if £142k is our max budget,and we are 1st time buyers with a big deposit,mortgage ready to go etc...

[FriggFRIGGYPudding]

what should i be searching for on rightmove?
150k? higher,lower?!

we've just had a sale fall through for the sake of 3k,so im a bit baffled and lost.
many thanks...

We are in similar position - and as tempting as it is to buy now we are waiting. State of the economy, etc, prices are falling round me, so we are holding out.

i don't know what area you are in and what prices are doing near you, but we are waiting - albeit impatiently.

I would say 10% higher than your budget as a general rule nationwide but depends on your location.

Be honest with the agent as well if you find a good one you can be honest with. We told ours our budget was £130k max and he said we would really love a house that was advertised at £159k which we wouldnt have viewed as out of budget but we are now purchasing it at £125k

We were in pretty much the same position - ended up paying 150 for a house listed at 190 originally...

I would look at it property by property - if something seems overvalued based on your research and £142k might seem like a reasonable offer based on what other similar things have gone for, then it's worth seeing.

we are about to exchange on a house where we negotiated hard and got over £10 off so i would definitely look at expanding your range.

Don't forget the additional money you will need for stamp duty too. It all mounts up.

Ha ! I meant to say got over 10% off.

£10 off would have been a major disappointment

at £10 off!

yes,we have budgeted for fees and such...
we went to see a very over priced house today,it has been rented out,and it shows,but the space is good,and its my favourite type of build...it was lovely really,and just what we need,in the right area.
the vendors have already moved away and are very keen to sell,it's been empty for over 4 months,
still,i cant quite bring myself to offer 140k on a house priced at £179k

Go for it! The worst they can say is no and at least you may get a better idea of what they will accept.

They might just be sitting at home moaning they have got to pay the council tax again or something and going to drop the price

would you not rather paid years of mortgage if prices stayed the same in the next 12 months?

im sorry happy..im not sure what you mean

hmm,yes maybe we will offer....maybe not.OOOooooh i dont know

We bought our house for £250k but they were asking £285k for it. A house a few doors up that has been on the market for ages just sold. I have just looked on Zoopla (nosy neighbour emoticon) and it sold last month for £210k but was marketed at £295k!

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I read somewhere once that if you aren't embarrassed by your first offer then you've offered too much.

if you stay where you are - you pay rent, that part of that rent could go towards your future mortgage repayment
you could also renovated your house in that time - there are lots of reasons to move apart from the price you've mentioned
but if price is the only consideration - no harm talking to agents if you are first time buyers