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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Shitty homes

219 replies

madcatladyforever · 27/09/2019 19:24

AIBU to think that if you have bought a huge investment i.e a house you should take take care of it?
I've moved 300 miles from home with work and I'm renting a bedsit while I look for a house to buy.
Every single one I've looked at is a shit hole. Dirty, not decorated in years, a mess and overgrown garden. I feel so despondent.
I don't want to buy a house I'm going to have to do tons of work on and start from scratch in the garden
My own house was modest but it was nicely painted by me, the garden with a bit of hard work was lovely and it sold in 2 weeks after going on the market. The buyers said it was the nicest house in the price range.
I really don't want to buy some shit hole and spend the next 5 years doing it up and having to deep clean it at my age.
Houses here are much cheaper but just so run down and dirty.
If you had an expensive investment would you not want to maintain and look after it inside and out? I just cannot understand the mentality.
I had a look at what should have been a lovely bungalow today in an area of oupstanding natural beauty owned by a sinice bloke and it would have taken several big skips to remove all the crap from the house and Garden before even starting to refurbish and he wanted top dollar for it.

OP posts:
ultrablue · 27/09/2019 20:40

My mum's house is a shit hole. It would be worth a lot of money if it was in a decent state as it's in a very desirable part of the south east but as it is it needs a lot of work. Rewiring, windows need replacing as they are the original Edwardian sashes, needs recarpeting throughout, new bathroom suite, horrible fitted wardrobes need to be ripped out.
She has plenty of money, she just can't be bothered 🙄

Sounds like my Mum's house, she would rather the money sat in the bank for her children than spend it on herself and house.

After an awful year where she has gone from having just days to live and moved into a nursing home to now 10 months later being well enough to come home soon, she is in for a shock.. I'm spent some of her money decorating throughout and making it the home she deserves to have and bugger the money she wants to leave us and if my siblings don't agree with me then tough...

timshelthechoice · 27/09/2019 20:40

In reality a lot of people selling run-down houses are elderly, in financial distress/ evicted

Round here plenty of them still want 2006 prices and haven't put hardly any money in the place in 40 odd years.

Personally, when I'm taking on a mortgage, you'd better believe I want the best and most house I can get for the money. Why are buyers to blame for other peoples' situations?

Ginnymweasley · 27/09/2019 20:42

I have never seen a top price house being filthy and needing loads of work. What exactly is your budget?. We paid low for our house but we did that knowing it would need renovating. It was up for less because of this. We moved from a small 2 bed and I imagine people may have think it wasnt looked after etc but in reality it was just too small and very difficult to keep tidy with 2 small children. Luckily someone bought it haha.
There will always be some dirty houses but if you are really paying top price I doubt it is all of them.

PencilsInSpace · 27/09/2019 20:43

Seriously you all think it's OK to expect top price for a filthy unkempt home?

If you can't find anything nicer for the same price then obviously yes it's fine. Why would anyone put their house on the market for less than they could get?

If you don't want a doer-upper then you need to look for something smaller, further out or in a less desirable area.

Geschwister4 · 27/09/2019 20:43

Most people have too much clutter, mismatched furniture (which they could paint), awful carpets and scruffy dated stuff that belongs in the tip. It's better to have 10 nice quality items than 1000 awful things.

But you are looking to buy the house, not their belongings. It is not for you to comment on someone else's taste, especially if they will remove the items once sold.

Mammylamb · 27/09/2019 20:46

I think you may need to either look at smaller houses or in a less desirable area. You get what you pay for.

We bought a large house in a decent area (not very posh but nice enough). Decor a bit dated (80s/90s in all rooms bar the bathrooms). Old boiler.

But if the house was beautifully decorated with modern kitchen and boiler it would have been well outside our budget. It was clean enough but not immaculate: I imagine the previous owners had a life.

We will eventually get our house how we want. But we don’t spend all our time and money on it. We have other priorities at the moment

mrsm43s · 27/09/2019 20:47

Houses at the bottom end of the price bracket for their size/type/location will be poorly decorated and maintained.

Houses at the mid range of the price bracket for their size/type/location will be averagely decorated and maintained.

Houses at the upper end of the price bracket for their size/type/location will be well decorated and maintained.

I assume that their is a mismatch between your budget and your expectations!

Please feel free to link to a poorly maintained house, and I am sure someone will find you the well maintained equivalent! I doubt it will be the same price, though!

Tiresiasmum · 27/09/2019 20:48

Perhaps rent a room in a shared house for a while, or contact a housing association or housing co-op? Their premises are probably better maintained than private landlords.

notquiteruralbliss · 27/09/2019 20:54

Gosh OP I expect you would think my child battered, cluttered house is ‘shitty’ but I won’t bother changing it when I decide to move as I assume whoever buys it will want to put their own stamp on it. I could guess what a potential buyer would want but don’t think I would recoup the amount spent.

WonderWomansSpin · 27/09/2019 20:54

You seem so lacking in empathy that I'm wondering if it's because it's Friday night. You also seem very bigoted about the area you've moved to. That will make it difficult for you to settle.

CaptSkippy · 27/09/2019 20:54

How about a putting a bid lower of what they are asking for on account of the poor maintenance of the property?

Dontsweatthelittlestuff · 27/09/2019 20:55

I don’t know why everyone seems to think paint is expensive. Yes you it can be if you buy named brands but wilkos sell a 5 litre can of white paint for £6. Nothing fancy but it will do the job and you can pick up rollers and brushes in Poundland.

