Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

How do you decide to buy a house?

29 replies

mrsdquaver · 27/09/2019 15:45

Did you ever buy a house not loving it totally but knowing it was right and practical and then fall in love after?

The house in question has so much going for it but obviously it isn't our much loved smaller family home so I'm finding it hard to commit to it!

OP posts:
OMGshefoundmeout · 27/09/2019 16:02

No. We’ve always had a check list of must haves and don’t view anything that doesn’t have those essentials. However if it doesn’t fill me with joy and excitement within 3 minutes of walking through the door it doesn’t matter how good it is ‘on paper’ I wouldn’t c0nsider living there.

The only exception is a flat we bought as a second / retirement home in a seaside town. I went to view one in the block that had all my essentials (two beds, sea view, balcony, second loo) and hated it on sight. The agent took me to see another one on the other side of the building , a split level studio with none of the above and I loved it so much I offered the asking price without DH even seeing it. Luckily he loves it as much as I do.

GrumpyMcGrumpFace · 27/09/2019 16:08

tbh I've bought a house without seeing it at all (OH had). I trusted him that it was the best option from what was on the market at that time - we had to move, and I was abroad with a baby. I was a little bit Shock when I saw it, as it was a bit of a doer upper (and we're still doing upping!!), but it is definitely my/our house. The fact we've done so much together, raised the family etc in it, makes it our special place IYSWIM

hsegfiugseskufh · 27/09/2019 16:11

we bought this house not loving it, and I still don't love it (its a beige 70s nightmare) but when we've finished renovating it i'm hoping i'll fall in love with its 1930s charm when all the beige and the woodchip has been removed!

Bluntness100 · 27/09/2019 16:14

No, we bought a house I didn't love and when we moved Out many years later I liked it even less.

DuesToTheDirt · 27/09/2019 16:20

We've bought 2x in our life. I ruled out lots of "suitable" houses because I didn't love them. Drove DH up the wall Grin.

So I guess for me I'd just keep waiting.

Drabarni · 27/09/2019 16:23

No, it's always been an instant "this is it" You can tell when you walk in the door.

FatAndFurious7 · 27/09/2019 16:26

Don't tie yourself to house you don't love. You'll just end up resenting it more and more over time. Keep looking, you might just be one viewing away from 'the one'

Butteflyone1 · 27/09/2019 16:29

I've always been told you must buy into the area, not the house. You can have a stunning house in a terrible location or a not so nice looking house in the best location.

For me I always got a 'feel' for a house. I've owned three flats/houses and each time I went house viewing, I knew within seconds of walking into a house whether I liked it or not.

Location wise for me, it's important to be walking distance to a shop for bread/milk etc. I need to be close to a park for my dog. Near the train station (wouldn't get a bus to the station) and now I'm more interested in local schools.

You can always decorate a house, extend it etc.

pumkinspicetime · 27/09/2019 16:36

I bought a house like that didn't like it much more when we sold it. DC say it was their favorite house, strange things!

bigbluebus · 27/09/2019 16:39

We were looking for an older house with character that needed some renovation. We bought a brand new house off plan - because we needed to move and it was all that was available within our budget (DH had already moved jobs and had a long commute).

As life panned out it turns out that this was the most adaptable house for our needs and had we bought what we thought we wanted then we would have had to move again. We ĺove the house and the area now and even though the house is now too big for us we don't want to leave!

apple0pie · 27/09/2019 16:40

Yep we bought our first house because it was affordable and in the right area etc. It sounds weird but it didn't have a good feeling to it and it was never a happy home.

Second house was run down and needed so much work, was a probate sale but it felt good and we later found out on 120 years it has only been owned by 3 families. It's a family and happy home and we love it

weegiemum · 27/09/2019 16:56

We needed to move rather quickly 7 years ago - I was very unwell and it turned out to be a long term disability. Our then current house was rented and totally unsuitable (no downstairs loo, no shower cubicle, no chance of ll allowing grab rails or extra stair rail.)

I got out of hospital on the Monday. Viewed one house on Tuesday. Put in an offer Wednesday and had it accepted on Thursday. I only saw the downstairs until the day we moved in! Only 6 weeks later!)

I don't love it, but I like it, as much as one can a 10 year old new build, and since we did a garage conversion to give a lovely big kitchen diner, I really feel it's obviously ours.

We own another house in a beautiful remote rural setting where we used to live (for 10 years). It gets rented out to tourists on air b&b and we go as often as possible. It's 100 years old and full of character. Only has a downstairs bathroom though, which may affect my ability to move back (though I think a stairlift would work). Now that house, I love.

Dyrne · 27/09/2019 17:14

I didn’t have the instant love for this house; but it ticked all the boxes - off road parking, 2nd loo etc. It was a bit hard to fall in love with to be fair (salmon wallpaper, threadbare carpet, and cork floorboards in the loo!!) it had good potential.

We did fall in love with the area though so knew we wanted to live nearby - our road really is that sickening sort of road with our own fb group, wave to everyone we see, annual road closure for street parties etc etc! Absolutely fabulous.

