Afraid that we won't find a house

[Notfootball]

We are in the very fortunate position of being under offer but it is proving impossible to find a house. We're moving in with my parents to break the chain so know how lucky we are to not have to pay rent but there seems to be loads on the market but nothing for us.

DC1 is 3 this year and will be starting school nursery this September and the original plan was for us to be in our new house before the summer hols so that she could start in a school in our new area but this is now impossible. I accept this.

The grand majority of houses we see on Rightmove look right but fall outside school catchment areas so we cannot even consider them. The rest seem to back onto a railway line or are on a busy road so are not suitable.

I just feel like we'll still be at my parents' place at Christmas when we need to be applying for DC1's reception place and will be driving back and forth come September 2013.

Please calm me down! How long did it take you to find your family home?

[EdgarAllenPimms]

in two weeks we will be sold and in the same position...

crossing of fingers and touching of wood<

thoughts...backing onto railway isn't that bad depending on how long the garden is. especially if railway in a cutting.

the market does refresh.

have you checked....local auction sites as well. not everything gets listed on rightmove.

had you considered buying something smaller and extending it.

[thisisyesterday]

is your parents house in the catchment area then? if not how will you get a place?

i would look at renting in your chosen area until you find a place that's right for you

[Notfootball]

Edgar I lived in a flat whose car park backed onto a railway line and with the windows open, everything was drowned out when a train went by. The builders were clever in that they put the bedrooms at the front of the building but we won't get this option with a four bedroom house. I got used to the train noise very quickly but the flat did not sell easily.

Are you moving in with your parents too? I hadn't thought of auctions at all, good idea. I shall look into this.

Yesterday my parents live round the corner from us so the nursery place that our daughter has for September will serve from there too.

Obviously there is no crystal ball but does anyone know when the market usually quietens down? The agents are telling us that this now is the time of year when most houses come onto the market.

[EdgarAllenPimms]

yep, just heard we should complete end of month so all go here!
will be in parents house - catchment not relevant this year for us..

i have found it surprisingly hard to get hold of auction listing/ catalogues from some auctioneers - some don't even post online! the main one does but there isn't much detail...

hope to find something, am watching a 'sold stc' house hawklike for it to fall back to the market.... don't want to be out too long as we lose £3k if we don't port our mortgage in 3 months.

[Jcee]

We have had a nightmare with finding a house - had found ideal one, were in a chain, everything was ready to go and then randomly after 2 months our vendors decided they had made a mistake and didn't want to sell after all and took the house off the market.

We had to rush round to find somewhere and the estate agents pulled out all the stops for us and we viewed loads of houses in one weekend.

We found one which had just come onto the market, not one I would have chosen to view if I had been doing it leisurely and amazingly it was perfect.

Although we were angry about how we had been treated by our original vendors and i did wonder if we were compromising by choosing this house so quickly, a few months down the line I think it has all worked out for the best and the house we are now buying is in fact better than the first for all sorts of reasons. All being well we are about to exchange next week!

I think what I am trying to say is be open minded about viewings and available houses, see ones to challenge your perceptions to fine tune your requirements and what you are willing to compromise on and what is non negotiable and above all, make sure you are registered with all estate agents and keep in touch with them to make sure they know exactly what you want so when a suitable house comes up, they'll think of you first.

Good luck, moving house is horribly stressful not to mention moving in with parents

[Notfootball]

Oh Jcee what a nightmare. Why would a vendor let a sale go that far if they were unsure if they wanted to move? Why put it on the market in the first place? Well done to you for finding a better house though.

I hadn't even thought about the fee payable for not porting soon enough, we really need to find a place quickly.

[Jcee]

Notfootball - I know! I've often wondered that since it happened. They had a house lined up to go to in Ireland which they had been renovating for years and had had their house on the market for months before they accepted our offer. I think it had all become a bit too real iykwim and they got cold feet.

Their house hasn't come back on the market so I think the process must have crystallised the decision, either that or fear of the estate agent, he went ballistic at them and told them he wouldn't represent them again if they changed their mind and would tell all the other estate agents they were time wasters!

Whereabouts are you looking? I didn't realise there was a porting fee - how long do you have to find somewhere before incurring a fee?

[Notfootball]

The SE of England. Can you believe it? After 7 weeks of seriously looking, we have had an offer accepted on a house we saw today! Followed your advice Jcee and saw a house which I really didn't think would be right for us but walked in and we just gave it each "the look". We love it!

I remember our mortgage advisor mentioning a porting fee but can't remember how much and when it comes into effect. Shall find out on Wednesday.

[Jcee]

Yay! Congratulations! That's fab news - you must be so relieved. Is it in the catchment area of the school you were looking at?

Fingers crossed for a stress free move

[Notfootball]

So pleased but exhausted - the vendors drove a hard bargain but we stuck to our guns. It's within the catchment area for one of the two schools we were hoping for so it's perfect.

Hope it all goes well for your exchanve next week.

[happyAvocado]

in my area there are fewer houses coming onto the market now than 2 months ago -so I am not sure about your agent's comment

just be patient and enjoy the fact that yo uare soon going to be chain free :)

[ajuba]

When you talk about a porting fee I assume you are referring to the redemption penalty. This can be quite steep, depending on how long you've had the mortgage for. If your still in the tied in period of the mortgage it can be a couple of percentage of the loan amount outstanding. You can refer to your key features document and it will give you the amount you will have to pay.

[EdgarAllenPimms]

well yes - if we don't port - £3k redemption fee in the bin! otherwise porting free (Nationwide check your Ts&Cs as ever)

good for you OP..

[Notfootball]

Actually, there should be no porting fee to pay then as we are on the variable rate - doh!

[crazyhead]

OH I relate to everything you say and am in a similar position. Yes, you'll find something in the end, yes it is a nightmare. Personally I think it is best to grit your teeth and wait for the right place.