The iPad - A solution to the first time buyers problems?
John Prescott wants to build at ever-greater densities to try to overcome our housing problem without building on the precious greenfields. David Cameron is also getting on the bandwagon and championing those who support building in brownfield areas and admonishing those that resent new developments next to their own home.
To join in this endeavour we have Barratt dusting down an old idea they first produced in the 1980’s. Back then it was called the ‘Studio Solo’ and it was a small flat built on large developments to attract the ‘first time buyer’ who had been priced out of the housing market.
Does this seem familiar to the current situation?
Well Barratt have come up with a ‘new design’ to solve our housing problems, this time it is called the iPad. It is a one bedroom flat that has been shrunk to 380 square feet. To get that into proportion it is less than 20ft x 20ft. In this you get a living area, a bedroom and a bathroom. They are unfurnished but include kitchen appliances.
Now the Studio Solo also provided the appliances and the reason was that they were all specially made to fit the space and if anything went wrong you could not replace them with a standard size appliance that can be bought in a normal store.
Not surprisingly these units that were popular when they were produced did not stay that way and became an investment disaster for those that needed to try and sell during the property recession. Why buy a flat the size of a garage where you can’t update it when you can now afford a proper house or flat.
I would urge anyone to be cautious with this new offering and the alternative being designed by David Wilson homes that will be called the i-Life.
Stay tuned to Property Development Fortunes...
To join in this endeavour we have Barratt dusting down an old idea they first produced in the 1980’s. Back then it was called the ‘Studio Solo’ and it was a small flat built on large developments to attract the ‘first time buyer’ who had been priced out of the housing market.
Does this seem familiar to the current situation?
Well Barratt have come up with a ‘new design’ to solve our housing problems, this time it is called the iPad. It is a one bedroom flat that has been shrunk to 380 square feet. To get that into proportion it is less than 20ft x 20ft. In this you get a living area, a bedroom and a bathroom. They are unfurnished but include kitchen appliances.
Now the Studio Solo also provided the appliances and the reason was that they were all specially made to fit the space and if anything went wrong you could not replace them with a standard size appliance that can be bought in a normal store.
Not surprisingly these units that were popular when they were produced did not stay that way and became an investment disaster for those that needed to try and sell during the property recession. Why buy a flat the size of a garage where you can’t update it when you can now afford a proper house or flat.
I would urge anyone to be cautious with this new offering and the alternative being designed by David Wilson homes that will be called the i-Life.
Stay tuned to Property Development Fortunes...
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