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Did/should you hold out for the 'dream' house ?

38 replies

Redpolkadotpot · 21/08/2014 00:20

Just wondering everyone's experiences here on whether you waited for your 'dream' house to come along or just settled for something that ticked 80% of boxes?
When I say dream home, I mean something that is best for your budget of course!
We've looked for 4 months now, it's starting to wear thin. We've seen 2 that we just loved as soon as we stepped foot nearby, but both fell through for different reasons.
My husband is being more practical and thinks we should just settle for something we like, I'm still holding out but wondering if I'm being a princess about it all....

OP posts:
foxdongle · 21/08/2014 11:27

We both loved, and still love this house the minute we set foot in it. It was exactly what we were looking for.
Our 3rd house. At the moment I don't want to move out ever-but probably will downsize eventually.

I wouldn't expect first time buyers to be holding out for their dream house as such, unless they were very fortunate. When I bought my first house the dream was actually buying a property Iyswim

We moved from 80% house, so if you've got the funds and are being realistic, I say keep looking.
When we saw this we had given up looking a while before and had to stick ours back on the market quick-it all worked out in the end.

Redpolkadotpot · 21/08/2014 15:32

I'm loving some of the responses here! Some food for thought def!

I guess 'dream' may be the wrong word, but more like that exciting gut feeling of 'I love this house!' which we have had twice, 1st one fell through due to a bad survey and we just couldn't afford to fix it (we thought it was mostly cosmetic).
The 2nd we still think about as it ticked like 99% but the seller just decided to stay put ! Now I compare every house to that 2nd house which is unproductive....
Now this 3rd house is just fine, in the area I want (I'd prefer a couple of houses around the corner mind), a very good size for next 5 years, move in condition, good price, garden's fine and chain-free!! BUT it is a bit soul less (fairly new house) and it isn't available for ages.......I mean I can imagine myself living there okay, not sure I will ever LOVE the house.
We could wait for something we love, just wondering if this concept of knowing when it is 'the one' is twaddle as it's what everyone keeps telling us. I can see my husband is now being more practical and less dreamy so something/one has to give!

OP posts:
Redpolkadotpot · 21/08/2014 15:38

This is what I'm starting to think. We're not FTB but this probably isn't going to be our forever house as we're fairly young still so maybe I should just go for the 80% house.
That 2nd house is ruining it for me, as nothing compares now :( we even drove around it's exact area to see if any were up for sale but nada.

OP posts:
Subhuman · 21/08/2014 15:46

Our first house and it was pretty much spur of the moment. We had a small deposit but were going to be saving up further before looking seriously 12 months down the line but thought we'd browse the new build properties nearby to see what was around. While there, the HomeBuy Direct scheme was mentioned and we knew straight away we'd be eligible. 3 days later we signed up for one of the houses. 3 bed so space to expand the family (no kids at that point), en suite, big living room, kitchen diner. For similar money there would have been bigger old houses, but the smaller deposit and the scheme meant we could get on the ladder so no regrets. 2 months after being in there and 2 weeks before I was planning to propose, found out my partner was 6 weeks pregnant. So within 3 months, new house, engaged and baby on the way. That was 4 years ago (the proposal was bank holiday weekend) and we still love the house, but with the amount of toys, every room now seems so much smaller!

minkah · 21/08/2014 15:48

One of the things which makes my house a place my family is settled happily in, is the fact that we have quiet and nice neighbours around and opposite us, and it's a friendly yet quiet street where people settle. Family oriented, settled street.

But within very close proximity to me I know people have moved regularly due to inconsiderate neighbours and noise. Streets seem to vary enormously in their character, despite being close geographically!

Woopsiedaisy · 21/08/2014 16:45

I waited 30+ years for my dream house.

When we moved in DH said 'they will have to take me out of here in a box'.

11 months later they did !!

I have moved away now (too far away from my DD and her children - my only remaining family) but I will never forget how gorgeous that house was, or how happy we were to have found it.

PacificDogwood · 21/08/2014 20:16

Oh, Woopsie, that is so sad.
I so hope that you are happy where you are now Thanks

cricketpitch · 22/08/2014 02:20

My dream house was a surprise as we had been let down on day of exchange and had our own buyers ready to go.

We saw this with no real enthusiasm about it until we walked in. Just felt right. Perfect. Don't know why as it wasn't anything like what we were looking at but it was beautiful. There were compromises, (busy road, tiny garden, lots of work needed), but it worked.

Have been very happy here and still is my dream house but the street has changed and we have neighbours--from-hell on both sides. Suddenly not our dream house any more.

r2d2ismyidealman · 22/08/2014 22:36

We chose a house that came top in our rating system. It surprised us but we went with our system even though our hearts were not really engaged, which probably helped us barter successfully for a better price. When we entered the house on moving in day we realised it was our dream home and we hope to finish our days here!

Marnierose · 23/08/2014 06:22

No we looked for years for our dream house (it does exist, they just come up v rarely thanks to all the boomers). The house we settled on nearly fit the bill but was different to what we hoped for.

We now love it. Definitely focus on location and size. We compromised slightly on style but after redecorating it's not really an issue any more.

Good luck.

Rooners · 23/08/2014 07:24

Well, it all deends on how much you like something.

We are buying for the first time and I found a house very quickly that ticked most of the boxes - having thought about what the boxes were for a very long time. I made a list and it passed almost every single point, and also I thought my family would like it - which was a big deal as we're buying it together.

I think of it a bit like finding a husband, which I have never managed actually - but same sort of principles. Think of the important stuff, is it big enough, is it rainy day proof (ie enough space indoors not to feel compelled to go out all the time) and sunny day proof (ie enough space outside for you to enjoy a nice day - especially if you have a few children)?

Is it in a nice, safe, quiet street? Are you likely to fit in with the demographic? Is the house itself sound enough, only requiring work you can afford to have done or enjoy doing yourself?

And finally - but most importantly perhaps - do you actually love the feel of it? Because if you don't, you'll not like being there.

I saw a beautiful place round the corner from it, before, and it had just gone - it was untouched since about the 1930s and absolutely gorgeous, but it had been sold. I was gutted but it made me notice that part of town and then I looked for something nearby and found the one we just exchanged on.

Sometimes the things you aren't certain about, are actually not that important after all. I know it's the right house, because we pulled out of the purchase after it had taken 7 months already and a couple of weeks later I woke in the night and realised I could not BEAR the thought of someone else having it, or even looking round what was by then OUR house.

So we prostrated ourselves on the Estate Agents' floor and begged to have it back, for an extra 5 grand. And they said Ok. I could have danced round the room. Smile

Only problem is I keep thinking now I've got it, something else will go wrong, as it's too good a thing to happen to me. Arghhhh!

Rooners · 23/08/2014 07:24

Argh sorry DEPENDS.

Rooners · 23/08/2014 07:37

Btw we actually compromised on location. Not the immediate location - it's a lovely street, but it's in a not so great town. And we will have to commute by car at least for a year or two, which means early mornings, and a fair bit of driving but still - we could never have afforded something that large and in such a nice street, nearer to the schools and shops we're used to.

So given that it's in one of the nicest streets in a fairly rubbishy town, it's a better compromise for us than living on a classified (major) road in the town we're used to, which is all we could afford.

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