Thread 2: "Anyone not being picky - and STILL can't find anything?"

[Momniscient]

Just spotted the first one is full so have set up thread two so we can keep talking with minimal delay. Hoping that tagging works regardless ...

RightMove addicts, and serial refreshers of other property websites, share your troubles!

Posters from last two pages in the thread and OP:
@PessimisticOptimist
@Eastie77Returns
@RidingMyBike
@beguilingeyes
@DanisEndo
@EmmaH2022
@dubyalass
@BennyBean
@ByeByeMissAmericanPie
@areyouhavingagiraffe
@CheltenhamLady
@doubleraspberry
@YukoandHiro
@TulipsfromAmsterdam
@MummyJ12
@starseeking
@GoinSouth
@MiracleBaby2022

Original thread: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/property/4346330-Anyone-not-being-picky-and-STILL-cant-find-anything

Hah whoops I didn't see this one! I'll ask for mine to be deleted :)

I have a viewing on Thursday. Not hopeful because it's the only house for sale in a very popular area and a reasonable price so I suspect it will go to best and final. I might not like it anyway! Other than that, there is nothing of interest on yet, but it's definitely picking up.

Ah thank you for setting up a new one @Momniscient. I was one of the early posters (I think!) but have been quiet as I actually did find somewhere after a soul destroying 18 odd months searching and - touch wood - it’s all going through so far. Thinking of everyone still looking and hoping 2022 is going to be our year!!

Good luck, everyone! Here rooting for you.

@dubyalass no prob! Was bound to happen I hope the viewing goes well

@Knittingbaker Thank you for the good wishes!

Thanks for setting up a new thread @Momniscient. Having waited 6 months (and counting) for my purchase to go through, I'm expecting a call any day now to tell me that my vendor (a very elderly one) is pulling out because they've changed their mind about selling. Despite it just being me and them in the chain (they are supposed to be moving to leasehold sheltered accommodation which has been cleared through probate), the whole thing has been like pulling teeth, and I've been living in limbo land ever since putting the offer in.

The January flood of properties into the market hasn't started in earnest where I am (London). There's a few houses come on since the new year, but nothing suitable for me and my DC. So so depressing.

Just hoping people make it across as the Property board moves so quickly Ah well.

@Starseeking so sorry to hear of your woes. I really hope it gets moving quickly. Has your vendor changed their mind before?

I'm still here! Got a viewing at lunchtime - only got details last night and think it's going to be too small.

Good luck everyone

@Momniscient

Just hoping people make it across as the Property board moves so quickly Ah well.

@Starseeking so sorry to hear of your woes. I really hope it gets moving quickly. Has your vendor changed their mind before?

Thanks for asking @Momniscient

Apparently my vendor put the property up for sale 3 years earlier, then pulled out as they didn't feel ready. They've lived in the house over 45 years, and are in their mid eighties, as well as being on their own, so it's quite daunting.

I found out yesterday that the reason we haven't heard from the vendors solicitor for weeks is that they are leaving the firm tomorrow! Not only have they not done what they were supposed to in the 7 weeks leading up to 31 December, the file is apparently in a mess! My mortgage offer expires in 6 weeks from now, so it's going to be tight getting it all done (if it really does go ahead).

How's everything going with your transaction now?

Is anyone looking at properties with a view to making major changes eg an extension?

We've been looking and have said we're happy to do stuff like replace roof (we'd like solar panels), rewire, replace central heating/boiler, new kitchen and/or bathroom. All of those are things we did to previous house.

But what we're looking for in terms of living space just isn't coming up, but there are a few with huge gardens (200 ft!) which could be made to work with an extension?

Thanks @Momniscient

👋👋👋

I'm still here, still living with relatives and just started looking again, after a 6 week break in December / over Christmas.

I've got quite a large search area on the western side of a city and I'm looking for a 3 bed end terrace / semi, so in a normal market, shouldn't be too painful.

It's not a normal market though and it is painful. Really hope something gives soon and more stock comes on the market.

Ugh viewing was a bit depressing. Nice house, good size of rooms apart from teeny tiny kitchen and odd conservatory/lean-to thing. But it was rather on the small side overall. The promised third reception room turned out to be the odd lean-to thing.

It was beautifully decorated, clean, nice carpets and flooring but did appear to need stuff doing like rewiring and the loo was the far side of the first floor from the bathroom with the basin in it so that would need reconfiguring. And a very odd built-in electric fire which would need something doing to it.

