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

[allthegooduseridsaretaken]

I had a really difficult childhood with an alcoholic parent ( the other parent left when I was a baby and remarried and had a new family and I was forgotten about) he made me homeless at 15 just before my exams so I ended up with no qualifications and as an adult a shit tonne of mental health problems.

I've been self-employed most of my life as despite being a hard worker, my mental health makes me a terrible employee sometimes. My little business bumps along and it helps my mind and pays my bills.

I bought my council house with savings 20yrs ago just before my husband died so really other than basic decorating I've never been able to afford improvements.
. Im not happy here but I've always thought this was as good as life gets and accepted that was my lot.
My parent died in January and has left me approx 300k in a combination of cash and property. I had no idea and it came as a shock especially as they were very difficult my entire life and even tho I loved him he never once told me this. I still showed up and made sure he had everything he needed. Its opened up a whole heap of emotions that I have locked away for years.
By chance I came across a house for sale in late February and on spur of the moment made an appointment to go see it. The house from the front was nothing special and the inside needs minor modernising nothing i couldnt live with but the moment I entered the garden and saw the view I knew this was where I wanted to be. insat in the garden and felt something id never felt before - inner peace.
I've thought about this house daily while waiting on the grant of confirmation for my dad's estate. The house is just about to go up for sale.
Ive just had an email from the estate agent reducing the house I love to £285k. My own house is nowhere near sellable and my dad's money would only just cover the new house and the extra stamp duty I'd have to pay.

The estate is 177k cash, house is valued at 125k and about to go up for sale. My current house is probably worth around 150k without doing anything to it (possibly 200k+ if I renovate judging by sold prices of similar houses). I have about 5k in savings.

Aibu to think I could buy the house somehow get a loan/morgage to renovate my current house with a low income but 2 houses?

Please be gentle, I'm fully aware this is a fortunate position to be in but this a first for me and I'm turning myself inside out with noone to talk to.

Why don't you just sell your current house for whatever you can get for it? I am in no way in this situation but I 'think' there's a specific issue around owning two houses with council tax and such so you might spend a 'lot' managing that aspect.

Agree with pp. I wouldn’t bother with the renovations. Buyers like a bargain and like to make a place their own. It would be costly and possibly stressful, and it sounds like you have enough on your plate.
I’m sorry for your loss

Your existing house is sellable as long as its good enough to get a mortgage on,which I'm sure it is, if it's habitable. I wouldn't waste any money doing it up at all. Discount it a bit and let a new owner do it up the way they want it.

On a personal note, thankyou. I was wasting my day sitting about doing nothing and something about your life story has given me the shot in the arm I need to get out and do something productive.

As others say, just tidy your house up and get it on the market - don't bother with decorating. If it's priced right it will sell.

Go get yourself that inner peace instead of regretting passing up on it.

Sounds like it could be stressful to manage and that might push you too much?

Im also wondering about the maths here, £150k to £200k is a big jump. It makes it sound like everything needs doing; heating, wiring, plumbing, kitchen bathroom, windows. You may end up spending £40k to get an extra £45k which is still a lot of money but you would have to manage the budget and not end up going over. It’s a lot of work. Is it really worth it? Would someone prefer to move in to do it themselves and have the kitchen and bathroom they like rather than your choice.

I, too, would sell the current house as is, and buy the dream house. The stress involved with managing two houses, and two lots of refurbs, would likely be too much, and could taint the new house. Good luck 💐

So you have 1 house (inherited) worth £125k, 1 house worth £150k and £177k in cash? So potentially £450k ish? Sounds like you can comfortably buy the new house as long as your houses sell in time. I would try and sell them both cheaply rather than try and do them up. You could put a lower offer in on the new house if it’s already reduced.

Good luck! Peace of mind is worth taking a financial hit if you can afford to do so.

Selling this place as it is would take a weight off my mind. Except my broken mind won't let anyone in to see what an absolute shit tip it is. The kitchen cupboards are 20+Yr old and barely holding together...the bathroom is equally awful. The thought of an estate agent putting thise pics online fills me with horror. I'm aware that probably sounds silly to a normal person but I'm clearly not normal. I barely leave the house and I get panic attacks just arranging the boiler to be serviced.

