Why is it so hard to find a house to buy?

[Tatiannatomasina]

I am honestly not sure if it's me being unrealistic or if there is just nothing out there. I have bought and sold 8 properties and each time I have researched and viewed one house which I then bought. The finances are all in place, we are good to go and want to move but nothing I have viewed is right. I have viewed 15 properties this month and only one came close but was already under offer at more than I wanted to pay. We dont live in the UK so I cant blame brexit. Has anyone else been struck with such indecision and the feeling that nothing they look at is right?

@Didyousaysomethingdarling we are in the south west. Reasonably priced properties are selling quickly here but I’d hazard a guess that a lot are at least 10% overpriced, one we recently went to look at is priced over 100k higher than similar properties that have sold within the last year. About 20% overpriced and has sat on the market with with no offers or reductions in months.

Liked a house but thought it was overpriced. Offered a reasonable price as an opener with a view to increasing a bit. Seller said it was asking price or above only.
Another house on the street came on the market. I offered the reasonable opener price again and it was accepted. Silly first house seller! That one is still sitting on the market.

@Instagrrr Thank you for replying.

I am generally appalled when I look on Rightmove the prices people want for houses that are literally time warps from the 1980’s, they all need new kitchens, bathrooms, new heating systems, flooring, decorating etc, when you add the cost of that up, to do it to a medium to high end standard you are looking between £75,000 -£100,00 on an average family sized house and they are asking top dollar! The people who buy these houses and pay the asking price or close to it have either been watching far too many episodes of Homes under the Hammer where they do full -shoddy- renovations for less than 5 grand or they are happy to live in a time warp. I know new builds get a bad rap on here but you can see why people buy them when they look at the grim alternative.

Same here, we've offered 10% less on three properties so far and no luck. Very few properties in general and even fewer properties in decent condition.

thanks for sharing my vent! I have found the same thing! Houses with problems, like legal issues with land ownership, or houses falling down. We have moved into rental to have no chain, but there is nothing!
The other awful thing is that estate agents have become angry with me for not wanting to purchase houses with (literally) holes 1m wide in the ceilings. We are too old (50 and 60) to spend weekends renovating as we did in our 20s. I do hope the situation changes! Why are agents taking on houses so inflated for the area being sold?

... i think sellers are waiting for lottery winners to buy their houses. The sad fact is that lottery winners would not be looking at areas that I can afford ;-)

ps thank you everyone! I was so depressed today about this, its good to know its all over the UK. We are in Hertfordshire.
Too many people think they are expert estate agents - btw the only 'profession' where you need no qualifications.
The agent from house no.1 tried to get me to use the same solicitor firm as the vendor - that verges on unlawful.

...i think the only people selling are sadly divorcing couples. But the whole process may be making more couples divorce !!