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Original poster

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

998 replies

Momniscient · 10/01/2022 18:38

Just spotted the first one is full Shock 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

OP posts:
EmmaH2022 · 05/03/2022 10:51

Double do you know that for sure? Just say "I don't know". Some people get planning permission in advance to increase the value of the house but you haven't so the price is for the house as it is. You will get singletons like moi (in my dreams) viewing because we want a house but don't need a loft conversion. You might get lots of viewers who don't want one.

Are viewings going on all day?

Eastie I would be giving a different time and putting it on the legal agreement eg 3pm.

Alrightqueenie · 05/03/2022 12:15

I'm feeling a little bit overwhelmed but excited at the prospect of buying our 2nd house. There isn't much housing stock atm and I'm a bit wary of selling our house before viewing anything. A viewing booked for last Wed was cancelled because it had sold within 2 days of listing. Houses are selling so fast and there's not enough of them.

CheltenhamLady · 05/03/2022 12:25

@Eastie77Returns
@RidingMyBike

No,.....a bit outing, but our onward sale vendor refused to agree to the completion date as it was too far in advance for them. So, we spent all day to and froing with all the solicitors in the chain and eventually they agreed to 7 weeks instead of 8, by which time it was too late to exchange as all the solicitors go home early on Fridays.

You could not make it up!
Hopefully, it will happen on Monday, but I have lost the will to live now.

RidingMyBike · 05/03/2022 14:39

Fingers crossed for you @Eastie77Returns that it doesn't cause a massive delay on the day. I wouldn't be too accommodating though as there are house clearance etc companies she could have used.

Oh wow @CheltenhamLady so 8 weeks was too far in advance and a whole day of faffing results in 7 weeks instead?! I would have thought for planning purposes many people would like that much notice, although I suppose some will have holidays booked, jobs starting or tenancies ending.

Eastie77Returns · 05/03/2022 16:17

Doubleraspberry she's moving into a probate house so no chain. I think she under-estimated the amount of stuff she has to move. Yes, I suppose there's something to be said about her transparency. At least I know there's little point turning up at midday expecting her to be gone!

Riding I think we'll end up having to get a clearance company ourselves. The (large) garden was supposed to be cleared but when we visited I saw all manor of contraptions/furniture including a collapsing shed and an imposing statue that didn't look as if it was going anywhere...

Cheltenham I'm not surprised you have lost the will. How infuriating, a day spent going back and forth for the sake of saving 1 week on the exchange timeline. Hoping Monday is finally your day!

Alrightqueenie · 05/03/2022 17:57

@Eastie77Returns could you pass on the details for the British heart foundation House clearance department to your vendor? They do free collections for furniture donations and full house clearance.

www.bhf.org.uk/shop/donating-goods/book-furniture-collection-near-me

Alrightqueenie · 05/03/2022 18:02

I've spent today taking things to the dump and the charity shop. The living room looks less cluttered as all the old toys and books have gone. I've also donated two free standing shelving units and a large bag of Teddy bears. The estate agent asked me to do the viewings during the week and they'll handle the viewing day. The house needs to stay viewing ready just in case of random buyers. Shock My dh doesn't understand what the term decluttering means.

RidingMyBike · 05/03/2022 19:14

@Eastie77Returns I think we need to see a photo of the imposing statue!

thefatpotato · 05/03/2022 20:10

Checking in here! We have had an offer on our flat today. Almost full asking, which I'm really happy with. Feels shockingly REAL now though.

I haven't really been ready to move as I love our home, but this isn't our forever home as it's just not big enough. Our flat hasn't increased in value as quickly as the houses locally, so I feel like we need to do it now otherwise there is a very real chance we could be priced out. UGH.

Anyway. There's nothing on the market I really like. I'm going to view a place on Tuesday which could be promising but would need a ton of work and I feel very overwhelmed at that thought right now! Happy to post a listing link if anyone wants to 😩😩 with me. I went to view one around the corner last week and again, would need a lot of work (though not as much as the one I'm going to view on Tuesday!) and it was really depressing. Riddled with mould and just generally bad vibes.

