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Original poster

so, what would you do?

26 replies

EdgarAllanPond · 22/09/2012 22:37

I've seen a house i really like, out of area.

we haven't sold yet.

would you drop price to buy it?

it looks like a bargain for what it is, though at the the top of our reach price wise.

i love it too much to link. It is a Sussex country cottage with half an acre. we'd probably have to do a lot of work on it. the risks are of course- we don't sell, we sell but don't get the house we want..yada yada, what would you do?

if it wasn't for this house, i'd be happy to come off the market until next year.

it isn't perfect - it is a semi, but seems vastly better than everything else i've looke at.

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Original poster
EdgarAllanPond · 22/09/2012 22:37

actually, it isn't even in Sussex - an hour long commute is part of the deal...

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Rhubarbgarden · 23/09/2012 21:24

It sounds lovely. If you've been looking for ages and this is the one that makes you excited, it might be worth dropping your price if you can afford to do so. Or just try offering anyway - some vendors will accept an offer even if you're not proceedable.

Original poster
EdgarAllanPond · 24/09/2012 19:30

actually I will link because it is not going to happen, the agent said they expect to be sold on saturday and had 150 enquiries in the first hour!

basically, for us to get this one, we'd need them to agree a sale and have it fall through and to accept us after that.

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Original poster
EdgarAllanPond · 24/09/2012 19:31

they expect to get £300k for it....of course maybe they won't, but i expect they'll at least come away with a proceedable offer.

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wendybird77 · 24/09/2012 19:48

Ugh, horrible to see one you love but it is just out of your reach. We've had this happen twice now. No advice, but it is a lovely house and I can see why you've fallen for it!

Rhubarbgarden · 25/09/2012 20:42

It's lovely. Don't give up hope - I thought this house was beyond our means when the vendors turned down our offer a year ago amidst spoutings from the agent about how it couldn't possibly go for less than asking because it's this and that and the other. We moved in last Thursday.

Original poster
EdgarAllanPond · 26/09/2012 18:02

Hooray Rhubarb! is that the one you started a thread about a short while ago - the one with huge mahogany furniture in the upstairs hall, and a long kitchen?

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captainmummy · 26/09/2012 18:08

What's with the yellow ceilings?

Original poster
EdgarAllanPond · 26/09/2012 18:27

i have no idea, possibly the vendor was a chain smoker so thought he'd save himself the hassle?

I would definitely get a very sore neck from overhead painting if we managed to buy it...i reckon three coats of white a minimum to get it back (if it is textured as it appears, then my neck won't get sore at all.. Dh's will, pulling it down and re-doing..)

we have a viewing tomorrow so we could be back in the game on saturday
i need to roll out the red carpet (or, haha the Febreeze, 'Mr muscle window' et al) and pray for a nice sunny house-buying morning

fingers crossed

X

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Rhubarbgarden · 27/09/2012 13:55

Hope the viewing went well Edgar.

We didn't get the house you are talking about, it went to sealed bids and we were outbid. BUT the same week as the sealed bids deadline, this place was reduced so we went back with a very slightly increased offer and after initially saying no they finally accepted. Now we are down here in the country and it's fab!

Original poster
EdgarAllanPond · 27/09/2012 17:53

two viewings as it turned out!

first one 'just not sure'

second no word as yet.

forgot to flush loo when i went out (it had bits of loo paper i had used to clean tiles in, nothing awful) though - Bugger :( and lid was down when i did my last minute check...lid was up when i came in, so either child lifted it who got into house ahead of me (hopefully) or they saw a slightly less-than perfect loo.

OOh, which house was that? not the one with the lake?? >squee< that was amazing...

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Rhubarbgarden · 27/09/2012 18:50

If they are put off a house by a bit of loo roll they are rather strange, quite frankly!

Not the lake house - that was amazing but it was totally in the middle of nowhere. This is the one with the wine cellar.

