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Original poster

Buying a house you don’t like

70 replies

Starllyow · 22/12/2020 21:27

Is anyone else doing this? Sale is proceeding, we’re due to move end of January. We don’t really like the house it’s just practical and in the right location. If we pull out there’s not really much else on the market. Would we even sell ours again at this point, I really don’t know. Looking for some stories of this situation working out alright in the end?!

OP posts:

sashagabadon · 23/12/2020 10:12

My favourite house was the first one we bought pre kids. It was a tiny terrace but with lovely fireplaces and just so cosy. But it was small so we moved and l’ve never liked any other house as much since.
I have every intention of returning to a small 2 bed terrace once the kids have left home. I can’t wait

ineedsun · 23/12/2020 10:24

We moved here out of necessity. Not a house I would choose but it was practical. I still don't love it but it's OK. Decor is almost how I'd like it but the kitchen won't ever really be the sort of thing I like. Every time I think of moving I just can't be arsed, this is very practical and for the price of it we'd never get anything else this size or with the location (I don't mean geographically, I mean with access to outdoor space and views and no neighbours to speak of)

Diddlysquatty · 23/12/2020 10:31

I think if there’s not a particular thing about it that you hate/isn’t right for you then it’s ok. I would have thought that over time as you make memories there and decorate etc that your feelings about it will change.
I didn’t love our house... even though objectively it is loveable if that makes sense 😂
The first night I felt so unsettled and strange in it. It was a step up in terms of size and I think that was part of it.
I still don’t love the maintenance aspect but over the years we have gradually changed things and made it work for us better and now I feel ‘at home’ here though often still overwhelmed by the mess and dream of a modern smaller low maintenance place

RandomMess · 23/12/2020 10:48

The other thing to remember is that no house would live up to the fantasy in your head!

Original poster

Starllyow · 23/12/2020 11:10

Thanks everyone it’s made me feel better reading this thread! There’s nothing tangibly wrong with it, I just get a bad feeling about it. I’ve been thinking a lot about why that is and the best I can come up with is that there’s no character features in the house. I grew up in a very old, characterful house with creaks and battered old wood, high ceilings, light and airy rooms but old cosy furniture. There was a certain smell and feel to it. This house we’re buying is just a box with nothing to it. I just hate it and can’t see it as a home. I’ll have to get over it I guess.

OP posts:

Original poster

Starllyow · 23/12/2020 11:21

@sashagabadon you Cody terrace sounds perfect!!!

OP posts:

BuzzingTheBee · 23/12/2020 11:23

No way, go with your gut!!!! Or at least cleanse the house when you move in

Original poster

Starllyow · 23/12/2020 11:26

@BuzzingTheBee how would you cleanse the house?

OP posts:

RandomMess · 23/12/2020 11:28

Newer builds are pretty soulless.

I grew up in a late 60s house, DH mid 70s one. He loves all the 70s and 80s hideousness.

I have learnt to love the classic late 50s early 60s ones as that is what our first and 2nd are.

Long to retire to a cottage or Victorian/Edwardian grand terrace but in reality unless it was small I would probably freak at the heating billls!!!

madcatladyforever · 23/12/2020 11:29

Yes I've bought a house I'm not made on, moved in just before first lockdown.
It was for practical reasons, the village is lovely, the house is low maintenance, it's right in the middle of everywhere I work, it's near my friends, it was the right price but it does not inspire me whatsoever and I cannot imagine living my whole life there.
Maybe after I've finished repainting, putting in new carpets etc but I know in my heart of hearts I don't want to live here forever, I want to go back to the sea and have somewhere with character and a decent sized garden.

Saz12 · 23/12/2020 11:35

You’re moving to have a happy, lovely lifestyle even if you don’t love the house. The “soul-less box” is just a background to your life.

I don’t imagine you’d complete by end Match on anything you saw just now.

bluejelly · 23/12/2020 11:47

I really think once you paint it in 'your' colours and plant flowers in the garden you will start to love it more. Everything looks grim in the winter.

Original poster

Starllyow · 23/12/2020 11:56

@Saz12 ahhhh that’s a really lovely way of putting it, thank you!

OP posts:

bilbodog · 23/12/2020 12:10

Post us a link so we can see the house - there are lots of things you can do to make a house more attractive like different windows, front porch etc.

lboogy · 23/12/2020 12:10

Gosh I'm in the same boat. House is a probate. Not much done to it in years. It's in the right catchment and has a big garden. Lots of potential. I don't think we could afford anything in that area of a similar size.

House needs a new roof and many repairs though liveable for a few years. we have hardly any money to get the house up to decent standard.

Right now I don't love it at all

HeddaGarbled · 23/12/2020 12:52

We lived in an ugly 70’s box for 20 years! It was what we could afford of the size and in the location we needed. We were happy there, raised our family, made good friends, had good jobs and felt part of the community. I can’t say I didn’t envy other people’s houses fairly frequently though.

