before the cost of the actual structure.and the arena we put in at a different property took 3 years 3 appeals before finally got approval.
As long as the house is livable in and tidy we tend to look at the land fencing access and buildings as a priority.
What do others think.

What you said basically.

Anything that can be rebuilt/extended/tarted up doesn't matter so much. The ability to put in what isn't currently there is a priority, as is the quantity and quality of the land.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I'm all for the horse facilities the house is irrelevant in my world if it had an indoor school I would sleep in a shack

Mr P is all for the house if its not right or easy fixable it's a no go so we have many arguments about this when house hunting.

 

[Little Loli]

I would say house, especially if you're sharing it with other, non-horsey people. When we bought ours, it was location that was the number 1 most important factor.

 

[SantaVera]

Horse facilities would be more important for me

 

[Trouper]

You can't change the land much or the setting the house is in so for me that always takes priority.

Buildings can always be changed - even if it takes time - and I think sometimes it is necessary to live in a place for a while to decide what is the best way forward.

 

[Tiddlypom]

As younger people 38 years ago, it was definitely the equestrian side that grabbed my attention and the house was almost a by show.

As now older people, I’d rather a house ready to move into and not needing faffing about with.

 

[setterlover]

For us we would basically want a house that's livable in with a 'functioning " kitchen and bathroom but not necessarily state of the art posh kitchen or bathroom we love a conservatory but that can be added
.
More important is how the land is accessed from the house ability to get a tractor and machinery onto the land, surficient decent outbuildings and field shelters or pole barns that are usable (even if they need tarting up ) decent land not too steep .

 

[ihatework]

Never had the luxury but I know if I did, the only way I’d consider it would be for sufficient good draining acreage.

I cannot think of anything worse than trying to manage horses at home on tiny acreage or clay.

 

[suestowford]

When we were looking for a house with a bit of land we looked at two which, on paper, were much the same. One had a bit more land. It also had very tidy stables but the house was awful. The other had a perfect house, and a bit less land, with a useful big shed. We bought the second one and had half the shed made into a field shelter.
At the time neither of us had done any DIY, so taking on a fixer-upper didn't appeal. We also didn't have any horses then, but that soon changed once we'd moved in.

 

[millitiger]

First is amount and quality of the land.
I have no footpaths which is amazing!
We are hedged all around and have mature trees for shade in all fields.
The lanes are so quiet for hacking but the main road is 2 mins away in the horsebox.

After that is potential of house and outbuildings - can we improve and add value?

A LOT depends on your budget though and mine is low enough that I bought a very dated house with no equestrian facilities, with plans to make improvements.
I've put my arena and stables in myself, added a large utility and downstairs shower room to the house and also got planning for a 2 bed bungalow for my parents to live on site.

 

[PeterNatt]

Most important thing for me is direct access to lots of off-road hacking.

 

[ElleSkywalkingintheair]

Horse side was most important for us. Doing up a house is very possible, magic-ing up more land, barns, stables is far harder so as much land as possible with at least a barn or similar was my priority

 

[tda]

When our last house came up, it was just within our reach financially only 4 acres but it was a start.
I went to view, cursory glance round the house, kitchen, bathroom ok, show me the fields!

 

[FlyingCircus]

When we go to view, I make a beeline for the horsey facilities and my husband makes a beeline for the house.

Poor estate agents don't know who to go with

 

[setterlover]

This will be our 3rd equestrian property and we will take our remaining 2 older horses ( 20 and 24) with us .We don't want masses of land as these will be the last horses we will have.
Just about 2 to 4 acres that we can easily manage once there are no horses.
The horses are retired so places to ride in the area is not needed just a nice area of land and a barn or open stables that they can use for shelter and preferably adjoining the land so they can live out and come and go as they please ( as they do now).plus storage for hay and feed.
We should easily afford what we want when we sell up and have a good amount left over to sort out the facilities and the house to our liking.

