Anyone not being picky - and STILL can't find anything?

[PessimisticOptimist]

We've been on the hunt for 18 months. In that time, we've expanded our search area and budget. We've offered on four houses - three times we were outbid by developers and one time they decided not to sell. But nothing has come on for us to view in the last couple of months.

I guess I'm looking for a support group on here to commiserate with me 😂

Everyone we talk to says:

• The market is crazy right now
• It will settle down
• More will become available eventually
• Just be patient

But I worry about getting priced out of the market if we wait too long. How long do we wait for the "right" house?

Somethings come up on rightmove in the area, absolutely everything we want. God knows if we’ll get this one 😭tempted to call without seeing it and offer 20k over asking

I wont do that though, just tempted and on the verge of a mental breakdown. DaisyNGO I’ve dont plenty of research and I still can’t work out where we need to be aside from thousands over

@BerryTiredMama

I wont do that though, just tempted and on the verge of a mental breakdown. DaisyNGO I’ve dont plenty of research and I still can’t work out where we need to be aside from thousands over

glad you're not doing it!

I have been looking online for a while before we started physically looking and I couldn't see any logic to differences in prices then. I thought it would become clearer when we viewed but nope.

We now have 4 viewings lined up for Saturday! It was quite funny because the photos on the 4th one were weird. In case it makes anyone laugh, the conversation with the EA ran thus:

me - how old is the block? the kitchen looks 100 years old but the description says it's got new fittings?

EA - ah. It's newly done. It just looks old because they painted it Derelict Yellow. I wish I could help with that....but ....it's freshly painted Derelict Yellow!

then we got in another discussion about how old a block we're prepared to buy in. She said "have you seen the one on xx Street, very good size?" and I said "oh yes, I saw that online - but is the toilet REALLY like that or did someone hack the photos?" (It's like a loo with a very high cistern if you know what I mean, there was one like that at my primary school)

at this point, we were both laughing a lot...

EA - yes, it's a 60s block and I'm afraid the toilet in that one is, er, original.

Me - well, I'm not living in a place where the toilet is older than I am.

EA - (cackling) That is the funniest thing I've heard from a buyer in ages.

at which point, we both laughed hysterically for a while. The EAs are hysterical. The buyers are hysterical. The vendors are hysterical.

We've got to get a laugh in somewhere!!!

I hope we will have a more realistic idea of what we can afford after Saturday, and having seen a couple of the developments we were interested in, we might actually be able to put in offers on future stuff after 1 viewing. I am not working at the mo, so worst case scenario, if I have to go tearing off on a journey during school hours, I can.

but ...I don't think flats have that level of urgency to view.

sorry that was long. We are going to eat and watch a film or something now!

how is everyone today?

Woken up with a feeling of arrrghhh

Wonder if anyone can help. I am crap with tech stuff so probably not using the right resources to check out places before we view them.

What's that website that gives a really good aerial view - not google earth as that doesn't even seem to work on my computer?

what websites are people using to find sold prices?

the one I had the highest hopes for tomorrow now seems likely it will be too busy a road.

also, one of the floor plans the agent has provided, on careful looking, doesn't quite match the photos. I rang them and they said it's the right one but I am already thinking 2 out of 4 of our viewings are not right tomorrow.

So glad I've found this thread! DH and I are looking for a family home in east London suburbs but the market is crazy.
We offered £20k over top of guide price post SDLT holiday and were told we were the 3rd highest 🤯 (property listed for £925-£950k) we offered £970k.
This has happened twice - I'm starting to lose the plot.

We want a semi, off street parking, 3/4bed (or footprint to enable a 4/5 bed be extended), period features and a family garden. I don't think we are asking for too much - colleagues who live where we want to be say in pre/early covid we could have gotten that for £800k easily.

Checking in now after a few days of feeling fed up with the process. Trying to focus on the whole "you only need one house. So the number going up on Rightmove doesn't matter... you just need one". But that's easier to think when there's lots to choose from! Having a viewing-free weekend for a bit of a break tomorrow... although there are now viewings from buyers at our house so there's still some house disruption.

@DaisyNGO we viewed a lovely house at the weekend which was perfect all but for the busy road (the garden was adjacent to the road!) but honestly roads aren't all created equal. You might find the busy road isn't so busy after all? Or you can't hear it much for inside? I sleep with windows open to we rejected our "busy road house" but maybe yours won't affect you so much? I'll keep everything crossed for you.

As for tech help... I use Zoopla to check if the house has been on the market before, look at their price estimate, other houses on the road etc. Floorplans are also notoriously inaccurate in my opinion!

wanna from what I can tell - we are looking for a flat - houses have gone really crazy.

sorry, I know that's not what you want to hear. I will cross everything for you.

x post Mom thank you.

yes, it's hard with differing opinions as well.

from what I can see, where the flat is on this road is a bit of a narrow dog-leg so the main road can be busy but that particular section would find it hard.

I've also found there's a social club on the street with music nights. That's potentially a good thing, depending on where the noise carries.

I am increasingly seeing that very nice flats are on top of shops which is a no, but it does seem an interesting reflection of how desperate things are!

Where is everyone based?
This thread is scaring me now

Can I ask what the issue is if it is a relist?

Quietly following this thread for hints tips and info.

