Fed up of no houses on the market...

[KinderBueno5]

Finally ready to buy a place and there are no houses on the market. Spending a fortune on rent and have been looking for a place for 6 months. There's just nothing out there. Literally, nothing. When I was looking a couple of years ago and daydreaming about buying my own house, there were tonnes of properties up for sale.

Do we think it's likely things will improve? I know nothing about the housing market but I'm struggling here...

The housing market is in trouble but also sellers tend not to market houses in the autumn and winter, look properly in spring

In what price range and where?

Where I am there are loads of houses for sale and prices at rock bottom for the area (outer London) I think the market instability is due to Brexit sadly so think you might need to ride it out.
That being said if anything does come up they’ll be keen to sell so it might work in your favour.

What about buying at an auction?

Exactly what florenceheadache said.

You never know, there may be somebody reading this who's planning to sell their house that would be perfect for you.

Up to £350000 in Norwich or Gorleston (but ideally Norwich) area. Looking for quite a specific area which is partly why it's difficult but this area used to have so many houses up for sale and they've all just gone poof...

Or you could drive around and look for a house you like the look of and then drop a personal letter through the door asking them to contact you if they are interested in selling.

@NotSuchASmugMarriedNow1 do folks really do that?

People letter drop streets that they are interested in. It can work.

Never thought of doing that! I would've thought people would just advertise on right move rather than selling to a person who put a letter through the door. People can outbid each other then?

We sold with nowhere to buy. We made a point of popping in/calling certain agents weekly, and when one of them had a sale fall through they called us straight away, viewed and offered that day.

Get to know your local agents!

We have had people knock on our door asking to buy our house. So far we have turned them down, but it is tempting.

I think Brexit uncertainty is part of the problem. It's affecting the housing market

You can't really say there are no houses for sale for 6 months and then say well it a specific area.

@NotaNotman what kind of trouble is the housing market in - where is your evidence.

People can outbid each other then?

But they don’t have to pay the estate agent’s fees, which would save them £3.5-5k plus whatever they would spend getting the house ready to market.

I’d take a hit just to avoid the hassle of listing plus viewings, tbh.

It can be tempting to sellers OP as they don’t have agents fees to pay if that happens. It obviously has to be someone who is at least thinking about going on the market anyway, so doesn’t always work out.

It's not a specific Street. I'm talking a 7/8 mile radius. Obviously there are houses on the market but we have a preferred area and need off-road parking (non negotiable as DH is unable to walk far).

We are hoping to get a mortgage (ftb) next year and there doesn't seem to be much out there I agree.
My worry is that there will be such slim pickings in every price bracket, that whatever is out there will be fought over, and bidding wars will happen, rather than the price dropping
I don't even know if we will get a mortgage offer after Brexit either.
Sorry I'm no help! I sympathise though.

@Neshoma I don't know much about the housing market but I thought it was just common knowledge that it was in trouble? Looking on right move you can tell it is by the sheer lack of houses for sale.

If it was in trouble, surely the market would be flooded and no one would be able to sell?

My BIL bought his house by letter dropping the area he wanted.

Can’t help if there is nothing on Rightmove, but I love in Norwich, OP waves

live

I blame Brexit. We exchanged on a new build in spring. Due to complete in the next few weeks and same house now selling for £20k less. Feel a bit of a chump tbh. Bought the house were in just before the crash of 2008. We are very unlucky/ unwise with finances

@A0001 👋