Just sold - nothing to buy ...

[PanickedBuyer]

Hello All,

Just in a bit of a flap as having sold a week ago, I can’t find anything to buy ... I looked in winter before around 2009-10 and remember very little going on

What to do? Should I ring around all the estate agents or would that put me in a bad negotiating position? Wondering if I should just view loads so that agents know I’m looking?

Any encouraging tales of the right property coming on/that you are just looking to market will soothe my ravaged nerves... I’m looking to move up to a 3 bed and worried that everyone who has one to sell this year already has. There’s a few under offer on my area, mostly went on in August (ones before that are now fully sold I think). Started looking in July but hadn’t sold, missed out on 1 good one so far, and regretting not viewing some others before I had sold..

I would ring around I think - you may hear of things coming up before others. Do you definitely want to buy straight away or would renting be an option until the right place came up? Prices may go down a bit soon (well this is speculation of course) but you might get more for your money in a few months time possibly.

Definitely ring round. If you’re angling to move before the stamp duty holiday ends you definitely want to be proactive now.

We had the same thing, agreed a sale and then had six nerve jangling weeks of nothing we liked coming up. In the end we viewed something we never would have considered before and fell in love with it.

Hopefully you’ll have similar luck!

Consider renting for 6 months. It will be a moderate pain but will put you in a massively better position as a buyer.

I am in the same position and have been for a month now... there are hardly any rentals where I live and it would cost us a fortune (being way more expensive than our mortgage), so we are more likely to go off the market than rent... Really hoping something comes up this week

Thank you so much for the kind messages .. I’ve just spent a couple of hours widening my search area and a few places have come up, off to see somewhere tomorrow so 🤞🏼

I had exact same situation. I had a lot of success recently with posting letters in the areas I liked. I posted 20 letters (all hand written) stating our position and we were keen to purchase in area, got 7 replies, viewed 2 and purchasing one of them. Suss our the streets you like (check Rightmove for sold prices and images in those roads)

We are the same! Sale agreed on ours 4 weeks ago and all we have seen needs too much work done or smaller than our own. Ptepared to lose our buyer as we are not going to feelnpressured to buy what is nit right for us

Same here. 5 weeks today since we agreed our sale. Went to best and final offers on the one property we loved but we lost out. Hardly anything decent coming onto market now, and our required location is quite specific as it’s catchment area related. Our buyers are being great and not putting any pressure on so far, but I’m still feeling the self inflicted pressure, and refreshing Rightmove so many times a day!! Just keeping everything crossed that something comes on soon

@Oranges555

I had exact same situation. I had a lot of success recently with posting letters in the areas I liked. I posted 20 letters (all hand written) stating our position and we were keen to purchase in area, got 7 replies, viewed 2 and purchasing one of them. Suss our the streets you like (check Rightmove for sold prices and images in those roads)

Wow! That might be a tactic to try @Oranges555. I’ve been wondering if wothwhike & sounds like it is ...

I leafleted too and had one response. I was so excited - it's a five bed townhouse in a style like others I'd seen online. However I missed the fact that this particular one was the only one that didn't have an attached garage, which as a result also gave them a tiny triangular concrete garden. I actually felt really guilty saying it wouldn't be right for us after targeting them! Then I have doubts because inside it's just right... but even though I don't want a big garden, I do want one big enough to put a trampoline on...

I think I've run out of roads to leaflet sadly. It is worth a go, though!

I am in the same situation - have Sold STC - but don't like anything out there.

I heard on here about leafletting - and was wondering about giving it a try. Maybe I will!

I’m not sure how people find a house so quick once they have sold there’s ?? In took us two years to find ours when we decided to move ( we bought first then sold ) but still, I couldn’t find one in a few weeks .

@PanickedBuyer definitely worthwhile. I think it just felt good to be proactively doing something (my stress coping mechanism!) rather then sitting around wondering I’m my dream house would pop onto market that day! We had really positive responses , most had been due to list in the coming weeks anyway! I just loved the fact we didn’t have to compete with an other buyers or play estate agent bidding war games

We sold 3.5 weeks ago and don't have anywhere to move to yet. We are viewing 2 this week but they are do-er uppers and might not be ok to move straight in to anyway. Chances are we will rent and we will start looking for a suitable rental from next week. Another option though is for us to put everything into storage and go to a holiday let for 6 weeks to get us past Christmas. We are flexible as just two of us plus dog so no school to worry about!