I don’t think you need to have that instant giddiness but you have to be able to imagine yourself living there - look past the outdated decor and imagine “ooh, we could paint that wall/knock that through/put decking there”. Figure out what your “must haves” are and what you’re willing to compromise on - we originally were dead set on needing a garage for example, but soon realised it wasn’t realistic in our price range for the area.

SilverySurfer · 27/09/2019 17:15

I took one step through the door and knew I had to have it. The owner refused my offer and I paid the asking price, I would have paid more. I still love it. Apart from anything else it has a huge amount of storage space - two big cupboards outside down side of house for all gardening gear, two walk in cupboards in the hall and a half door in the bedroom which opens up into a space the width of the room. I can't ever move, there would be nowhere to put all my stuff Smile

ChanklyBore · 27/09/2019 17:16

I’ve walked in to a house, thought ‘no way’ looked round it, disliked it, totally ruled it out and then gone back and bought it a month later.

EssexGurl · 27/09/2019 18:45

We have a,ways gone for location. I don’t love our current house but it is in walking distance of both primary and secondary schools for the kids, station for DHs commute, shops, doctors, dentists, restaurants, coffee shops, library.

Location perfect, house less so. We had a list of what it needed to have, it has all those requirements so good but the flow isn’t quite right. I dont love the house but it is ours and works for our family and our life. That is more important to me that a feeling.

I loved our first house but the location didn’t work so we moved.

Modestandatinybitsexy · 27/09/2019 19:06

I walked into my first house and loved it. When looking for our second house we knew it needed to be a home we could grow into and it was in a more expensive area. We spent ages looking.

There was a house that was on the market the whole time, was the right character but was missing a bit off the checklist and just gave me the worst feeling when viewing it. However after finding nothing else that fit the bill and liking the area we decided we could make it work.

When we first moved in the first night was so depressing which was a stark contrast to our first night in the house we'd just left. It was grimy and damp and unloved. Four years, a lot of work and two kids later and it's a much loved family home. We've both said if we won the euro millions we'd make modifications but we wouldn't move.

FantailsFly · 27/09/2019 19:12

Yes! Moved into a house which wasn’t really ‘us’. But 12 years, two children, and a few small changes later I loved it and was sad to leave.

ineedanotherholiday · 27/09/2019 19:28

No, I absolutely loved our home when walking around. Now about to buy second and have drove dh mad, discounting quite a few for probably not huge deal breakers and a few because I didn't get the 'feeling'.

I think you know when you're viewing it you like it or not and if you're not sure I probably wouldn't.

EstherLittle · 27/09/2019 19:28

I like my house but I don’t like the area. I hoped it would grow on me but it hasn’t. If it wasn’t for the DC’s school I would move like a shot. Part of the problem is I moved in when DD1 was born so had a years mat leave then ended up working from home so I don’t get a break from the area. I think if I had the same house somewhere that I liked I would love it.

ThingsImighthavedone · 30/09/2019 07:39

Our house was bought in a panic/hurry after years of searching for the right place. We got more and more confused until circumstances forced our hand. I bought it without seeing it first - (relative had viewed and I know the area). I knew it was wrong from the off. It's in the area I wanted but it just doesn't feel right and although it will do for now, I don't love it. Which is ridiculous after all the time and effort we put in to finding our dream house. We've ended up in an okay house , and I just want to leave as soon as it wouldn't be a financial catastrophe to do so.

Roselilly36 · 30/09/2019 07:48

Before I even got in the door of our home, DH had parked on the drive and I said this is the one. I just knew it. 16 years ago, never regretted buying it.

user1493413286 · 30/09/2019 07:55

We’re buying a house and I’m happy with it because it’s got everything we need and is a good location and I’m excited about making it a home but I’m not in love with it as for me that comes when you’re in there and making it a home and making memories in there.
We lived in a flat when DD was born and it was too small etc but I loved it because that’s where we brought DD home to and had all her milestones.

SnowsInWater · 30/09/2019 08:09

I always fell in love with the houses we bought in the UK. When we came to buy in Sydney DH and the kids loved the house we bought as soon as they saw it, I was ambivalent. It ticked lots of boxes in terms of size and location but didn't have a pool which was a "must have" for me. In the end I decided that everyone else loving it was enough but the estate agent knew I wasn't convinced which was really useful when the vendors tried to play silly buggers at the last minute when we met to sign contracts. I stood up and said, no problem we're happy to walk away and the vendors stopped being stupid. We ended up putting in a lovely pool, pizza oven and Balinese gazebo and it's like living in a resort (well the outside is anyway 😂). I love it.

Biancadelrioisback · 30/09/2019 08:15

I am incredibly competitive. I knew houses in the area we were wanting to buy got snapped up fast, so I knew when I saw ours that it wouldn't be available for long. No I didn't love it. It had lots of things needed doing (central heating installed, damp proof, electric heaters and gas heaters, leaky back boiler etc) but it's location was absolutely ideal and it was perfect in terms of size and layout. So I knew I had to have it. I didn't love it but I knew it was right.
I love it now, even with all its little kinks and oddities.

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

Join Mumsnet Log In

This thread is closed and is no longer accepting replies. Click here to start a new thread.

Swipe left for the next trending thread