When we were in a position to, we sold at a massive profit and moved somewhere pretty 🙂

ILoveYoga · 23/12/2020 13:11

We did this 15 years ago. We really very much wanted to move from our last house as it was too small and we had done all the work we could do to get more space.

Every bloody house we really lived we lost either because of a problem in our chain and we’d been gazumped for than once too. We finally had a house we liked (road was a compromise) and a good buyer (was also getting divorced and HAD to sell their house) who was selling to a developer. Our purchase was meant to be going into rented as they were building a house

Only they decided late into the process not to move into rented right away, wanted 6 months more and wouldn’t exchange with longer completion (we would move into rented) so to keep our buyer, we bought the house we’re in (ie was empty, had been a rental house - no chain) and still here 15 years later

We have done lots of work to the house

With the stamp duty holiday, we thought to take advantage and move. We couldn’t really find anything we liked more than our house.
So yes, you can buy a house you don’t like - and make it something you like.

Our last house was also something we compromised and I didn’t really like - but we needed more space from first house. We lived in that house 10 years. We bought wisely for location and the actual accommodation. Sold it for double the purchase price (we did spend a good amount doing things to it)

So just be sure even though you don’t like the house, that you’re buying wisely so you can move in eventually and make money in the sale. Viewing this purchase as a stepping stone to next house is one that is very helpful

laudemio · 23/12/2020 13:14

Do a sage cleanse when you move in and let the sadness out.

lilylongjohn · 23/12/2020 13:19

I'm in one now and have been for 13 years. It's actually lovely inside now, so when I close the door it's home. But the outside is minging. The only saving grace is the area.

I'm looking to move soon

WoolyMammoth55 · 23/12/2020 13:36

Hi OP, our house is a dream in lots of ways but is a 1930s ex-council terrace - so not most people's idea of a dream IYSWIM! :)

Our recent refurb was a lot about adding character - took out the PVC front door and put in a reclaimed wood one with stained glass, new kitchen and bathrooms we like, nice new engineered oak floors.

I've also gone a bit wild and added a stained glass window through from the bathroom to the staircase, to get some light and loveliness on the dark stairs... :) Builders knocked the hole, got a circular oak frame for £25, local stained glass artist made the window for £250 - a thing of beauty that delights me several times a day.

The house feels so much warmer, lovelier and more welcoming now, and it's a very happy place to live. I really think 'she' was waiting for us for a long time - but then, as you might have guessed, I'm a massive hippy!

You could burn some dried sage to cleanse the energy if you feel in a witchy mood, but TBH I think painting some feature walls and putting your favourite furniture in and pictures up will make a really big difference. Good luck!

raspberrymuffin · 23/12/2020 13:40

You've got to concentrate on all the reasons you're moving there - it's more space, in an area you love! This is a good thing! I know it's easier said than done but you'll have to be firm with yourself or you'll be miserable for the next 5 years.

Our flat is not anyone's dream home by any stretch, but like your house it's got the space we needed in a fantastic area. The alternatives were next to a motorway and/or miles away from any green space. Once we got our stuff moved in it felt completely different, and I'm constantly grateful for the location, especially this year when we've been at home so much. There's something particularly soulless about homes that have been renovated just to sell, but you just need to make your own mark on it to make it yours instead of some estate agent's idea of neutral.

Username54789129671 · 23/12/2020 13:49

We bought our house a few years ago. It didn't meet hardly any of the criteria we were looking for, but it was the right price, in a reasonable area and they could move quickly, so we went for it. We only planned to stay a few years but 7 years later we love it here. The location that is not the house. We ended up doing an extension 2 years ago to make the house more how we want it. It will never be our dream home, but the location and community are brilliant, so it worked out well for us.

opinionatedfreak · 24/12/2020 12:15

I relocated and had to sell my amazingly located, architectural award winning flat to move to London.

I couldn't afford anything remotely like it down here. So I've ended up with a slightly soulless modern box.

But my neighbours are fabulous - real community spirit, the location works really well for me and once I painted it and replaced the kitchen it has really felt like home.

I've inherited some money and could now afford to move but I'm not sure if I want to!

DiesalFive · 24/12/2020 21:51

I bought a house I hated. I hated the layout and the area but it was SO cheap and I was desperate to move out of the in-laws and it was vacant, we completed on it in 4 weeks.

Told myself I'd only be there a year.

Only just sold last month, after 3.5 years. Never, ever again will I buy a house I don't like, it really affected my mental health.

SlopesOff · 24/12/2020 22:23

I didn't like our house much. Never had the feeling 'I want to live there'.

I absolutely detest it now, hate it more every year.

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