@Windows01 relists are not necessarily an issue for me, but I like to do a bit more digging to see if I can figure out what might have happened, and whether there's been a price reduction etc. It's just a flag to me (not a red flag per se, just a flag) to check more thoroughly. Like the house we almost viewed with awful flood risk we might not have been able to secure a mortgage on, or the one next to a big development in the area which would have taken the lovely views but did include a new primary school and a shop and electric charging points (win!). Sometimes it's just a chain collapse and not a reflection on the house itself.

I am however suspicious of houses that have been on the market for ages with no price reduction. I rang one only to find out the vendor was basically refusing to budge from the price and had rejected an offer only 10k under asking price... which meant to me that they didn't want to move and would be belligerent. And it wasn't worth asking price at all! Quite the DIY project.

Thanks @Momniscient

Great insight there.

After reading this thread I can now see why a house near us has gone on the market for 800k!!
Most houses on this main road are usually 600/700 max! Even with off street parking
Absolutely bonkers... It took us a good year to find our house years ago.. it went to sealed bids, which we lost. 2 months later they accepted our offer. So don't give up hope

@DaisyNGO that’s hilarious! I use google maps satellite view on my phone, it also tells you garden orientation with the little compass on the side.
Don’t write it off already because of the road, like someone posted you never know until you view how intruding it is. Stay neutral!

I use rightmove, zoopla and on the market. For different reasons, i find right move the best on maps view and newest listed but i like zoopla previous purchases, market info and to see how many views its gotten cause then i know how popular it will be 😂

I’m feeling apprehensive, i called the agent and booked a viewing for that property. I even asked them can we stop any other viewings if i give a preliminary offer now 🤣probably thought i was bonkers and said no. Im praying everyone magically scrolls past it as the first photo of the front is vile. Decided we will go 15k over and beg for it to be taken off… tragic.

@wannabeamummysobad sounds a lot like us! Wits end here. Its not too much to ask at that budget at all. London really is a cruel mistress. We’re currently looking in north london and have changed location 3 times in order to afford what we want and be able to over offer in order to remain in budget with a bloody contingency for mortgage application. You may have to consider another area if you’re desperate to move now now, otherwise maybe wait???

@BerryTiredMama I'm now 🤰due spring 22 so this search has become even more heated. We initially wanted South Woodford but have expanded further east/north east. We do need good transportation ideally tube but will consider the overground.

So now it's not just the house but being close to outstanding (ideally)/good state primary schools. We have 2 viewings this weekend-

1- is on a "busy" road but it's supposedly really set back (Google street view wasn't very helpful but the photos suggest this)- everything else meets our spec

2- (seen and rejected a few weeks ago) it's an Edwardian terrace, no off street parking and smaller garden than we wanted but great period features throughout and 0.3miles/

Hi everyone, @DaisyNGO your post last night made me properly laugh. I’m going to have that in mind when I view “not living in a place where the toilet is older that I am” 😂
We’ve booked a viewing for Monday! I’m worried it’s on a main road though so I’m not getting too excited even though other than that it looks perfect. Traffic noise is a deal breaker for us.
I use Rightmove mainly, for sold prices and what’s currently on. Zoopla sometimes and On the market but I don’t think those sites are as user friendly.

Bing maps aerial view is often higher resolution than Google maps, maybe they use a different satellite or something (clueless).

I got excited when I got a RM alert for my favoured location only for it to be a relist of a place I didn't want to view last time 🙄 It's cute but doesn't have any parking nearby and too small for me anyway. Apart from that, nothing has come on. I've even stretched my budget but I'm not being picky, there literally are no houses for sale in my budget in the area I want (whole eastern side of the town).

@wannabeamummysobad congratulations on baby!

Hopefully the house is really set back! Although i loveee an Edwardian terrace, the period features just does something to my heart.

Im cracking up! Thats my job in this house. I absolutely hate that the house is usually 10 doors down on street view and then i have to match up the door colour/number 🤣

Berry, as long as we haven't painted anything Derelict Yellow, we're not cracking up!

Dbuyalass, thank you so much for suggesting Bing, that seems to work much better than google.

I am still puzzled by people on other threads saying it's easy to work out values.

I feel very under pressure to just pick one tomorrow. It's me who is desperate to leave London.

DP and DC will sleep through anything but I can't.. I can already see that size wise, the best option is on another junction and apparently lots of fast food shops are opening...more delivery bike noise, exactly what I wanted to get away from.

God, I wish I had left London in my 20s. I feel like one of those idiots on a property show who is going to cry because they can't get what they want.

Derelict Yellow is making me think of Zoolander 😁

I haven't seen Zoolander though I hear it's good

Interested in opinions...does it seem realistic that a 2 bed flat is on sale for 80k more than someone paid for it in 2018? And that people might pay it?!

@DaisyNGO

I haven't seen Zoolander though I hear it's good

Interested in opinions...does it seem realistic that a 2 bed flat is on sale for 80k more than someone paid for it in 2018? And that people might pay it?!

a house near us has gone up £120k since 2018- and that's in line with other houses in the area. (I think it had also had a new kitchen).

I feel like the market is forcing people (us inclded) to make very quick decisions of huge importance way too quickly.

I'd much prefer to do second / third viewing and have time to properly research area rather than after 1....
I miss things first time round.

sink is it a big house?
Sorry, just thinking of comparables for a 2 bed flat, like small, one single, one double, kitchen and lounge combined.

Re proper research, yes, I agree.

Fourth viewing of the day sold last night. That was the biggest one!