Buyer regret?

[DiYJ]

We are about to exchange next week after months waiting for probate on the property we are looking to buy.

However the closer we get the more nervous I am. The house is in a fantastic location, close to good schools and we know the area well. My husband loves the house, but I am not sure. It needs work - modernising which we are both fine with, and has enough bedrooms for our children. But the garden is tiny and nearby phone mast (literally at the back of the garden fence) that is putting me off. It would probably be seen as one of worse houses in a great location. Is this (in my view) fairly large compromise worth it for the location? Or do I some how persuade DH to look elsewhere? Houses do not come on the market often and those that do are above our price range. We had our offer accepted with all this in mind. Any opinions? What would you do?

Worst house in great location - isn't that what you aim for? You can improve the house but not the location.

Sounds great. The things you aren't sure about you can mainly change, other than the phone mast but it can be disguised from your view with some clever planting I'm sure!

With houses there is always some sort of compromise. However what I would say is whether you can go view it again before the sale goes through? I think when it takes so long between initial viewings and actually moving in you can start to forget what you like/love about it and all the stress of the process gets associated with the house.

My initially instinct is if you've any doubts then pull out, however I guess if you CANT get your 'perfect' house within the area you want within your price range then that's kind of the decision made for you? X

Sounds fine to me, great location, good schools, big enough size. The work will be a pain but then you will have it how you want it.

Phone mast, not the most beautiful of things but when you have a family you are normally busy not sitting looking out at the view. The small garden is a compromise but it means less work and there are normally alternatives like a park, forest, go to activities and it mostly rains in the UK and most time is spent inside. We had a small garden could still put flowers in it, trampoline and then went out to forest, park and David Lloyd. Was glad not to have a big garden to look after as well as working and kids. I think its just last minute nerves and will be fine.

When did you last view the house? Would a viewing before exchanging help one way or the other?

In the words of Kirsty Alsopp, always go for the worst house on the best street.
It sounds perfect.

Moving is always a big decision and often involves trade offs. But if you are seriously doubting, pull out of the purchase. A small garden with a phone mast directly behind a family home, would put many buyers off should you need/want to sell in future. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

Thanks everyone for the reassurance, your right I think it is last minute nerves - not helped by multiple delays on the vendors side and long probate delays.

We last viewed the house internally 3 months ago as a second viewing. We have visited the road since.

I think clever planting is a good idea, possibly trees to screen the view and nice raised beds. There is enough room for a small seating area and small area of lawn for the children and dog.

The surrounding area has plenty of walks in the country within 5 mins walk of the house.

You could try sitting down with your partner and making a longish list of pros and cons.

You could also have a look at what else is available for the asking price in that area or around.

Every house is a compromise, and it is nerve wracking!

I have a list of the pros and cons and there are more positives. My husband however is very mindful of our budget and the area. I have been keeping an eye on the houses coming up for sale but they are limited and at least 150-£200k more albeit with excellent decor and larger square footage.

This house is very much in need of modernisation (new kitchen/bathroom/full redecoration). Which was reflected in the price and our lower offer. I outlined my concerns again but he just reiterated the cost and how it is in the perfect area.

We are moving from a medium sized garden which the children have spent all day playing happily and I think that has not helped my overall nervousness about the move.

"There is enough room for a small seating area and small area of lawn for the children and dog.

The surrounding area has plenty of walks in the country within 5 mins walk of the house."

Unless you're a keen gardener with loads of time on your hands, this is the ideal situation. Honestly. The house has the outside space that you really need, and you have other outside space nearby that you can use and enjoy but don't have to look after!

if the mast bothers you now, it always will. Saying that though 5g masts are popping up at alarming rates in my town

I’ve some similar nervousness about ours and we’ve just exchanged so no going back now, great location and loads of space but needs a lot of modernising too, likewise it was a case of either we make some compromises or we wait an indeterminate amount of time for the perfect house, if such a thing exists !! The way I reconciled it with myself is as we are only paying a little stamp duty worse due to the current relief, worse case scenario then this can be a medium term rather than long term move and there’s nothing to say we can’t move again in the unlikely event it’s the wrong call. The house I’m leaving equally was a head rather than heart but after doing lots of work over the past 14 years it’s now most definitely a home and one we are sad to leave so that serves as a reminder that we’ve done it before so we can do it again. Best of luck, I’m sure it will all work out if you do proceed.