Speccy12Eyes · 27/09/2019 20:56

Having no money is not an excuse for having a filthy home!!! Ffs

Maybe not. What about other aspects of daily life may impact the ability of the house owner to keep the house up to your standard?

You say "Even I can manage to go down to the dump in my car every week" and am pleased you can be humble about that 🙄.

My house is exceptionally well organised and clutter free, but, its not as clean as it used to be, for a few reasons. I have no spare money (food budget between £6-7 max weekly), I can't afford heating... Still no excuse for a dirty house creeping in?

I'm blind (reg. 2 years ago) with a neuro disease that's robbed me of my career and my ability to do normal daily things... Like clean, and the bits I can clean, how do I know they are clean?? I have absolutely NOONE ON THIS FUCKING EARTH TO HELP ME. The shame of having a dirty house causes me to rather be dead. I would never allow anyone in. My house isn't very dirty, but I KNOW how it used to be pristine.

HEY, no worries though, until the day this happens to you, then you may realise how judgemental you are being. Good luck with the move though.

Notodontidae · 27/09/2019 20:58

I totally agree with most of the comments on here, look around you weve been in recession for years Woolworth Gone, Cut backs each year, NHS in trouble, no Police anywhere, schools asking for toilet rolls, Food banks everwhere, House of fraser and BHS gone. Airlines going bust.
cut backs in retained Firemen. Home owners are struggling just to eat, cleaning products and decorating has to take second place, many houses get sold by defaulting on their loan. YABU, you sell a house when people are buying and buy a house cheap when people are selling. Maybe you sold too cheap, or you've set your sights too high.

Boysey45 · 27/09/2019 20:59

Don't look at shit holes then and up your budget. Do you think its a case of champagne tastes and a lemonade pocket?

Passthecherrycoke · 27/09/2019 21:01

Oh Speccy12Eyes Flowers wishing your lucky break comes soon

damncats · 27/09/2019 21:02

See I read "Top price house" as "house that's at the top end of the going rate for similar properties in the area" rather than just "expensive house".

I see plenty of houses round my way on Rightmove with "offers over" or "fixed price" prices in line with the market rate for similar properties in the area that have clearly not been touched in 20 years. It's nothing structural, the kitchen functions etc, but why would I want to put an offer in on a property that will require substantial work done to it to bring it up to modern decorative order when a similar offer would get a house that's been updated over the years by the previous owners?

hsegfiugseskufh · 27/09/2019 21:02

We bought our house as a doer upper. Its awful. Very 70s. Woodchip galore but credit to the previous owners it was immaculately clean.

We viewed several and all were dated but none dirty.

I find it hard to believe that every single one youve viewed is so vile.

Where have you been looking?!

99problemsandjust1appt · 27/09/2019 21:05

99% of the problem is people don’t have time. Work, children, other circumstances.
You say you don’t mind going to the tip etc and how easy it is well maybe you’ll have to practise what you preach when you buy somewhere and sort it out yourself 🤷‍♀️

Boysey45 · 27/09/2019 21:07

@Speccy12Eyes, sorry to hear your in such difficulty financially. Are you sure your getting all the benefits your entitled to? You could go to the CAB and they would help you check or you can go on the benefits websites like entitled to. Can you get to a food bank for some extra food? £6-£7 worth of food per week sounds very low.Somel local churches also help out with food.

LyingWitchInTheWardrobe2726 · 27/09/2019 21:08

Oh OP, you just wanted to rant about people not maintaining their homes, didn't you? Having a nice little froth to yourself about home-owning pigs who dare to present their home to you for sale.

My house is nice, I'd get your measure pretty quickly though and you'd be out the door. No sale to you.

You're so goady.

PencilsInSpace · 27/09/2019 21:09

why would I want to put an offer in on a property that will require substantial work done to it to bring it up to modern decorative order when a similar offer would get a house that's been updated over the years by the previous owners?

Well you wouldn't, you'd buy the nice updated house, obviously.

But 'every single one' of the houses OP has looked at has been a shithole, which suggests there isn't a nice updated house in that location that can be had for her price range. So she needs to lower her expectations or look elsewhere.

mumwon · 27/09/2019 21:11

maybe they have been rented out & although many people who rent do take care a fair proportion don't & many landlords could tell you some horror stories (& yes I know there are bad landlords but not all of them are). So maybe some of the houses your are looking at are ex rentals or old & disabled - I am afraid you will have to bite the bullet & take on one of these although you could offer lower figure as many sales are taking a long time. Get yourself a set of overalls a skip & lots of cleaning equipment. I found that good old automatic wash powder old tooth brushes can clean tiles & grout stay in your bedsit for a few weeks while you clean the bathroom & kitchen & the living room -

SoyDora · 27/09/2019 21:11

This isn’t actually something I’ve encountered. When we bought 2 years ago all the houses we looked at were nicely decorated/well maintained. Often not to my taste but always clean and looked after. The house we bought has 15 year old kitchen and bathrooms which needed replacing, but they were spotless and perfectly functional.
It may be that although you’re at the top end of your budget, it’s still the lower end of the market?

user1497207191 · 27/09/2019 21:17

I have never seen these issues in medium priced houses.

We saw loads of them when we were looking in decent areas at prices roughly 2 or 3 times the local average. We couldn't believe how people lived in such places. I can just about understand those where older people lived, but some were young/middle aged families whose houses were absolute tips inside and out. And yes, there were deluded about the asking prices. I think some people are just blind to the squalor they live in.