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Original poster

Buying a house I don’t like in a market of little choice

60 replies

newnameforthehousehunt · 13/02/2022 17:54

Am I insane for considering this?

Me and DP have been house hunting for about a year. We are in a sought after area and need to stay here for DC school and transport to work reasons. Out of the 10-12 houses we have viewed, we’ve both really liked just one house which was top of our budget. We offered the asking price, then the vendor decided they didn’t want to sell after all DP has liked more houses than me, I’m much more critical

We viewed a house yesterday, also top of our budget but we don’t like it as much as the house we offered on. DP “quite likes” it whereas I feel it is just “ok”.

The positives:
end of cul de sac so will hopefully be quiet and no traffic for our cat

Garden isn’t overlooked at all

Bathroom and downstairs loo are recently refitted

Newish boiler

Has a hallway with stairs off it rather than from living room like we’ve seen

Parking for two cars

Larger than average garden for the plot

The negatives:

Kitchen/diner is modern-ish and functional but layout is atrocious, it’s not a huge room yet it has a back door plus sliding patio doors minimising work space meaning the only space for a fridge freezer is in the corner of the dining area. IMO the whole room needs an overhaul, money which we don't have and would need to save for/get a home improvement loan for. I could live with it for a few months probably.

3rd bedroom is a box room and this would be DC2’s room (not yet conceived )

main part of garden is north facing

garage isn’t attached to the house and is in front of it, and the agent didn’t know if there was power to it. If there isn’t we’ll need to get that sorted as ideally would want a bigger freezer and tumble drier in there.

there’s parking for two cars outside the house but guests would have to park further down the road and walk to the house, as the house is on a kind of shared driveway

the house felt a bit meh and soulless. Like there was no love in it. I know once you’ve moved in with your own stuff and make your own memories there it is different, but I wouldn’t feel excited about moving into it despite being desperate to get on the property ladder after renting for years. But maybe I’d feel better once we’ve moved?

Thoughts please - I am starting to realise my expectations are too high for what our budget is, and maybe all houses coming to market will the same as the house we viewed yesterday. Maybe I just need to go with one of them and get on with it? We could offer the asking price and be outbid anyway

OP posts:

Gettingonabitnow · 13/02/2022 17:57

Don’t do it - I’m currently sat in a house I hate but bought cos there was nothing else. The grass isn’t always greener, honesty x

Basilandparsleyandmint · 13/02/2022 17:59

Unless you absolutely have to move then don’t do it. I have friends who have moved and absolutely hated it as it was for child school places etc and the house isn’t what they really wanted.
Can you wait ?

MadMadMadamMim · 13/02/2022 18:00

I think you are being a bit harsh. Your title says Buying a house you don't like but actually you've said it's ok.

Kitchen can be changed. Next baby isn't conceived yet so box room doesn't matter. The rest of the house sounds reasonably positive and the negatives are fairly negligible.

However - having said that I wouldn't buy a house I hadn't fallen in love with. For me, it needs to have that feeling. But I live in a area with a lot of choice, so haven't been faced with that. I think if I had to buy in a sought after area and needed to stay, then I'd suck it up and buy an 'ok' property.

Ikeameatballs · 13/02/2022 18:00

I think you really need to work out what your priorities are in looking for a house.

In the area you are looking in can you afford a property with 3 good sized bedrooms? Is that your biggest priority? If so work from there.

Haus1234 · 13/02/2022 18:03

I’d wait tbh - this doesn’t sound like the one.

RedToothBrush · 13/02/2022 18:09

Hang on 4 weeks. Market usually starts to pick up in feb/march in terms of whats available.

SpiderVersed · 13/02/2022 18:09

What benefit would you get from it other than home ownership?

Is the garden nice? Would you haver more space? Is it an area you like?

Unless it brings a significant benefit other than a step on the property ladder, I wouldn't buy a house I didn't like.

I actually didn't like the house I've now been in for over 20 years. However, it brought a few things that were very important to me and that you can't change (location, neighbourhood, view, large garden, very bright sunny plot). The stuff I didn't like we could gradually change. I adore the house now.

C4tastrophe · 13/02/2022 18:13

‘Shared driveway’ would ring alarm bells for me.

Riverlee · 13/02/2022 18:16

Maybe go for a second visit before discounting it completely.