I've moved and done up houses and next time I have promised myself to not buy things that are too expensive. You can modernise on a budget.

Your garden sounds ideal. Before you know it your children will be doing stuff with their friends and you won't want a big garden to look after. We didnt have a private garden when my DS was small although we had a big communal area and I uses to take him to parks most afternoons in the summer.

However, if in your gut you are not excited about it I would trust it. My worst mistake ever was our last house.

I think there will always be compromises. We are just buying a house, that is lovely and exactly what we wanted. However, it has no parking, which is worrying me. However, we made a sensible decision with this in mind, while also being mindful of our budget, which I'm sure you have too.

One thing that has helped me a little bit (and I know that everyone always advises against this!) Is keeping an eye in right move. Nothing has come up at all in the last 43 months, apart from a smaller house on my dream road...£20k over our budget! We have bought this one knowing that, with the compromises, it is the best we could have got with our money.

Kids can still play nicely in small gardens. How small is small? A garden was our top criteria (which is really what we gave up a parking space for), but our old one was quite small and the kids still had a great time..big gardens are lovely, but small ones can be fun too, you just have to make the most of what you have and come up with a plan for it to make it work for all of you.

Not 43 months...3 months...

How small is small and what direction does it face? We went from a tiny NE facing garden that got sun a fraction of the day to a 25m long North facing garden that gets loads of sun, with the option of shade if needed.

Buying a house is a big commitment, so it's natural to get some jitters. But you obviously liked it when you first put in an offer, so I would try to trust your judgement from that time and not second guess yourself too much.

Are u renting at the moment?

What would you advise a friend who had these thoughts?

As children get older, they won't use a big garden. It sounds good to me, especially the location.

If you enjoy watching your kids play in the garden, that can be recreated in parks etc and they do grow up quickly too. If you love gardening itself, that is a bigger problem. Do you have allotments near you?

Thanks again everyone for your input.

The garden itself is NW facing, approximately 20ftx40ft.

I'm still having reservations about it, I think we can make the house work with the plans we have it, it is the garden still concerning me. My husband discussed the front garden as extra space - it is smaller but I guess not to be completely discounted.

Have you got enough budget to do the renovation asap? That would be more of a concern to me than a phone mast at the garden, which could be disguised. Because if you're already not sure about the house, having to live with a tired, old interior for ages might tip you over the edge. But being able to do the work asap and choose the kitchen of your dreams etc will make all the difference.

Yes we have the money to do the work and a little extra for the surprises that we weren't told in the survey.

I think I need to look at some tall trees.

Sorry to throw an additional spanner in the works OP, have you had any quotes on the works yet? Both labour is in short supply & the shortages in building materials have increased the costs hugely We have just pulled out of purchasing an investment purchase for this very reason. Builders were even wanting to charge us to quote and they are so busy. My solicitor said don’t buy a problem, Rose, if it’s a problem to you when you buy a property, it will be a problem when you want to sell. Excellent advice.

Not sure of planting tall trees so close to the property is a good idea, they draw a lot of moisture and could effect the structure of the house, insurance company’s usually ask if they are trees close to the building within 5mtrs.

You can make the garden look lovely, but you need to accept that the mast is there, the garden is small. Only you know if you can live with that, if the answer is yes as the house has many pros then great, if not it’s not the right house for you. Most people are really excited when they are moving to a new home, yes slight nervousness too, but you seem to be focussed on these (very real) negatives.

Personally, we discounted lots of lovely family homes, because the garden was too small, I had young boys that wanted to run, play football etc. I would never have dreamed of buying one with a mast either.

Thinking really carefully, if this house is what you want. Good luck OP.