House hunting to buy in London - WTF

[auslass]

Just wondering if it's normal for people selling houses to leave them looking like a bomb hit them before people come into inspect to buy -

Have been to three so far, all of them the same! All of them owner occupied.

One: basically smelt like the owner had been hungover all weekend and just got out of bed when we were coming to look. Hadn't hoovered in what seemed like weeks.

Two: Bomb had hit it, unwashed dishes piling up, dust everywhere and again not one made bed in sight.

Three: guy left skid marks in the toilet. Also no beds made.

It might be just me being new to London, but if you left your house like that in Sydney you wouldn't sell it, or you certainly wouldn't get what you were asking.

AIBU? Is it not a thing to care about your house when you want to sell it?

I think the floorplan, size, location and aspect are a bit more important than mess when you're buying a house tbh Hope you don't miss out on what could be your perfect house because hubs is vetting them for you first.

I told hubs that I'm not going to the first viewing and that he can do it, vet them and I'll go to the nice ones

the problems are all cosmetic. Stop being so precious.

Some people do live and leave their houses like that. One I saw needed a deep clean and the disposal of more alcohol than I had even seen in a domestic setting before. There were literally half drunk bottles of grog on every spare inch of surface.

You've picked badly. Stop going on like it's a London problem! I've seen many all immaculate.

YABU sorry. You’ve discovered there is a different culture in entry level housing in the real estate market between Aust and UK. For comparison purposes, look at properties that are double your budget in TW9 - the pricier properties are unlikely to be disgusting. You are looking at the bottom of the market (been there).

Or look at a less desirable area (say TW2) for the same budget - the properties will be better presented.

Or try KT1 so you aren’t deafened by being under the flightparh.

If you’re being put off by the UK real estate market now, you are ill prepared for the omnishambles that is the offer / exchange / complete process.

FWIW, I would rather live in an lickle terrace in Ham than a sodding great mansion in Sydney but that’s personal choice of course. You have an amazing opportunity to live in a fantastic city so embrace it.

I've never realised that shoes by the front door may upset anyone!

not upset, I just don't understand people who enjoy living in a mess. Genuinely don't understand why you would want to be greeted by a pile of shoes when you walk home?

Not upset about unmade beds either, but it means that the standards of the house are very low.

On a positive note, an unkept house with obvious mess is better to buy than a freshly painted one where all the problems have been swiftly hidden away.

@auslass it sounds like Richmond and Kew is out of your budget. As it is for most of us.

Either that or you keep looking at places with tenants who don't want to move.

I suggest you try an area more suited to what you can afford.