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Original poster

Buyers remorse

42 replies

moveblues · 18/06/2021 07:47

My OH and I have moved into the wrong house in a new place. We aren't sure on the area despite having done lots of research before (it's nice but turns out not 'our kind of place' for various reasons). The road is a bit busier than we expected and the house while lovely, just doesn't quite feel right for us. I felt it in my bones days after moving in 6 months ago. It still hasn't shifted. Probably not helped ironically by the fact that it's done up well to someone else's taste and not ours. We wanted a bit of a fixer upper and this isn't that. It's like a show home!

We (mostly me) are tempted to put it back on the market. I feel utterly stupid as I usually make good decisions and this time seem to have made a crap one!

Husband is more accepting of it but also not happy

I'm worried house prices will fall a touch and when we come to be really sure it's not right (moving from current 95% to 100!) it'll be too late

So Mumsnetters, would you ride it out or would you get it back up on the market?

OP posts:
coffeequeenindevon · 18/06/2021 07:52

If you are both unhappy I don’t cut your losses and put it on the market. Worth speaking to the estate agent your bought it through (if one was used) and gauging their view on potential value/interest. If you stay, you may grow increasingly unhappy and it could have an impact on everything in your life.

I know exactly what you mean re. other people’s taste. We just came very close to buying a very high spec house at the very top of our budget. It was done up beautifully but it didn’t feel like ‘us’. We’ve gone for a fixer-upper instead. People think we are mad given how busy our lives are, but it’s right for us.

coffeequeenindevon · 18/06/2021 07:53

First sentence should say I would cut your losses! Sorry, not sure what happened there.

greenlynx · 18/06/2021 08:03

I would put it back on the market if you’re both so unhappy but you would need to think about “official” reason why. Potential buyers will be very suspicious about buying and selling on such a short period. They would blame busy road and neighbors.

seasidemafia · 18/06/2021 08:19

We did this, knew the house wasn't right for us almost immediately but spent 2 years decorating and changing carpets etc hoping it would help.

Completed a few months ago and it was such a relief that it was gone! We were lucky in that the prices increased in the meantime though.

Looking back I wish we'd sold up sooner.

drpet49 · 18/06/2021 08:27

All these issues you knew before you bought the house, so begs the question, why did you buy it in the first place?

readytosell · 18/06/2021 08:31

@greenlynx

I would put it back on the market if you’re both so unhappy but you would need to think about “official” reason why. Potential buyers will be very suspicious about buying and selling on such a short period. They would blame busy road and neighbors.
This is a fair point, just look on here to see how many suspicious minds there are! Sometimes though honesty is the best policy with these things though.

But then again with the market being as it is, if it's priced well people can overlook many things - even if you have to take a bit of a hit on the price you paid.

ApplesandBananas21 · 18/06/2021 08:33

@greenlynx

I would put it back on the market if you’re both so unhappy but you would need to think about “official” reason why. Potential buyers will be very suspicious about buying and selling on such a short period. They would blame busy road and neighbors.
Yeah I would ask questions as to why so soon
Original poster
moveblues · 18/06/2021 08:37

@drpet49

All these issues you knew before you bought the house, so begs the question, why did you buy it in the first place?
What can I say other than I feel daft as already mentioned! I guess sometimes you know things intellectually but don't feel them til you're there? Especially how a house feels to you. I guess people make mistakes.... There are also many things I've not mentioned in the brief OP
OP posts:
Badoukas · 18/06/2021 09:26

If it's done up at least you can take a breather and do nothing to it. I think you need to stay another 18 months minimum. I once viewed a house someone had been in about 8 months and it made me uneasy/suspicious. You may even grow to like it, who knows.

flashbac · 18/06/2021 09:35

OP we can't fully help if you dripfeed/withhold relevant info!

How many times did you view the house before exchange?

Original poster
moveblues · 18/06/2021 10:31

@flashbac

OP we can't fully help if you dripfeed/withhold relevant info!

How many times did you view the house before exchange?

Twice flashbac in the height of pandemic so viewings hard to arrange. Traffic much reduced at the time. Lack of foresight on our part, majorly
OP posts:
motogogo · 18/06/2021 10:36

Houses back on the market within a year can be treated with a lot of suspicion. Some lenders are concerned too, could affect getting a mortgage on a new place. My advice would be to wait until life returns a bit more to normal because traffic etc isn't at normal levels, so you don't make another mistake. Can you really afford to move again, rather than cosmetic decoration

flashbac · 18/06/2021 12:54

Can you write a list of all the things that are wrong with it?
I think finding another house in this market will be difficult.