 

[SilverLinings]

I would prioritise acreage and quality of the grazing (well draining, grass rather than being mainly weeds), well kept boundaries and decent fencing, decent gateways (size, siting and not likely to turn into a bog if someone spits at them), and maintained tracks. Some sort of barn or stables, kept in a good condition for what they are would mean I wouldn't need to worry about PP. I would want the house to be structurally sound and not need re-roofing, but am more than happy to make cosmetic changes/replace the kitchen/etc.

TBH in reality I'd take a hovel if it meant I could keep my horses at home.

 

[visa_bot]

Location, location, location. If it’s in the right place and has enough land for you, it’s possible to fix anything else. I did this just over 2 years ago and haven’t regretted it. One thing I would say is make sure you have some money leftover after the purchase. There is loads we want to do but have to pace ourselves as we spent almost our maximum.

 

[setterlover]

As we will be selling a large equestrian property 4 bedroom farmhouse with 15 acres of flat well draining land with adjoining open barn for 24/7 turn out with shelter plus everything you could want including American barn with stabling for 11 horses several barns a half size indoor sand school plus outdoor school rubber chip surface etc
Even though we will be moving area ( to Shropshire / Herefordshire) we should be able to find somewhere and have quite a chunk of money over to sort out anything that needs doing.

 

[SilverLinings]

As we will be selling a large equestrian property 4 bedroom farmhouse with 15 acres of flat well draining land with adjoining open barn for 24/7 turn out with shelter plus everything you could want including American barn with stabling for 11 horses several barns a half size indoor sand school plus outdoor school rubber chip surface etc
Even though we will be moving area ( to Shropshire or Herefordshire we should be able to find somewhere and have quite a chunk of money over to sort out anything that needs doing.

Don't forget that if you donate it to charity (me ) you can offset tax, and feel like a really good person.

I aspire to have somewhere like that someday, but may have to start buying lottery tickets as I'm not sure I can find a job paying the ~£200k/annum I'd need to get a mortgage on somewhere like that.

Being serious, I hope you have an easy sale when the time comes, and that you find somewhere nice to live. Your property sounds lovely so I expect it will attract buyers easily.

 

[honetpot]

I always put the house first because its the main asset, you can not live in a field or a stable, and your life, as my mother would say, could change tomorrow, and you may need to adapt how you live.
I have all the land and sheds I need, but my life has changed, but the house is a daily pleasure and not a money pit.

 

[catembi]

The estate agent's photos always have the land/stables photos last, & when we were looking, I always swiped left so as to see them first!

This place had a 4 acre wilderness, no equestrian facilities at all & a decent, modern but unloved/unfinished house. It took 18 months to get planning & I would not wish a winter on clay with no facilities on anyone!

 

[setterlover]

Thanks SilverLinings.
We are not greedy and will price realistically so hopefully it should sell fairly quickly .
We have loved it here for the 15 years we have been here but we are both in our seventies and need to downsize to a place with less maintenance and as there will be no more horses after these not too much land just enough for 2 really good doers .

 

[Vodkagirly]

Depends what is important to you.
We looked at one place that was knee deep in mud in a dry winter and so steep there was no safe turnout or place to put a school without serious work. I was lucky as it looks fine in the summer so glad I viewed in February.
A friend bought a beautiful place but it's above the snow line, so is frozen for a large part of the winter, so no hacking and troughs always frozen. She posts pictures of snow when we are mild, so check height!
We are edge of village which means we have access to a pub and buses into the nearest town so can have "nights" out. Easy access to Equestrian facilities is a plus.
Houses can be improved as long as budget but hacking, location and acerage is set.

 

[Polos Mum]

As a wild generalisation I think horsey people are more willing to replace a bathroom or decorate a few dated bedrooms than the average house buyer.
The trouble with 'doing up' a house to sell is that everyone's tastes are so different. When moving here we saw a lot of "recently decorated" places - but they were hideous (to my eye)
Again wild averaging - but most horsey people are cost conscious (even if rich you don't want to waste money) so I'd rather rip out a 15 year old kitchen to get just what I want rather than put up with an ugly one because it's new and I can't justify getting rid of it.