RidingMyBike · 05/03/2022 20:50

Good luck @thefatpotato hopefully this is a good time for you with more coming on the market at this time of year!

I love looking at pics of houses so feel free! We've just had our offer accepted on a place that needs work...

thefatpotato · 05/03/2022 21:02

@RidingMyBike

Good luck *@thefatpotato* hopefully this is a good time for you with more coming on the market at this time of year!

I love looking at pics of houses so feel free! We've just had our offer accepted on a place that needs work...

How much work? The chat on here of horrific costs of renovating is making me quite nervy!

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/120670871

Guttedbuyer · 05/03/2022 22:25

Those still viewing ... how much are you willing to push your budget?

I'm quite worried right now about rising costs generally but also the amount of house we can get for our budget now is just so much less than this time 3 years ago I feel we have no choice but to push it and tighten things up elsewhere.

EmmaH2022 · 05/03/2022 22:30

thefatpotato if you post a link, posters might be able to help with potential costs advice.

RidingMyBike · 05/03/2022 22:39

Ooh that looks nice @thefatpotato! Although wow that's a bright carpet! It doesn't look too bad - we're looking at doing more than that as ours will need rewiring and new boiler, plus at least some of the windows need replacing.

We also had a fixer upper as our last house and did what we could afford to do initially to make it livable in/ the stuff that is really inconvenient to do whilst you're living there, like rewiring. We got the more expensive building survey and used it to create a prioritised spreadsheet of what needing doing. We got rewiring, new central heating/boiler, knocked separate loo and bathroom together and all new (had 1970s tiles falling off into ancient bath tub!) but basic bathroom, replacement flat roof as it was leaking. That's all we could afford to do initially so the kitchen wasn't great but could be delayed - the new wires were laid over the top of the tiles and then chased into the walls when we could afford to do new kitchen, the gas oven was condemned as unsafe so we bought a freestanding one and then integrated that into new kitchen several years later. We did a new downstairs loo a couple of years later, replaced some double glazing that had gone one year, saved up for kitchen. We never did get the carpets replaced!

Starseeking · 05/03/2022 22:47

Congratulations on finding somewhere Riding, now begins the slog of getting it over the line; I hope all goes well.

I'm getting excited for you as you near the finish line Eastie! Looking forward to seeing it all done and dusted, I bet.

From when I first started looking in May last year, to now, my budget has increased by £150k Guttedbuyer. I very quickly realised I needed to go up by £50k within the first month, as I wasn't seeing anything that appealed. It then went up another £50k when I secured the perfect house at the end of the second month. When that fell through recently after months, I concluded I will have to spend another £50k to get a similar place, if one ever comes up. I will have a big mortgage (gulp). Luckily I have a decent deposit plus a very stable job in a government linked industry, which makes it all possible.

EmmaH2022 · 05/03/2022 22:51

potato sorry, I missed your link. That looks fab!

Starseeking how are you?

Guttedbuyer · 05/03/2022 22:52

That's really interesting @Starseeking, thanks for that. Your secure job definitely must help with the worry of the large mortgage. The big mortgage really scares me! If we go bigger than planned we are looking at 25/26% of take home. Which feels like a lot!

Starseeking · 05/03/2022 23:32

Good thanks EmmaH, though I still haven't found anything suitable. One came on today, which property-wise would have been good as it's £100k less than my budget. From the pictures, it must be a probate sale. However it's on a big main A road, and after my last place I swore I'd never live on that type of road again. Waiting for the Spring rush of properties!

If it makes you feel any better Guttedbuyer, my new mortgage will be just under 30% of my take home pay. My last house was fixed at 20%, but I used to overpay to 30%, which was fine.

Plus it's just me who'll be paying the mortgage, as the reason for me buying now is a relationship breakdown. I don't really dwell on the sums too much as me and my 2 DC need somewhere nice to live (following the house sale we've lived with kind family for months!), and I figure I'll be there for a looooooong time as we're never moving again!

