ARGH! Why is buying a house so hard!!!!

[janebee4]

Just want a massive rant really. Myself and my partner have been saving to buy a house and we had our deposit ready 6 months ago, and then all the prices in our area seemed to shoot through the roof at the exact time we started to properly look. My parents have said they can help us out with a bigger deposit, which I initially refused, but we're getting desperate now. We live with my mum and dad so we can save, and it's getting more and more strained with us all living together.

We have no word of a lie viewed about 30 houses now. The ones we want keep getting snapped up, sometimes before we can even see them, and the ones we don't offer for have sat on the market for months because they're crap or overpriced. Was supposed to see a house tonight, the first one that's come online in ages that was in the area we want and we could just about afford, and the estate agent called me an hour before the viewing to say it's sold. IT WENT ONLINE ON TUESDAY PM, THEY SAID WE COULDN'T VIEW IT WEDNESDAY AND TODAY WAS THE EARLIEST APPOINTMENT SO HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?!?!?!? We're not even being picky, we have 4/5 areas we look in and we don't mind doing work to it but it's getting beyond a joke now.

Honestly I am so so miserable with all of this. We'd rent but that's a minefield as well and we wouldn't be able to save anything which, with how house prices are going, we probably need to carry on doing. The estate agents are useless at showing us anything or calling and I am just really really effing mad. Misery loves company so if anyone else is having an equally rubbish time house buying I would appreciate hearing your experiences.

I know what you mean. We’ve been looking and are finding it difficult to find anything.
As previously suggested, we will now pop letters/leaflets through the doors (in the area we like) with the hope someone might sell.
We’re also in the north west (east Lancs). Seems there aren’t many people selling. We thought we found perfect house a few weeks back, but it’s a job and half getting it to living standards (starting with new roof and then working on everything else). Taking into consideration how much the work will cost, it’s too expensive, buts it’s one of the properties still on sale!
Don’t know if the idea of popping a letter/note though the doors sounds good to you? Might be worth a shot.
Let’s see if we get anywhere with this!
Wishing you the best.

There is an article in today's Telegraph saying that many sellers are now insisting buyers pay above current market value for a property, but that mortgage companies are often refusing to lend on the agreed price because it is based on an estate agent's over-valuation.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/07/28/rise-homes-valued-blamed-estate-agents-overpricing-properties/

Cheeseislife – I feel your pain! I really hope you find something soon. We’re trying to get a bigger mortgage now so that we can look at slightly more expensive properties. It’s not ideal but so little is coming up under 200k that’s in a good area and a half-decent condition, and I really don't want to compromise on area.

PatrickMerricksGoshawk – We’re looking Hazel Grove, Offerton, Marple, Romiley, Woodley. Marple is pretty much pointless now as the prices have shot up so much but I still like to have a look and torture myself.

Emotionaleater – We had exactly the same, we thought we’d found something perfect too until we realised just how much work it was going to need and it was already at the top end of our budget so we had to leave it. I was so excited as well thinking about how I never had to look on rightmove again, how wrong I was!

Thank you all for your suggestions. I’ve got some lined up this week but if nothing comes of them I’m gonna try the leaflet idea. It sounds like a lot of properties are going before they even make it online so it’s definitely who you know.

Best of luck with the house hunting everyone!

When this kept happening to me someone advised me to get to know the often retired people who estate agents employ to show the houses. They tended to know what was coming up and getting us in to see a few first - and also we could have a look from the outside/scope out he area/peep over back fences and trough letter boxes. And after a bit an offer was accepted as it was put in very early. Good Luck! It's a nightmare but worth it.

We've just bought in one of those areas you've listed, I keep looking on right move and agree that the prices seem ridiculous. We got a bit of a bargain as the house was empty and needed redecorating completely, which seems to have put everyone off. The electrics and boiler had been done recently though so it cost a lot less than it looked to do up and that's what swung it for us.

Keep going, something will come up!