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Original poster

How many houses did you view?

55 replies

tyler80 · 16/03/2011 12:52

OH is starting to moan we'll never find anywhere I like despite the fact we've only viewed 6 houses. I didn't think that was a huge number.

Rightly or wrongly I think you should have a gut feeling about a house and it hasn't happened yet. We're not in a rush to buy and I don't think we'll lose anything by waiting. Just because there's nothing on the market right now doesn't mean there won't be something next week/month etc.

So, tell me how many houses you viewed and reassure me I'm not just being a fussy bugger!

OP posts:
Ooopsadaisy · 16/03/2011 12:55

We viewed one house.

Seller was interested in our house so was our first prospective buyer. It was also the first house she had viewed. She bought it.

If ever something was just meant to happen ....

FlingonTheValiant · 16/03/2011 12:57

Erm, let me add them up

10-12 I think. We did several each time we went viewing so we could really compare. The last one was it though.

Actually, we loved the 9th, but the owner messed us around :(

12th is better :o

innertiger · 16/03/2011 12:58

40!

lexxity · 16/03/2011 12:59

four million, i think and we bought one I didn't like.

Fiddledee · 16/03/2011 13:19

30

Fiddledee · 16/03/2011 13:21

One EA said if you are not that fussy you look at 8-10, fussier 10-18, I think they thought we would never buy...

Ragwort · 16/03/2011 13:23

9 - with 'Rightmove' its so easy to have a good look 'on-line' and I also drive round the area to decide if I like the neighbourhood etc (and I am probably not that fussy - or just got lucky Grin).

CointreauVersial · 16/03/2011 13:25

Maybe 10. To be honest, there wasn't much available (mid-2008).

None were of any interest apart from the one we bought, and I knew as soon as I set foot inside the door that I'd found "the one".

strandednomore · 16/03/2011 13:28

With a flat I bought in London when I was single - one. But I was VERY particular about what I wanted and refused to look unless it was exactly right. When I saw it I knew I had to put in an offer straight away or I would lose it (height of property boom days).

WIth my dh - loads. He is much fussier than me (which is lucky as he is better at getting something value-for-money) and we like quite different things. But when we saw this one we both knew it was right, and it has been. Keep looking until you find the right one - if you are not in a rush, don't compromise.

hatwoman · 16/03/2011 13:35
  1. two of them I had virtually zero intention of buying - they were in completely the wrong area and I would have had to fall enormously in love with them to persuade me. another one I strongly suspected I wouldn't like. one I thought I would love and I really didn't. The 5th one was more or less an accident - only saw it because it was on with the same estate agent as the one I thought would love and we could view them together. From the pics I didn;t think I'd like it and it was i the wrong area. loved it and bought it.

having said all that - in answer to OP - we were in a rush and had very limited choice - 5 in actual fact meant every house on the market in a 3-mile radius with the right no. of bedrooms.

Original poster
tyler80 · 16/03/2011 13:37

I'm sure we'd look at less if estate agents did a better job of putting the info online. A floorplan and extra photos could have ruled out a couple straightaway without a viewing.

OP posts:
thecatatemygymsuit · 16/03/2011 13:38

We viewed c.40 houses - v fussy, not just about house, but also road, situation, and most importantly, south-facing garden!
Having said that you could easily find 'the one' straight away, and just know...

spiralqueen · 16/03/2011 13:41
  1. 3 got a second viewing. As Ragwort said a lot of the initial sift was done on Rightmove, so in pre-internet days we would probably have seen twice as many as we actually did.

We did have quite a detailed checklist split into must haves, nice to haves and wouldn't touch with a bargepole which we had given to the estate agents. The list was complete waste of time as far as estate agents were concerned as they all expected us to do the legwork and only approach them when we had spotted something despite being cash buyers with a deadline to meet to move. The list did come into its own when we were looking for properties as it kept us focussed on what we needed rather than getting swayed by the look or presentation of properties.

Interestingly the best of our agents said that we would never manage to get all the must haves on our list but the house we bought did (and more).

Original poster
tyler80 · 16/03/2011 13:42

A quick search on rightmove tells me there are 1000+ properties in our price range in the area we would consider, 100 in our preferred area. I think I can afford to be fussy. Grin

OP posts:
DolceeBanana · 16/03/2011 14:41

Well, we've been looking for 2.5 years...and viewed about 20 houses. We've made offers on a few of those, tried to buy one at auction, and been unsuccessful...I am positive that the market is getting a little more properties coming on, so fingers crossed.

Mirage · 16/03/2011 15:54

We looked for 18 months and had given up when this house came on the market.Dh couldn't view it as at work,so I went alone.I really wanted it,so rang dh and told him.Luckily the owners knew my family so we were able to go back the next night with dh and we shook on it there and then.

I then had to finish renovating our house on my own,due to dh not being able to take time off[ I was 7 months pregnant with an 18 month old in tow],and sold it to the first people who viewed it.I went into labour the night that we arranged our moving date and moved when dd2 was 3 weeks old.

Mirage · 16/03/2011 15:57

Forgot to say,that the vendors had 3 other offers after ours,but were entirely honourable and didn't gazump us.We were very lucky.

bran · 16/03/2011 16:09

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Rugbylovingmum · 16/03/2011 16:15

We saw about 12 or 13 I think - there were a few that we quite liked but when we saw the last one we both loved it straight away. It's a little bit further out of town than we wanted and a bit more expensive but I LOVE it and it has everything we could need so I'm glad we went for it. With both the houses we have bought we just knew as soon as we saw it that it was the house for us so I think you should be as fussy as you want. Houses cost so much you should love coming home to your house.

Original poster
tyler80 · 16/03/2011 16:20

That's what I think, it's the most expensive purchase we'll ever make so it's important to get it right.

There's a couple of houses opposite that have been empty for years so I'm going to try and track down the owners.

OP posts:
Ormirian · 16/03/2011 16:21

Because before we even put ours on the market we knew where we wanted to move to. And luckily it was still around when we sold.

Terpsichore · 16/03/2011 16:22

Probably 8 or 9, although I looked at dozens, if not hundreds, online. The house we eventually bought was one we stumbled across in a completely random Google, in an area we hadn't remotely considered and indeed didn't know at all. The first time we walked into it we both felt immediately that it was 'the one', even though it needed masses of work. We're still there almost 9 years later, and still very happy with the area (even more happy that the renovations/rebuilding works are over Grin).

ChasingSquirrels · 16/03/2011 16:25

into triple figures I think, if you count the new build showhouses.
we brought one of the first we saw (was between no 5 and no 10), but it took a LONG time and we kept looking during, when it fell through, and when it was back on again in case it fell through again.

Driftwood999 · 16/03/2011 16:45

Don't be put under any pressure by others if your move is not urgent. The Right One is out there; it just takes time.

herdingcats · 16/03/2011 16:54

We viewed 16 in a day and a half. It was a case of needs must as we had travelled 475 miles to look for one.
Then bought the 1st one we looked at!!

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