RidingMyBike · 06/03/2022 07:33

@Guttedbuyer we looked at how far we could push budget when we realised how few houses were coming on as we thought it would increase our options. What became really apparent though was that there just weren't many houses available in any price bracket. There was one lovely one that was a lot lot more than our budget which we couldn't have afforded in any circs (well, other than a premium bonds win!). We also priced up living further out and having to pay for things like DH doing the schoolrun by bus but that would have increased costs and been really inconvenient!

Our rental is hideously expensive and we can only just afford it so we didn't want to mortgage to anywhere near a similar monthly repayment, bearing in mind interest rates will probably go up. As it is, we've ended up offering on a house well below our max but prepared to spend quite a bit to get it up to scratch (and bring in improvements that will save us money in the longterm). We also realised we'd pay less stamp duty at this level, so would have more money available for the work, plus there are things like govt interest free loans for energy-saving improvements.

Eastie77Returns · 06/03/2022 10:52

thefatpotato I can see renovation is required but that property looks pretty liveable as is. I’d probably prioritise the bathroom, mainly because it looks as if it has carpet which is a personal pet hate of mine (carpets in bathrooms, not in general!).

Starseeking I think it’s unfortunately inevitable that mortgage payments are going to represent a considerable chunk of incomes now. I had to put down a bigger deposit than planned in order to get a decent rate and monthly payment I’m comfortable with ( I mean I say comfortable, it’s still quite high but it’s less than what we are currently paying in rent so it’s within budget).

This has depleted the money available to renovate etc but will just have to save and do what we can when possible. The renovation thread on here makes me feel quite nervous tbh. Apart from the costs it seems even getting trades in is mission impossible at the moment!

EmmaH2022 · 06/03/2022 11:10

Star glad you are well.

I must admit, I did a double take when I saw the mortgage %s here. Then I remembered you all have DC!

I am used to rent being a third to half of my takehome pay. Then as I got older and it became a mortgage, it was higher.

Starseeking · 06/03/2022 12:59

My other expenses are going down too, which helps with affording a big mortgage; DC1 started reception in September just gone, and DC2 will be starting reception in the coming September. So I'll have an extra £2k to play with each month (£2.5k nursery fees less school breakfast and afternoon club x 2).

In a way my other purchase falling through has allowed me to relook at my mortgage product Eastie. I was only fixing for 2 years, however given the inevitable interest rate rise, I'm now going to fix for 5 years when I finally secure a new property. Who knows what the world will look like in 2027?!?

How's everything going with you EmmaH?

EmmaH2022 · 06/03/2022 15:15

Star this feels very over privileged but I’m struggling with everything and I think it’s partly because I am unlikely to move before summer, if at all. There is no impetus on their side and I’m already struggling with everything- chronic mental health issues- but the thought of spending summer in my current place is horrible.

I have to give myself a deadline how long I’ll wait for them but the insurance cover I got runs for six months and they’d have to pull out. So I guess at month 4.5 I give them that info.

It’s not just the purchase that’s bothering me but I thought I would have the thing moving along at least. Sorry if that doesn’t make sense!

Eastie77Returns · 06/03/2022 15:31

Star I have also fixed for 5 years after initially going for 2. Your nursery fees made me shudder as I remembered how much we were paying out before DC started school (less than you but not by much). I almost wept with relief when my youngest started Reception. A school mum asked me the other day if I was ever tempted to have a third and I just laughed.

Hamsterrific · 06/03/2022 17:52

After a 6-month rollercoaster of searching, we’ve viewed a house we loved and placed an offer yesterday. We were the first to offer but probably won’t be the only ones given the number of viewings, so I’m trying not to get too excited or hopeful. Have been furiously crunching the numbers today to steel myself for a potential ‘best and final’ scenario - the suspense! We’ll hopefully hear back at some point tomorrow…