SwimBaby · 18/06/2021 14:53

This happened to my friend, after about 4 months they realised they’d made a mistake and put the house on the market and moved back to a few streets away from where they previously lived. They are now really happy.

ThursdayWeld · 18/06/2021 16:10

If prices fall then theybwill also be falling on properties you want to buy. So that doesn't need to be an issue.

You could easily be selling due to a "change in circumstances".

witheringrowan · 18/06/2021 16:18

I know someone who had the same problem last year. Lasted 6 months then put the house back on the market. Prices have moved so much they made enough to cover moving costs and provide a little buffer, and are now renting and looking for a home better suited to them. What's the general market like in your area & how have priced moved since you bought?

Livingintheclouds · 18/06/2021 17:07

I'd redecorate. Just making it more to your taste, it doesn't matter that it's already in good order. Then, if that still doesn't make you feel more at home, then sell.

Ipanemama · 18/06/2021 18:45

I would put it back on the market, especially at the moment and be prepared to move onto rental because there’s not a lot of choice to buy at the moment in most areas.

savemefromsearches · 18/06/2021 21:00

For me it would depend on whether "doing it up" to my taste would make the other points insignificant. I get the sense from your post that this isn't going to be the case.

Is there anything you'd miss about it if it sold tomorrow?
Have you had a look as to whether there is something you would prefer in the right area?
Can you fund another deposit and are you likely to be approved for another mortgage?

user1471462428 · 18/06/2021 21:09

I felt/feel buyers remorse about my current house, my ex was keen to move up the ladder but I think could have stayed where we were. I’m sticking it out till the end of my four year fix then I’m out of here. I’ve no money to tart it up, I’m just focusing on saving up fees. Life is too short to be miserable

anonnamouse · 18/06/2021 21:17

Happened to us. We were in such a rush to get out of our old house (inherited- we hated the area, hated the house) that we jumped feet first into purchasing the first semi-decent thing that came our way. We only viewed it once as it was so far away and we were relocating. On paper everything was fine, but when we moved in we just knew it wasn't right for us.

It was back on the market within a couple of weeks. Everyone told us to wait a year at least, give it time, redecorate, but we knew it wasn't right for us so we didn't see the point.

We felt that if people were suspicious, they were suspicious. Would they be less suspicrisous after only a year? Probably not. There was no point staying put somewhere that we weren't happy based on what ifs and maybes.

Luckily enough it sold again within a couple of weeks for several thousand pounds more than we'd paid for it. It doesn't always have to be a nightmare situation. Selling quickly actually went in our favour in may ways as surveys and things were so recent they were able to be re-used and the sale went through quickly. In total it was less than 20 weeks from us moving in after we completed on the purchase, to us moving out and completing on the sale.

Just be prepared for the questions from buyers and for the possibility it may take a while to sell.

brownriceandpoptarts · 19/06/2021 04:22

We are currently in the same situation and decided to sell.

We moved in early 2020 and after marketing our property 3 weeks ago we have accepted an offer and found somewhere else to move onto.

Our house is fine, we spent time decorating, had the boundary fence redone, driveway gates and having a garage built - this was done during lockdown as my husband was fortunate enough to be furlough and able to do everything bar the garage himself. We spent roughly 6k and have just accepted an offer of 35k more than what we paid last year. The market is really busy where we are (Northern city) so we decided to take a punt and see what happened.

At viewings people have asked why we are moving and we just explained that we wanted to move nearer to where we were before because of my husband's commute. This is true to a certain extent, my husband does have a long commute - we always knew he would - but him not loving the house or area has made that commute an annoyance that he doesn't want to put up with. No one has been put off by our explanation. The move has allowed up to upgrade and buy a house that we can be in until the DC grow up.

Onestep2021 · 19/06/2021 04:34

If it was just the interior of the house I’d say perhaps try and work to make it feel more like yours but you also don’t like the area. I must admit, I’m curious to what it is about the area, given it’s ‘nice’?
I suppose key question is: have you identified the area you’d like to be in?

HappyBunn · 19/06/2021 14:29

Can anyone tell me what it’s like to live in Clunderwen, near Narberth.I’m relocating from Cardiff for more outside space.

HappyBunn · 19/06/2021 14:31

Can anyone tell me what it’s like to live in Clunderwen,near Narberth.I’m relocating from Cardiff for more outside space.