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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To refuse to buy her house and tell her why?

183 replies

StinkyTowels · 16/01/2025 13:59

A few years ago my sister bought a beautiful period property with all original features. Victorian fireplaces, hand crafted bannisters, Victorian carved coving, the head things that pop out of the coving - I adored the house and always said if she sells it, I’ll buy it.

That was of course until she “modernised it”. Stripped out all original features, painted everything white, installed a clinically white and shiny kitchen, lobbed the standalone bath out of the window and replaced it with a spa bath … I kept telling her she was ruining the house but she said I was old fashioned and nobody likes that shit anymore.

The house is historically important, a local famous post lived there, from the outside it looks like a grand Victorian villa. On the inside it look like a London penthouse. It’s awful.

last year she decided to sell it but rather than coming straight to me she tried to sell it for much more than I would have ever paid due to the “improvements” she’d made. LOTS of viewings but no offers - all feedback was exactly the same - put off by interior. Lack of original features etc

So she’s come back to me - I’m now saying I don’t want it either for the same reasons. She’s fuming at me and says I “promised” I would buy it. In its original state I did yes but once she started pulling it apart I very clearly told her I would no longer buy it as she’s wrecked it. She won’t accept this however and is already eying up another house she’d like to ruin/renovate.

AIBU to be glad she can’t sell the bloody thing. It should be illegal to do what she’s done to that belle house

OP posts:
Pippa12 · 16/01/2025 14:04

YANBU to not want to buy it because it’s not to your taste, but to glad she can’t sell it is pretty awful.

Housing markets are stagnant, not helped by renewed uncertainty around interest rates. It’s likely that hindering a sale.

TooManyChristmasCards · 16/01/2025 14:04

ViolinsPlayGentlyOn · 16/01/2025 14:01

YANBU not to buy it if it’s not to your taste.

But assuming there were no restrictions on what she is allowed to do, she was also not being unreasonable to renovate the house to her own taste.

why destroying a beautiful period house instead of buying a modern one instead?

Miloarmadillo2 · 16/01/2025 14:03

YANBU not to buy it and to point out that what you admired were the original features.

Being smug about it is unpleasant.

ViolinsPlayGentlyOn · 16/01/2025 14:03

TheSnootiestFox · 16/01/2025 14:02

YANBU. I honestly have no clue why people with a taste for all things modern buy period houses. They need to bugger off to new builds and leave the coving and fireplaces for the rest of us!

If they built new homes to the same quality as older homes I suspect a lot of people would - but we’re stuck with the housing stock there is.

BeMellowOchreZebra · 16/01/2025 14:03

YANBU.

Your sister is an idiot. Tell her you'll happily buy it at a sensible price when she restores all the beautiful period features she ripped out, as you were only interested in it due to the period character. You are not interested in a modern white box.

A woman did the same to my grandads 1930s house. Absolutely ruined it. All character gone and just white. The stupid woman didn't even bother improving the insulation which was what it actually needed.

BrightOrangeDahlias · 16/01/2025 14:02

TheSnootiestFox · 16/01/2025 14:02

YANBU. I honestly have no clue why people with a taste for all things modern buy period houses. They need to bugger off to new builds and leave the coving and fireplaces for the rest of us!

This!

TheSnootiestFox · 16/01/2025 14:02

YANBU. I honestly have no clue why people with a taste for all things modern buy period houses. They need to bugger off to new builds and leave the coving and fireplaces for the rest of us!

ViolinsPlayGentlyOn · 16/01/2025 14:01

YANBU not to buy it if it’s not to your taste.

But assuming there were no restrictions on what she is allowed to do, she was also not being unreasonable to renovate the house to her own taste.

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