If you're selling you can't change location, flood risk, north facing slopes, or siting of buildings within the land or public foot paths etc. - which are all high on my list.
Making sure the horse facilities are well maintained would probably be where I'd spend cash.
Replacing loads of fencing can easily be £10-20k, fixing leaking barn roof is a pain.
clear all the muck heaps, get on top of weeds etc. so the fields aren't yellow with butter cup.

I'd do that vs. decorating the house

 

[HopOnTrot]

It depends on your situation.
To us, location would be most important, DC are likely to be at different schools and we need to be close to our business base.

I’ve never bought a house that didn’t need a full renovation, but I’m married to a tradesman, we have 3 chippies on speed dial, a great ground worker and a couple of good sparkies!

As long as there are no planning issues with extending or building stables I’d consider anything.

If it came with a school that would be amazing as I imagine getting DH to fork out for one would be harder than getting him to build stables!

 

[Nonjumper]

When we were looking the house and the equestrian facilities were equally important.

Buying a dump just because the stabling and land is good is a quick route to unhappiness, unless you are wealthy enough to immediately rip the house to bits and start again.

Needing a lick of paint, new carpets and in slower time updating the kitchen and bathrooms is one thing, needing full scale extensions and modernisation to get a house that is suitable for your needs is quite another.

Ask yourself "would I buy this house if it didn't have the stables?" If the answer is no, keep looking.

 

[gallopingby]

Thanks SilverLinings.
We are not greedy and will price realistically so hopefully it should sell fairly quickly .
We have loved it here for the 15 years we have been here but we are both in our seventies and need to downsize to a place with less maintenance and as there will be no more horses after these not too much land just enough for 2 really good doers .

I’m a similar age and bought my place when I retired. Maybe now a ‘finished’ house would be a good idea especially as trades people have become difficult to find but the outside horse facilities are important for easy living so if good doers easily fenced or small paddocks for summer grazing with a facility for them to access stables field shelter easily, ie without having to be haltered. I’d also look at easily mown grass / garden area that a ride on mower will cope with not miles of banking that needs strimming. Good neighbours are also great to have so worth having a nosey round and checking out the locality a few times in all weather conditions.

 

[setterlover]

The area we are looking to go to is Shropshire/Herefordshire and I spent a lot of my childhood and youth there as all my parents family were there and my uncle farmed there and we lived on the Staffordshire Shropshire borders.
A lot of the older family are gone now and younger ones dispersed all over the country but I know the area well and have visited the area for many years a couple of times a year for a couple of weeks each time ( I am doing family genealogy research,)I still have a few friends in the area.
I know areas which are prone to flood risk (from the Severn and Wye rivers) so have an idea of where to avoid.
Definitely land that can be accessed from a barn or shelter so horses can come and go as they please and a large heavy duty rubber matted corral area around any barn /pole barn where horses can be corralled as needed ( which is what we have where we are).If the buildings are in the right place this can be put in. ,( which we did where we are now,)
We will need to manage the land when we have no horses but have a quad and have machinery to use with it a towing mower roller and harrow but would hopefully get a local farmer to cut it when there are no horses plus if there is any area of lawn a ride on mower.
Would want to be within striking distance of a small village with shop pub etc

 

[Foxy O]

As we will be selling a large equestrian property 4 bedroom farmhouse with 15 acres of flat well draining land with adjoining open barn for 24/7 turn out with shelter plus everything you could want including American barn with stabling for 11 horses several barns a half size indoor sand school plus outdoor school rubber chip surface etc
Even though we will be moving area ( to Shropshire / Herefordshire) we should be able to find somewhere and have quite a chunk of money over to sort out anything that needs doing.

Where abouts in the country are you living in? As we are looking to move further south we are currently based in Cheshire near the Shropshire boarder