@Chumleymouse

I’m not sure how people find a house so quick once they have sold there’s ?? In took us two years to find ours when we decided to move ( we bought first then sold ) but still, I couldn’t find one in a few weeks .

It took me FOUR YEARS to find my first place (2 1/2, 40 viewings once I’d settled on an area) but I definitely don’t have that long this time around...

Mercifully I don’t have catchment restrictions, so now I’ve done a 15 mile radius from my office (London outskirts/commuter belt) so that’s 1000s of properties ... was very set on 1 area but I think I need to look more widely (and leaflet after Saturday’s viewings )

Hopefully we will all find something soon... x

We only viewed 3 houses ( looked at hundreds over the years ) some we drove by .
Out of the 3 , first one we put 2 offers in but the seller was being too greedy 😀 second one I wanted it , other half didn’t. Third we bought.
I don’t see the point in viewing if your not at least 95% sure, just wastes people’s time.

I rented for a year before finding my current house.
I didn't intend to have any gap between houses, and certainly not a year, but I had one set of buyers pull out so I lost my dream house so I sold to the next offer without anywhere to go.
It did feel a long year, and I did begin to think I might never get back on the housing ladder, but the house I have now is great, and worth the wait.

@PanickedBuyer

I find homebuying a minefield.

If you haven't already, would you consider sharing the area or postcode you're looking? Sometimes Mumsnetters can help spot some gems for you that you otherwise might not.

I did that for a friend once. She overlooked a house in her search for some reason. She asked me to look. Ended up buying the house she had been overlooking.

Oranges I'm thinking of leafleting but how do you agree the price? Did you offer the agewnt vsluation level on other similar houses that were on the market?

I think sellers wouldn't watn to discount without trying out the market - and although lots of houses sell for less than advertise, people who want to sell wouldn;t know that for sure.
I think leafletting would only work if you aer prepared to pay slight over the odds to avoid the hassle, but where i'm lookng it's overpriced currently due to demand and I can't afford offering top whack (though don't need amortgage which will make for a quick sale).

Or were yo lucky with your sellers and they were willing to accept less?

Hello @catcity : happy to, I’m looking for a nice residential area within 20-30 minutes of Uxbridge (by car) and where I can also reach London easily by public transport, my budget is 400-500, for a 2-3 bed place

Transport & charm are my main considerations :)

@PanickedBuyer

Would you consider Hillingdon? Think it is classed as Uxbridge and has homes within your criteria. They have an underground station too.

One of my friends lives in that area. Her DD goes to the secondary girls only school there. Seems nice enough.

Definitely speak to all agents in the areas you looking at - you are a HOT client. They can then ring you if anything hew comes to the market Or if a sale falls through.

@PanickedBuyer

I've found a couple to help you get started:

1. [[https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-72119430.html

2 bedroom detached bungalow for sale]]

About £475,000 or more. Been on market since July. Large plot. Off street parking. Detached makes it desirable imo. "West Drayton road is a highly regarded residential road only minutes from the Uxbridge Road."

Looks like it's ready to move into and chain free. So, that will be ideal if you want to make the stamp duty deadline too.

1. This house looks really quirky and cute period property!!

2 bedroom cottage for sale

"Ideally placed in the heart of Hillingdon Village, this one of a kind two bedroom property has not only a pristine finish but prime location at its advantage." 1 Mile from Uxbridge tube.

South facing rear garden. Only on market since October. £400k

@Catycity : thank you that is really kind of you

I had seen the 1st one, but not the second one

For anyone following the thread, the first one is OUT OF THIS WORLD!

Cat - have you seen the video? I think this property deserves a thread all of its own - it’s not for me but it is very very memorable !

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-72119430.html

PS - south facing garden in no 2! V exciting...