Anyone living very much BELOW their means and…

[Boobicoosg]

feeling low because of it?

Let me preface this by saying, it’s all relative etc etc, I am glad to be fed and watered and healthy… but…

It’s been several years now of ‘waiting to buy’ the dream family home. We’ve made very sensible decisions but I feel now, I’m really fed up. Again, very lucky to have a lot of money but it’s just waiting to be spent on the house of our family’s dreams. Currently living in a house we bought outright so we could settle into the area. We thought we would at most be here a year. Now it’s two, and a new baby has arrived. It’s a new build estate, a small semi detached, that is about 1/5th of our actual budget.

Feel like I can no longer breath in it. Both my partner and I love old period country properties and want to be rural. I don’t like it here, from the dog poo that is all around to the type of neighbours (any neighbours in fact 😂). I know it sounds snobby but, I didn’t work this hard for this long, not to be in the house I deserve. I feel I’m getting old waiting!

So tell me off or tell me if you’re in the same situation. Or tell me about your dream home purchase so I can live vicariously through you! We aren’t even fussy and would compromise on a few things but there’s nothing on the market!!!

Buy for location OP.

The perfect house doesn’t exist. Rural homes attract a significant premium. You will almost certainly have to work to any period property. Can you buy something liveable in your ideal location and do it up over time?

The type of house you are looking for often sell privately IME, or they sell to the “hot buyers” at the top of the agent’s list, before they ever hit Rightmove. Especially at the moment when there are so many people looking to trade town for country.

Someone who has spent 4 years looking and not bought anything, and only offered on 4 houses in 4 years, is not going to be top of any agent’s list. They know you will probably find something wrong with whatever they show you.

I think you need to cosy up to agents, convince them you are now very serious buyers who are much more willing to compromise, and/or possibly use a property search consultant.

My parents are living below their means and not enjoying life.
Through inheritance, some anticipated and some a surprise they were able to move from a densely populated city to a suburban area that they know from relatives and work.
They have been hit by health issues and then Pandemic. It is more difficult to make new friends at their age. Because of health unable to do the DIY to finish the house.

They had been making plans for driving holidays to new places, learning German. Pandemic
Restaurants with nice meals, not much fun in a mask. Pandemic
They are living the same lives that their parents lived 60 years ago.
Of course they are grateful that they are warm, safe and well nourished but there are no parties. There is nothing to motivate them.
Need to change the car, Used car not SUV type, hardly any about that they want.
The pensions are unspent the interest mounts. Yes they make bigger contributions to charities but there is no involvement. Only a nice letter of thanks.

I came onto say what minipie said - these type of houses often sell privately. I had the dream 5 bed detached, land, quadruple garage character house - but it came with its drawbacks.
It may have been surrounded by fields but wasn't in a village and there were no footpaths on road to village (rural roads are busier and busier). Had it been in even a small village, price would have doubled.
It was sold publically but the NDN (half a mile away) was sold by way of mouth - as is the case for many former farms or desirable rural properties.
I think a search consultant is a good idea.
A family member's large country property was sold to someone using a consultant. It ticked a number of boxes for them but there were some things they didn't like on paper. They viewed it three times and realised they could make it work. The consultant did a lot of work for them including preparing an extensive file of how everything worked for when they moved in etc.

@Boobicoosg I want to know your county and budget so I can do some window shopping for you not that I expect to magically find your dream home, but fun to be nosey.

We had a similar issue, estate agents were reasonably helpful but admitted there would be two or three houses a year that matched what we wanted in the area we wanted.

Ultimately we compromised on the house but got the location and a few other things we wanted, for half our budget.

In years to come we may well move but I’m glad we have not spent the years since we moved in waiting for something better.

We wanted period house, reasonable outbuildings, 5+ acres, cycleable to work and within lunchtime reach of where the other half keeps the horses. We got all of that but 1950s house, albeit with fantastic views and brilliant neighbours.