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AIBU?

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Original poster

AIBU to be gutted my house has lost me money?

315 replies

Hotpinkparade · 17/04/2025 12:36

I guess I’m really wondering if anyone else has been in this situation and what I can do… I bought a two bed flat in a nice area of London in 2017. Redecorated, replaced the kitchen and bathroom, and have lived here happily since.

We’re starting to outgrow it and decided to get the flat valued and see what’s out there. Two valuations, both for the same as we bought it - maybe 5% growth if we’re lucky. I’m just gutted. With inflation over that time, we’ve essentially lost £200,000. The estate agent said house prices in our area haven’t gone up over that time because it’s not ‘up and coming’, it came up a long time ago and has stayed desirable. What do we do? Just suck it up and sell, or wait and see if anything changes?

OP posts:
Original poster
Hotpinkparade · 17/04/2025 12:50

andtheworldrollson · 17/04/2025 12:45

You haven’t lost - you just haven’t gained what you think you should have ?

I guess it feels like a loss due to the mad rates of inflation over that time. The money I paid in 2017 would be worth £200k more in 2025 thanks to inflation.

OP posts:
Ginmonkeyagain · 17/04/2025 12:50

Ha ha @SummerIce snap!

Zimunya · 17/04/2025 12:50

As others have said, you haven't "lost" - you've "saved" what you would otherwise have paid in rent. Yes, it's true you haven't gained, but you also haven't lost.

Ginmonkeyagain · 17/04/2025 12:50

Flats, especially those without outside space, have stagnated in value since covid.

SummerIce · 17/04/2025 12:49

Value of flats in London have stagnated since Covid. We made a bit of a profit on our river front flat when we sold, but since then, everyone else in our development has sold at a loss. The growth is not really there for flats anymore unfortunately.

Original poster
Hotpinkparade · 17/04/2025 12:48

LifeBeginsToday · 17/04/2025 12:38

You haven't lost money - you've paid some of your own mortgage instead of a landlords and build up some equity as you've done so.

I should have mentioned - I was a cash buyer owing to an inheritance. So haven’t paid off a mortgage.

OP posts:
Hankunamatata · 17/04/2025 12:48

Like any investment it hasn't had the growth you expected. You have not lost money

Sofiewoo · 17/04/2025 12:47

Wow this is strange imo, 2016 was a boom year but overall much of London has still gone up.
I bought a flat in 2017 in Z3 E, sold it at the start of the year for 550 after buying it for 300. However that isn’t all profit because it took a lot of effort and money to get it to that standard. The days of huge increases for doing nothing were gone years ago.

But yes posters are right, you haven’t “lost £200k” just because it hasn’t increased in value. You would always have needed to pay to live somewhere, at least this way you get it back.

Mrsttcno1 · 17/04/2025 12:46

You haven’t lost any money, first of all.

But if it hasn’t increased between 2017 & now then I wouldn’t expect it to increase much in the next 5 years either so if you want to move I wouldn’t delay that in the hopes it will go for a higher price in the near future. There’s been huge house price rises between 2017 & now, so if you haven’t benefitted from then I wouldn’t expect it to be any different in 2030.

Youcancallmeirrelevant · 17/04/2025 12:46

You haven't lost money, you just haven't made any. But you've got equity from the mortgage you've paid off to take into a new property. I would assume you overpaid when you bought, and flats don't increase in value as quickly

andtheworldrollson · 17/04/2025 12:45

You haven’t lost - you just haven’t gained what you think you should have ?

user1471505356 · 17/04/2025 12:45

Get another valuation, this sounds nuts.

Ratisshortforratthew · 17/04/2025 12:44

this is literally how the housing market works... treat property as a commodity and it'll always go down as well as up.

BarnacleBeasley · 17/04/2025 12:43

As above, you've saved the money you would have paid on rent since 2017, and presumably if you bought in 2017 at least some of that time you'll have had a decent mortgage interest rate so you've probably saved money overall.

LifeBeginsToday · 17/04/2025 12:38

You haven't lost money - you've paid some of your own mortgage instead of a landlords and build up some equity as you've done so.