LOL when you go armed with all this lot you will appear like the SAS, CIA and FBI rolled into one!!
Taking on board all the practical advice above, your passion and heart must come into the equation at some point! One persons hell is anothers heaven. If you can see past all the crap that may put others off, the filth, disrepair, the reorganisation and the work required, then you may well get yourself a wonderful dream property for a snip! We did...we had a bit of vision and imagination. Get a ''feel'' for the place.
Our house had been on the market for over a year, for several reasons
1. the photos of the place on the estate agents details were laughable. They couldnt have taken worse photos. we were the second lot of people to see the place in 12 months.
2. the 'stables' were knee deep in sheep s**t and were dingy and smelly
3. the inside of the house was not much better; some of the rooms were inaccessable due to piled up furniture and junk
4. the garden was waist high in grass rubbish and in a dreadful state
5. the fields were think with docks and thistles.
6. the owners had fights and dissagreements with all the neigbours
We got the place for 25% less than the asking price!!!!!!! Its my dream home - we will never leave. i wish i could show you what i mean..the difference in the place from 15 years ago. We did it up on a very tight budget too. eg the kitchen cost me £750 pounds including plumbing, and electicity.
The other piece of advice I would give is; when you find your new home live in it for a full year before making any hard and fast decisions regarding the house or the land. So a lick of paint and the bare minimum to make it home then sit back and learn what the ground and the house teach you.
HTH too!!
Emma T