Get advice from 2-3 estate agents but I’d agree that you should clean, tidy and declutter but don’t spend much on making either house look modernised. Most people will change it anyway.

However I would also take from this experience that you should definitely move at some point soon and inner peace isn’t only possible at this one house, you will find it in other places too.

Good luck.

Yes, that is silly. All a buyer is going to see is potential. They aren't going to waste a seconds thought about you or your decor.

If you're really bothered get it clean which is more than most will do.

You see agents love selling this type of property and will big up the potential and opportunity to make it your own. It’s probably harder to sell a house that’s had money lavished upon it and is absolutely ghastly.

Just declutter and clean and get the garden vaguely clear.

Sorry to quote but was concerned the thread would move on.

Your place sounds like someone's dream, I appreciate it might feel embarrassing having people round. I would go out as people can be mean and those comments won't do you any favours. My kitchen is from the 80s, the bathroom is new, rotten double glazing wood chip wallpapers condemned gas fire. So ling as it's clean and tidy noone will care. If it's not, get someone in to declutter and clean and you can move on.

Am aware there are many issues with this route, but there are those 'we buy any house' places where you could avoid all that. They take a massive cut and you would get a lot more money going the traditional route, but for the sake of your mental health and because you aren't actually worried about the money, it's worth considering (caveat I've never done such a thing, but you sound like you're really struggling)

Or... literally hire someone. Throw several thousands at a professional organiser to just sort it all out for you. There's an amazing judgement-free company where I live that do this for people.

Stick your house up for sale. People snap up a renovation project.

Thank you everyone for being so kind.
My house isn't dirty so it being clean I can do!
It's had a new boiler last year and I got the loft boarded by a company so it has had some work but I've been so worried that the kitchen and bathroom would make it unsellable but what you're all saying makes sense.

Sorry for your loss.
If you're worried about neighbours etc. looking through photos on rightmove, you can sell it as a 'discreet listing'. Only genuinely interested parties will see the details. Empty your house of clutter, then pay a company to send a team of cleaners. It's expensive, but think of it as therapy. Take the pressure off.
Also, just view a few more houses, just to check that the appeal isn't just that there's a big difference between a £300k house and a £150k house.

Get it on the market, get your dream house. You deserve it.

Have a look at a few other houses as well. You never know, you may find one that's a better fit.

I don’t bat an eyelid at buying houses that need new bathrooms and kitchens. It’s an easy fix.

Just to add, bathrooms and kitchens are almost always ripped out. Don't bother upgrading them.

I would 100% buy the house. Assuming you can afford to. Peace is priceless.

Realistically, you need to sell your current home or rent it out. But it sounds like, given your current situation, having someone else living there and you managing repairs, etc would cause even more anxiety. Just sell it and get it done.

It's a massive waste of money to faff around fixing up a house to sell it - unless of course that's your business.

We bought a fixer upper because we could afford it. We've replaced everything and are just living with a horrible kitchen forever as we can't afford it yet. We bought the house for its location and footprint - and honestly because it was what we could afford. If you are reasonable on your pricing you can get rid of it and get what you want.

Doesn't matter. Sell as is.
Most people will want to renovated/ put their own stamp on it.
Renovating pre sale is a waste of money.

And owning 2 properties will be expensive and annoying (classified as a 2nd home).

100% Follow your dream and go for it. But please just sell everything as is and buy the house you want and live a good life

Get advice from a few estate agents. There could be quick updates that help change viewers opinions hugely.

Don’t let the house where you felt peaceful go. We did this about 20 years ago and I still regret it when I drive passed it.

Forget about being embarrassed about your dated kitchen and bathroom. Your current home will sell without any upgrades. Hire a professional cleaning company if you want to spruce it up a bit but don't spend a penny on any renovations.
One of the homes we bought had not been touched for 40 years. All retro kitchen and bathrooms, and not in a good way. We absolutely wanted to buy it as it was, untouched because we wanted to upgrade everything to our own specifications. From replacing skirting boards, doors, electrics, boiler, re-model the space etc. We changed everything possible, including the garden, outside doors, garage doors and everything, gutter. You name it.
It just felt more doable seeing it raw instead of some random new cheap kitchen or bathrooms. As a seller don't spend anything on this property of yours because you won't get your money back.
There are a lot of people out there who want a property that needs modernising and are not afraid of doing it as a project.