'I bought my house mortgage-free. When I moved in I thought I'd made the biggest mistake'

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

There are many benefits to buying an older house - from a cheaper asking price to bigger rooms with an array of original features.

But despite the pros it is no secret that period properties often come with unprecedented problems. Buyers who are taking on a renovation project in a dated home commonly come across hidden issues including mould, leaks, electric and plumbing issues - which are just some of the problems Claire Bakan faced after buying her Victorian house in Tameside and doing a DIY renovation.

Claire spoke to the Manchester Evening News as part of our Where I Live series. Each week, we chat to a different homeowner about their buying and renovation journey, and take a look inside to see how they've transformed their home. READ MORE: 'I bought a doer-upper house - now it's worth around £600,000' Single mum Claire, who is originally from Stoke, got on the property ladder around 20 years ago after buying her first house in Manchester.

Claire then went on to buy her second house in Levenshulme where she lived for eight years, but a surprising revelation in 2019 led her to make a sudden move to Audenshaw. '“It was a really quick decision, basically there was another house that had gone up for sale on the same street and they were asking for silly money," Claire told the Manchester Evening News. "The last time I had my house valued in 2018 it was £195,000 and this house had gone up for offers over £380,000 - I couldn’t believe it. "I got it touch with the estate agents and they said my house would sell for offers over £350,000, so I just put it up for sale and it sold for £350,000 within two days." But the spur of the moment decision meant that Claire had to find another home quickly. "The buyers were cash