Original poster
EdgarAllanPond · 27/09/2012 18:52
Wine

:)

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Rhubarbgarden · 27/09/2012 19:40

Wine chin chin

Original poster
EdgarAllanPond · 27/09/2012 20:10

ah, just read your house thread - i think i was on holiday when all that happened! much drama, but great you came out with one.

was the Brighton one in Clifton St area? i used to live there. great times. the no-street parking sucked, and you did well to avoid!

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Rhubarbgarden · 27/09/2012 22:55

Yes it was! We did make a cheeky offer on it, but yes the lack of parking was a worry amongst other issues. I'm glad we've got the one we've got. Only been here a week but I love it.

Original poster
EdgarAllanPond · 28/09/2012 18:41

wonders which pub it was next to <

some nice ones up there Yeoman....Eddie...Victoria....Windmill further round....

i seriously loved the house we lived in, it was just wildly expensive to buy...

but house with wine cellar ..Hmmm :)

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Rhubarbgarden · 28/09/2012 22:08

Oh it was on Clifton Road next to The Crescent pub. I think it's still on the market. Great house, but with several major drawbacks. I agree it's a fab area though!

bumbez · 29/09/2012 16:27

It's really lovely I can see why you like it!

It's so annoying all the lovely houses about when you're not in a position to buy, I fell in love with a house last June - we put our house on the market to buy it and within 2 weeks it was under offer, that fell through, then it was rented out, we eventually found a buyer almost a year later and were able to offer on the house as it had tenants in.

We moved in on Tuesday :)

We did drop our price twice and changed agents who did much better photos.

Original poster
EdgarAllanPond · 29/09/2012 17:21

i feel a bit better now for having seen the house - it is a beautiful mess!

the layout of the downstairs is very odd - and basically needs complete reworking. the lounge extension needs to go and be re-built, most likely with 2-storey extension to get an upstairs bathroom and to enable the downstairs to get a better flow. a single floor extension could be done but still looking at £30k for that without sorting anything else.

just knocking down the extension (timber, not watertight from the looks o fthings) wouldn't leave a nice living area.

the upstairs is nice, yet two ceilings shows signs of wet from above -so roof would need attention at least - all ceilings have slight cracks but that could be cosmetic,

the gardens are boggy - full of horsetails - would need willow-planting and some earth works to get proper drainage in and to establish front vehicle access to the garden - there is a side access but it looks slightly cheeky as it goes onto someone elses drive rather than the road.

to buy this house would use up our whole fund, and the work required goes well beyond what we can do out of regular income. living in it whilst doing the work = a nightmare with small kids.

Next doors hung a heavy metal flag in their top window, no doubt to warn buyers of future noise!

the Open House was really busy so i expect it will sell today anyway, but to someone with the cash to do it justice.

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Rhubarbgarden · 29/09/2012 23:08

You never know. Open houses attract sightseers who have no intention of buying. Or they could all be thinking the same as you - nice house but needs too much money spending on it.

Original poster
EdgarAllanPond · 29/09/2012 23:14

how's your baby? mine is all yummy :)

i hope the new house isn't too much hassle,

I have fallen in love with something else we can't buy this evening! i need to give myself a good telling off.

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Rhubarbgarden · 30/09/2012 13:52

He is large and round, and very placid, which is all very different from his big sister!

Falling for places you can't have is pretty standard - I was doing it constantly, and dh kept finding ones in Bath which was no good to us whatsoever!

Original poster
EdgarAllanPond · 30/09/2012 16:37

good baby :) i bet he'll have the nicest decorated nursery in Sussex!!

i just wish i could get settled in because i have all this pent-up nesting instinct that isn't dissipated by treading decorative water in this house.

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Rhubarbgarden · 01/10/2012 19:50

Hmm it'll be a while - spent so much on the damn house we won't be doing any decorating or non-essential furniture purchasing for some time though I might make an exception for that antique French children's four poster bed I've spotted for dd.

Is it Sussex you are looking in? Or a broader area? Have you been looking a long time - it's a game of patience.