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Property/DIY

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Original poster

Did you buy and house you liked but not loved?

32 replies

CrapBag · 20/03/2014 14:37

I saw a house yesterday which I liked, I'm not sure if I loved it though. DH is coming with me tomorrow for a second viewing.

Part of me wonders if I am 'settling' because I want stay close to DS's school. I don't want to move him so am trying to stay nearby but its proving difficult as it is in a slightly crappy area. The slightly nicer areas just outside are not having much come up for sale at all and some of them are really expensive.

I don't want to settle but I am wondering if I need to adjust what I am looking for or just wait?

OP posts:

AngryFeet · 20/03/2014 22:59

What about secondaries? Since you have your DS in his primary school now you can move easily. I based my move around a good secondary as there are not many around here.

ListWriter · 20/03/2014 23:22

What's the market like where you are? We've had to make a lot of compromises on this house to be able to afford the village we wanted but if we'd have waited much longer, we wouldn't have been able to afford what we did get.

TheArticFunky · 21/03/2014 00:09

I've never bought a house I loved. My first property was ok, I didn't like the style or the street but I was in a rush and saw its potential. My second property was in a good area but wrong town, nice but modern and I wanted old, eventually went for it because it was low maintenance. The property I'm in now is in good area but small and lacked so many things on my list of requirements, went for it because there was a lack of choice in our chosen area.

We will be moving in the next few years to the home that will hopefully see us through to our retirement. It won't be our dream home but I'm sure it will be good enough.

GillTheGiraffe · 21/03/2014 00:30

I've never 'loved' any of the houses I bought. I've just bought the best of the bunch available at the time.
I really don't understand why you have to 'love' a house. It's just bricks and mortar that you can put your own stamp on.

bluepolkadot · 21/03/2014 07:06

I didn't love our house, in fact thought it was really boring.

But did love the location, the convenience it offered and once we moved in and put some of our personality on it and made it our home, have grown to realise it was the right choice.

Think that's a good point about secondary schools though depending on the age of your child.

TheRaniOfYawn · 21/03/2014 07:13

I didn't live my house when I bought it. It was in the right area with a garden and a good price. I thought that we'd live here for a couple of years and move to something bigger. But house prices shot up, I left my very well paid career for a minimum wage job I loved and we can't afford anything better. But somewhere along the last 10 years I fel in love with the house and would happily stay here for ever.

CuddyMum · 21/03/2014 10:30

Yes. My last house. It was nice and we made it look lovely enough but I hated it and never settled.

HolidayCriminal · 21/03/2014 10:33

yes, this one was only one that ticked enough boxes. It's okay. Some things about it I have come to appreciate very much.

LondonGirl83 · 21/03/2014 10:36

Our house ticked enough boxes to buy it!it had potential but for us location and schools were the overriding priorities.

Mrswellyboot · 21/03/2014 10:38

I love my house but I bought it when I was single and now married with baby and another hopefully one day.

I think we will stay in it.

I used to own a house I didn't love but I made it my own. Get a great kitchen o even accessories. I know it's no the same. Can you do this op? I suppose it's all compromise really.

MissMilbanke · 21/03/2014 10:40

yep. Our current one.

For all the reasons others have already said.

However, I do like the convenience and the layout of it - I just wish we had the ££ to spend to get rid of all the footballer trimmings and put our stamp on it

NinetyNinePercentTroll · 21/03/2014 10:41

Yes. This one. DH loved it, I loved the other one. We made an offer on 'mine' but the then our buyers pulled out (). By the time we'd got another offer, ' my' house was off the market and this one was still sitting here, so we went for it. It's nice. Good area, great space/layout, adaptable, good garden & parking, good for schools etc but it didn't and still doesn't have the feeling that the lovedandlost house had for me. We are about to embark on a big renovation project and so hopefully that will add the X factor for me.

sebsmummy1 · 21/03/2014 10:41

I think you either have the budget to buy a house you love or you buy a house that is practical but a compromise.

Once it has all your belongings and loved ones inside then it becomes a home.

Original poster

CrapBag · 21/03/2014 14:49

I am thinking more and more about the secondary school element actually.

The secondary's around here are shit. I wouldn't actually send the kids to them. The feeder schools from the primary are catholic (as is their primary although we are not) and I am not keen on these. The girls has quite a reputation and the boys has had some mega mega problems recently with the staff, head, money going missing, bullying so DS would not be going there at all.

