I can't buy this house....can I?

Go for it. Get your house up for sale this week. You've got to be in it to win it! Good luck op.

What is your mental health like op?
do you have any dependents?
do you work?

You don’t have anything to apologise for OP. And don’t worry about having a shabby house. It’s clean and decent and as PP have said, many buyers actively want something they can put their mark on.

Get the advice of a good agent. I’d bet they’ll tell you to put your house on the market as it is. And go for it with the new house. But be aware that if you own two houses you will pay higher stamp duty.

And consider spending some spare money on counselling to help you process everything you’ve gone through. I’ve started this in the last few months and it’s been life changing. Good luck.

And ask the agent who is selling your dream house to sell yours. That will help things go smoothly

Put in the offer today. Right now. This is the house for you. Then take everything else a step at a time. You deserve this.

I'm sorry this has opened difficult emotions, but glad your parent did the right thing by you in the end.
Can you approach the sellers of the house you want and explain the situation, and that you are really keen and will make things happen as soon as you can?
Best of luck.

Sell your current house, it’ll be a huge relief, and allow yourself to be happy about the new place, that’s OK! And if there’s any money left, get some counselling to help with your thoughts. You have an inspirational story inside you.

you dont need to sell that to buy the other one

She does unless she wants to pay higher rate stamp duty.

Reference to Confirmation indicates you are in Scotland. Remember the Scottish lands and buildings tax for 2nd homes is punative.
Your current house will sell in a heartbeat. Go for the house you want. Good luck

I would make an offer based on the sale of your dads house.

Then when you can build up to it, sell your house. Get someone in to clean and tidy and take pictures, stay in a hotel for a few days if needs must, ge someone to physically bring you out of the house. But thats later, you dont need to sell that to buy the other one

You do need to sell it however because otherwise you'll be stung for two lots of council tax and an asset standing empty

You don’t want to pay the extra stamp duty to buy the new house. Make your current house look as nice as you can don’t go mad, get 3 estate agents to give you a price and then go for it! Good luck, it sounds lovely.

The people who come to view your house will have already seen the photos online and are happy to come to see it. Loads of people love do-er uppers. My first house was one. It meant we could afford it and then we had a great time doing it up and choosing everything ourselves. Just de-clutter the rooms, if they need it, and put it on the market. People will really be mostly interested in the size of the rooms, rather than the decor of the kitchen, bathroom etc. They can change that. Go for the house you love.

This. I absolutely salivated over houses that needed work when we were house hunting.

I hope this helps - during a recent valuation the estate agent said don’t do any decorating/ improvements or anything- even put repairs and checks on the buyer - people will just come in and make it their own anyway, they like to see a project. Another tip is to make sure the rooms look different from each other but this can be done with something distinct like a plant or picture- and if you are listing a room as a single make sure there is a bed in there, the agent said sometimes it can be hard for viewers to visualise that a bed will fit when the room is on the small side.

Op I live in a house with a lovely view and it’s so good for the soul, go for it!

Having an unexpected inheritance with power to change your circumstances is a huge boost. Use that to energise you to cast out fear and take a leap forward. Take that leap! Be like a carefree spring lamb leaping in the grass for the joy of life.

The house's state looms large and weighs heavily on you but put it in perspective: estate agents are used to seeing houses in all sorts of condition. To their eyes it will probably appear as quite a good sound house with need of some updating. Practise seeing the good points and don't dwell on old thinking.

Spring into action. You'll feel better already by doing something, anything at all. Clean and tidy as best you can, stiffen yourself and get three estate agents around, get their range of valuation and indicate you want it priced to sell, rather than have it hang around for six months or more because you want the highest possible price.

Take care not to take on too much at once. Having two houses would be a lot to renovate and manage, both practically and financially. It would tax the best of us. Start now and go one step at a time. Get the ball rolling but give yourself time to consider all aspects of the house you want to buy before you commit.

Go for the new house. I think you get the extra stamp duty back if you sell the first house within a set period of time
Your current house will sell, just make sure it’s clean and tidy and price it accordingly. I suspect it will sell very quickly
good luck

Inner peace is a very rare feeling. Do what you need to do to get the house, it's clearly meant to be.

I hope everything works out for you OP 🌹

Completely agree with previous posters- sell current house and father’s house as they are- don’t bother with renovations. Clean, declutter, fix anything which can be fixed with minimal cost/ hassle, but don’t bother with new kitchens/ bathrooms- just price accordingly. As long as there’s a functioning kitchen and bathroom the house will be mortgageable.

It’s worth considering using the same estate that’s selling the house you want to sell your own houses- they’ll work harder to maximise their commission.

Your Dad's money covers the new house. So I'd buy it if the seller is ok to wait for your Dad's house to sell.

Just clean and possibly paint a few rooms in your house and then sell it. I much prefer to choose my own kitchen and bathroom when I buy so I always pick a fixer upper.

Lots and lots of people want to buy a project house, assuming it’s priced correctly. Please don’t waste time and money doing your current house up. Finding trades to do the work is stressful and expensive, it sounds like you want to move quickly if the dream house is already on the market? Get yours on too, it will be snapped up and you can start planning the dream house! Good luck OP.

Life is short and precious. To heel with what anyone else thinks of your house, put it up for sale and buy yourself that lovely home with it's peaceful garden before someone else buys it. You deserve this peace. x

You sound lovely and also it sounds like you've had a really tough life. I'd sell your current house cheaply to a lovely young family who are desperate to get on the property ladder and they won't care about old cabinets etc - they'll just be delighted to have their own home to do up and escape the renting trap.

I don’t understand why you wouldn’t just sell your current house as it is? Someone will buy it if the price is right.