How long before you found your perfect house?

[curlyrebel]

My DH and I have been looking since January. We've put an offer on two houses and weren't successful. I've lost count of how many houses we've viewed in this time. It's getting a bit tiring now...keeping on top of new houses, rushing about for a viewing or open day, falling in love with houses only to find out they're already gone. Has anyone else taken months to find their dream house?

Curly rebel
I could have written your post word for word near enough. I've been looking for about nine ten months now. In all that time found two we wanted to bid on first had serious structural issues so we walked away the second had our offer refused despite offering over market value for it.

I'm finding the whole process stressful and exhausting. As you say fall in love with a house online for it to then just not be nice when go visit it.

A big part of my problem is we can't seem to find a house my husband likes, there's been a few I've loved but he hasn't. It's so gutting...

I now dread getting out of a house and asking him what he thinks as it's usually 'I didn't feel it' didn't like the road I don't think we will get two cars on the drive etc...

I was so excited when I sold my house to start looking, now in some ways I wish I'd never sold my house to buy one together. I I'm living with parents and he with his and it's ok but a year on it's just getting all too much.

Well, there is no such thing as a perfect house surely? If you get that idea out of your head you might make more progress?

The house will find you!

We bred ourselves out of space, only having a 2 bedroom house and three DDs.

We looked and found a Barn conversion which was perfect except for the fact that they didn't want to sell us the piece of land that the septic tank was located in. We haggled and then agreed the full asking, provided we got the septic tank. After a week, the EA called to say they had taken it off the market (which pissed him off mightily - he'd been trying to flog it for 18 months!).

We found another Barn conversion which was a Building Society repossession, turned out the EA had 'reserved' it for a mate of his - so didn't put our offer forward!

Looked at a converted Windmill (years before Jonathan Creek), once again they wanted to keep the septic tank as they were intending to build next door and wanted to use the same (small) tank!

The following Tuesday, I was driving a different way home and passed a property I knew which had a Sale board up. Viewed it on the Saturday, offer accepted on the following Tuesday. That was 23 years ago and we'll be leaving here in boxes!

I don't believe I'm looking for 'perfect' I don't have that kinda money to spend...

But second time around I do have a few more things on the list that were issues in my old house... such as having some where to park where my car didn't get vandalised, I never had a garden and lived on a very main road so would like somewhere peaceful to sit out, I used to be on the drunk route home in an area where it was also common to be drunk Monday to Friday so location is important.

So not looking for perfect but definitely an improvement.. though I lived in a quiet a big terrace and it's hard to find a house that isn't an expensive hutch or a new build where I'm looking to live...

Rslsys - that a lovely house story ... xxx i believe it will all pan out the way it needs to in the end

@Lilmisskittykat oh I feel for you having sold your place already it must be worse. It's similar with us...one of us likes a house more than the other. I think my DH is fussier than me. We're also trying to get the location right.

@lavenderhidcote I know what you mean but we do want to live there for at least another 20 years, have our child/children grow up there so we have a long wish list. We expect to make some changes but want to have the space, location etc to be just right now

@rslsys sounds like it took you a while too! That's a nice happy ending. Hope it happens like that for us too...

@Lilmisskittykat so you're looking for a nice quiet road with some off road parking, not on a drunken route home! It's not too much to ask. Why is it so hard??

About 7 years, but what we wanted was pretty specific.

Been searching since October last year two properties that had scary surveys. Neither was a deal breaker for us, but vendors were not prepared to drop price to reflect survey finding. Oh and gazumped once. I think we might have found 'the one' this week.

Thanks curly... it is tough but, we are really lucky we have family who've put up with us for so long to be honest. we've been able to save more too but it seems to only just helping to keep us in line with the ever inflation asking prices.

You wouldn't think it would be so hard to find a house? My oh is the harder to please one out of the two of us and is more level headed than me so can step back from my desperation to buy a house 😂

I totally know what you are saying about when you know you aren't planning on moving again or for a long time you are looking for the potential in a house and yes it might make us a little bit fussier but I'm never planning on doing this again so want to get it right !

So I can absolutely relate to where you are coming from.

I've been looking for three or four years. Long story. Found my ideal house just as I was completely giving up and totally running out of time. Paid too much for it probably, but we just couldn't]t face losing it at the 11th hour.

Lonecat I hope you have found the one too xx

It's so frustrating when a seller won't accept the issues with their house. The one we liked had a bodged extension with tension splits down the walls in garage and drops over the door frames and windows at the back of the house but wouldn't accept it, funny enough it's still not sold yet!

I do think though I'll be glad one day we didn't get that one - could have been a can of worms.

About 6 months but that included the time wasted on getting to the day of exchange on another house then the seller pulling out. We were never going to find perfect but the house we bought in the end ticked most of our boxes and had the room to extend to provide most of the rest of the things we wanted. We moved in 5 years ago and have nearly finished it (two extensions and a large refurb later!).

Lightonthewater wow that's some waiting! As glad I am you got your house I hope it's not that long for me🙈

I asked my parents if I could move in for a few months just to be chain free... think they would go for three more years? 😂

How are you finding the actual housing market where you are? Is there a lot to choose from?

