EVERY Lottery winner has a fantasy shopping list, and near the top is a dream home. Two hundred and fifty thousand pounds should be more than enough for anyone to splash out on bricks and mortar, but just what do you get for your money?
Jamie MacNab, of the international property consultants Savills, is used to this type of enquiry, and his first question always deals with the area his clients are looking at. A quarter of a million pounds could just manage to cover the price of a tiny flat in central London, and yet leave plenty change if the purchase is a sprawling property in the far north of Scotland.
Quality of life means different things to different people, and while wide open spaces and the freshest of air enchant some, others cannot bear the thought of life miles from serious shopping, cinemas and theatres. When the desired area is decided on, another query arises, peculiar to the Scottish sytem of house selling. Irrespective of the survey value, how much over the asking price will a client be prepared to go to to secure a property?
Guided to some extent by the professionals, the final response is always a
very personal one, based on finance, long-term plans and just how much they really want it.
At offers over #285,000, Freeland House in Bishopton might be stretching the budget somewhat, but with good reason. With the original part of the house built by the beginning of the nineteenth century, the family feel of this home has been established for nearly two centuries, and the accommodation provides everything and more any family could want. There are five bedrooms and a playroom, three public rooms and a study, along with a family kitchen, utility room and even a traditional coal cellar. In the extensive grounds there is also a two-apartment coach house, stables, tool shed and log store. All in all, a property which cries out for someone to fall in love with every inch of it, and stamp their personality all over it.
Going back to the original price, and with some help from Savills who currently have three very different properties for sale at similar amounts, Kirkland House in Kirkcudbrightshire includes a period manse and a pair of detached cottages for offers over #250,000, although they could be sold separately.
This is real country living, with salmon fishing, pheasant shooting, and sailing
listed in the main attractions. The present owners live in the lower part of the main house, and run a holiday letting business for the remainder of the property, so the successive buyer has a choice for the future in either continuing the business, or
just settling down and taking over the whole place.
From a self-indulgent point of view, it would be very tempting to do just that, nestling back in the comfortable privacy of the large garden and watching the world go peacefully by.
Still with a country feel, and the same price tag, Ardshealach Lodge on the Ardnamurchan peninsula has 22 acres, fishing rights, a jetty site and mature woodland, to name but a few of its assets. The main house is a refurbished Highland sporting lodge with enough public rooms and bedrooms to be another possible business proposition, complemented by a two-bedroomed former byre. As a home, the words ''splendid'' and ''breathtaking'' spring to mind, considering the spectacular scenery and views which surround it, but the overall feel of the main house is one of traditional warmth and comfort.
Moving into a more central location, the Old Mill Farmhouse at Craigforth near Stirling is a touch cheaper at offers over #235,000. Overlooking the River Forth and within easy reach of Stirling, Glasgow, and Edinburgh, this is perhaps the most likely example of what the public want.
Rural properties appeal to the select few, and that is usually reflected by the sheer size of the accommodation available for the money. This eighteenth-century home comfortably straddles central Scotland and Highland access, and is ideally placed to enjoy the best of both worlds. Civilisation is just down the road, but so is good country living and this house can afford to feel distinctive. The grounds include an orchard, a yard, and a large garden, and although the house is a very good size with five bedrooms and a variety of public rooms, it is certainly not massive.
As a dream home, this would have to be at the top of my shopping list. Whether or not #250,000 would be enough to secure it is another matter.
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