They had 14 viewings booked in (went on market last night) so it'll have sold by Monday, I imagine.

Oh no @RidingMyBike! Did you not have a floorplan? Good luck to the other 14 viewers by the sounds of it - they can have it!

@FanGirlX 👋 helloooooo! Are you seeing places you like come onto the market or is it still "meh"?

Wow @Starseeking that's really something. I will keep everything crossed that it does go through for you. Can you get an extension on the mortgage offer? Surely you don't need to apply all over again..?

We had an offer in this morning, and we're waiting to hear feedback from other viewers we've had since. I think also I'd like to honour viewings booked the rest of this week as I know what a pain it is to have a viewing cancelled by the vendor!

We put an offer of our own on a place at the end of last year but we lost out from not being proceedable at the time. Hoping for the new year/spring rush to be in my favour!

We got the floorplan last night (EA rang on Monday and told us it was coming on market, described in great excitement as perfect for us due to the third reception room so we booked viewing but without seeing any details. Floor plan was so low res you couldn't see the measurements so not much help.

Trying to be positive it does mean we've got more of a feel for that area now though - we had a little walk around after the viewing.

[quote Momniscient]@FanGirlX 👋 helloooooo! Are you seeing places you like come onto the market or is it still "meh"?[/quote]
Just overpriced wrecks that have been "refreshed" on Rightmove to make them look like new listings. Asking price for the wrecks is the same as what perfectly done up houses we're going for 6 months ago (according to land registry). I have no issue buying something that needs work but expect that work needed to be reflected in the price.

Thanks for the new thread @Momniscient

It’s sadly comforting to know there are others in the same boat but obviously I hope we all climb our way out and find our homes!

@Starseeking I didn’t realise our situations are quite similar. I also have an elderly vendor who has changed her mind about selling over the years (EA told me she has put the house up for sale several times). She actually pulled out after initially accepting my offer because she decided she wanted £100k more(!) as a neighbouring house went up for sale at that higher price. She threw a tantrum when her EA explained her property was not worth £100k more, listed with another EA and then eventually came back with to the original EA as she had zero offers and re-accepted mine.

It has been stressful to say the least but it’s all the lap of the gods and I’m just accepting what happens now! The latest updates have been encouraging. She has found a chain free onward purchase. The EA has hired a skip for her and this weekend she will apparently be packing and throwing old furniture out.

Still waiting for enquiries to be sorted and just keeping my fingers crossed…

Good luck to everyone on this crazy journey!

Thanks for the new thread

I will look through the old one as I joined late

But if anyone has any personal recommendations for that insurance against deals falling through - not sure what to call it - could you let us know the company names please? Thanks.

Really hoping for more activity...I was signed up to EAs after xmas expecting a surge....!

Riding lean-to sounds odd.

Just been sent a property, chain free...looks good till you get to "lease currently in process of being extended". I'm guessing that's why it seems so reasonably priced....nearly got my hopes up there!

@EmmaH2022 there's always something about them!

As with the strange lean-to thing on the back of the kitchen. It was sort of half conservatory, had a cupboard with the washing machine and boiler in and then a little loo and basin in another small room/large cupboard(!).

Quite a few people on the other thread were saying that they had houses to sell but were unsure about listing them in case they couldn't find anything to buy. I think that attitude is quite prevalent and one of the reasons why the market is frozen.

Yep, that agrees with what we've found. Of the three houses we've viewed so far:

• one probate sale
• one ex-student house (now empty)
• one elderly person downsizing who already had new property sorted.

Today's viewing doesn't appear to fall into any of those categories though? But there will be some, like us, who need to move for work so have to get on with it.

I did have one EA yesterday offer to leaflet houses on a few roads we were interested in as that can apparently encourage people to get their house on the market. I'm not very convinced as we had leaflets like that for years at our old house! Has anyone else done this?!

Market in the (large) area we are looking in hasn't improved. A grand total of 2 extra houses went on for the 'Boxing Day rush'. We are signed up with local agents, but they just aren't getting new instructions yet.

I hope that things will improve as people start to feel more positive with Spring coming up and the economy starting to pick up. Unfortunately, with inflation on cost of living (fuel, food, energy), rising interest rates and the continuing rise in house prices generally (due to demand far outstripping supply) I think a lot of people are just holding off at the moment to see if things get better.

On the plus side (and it's not really even a plus unfortunately) a lot of people that would previously have stayed put and extended are finding that lack of available tradespeople and a big increase in the cost of building materials is making that option a lot less cost effective. Something has got to give!