I'm north west and although looking in a local town I'm not bound by wanting certain schools etc so have a wide catchment but still finding very little is coming on that isn't overpriced by thousands or in need of serious renovation (usually both!)

The particular estate I'm looking at (all family live her so have a really good idea of prices) houses sold 2016 /17 for about 130-160. Anything at about 135 is gone within the week, but this year houses are being listed at 160/190 but without extras you would expect for such a mark up such as extensions conservatories etc. And often missing things like garages and even in some case gutters!

It took us a year. We looked for six months - had loads of offers fall through for all sorts of reasons. Our buyers almost pulle dout, so we move dinto rental and still it took another six months. But it was so worth waiting for. It had our name on it. Same price as houses half the size, and backing onto woodland and hills but in a village with a train station. I love it so much. just wish we had the money to do it up

What are you looking for?

Genuinely. If it’s some kind of feeling.....just don’t.

I live in a house that we viewed, ruled out categorically as a definite no. House was shit, area/Street was shit.

Two weeks later we put an offer in. Now we live here. The house is no longer shit. It is great. We changed it beyond all recognition and yes, we changed the area, and the street too.

I can’t imagine waiting for the perfect house. We had less than ten days between getting an offer on ours and placing an offer on a house ourselves. We looked at six houses total and only viewed the one we bought once.

We’re quite happy here!

Ok I feel a bit better when I hear that some of you looked/have been looking for one year plus. Although I'm sure I'd be getting really desperate if I got to a year and still nothing.
@ChanklyBore how did you go from deciding the house was a definite no to deciding to make an offer?
@Lilmisskittykat I'm in the London area so prices here are laughable. Some would say the market is stagnant but I've seen some houses go before I can blink. Probably makes the decision harder because if you're going to spend the rest of your life paying off a mortgage it may as well be for a great house!

Curlyrebel I agree even more so if your buying with London prices... it's a massive decision, for a lot of money that will impact your whole life... nothing wrong with getting it right!

Have you consider putting notes through doors letting people know you're looking to buy in the area?

I did it for flats a few months ago and got an overwhelming amount of responses by people who've been thinking about selling. Especially if the price is right..

We didn’t have any choice. We had an area we could look in, and buyers threatening to pull out. We put in offers on every house that was for sale of the correct size within the area we had to have. The area was not decided on some whim of ours but believe me it was not negotiable or possible to change it. The one we bought was the only one we completely ruled out. We decided to renovate it (far more work than we wanted to do) we actually changed its address (moved its access on to the back of the land and created a new driveway which then came off a different street, and we changed its postcode as it had a debatable postcode boundary) we dropped the distance to the local trains station by 0.3km by putting in a side gate.

The houses surrounding it were in a poor state of repair including a very neglected old pub which was literally falling down and a total eyesore. It had been the site of several crimes and a fire. Was a bit notorious. Our house looked straight at it. We campaigned to get it pulled down and got all the locals involved. We had to look at it for two years but now there are two new houses Whitchurch have been built instead. The campaign and some investment in the area started to improve the other properties in turn and we carried on asking for improvements and created a bit of pride on what was a run down and forgotten bit of land. We have so far managed to get the roads and paths resurfaced, litter bins added, we’ve cleared and fundraised for a floral display on the shared land in the centre which used to be pure mess. And so on.

It’s not perfect but I think it’s a reasonable example of how things that seem immutable can sometimes be changed. With a bit of time and effort. We have much nicer neighbours, new investment, and almost a whole new area - and a house worth a lot more too.

@Lilmisskittykat I think the vendor of one of the houses is living in cloud cuckoo land our original offer was in excess of 1M taking into account the total redecoration required (living room mint walls and pink carpet anyone) and the likelihood of work on the septic tank. But when the survey threw up 250K worth of work due to dry rot in the joists and ceilings we had to renegotiate. He offered a reduction of 25K. We had to walk.
DP and I talked last night we think the one I saw this week hopefully is the one.

Lonecat that really is cloud cuckoo land isn't it? 250k worth of works needed and only agreeing 25k off? Laughable... where do you even start with that kinda counter offer? 🙄

Frustrating thing is you read of these people coming back down the line with the reality check... but more often then not people say they found something even better which always cheers me up no end.

We chatted about our current bid on house last night and decided to stick to our final and best (after being grounded by oh on the work needed to be done to it) but I'll still be gutted if it sells. I'm wearing out right move checking it all the time for updates 😂

Dreading the August quiet period ... might have to plan some nice breaks / days out to break it up.

We have just had an offer on a house accepted that is ok in a nice area...but has masses of potential. After looking for 6 months we decided that the only house we will both like the whole of will be the one we create. Major renovation now in my near future: rear and side extensions, pretty much changing everything and a possible loft conversion to follow...wish us luck!

Alc that Is an amazing option if you have the capital to do the work.

We don't do it's a matter of a house with the right bone structure coming on. Happy to change insides but would never have the money to build on it too... been hard enough saving a decent deposit