I was hoping that they are able to do their 11+ and go to the grammar schools, DS is showing real promise and the primary has quite a high % of children who pass the 11+ and go to grammar school, although I need a backup plan in case this doesn't happen.

Quite a nice area with semi decent secondary schools is near DH's work. We could probably get rid of his car because it would be easier for him to get to work. However its 10 miles from the primary school now which means a 20 mile round trip, twice a day for 9 years. No too bad as its straight down an A road but I was thinking more in terms of petrol. DH works full time but it wouldn't cover all of our bills if we lost my benefits (I can't work but live in fear of going through the test and being told I'm fit to work when I am not).

I really don't want to move primary schools, despite the area where DH works having good schools. DS is very settled, I love the school and he has a really good group of friends.

Arrgghhh I hate dilemmas and wish the choice was just made for me. Unfortunately DH's answer is "I don't know" to everything!

Can't seem to find a house where I have thought "yes, this is great" although we haven't been looking long so may need to go for a few factors that have this and make do with the rest.

OP posts:

shivari · 21/03/2014 14:53

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Ilovemydogandmydoglovesme · 21/03/2014 14:54

I think you need to make your minds up on a good school first and then worry about finding a house nearby. It sounds as though your concerns over a school are a greater priority so I would sort that out first. It's much easier to do up a house than change a schooling problem.

sleepyhead · 21/03/2014 14:57

We decided that we wanted to stay in a particular area which meant big compromises.

The place we're in I like, and it suits us really well at the moment. I don't love it though. We can't afford to buy somewhere we love around here. Maybe in 5 years time, but if not then it won't really matter.

We love the area though.

lainiekazan · 21/03/2014 14:59

I think however much money you have it is never enough to buy the house of your dreams. The one you want is always tantalisingly just out of reach.

And round here you need serious dosh to buy anything approaching a dream house. A terrace with no parking is at least £400K.

We bought our house as it was the worst house in the best road - ie we could just about afford it. I have never really liked this house. It is v ugly...

Original poster

CrapBag · 21/03/2014 15:05

That's a good point shivari. I think DH is pretty ok in his job, he has just got a higher pay rise than anyone else, he has had some really high profile stuff within his company to do and they are really happy with him. The current role he has, they created specifically for him. Others were welcome to apply but they said to him after that if he went for it, the job was always his. The company is doing well and they are having to take on more people because there is too much work in their department and DH is the only person who can do much of his role anyway. We do feel pretty secure in that although I do know it could potentially change but it really is on the up and even through the worst of the economical difficulties, DHs place was always ok.

It is easier to do up a house, that is true. Secondary schools are not great in this city and it is something I worry about even though we are years away. Having hated my secondary school years I am really conscious of this. Just the area we are looking at with better schools is more expensive and lots are way out of our budget but there are the odd few around that are within, or just over what we wanted to pay but could still afford to do so.

OP posts:

fussychica · 21/03/2014 15:14

When we came back from abroad we just bought the best detached property, in a nice area that we could afford at the time. I didn't love it and still don't - it's far smaller than I'm used to but I do like it a lot now we have put our stamp on it. The area is great, it's beautifully quiet (prays it stays that way!) and I have lovely neighbours (ditto) so I put up with my small kitchen and lack of an en suite.
It will always be good area over great house for me.

shivari · 21/03/2014 16:14

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

CelticPromise · 21/03/2014 22:25

We went for head over heart (had offer accepted on a house we loved but the vendors just wouldn't leave!). We needed to move so went for the sensible option that I didn't love. I grew to really love it. We are selling it now and I am very sad to leave.

TryingToBePractical · 21/03/2014 22:29

I love the house but not the street. We have been here 5 years and I still wonder if we made a mistake. DH is outraged by ths suggestion.

allduffedup · 22/03/2014 09:19

I don't love my house, but I am happy with it. I don't have nearly the amount of money we would need to buy a house we love in this area.

NearTheWindymill · 22/03/2014 09:26

We are in our 4th house. Every one has been a compromise. You always need 20% more than you can spend to avoid compromise. Each property has ticked a number of essential boxes though and each has made us a profit. Over 30 years by the way. First flat was 60's build; first house had a bathroom that was really too small; second house was in the middle of a massive development area and we lived alongside bull-dozers for two years, the house we are in now is in zone 3 rather than zone 2.

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