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Original poster

How long did it take you to find a house to buy!

43 replies

PixieHot · 20/02/2013 22:49

We've been looking since the start of the year, and I'm starting to feel a bit fed up.

So, how long did it take you to find a house to buy? Did your ideas about what you wanted change a lot in that time? How did you choose what to compromise on, and what not to?

OP posts:
Notyetthere · 21/02/2013 00:11

It's a slow time of year so you will need to be patient. More properties tend to come on the market in spring and summer. I'm also hunting for one.
I find myself constantly checking rightmove hoping that my dream house will magically appear.

Original poster
PixieHot · 21/02/2013 08:06

I know, but it's frustrating Grin. I'm addicted to RightMove!

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noisytoys · 21/02/2013 08:14

It took us about 6 months and one fell through when we pulled out after survey (bats, subsidence, foundations moving etc). It was worth the effort and heartache because t all worked out in the end. Hopefully your perfect house is just round the corner Smile

aufaniae · 21/02/2013 10:03

Took us about 3 months of serious looking. Good luck!

aufaniae · 21/02/2013 10:03

Do remember to check out local agents also from time to time - not everything goes on RightMove - or at least that's what we found locally.

jammybean · 21/02/2013 10:07

Another zoopla and rightmove addict here! Been looking for 10 months. Went under offer twice. Pulled out first time because of lack of planning and building regs sign off. Second time vendor pulled out, we were guzzumped (sp?).

Even once you've found a property to buy, there's no guarantee its going to go smoothly. Or you may be extremely lucky find a property and complete in under 10 weeks. It's worth it in the end. I agree with notyetthere, the market picks up quite a bit in the spring.

Coconutfeet · 21/02/2013 10:16

Took us five months. We did find a place, early on but the vendor pulled out as he decided not to sell. There was very little around and prices were increasing before our eyes. We had to move as we were in a one-bed flat with a child and another on the way. We ended up spending more than we had originally planned. I don't love the house, but it's fine, does the job and we're happy here.

specialsubject · 21/02/2013 10:41

I was you this time last year, and was also starting to despair. Then lots of properties appeared in late March and we were opening the door of the near-perfect house in early June. Hang in there.

Original poster
PixieHot · 21/02/2013 12:49

Thanks all Smile, I think that our current (rented) house feels even smaller now that we've got our deposit and mortgage decision in principle in place.

I do see more (as in actually some) houses coming on the market recently, I'm sure the right one is sitting on an EA's desk somewhere...

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aufaniae · 21/02/2013 16:19

Thinking back, although this one took 3 months, the last one too nearly 30 viewings, and 6 months before I found a place I could both afford and would actually want to live in! I was really despondent about it at the time. (And then two came along at once, typical! Grin)

piemistress · 21/02/2013 16:26

Ages! So long in fact we ended up leafleting houses we liked and got one that way :-)

KissingKittyKat · 21/02/2013 19:44

We bought the first house we viewed. We weren't even looking to move for another couple of years, but we just came across a house too good to miss!

AngryFeet · 21/02/2013 19:47

Not long for us. We are in the process of buying the first one we looked at! Houses in the area we wanted come on the market and are gone within a week and we were lucky that I spotted this one on Xmas Day and we got in there fast.

AngryFeet · 21/02/2013 19:48

I think loads come on in spring time as that is supposed to be the best time to sell so you should have a lot more choice from March onwards :)

Gingerandproud · 21/02/2013 19:51

We were looking for about 5 months then our dream house came up and after much stress and heartache we moved in in December. It was actually the only house we both agreed on!

Doretaball · 21/02/2013 19:53

We had to wait 2 years for ours! Had 3 offers accepted before this house came up. We pulled out of one (because the seller pushed us too far on the price and we got over excited) and the other two the sellers realised what great houses they had and pulled them off the market! We then found this one which is better suited to us that the other three so it was worth the wait in the end!

Good luck with your search, the right one will come up in the end!

imme · 21/02/2013 20:31

3 years!!! This was due to various reasons.One: we naively thought that house prices were going to drop and we would be able to afford our favourite area - this is London so eventually we had to give up on that idea. and two: changing circumstances - inherited a bit of money and had a baby - this meant we started looking at bigger places in school catchments.
We did offer and pull out of a property purchase during the process. Main reason was school catchment but also being pushed over the edge price wise.
We then started looking in a different slightly more affordable area and found our current house.
If I was doing it all again I would be more realistic with expectations of what I can afford in what area and not look at overpriced properties in a fancy area that are too small.

NaturalBaby · 21/02/2013 21:44

We've been looking on and off for over a year I think! We only put our house on the market when we found the perfect house as we weren't desperate to move unless we saw something very special. The estate agents kept telling us this is a great time to be on the market but there is nothing else interesting for sale! If our dream home falls through then the alternative is a soulless new build on a new estate at the edge of town.

SizzleSazz · 21/02/2013 21:46

We weren't even really looking and when we first dipped our feet in the water we bought the first one we saw at full asking price Grin

Just to point out it was early 2000's in a fairly crazy market so we weren't complete nob heads!

pettyprudence · 21/02/2013 22:36

AArgghh another Zoopla/rightmove addict here. Ive only been looking a couple of weeks (FTB) but fed up of it all already. Humph

Original poster
PixieHot · 22/02/2013 08:03

We've looked at all of the houses available within in our price are in the areas that we'd like to live in Hmm. It's easy to start to think Maybe we can afford a bit more, or Maybe that big thing that's wrong with a particular house isn't that bad...

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Original poster
PixieHot · 22/02/2013 08:05

Sorry, rearrange those words into an order that makes more sense Grin. Also, throw some away.

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Spoonful · 22/02/2013 08:34

It took us about five months.
We offered on this house pretty soon after we started to look, but the people decided not to sell.
Then we'd just found another we liked and this place got back to us and said their circumstances had changed so would we still be interested.
The other house was nicer - but more expensive - so we had a long think and decided not to stretch ourselves too much.
I feel like it was the right decision so far!

Original poster
PixieHot · 22/02/2013 08:41

Spoonful, yes, I think that DH and I have to be very careful not to over-stretch ourselves. I can see us living in a house with lots if potential, but with no £ to reach that potential! I have to reign DH in at times.

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nancerama · 22/02/2013 08:51

If you're in rented, you're in a great position. Don't rely on Rightmove - sometimes the good places are snapped up before they get anywhere near the Internet.

Visit every estate agent in town. Let them know what you are looking for and let them know you're ready to move quickly. With any luck they'll start phoning you to arrange viewings soon.

Most places go on the market after Easter, so you may find it's pretty quiet until then.

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