Sale agreed🙂🙂🙂. But don’t really know the house

[Ideasplease322]

My offer on my dream home was just accepted and I am sale agreed on my house.

It has all happened very quickly and I am thrilled. I know it could all still fall apart, but I am already planning my new life.

It has just struck me I am spending half a million pounds on a house I have spend ten minutes in. There is loads I don’t know. Nothing that would change the sale - but silly little things like is the roof space floored, is there a light. Is the water pressure any good. What are the neighbours like. Does the garden get sun (I should be able to work this out but cant😂). Is there an outdoor tap. Is there a door bell. WHat is the broadband like.

I haven’t asked whether the carpets, curtains and blinds are staying.

Sorry just lying awake reflecting. On the huge decision I have made totally on my own and wondering what big things I have forgotten about when I have missed all these little things.

I often think this. Half an hours shopping to spend 500k

Reminds me of Victoria Wood - I’ve spent more time buying shoes than houses, I love their hoover; let’s buy it!

You do get the opportunity to make certain enquiries and have certain points clarified, in the lead up to exchange. For a start your estate agent may have the answers to many of your questions if other prospective buyers have asked them too.

Yes, I spent hours researching my coffee maker. I saw this house on line, decided it was for me, put my house in the market and put in a bid.

All within a week😊. I am not having cold feet, I really do love the house and love the area, it just happened very quickly. There was a bidding war and I had to decide immediately.

I didn’t even walk round the garden, just stood at the back door.

You’ll find out about things like door bells, curtains etc when you get the fixtures and fittings form from the vendor.

You can work out which way the garden faces from a map.

I think because I am buying alone it makes it tougher, there isn’t that second person observing and asking and remembering.

Okay the map thing with he garden. Anyone know how hat works on google earth?

Sounds a bit like me. I just had a quick glance at the back garden! And almost 2 years on I still haven’t even looked in the roof space 😄 I’m usually a massive over thinker but I have zero regrets - I’m not advocating my approach but it can work out just fine!

I really hope for your sake the garden faces south or west! It makes a HUGE difference.

Congrats on your purchase ☺️

Google maps
Satelite image
3d view, you can angle the view from the suns perspective and rotate the image so you can see the sunlight the property gets East to West.

When you open google maps the top is always North

@Ideasplease322

I think because I am buying alone it makes it tougher, there isn’t that second person observing and asking and remembering.

We’ve just bought a house and DH didn’t even view it until we got the keys, if that makes you feel any better.

I had 24 hrs to put in my best and final offer and he just couldn’t get the time off work to come and see it (200 miles away).

This is why it's always good to view a house at least twice!
Most of those things are fixable if they are not right for you anyway, so not worth a second thought.
House I'm buying i spent minimal time in kitchen and bathrooms because I could tell that I would completely change them. It was the space that counted.
Too bad we can't 'test drive' a house (I'm sure there was a property show that let people do that).

I know exactly what you mean as we have done the same this week. The estate agents don't allow a lot of time, you're all wearing masks which makes communication difficult, it was muddy, etc. But the location seems right, so we are buying it. Kirsty Allsop always says you can improve a house but you can't improve the location, which is the best advice to follow.

Sounds like an impulse purchase. Sone of my best finds have been bought on impulse. Ask fir a second viewing - and download a compass to your phone before you go. Check it's calibrated at subset ( in the west or sunrise in the east ) before you get there ! Or simply drive to the front of the house to check with your compass.

If you know, you know, and will accept minor niggles. We did similar - house was under offer for several months. The agent phoned me to say the vendor was remarketing it to a small handful of proceed-able buyers. We threw the DC in the car, drove 100 miles for a 10 minute viewing, called in at the agents to offer asking price, then kept fingers crossed for a few days waiting for the vendors decision.
Yes, the house has flaws and quirks but the location was perfect.

This is why it's always good to view a house at least twice!

That's all very well in areas that the market is relaxed enough to allow it @Midlifephoenix! Where I am anything decent in our sort of budget is snapped up within 48 hours. It's a race to see it first and offer first. Second viewings would be wildly luxurious!

I felt the same as you OP when I bought my flat, and I was a FTB so didn't even really know what to look for in the first place. The only major thing I'd missed was that it didn't have heating installed, but it's a small flat so that wasn't a big problem to solve!!

Could you ask for another look round now your offer is in? They can only say no. That way you can take a few measurements, notes etc.

Always always turn on shower abd taos to check the water pressure. Though you can fix these things if buying. When renting this is a must.

OP....you are not alone. Currently buying a one bed flat, which I spent a total of 3 minutes in, before offering asking price.....and, have not bothered with survey/or searches.
But, was looking to buy (only) in this particular block, this particular flat even, aware that they rarely come on the market, had previously sounded out neighbours about service charges etc., AND (the clincher) looking around, thought, this seller (who I've never met) is like me/lives like me.....it'll be ok.

I bought on my own too. Viewed 5-6 houses which were lovely, but didn’t get a feeling about them. Ended up viewing one which just felt ‘right’. I wasn’t bouncing off the walls with excitement, it just felt immediately like mine.
Long story short, I’ve been here for three weeks now. Fully agree with you that it’s worrying to shoulder all of the responsibility yourself, I had a lot of sleepless nights! But it’s lovely when it’s yours and only yours too.

Broadband you can check online, likewise the garden orientation. Neighbours is just a matter of driving past at different times, although of course with covid there could be a normally party house who sticks to the rules.

Some of the other points you might be able to ask a surveyor to check (loft boarded/ lights, outside tap etc.). When we bought ours we just had the mortgage valuation survey and then our own independent full building survey. This meant we could ask our own surveyor to check for things we were specifically concerned about but without raising it with the mortgage company and risk them withholding the mortgage over a blocked gutter. Things like doorbells you can address when you move in. You can also send some questions to the estate agent who may know the answer anyway.

Glad I am not alone. I know the area very well and it’s in a better street than I had hoped for, so I have location right. It’s also bigger than I had hoped for and the garden is huge.

I got an instant warm feeling when I walked I. So I know it’s for me.

Not an impulse buy as such - I have been planning to move to this exact area for about five years now - just when this particular house went on the market I jumped!!!

With a huge garden the direction of the sun is probably not relevant unless there are huge trees in other people's gardens. There will always be a sunny spot somewhere for a washing line and a sun lounger.

It’s definitely true that you don’t spend anything like as long choosing a house as you do other things.

But the location and the basic house is the key, most other stuff can be changed. And if you’ve got the warm feeling as well as the location right, you’re onto a winner.