Kitkat151 · 13/02/2022 18:18

Just wait....you will never be happy there

Yotrotro · 13/02/2022 18:21

All houses come with compromises (unless you have endless cash and can self build). I think you need to rework your priorities and what's realistic for your budget, given the only ones you like are top of budget,maybe it would be of benefit to wait a bit longer and save a bit more?

Roselilly36 · 13/02/2022 18:24

I agree with a PP, don’t do it, you could well live to regret it if you do.

ballsdeep · 13/02/2022 18:30

Dont do it but i think youre being overly critical.

HelloDulling · 13/02/2022 18:34

Out of the 10-12 houses we have viewed, we’ve both really liked just one house

This is alarm bells for me. If you've already look at the houses online, your success rate should be much higher than this. Are your expectations just too high for your budget? I think you need to work out what you want/and what you can afford. Maybe you need to rethink area, or save for a bit longer, to get what you want.

ballsdeep · 13/02/2022 18:44

And as the soulless comment..... You can make it your own. I thibk that unless you lower your expectations, youll never find a house

Porfre · 13/02/2022 18:52

I've been looking for 3 years.

I absolutely detest where I live right now.
Anything would be better and we need to move.

So I'm in the process of buying a new place I dont really love it, but it is a big step up on space.

I figured if we took the plunge we could move again maybe in a few years- if at that point properly is even more expensive at least we've bought a big house we could stay in if needed and it wouldn't be such a big disaster.

And if the property market is much better, houses are cheaper we could move easily.

ThankGodImAnAtheist · 13/02/2022 18:54

It might help to prioritise your requirements (a list of ‘must have’, ‘ideally have’, ‘nice to have’ etc) and see how it compares with other houses within your budget. For example, if a larger third bedroom is high up your list, have you seen many houses come up within your budget that have this, over the year you’ve been looking ? … if not maybe it’s one to compromise on rather than wait for, especially if there is potential to fix this in the future e.g by extending. You mention a quiet location and a private garden … if these are high up your list then the house sounds very promising … these are things that could be very hard or impossible to fix in the future, if you buy a house without them. Best of luck with your decision !

Thenextmrsreacher · 13/02/2022 18:59

A cul de sac is not a positive. It will be a child magnet and therefore potential juvenile nuisance hotspot.

We have a north facing garden. It’s cold and gets no sun. I’d never do this again.

We have a separate garage. It’s a pain in the neck. Prepare to go and get your washing in the col ,and wet.

Any kind of shared drive way would be. Massive no no for me. It’s a neighbour dispute looking for somewhere to happen. There are no circumstances where I’d buy a house with a shared driveway.

If you don’t love the house after you’ve viewed it, there’s little chance you’ll ever love it.

Don’t do it. You’ll regret it. Hold your nerve and stay where you are.

EstoyCansada · 13/02/2022 19:03

I wouldn't. We bought a house when we were TTC DS1 as it was near PIL. Money wasn't an issue and DH is a property developer, so we ripped literally everything out and done it the way we wanted within about 2 months. Still hated it. Absolutely hated it. Got an incredible profit when we sold it after 8 months but now I'm in a house I love and I can't explain how important it is!!

labyrinthlaziness · 13/02/2022 19:07

I have a number of thoughts on reading your post.

Lots of your negatives are not genuine negatives, just ordinary compromises people with average budgets make.
Some of your positives are very strong positives for me (not overlooked, the parking, the large garden)
10-12 is not many to view, we must have looked at 30
'soulless' is totally meaningless!

You need a list of dealbreakers I think, and to decide what is your priority - to move now or wait for the right house.

It took us three years to find the right house. There are plenty of things 'wrong' with it in terms of layout, decor etc - but it was the right house.

Aquamarine1029 · 13/02/2022 19:09

I would definitely wait. Think of it as some extra time to save up more money.

greenlynx · 13/02/2022 19:09

I think your success rate is ok. Unfortunately the housing market is crap. However I think you need to be a bit more pragmatic while looking. Is this house in a good location? Is it convenient for school/ work/ shops/ GPs or whatever it’s important for you? Does it have enough bedrooms for you atm? Can you change it in a future if you need more? Can you move in or does it need refurbishment straight away?
My only concern would be shared drive way but I don’t like sharing. You’ve mentioned parking for guests. Is it really so important?

SpidersAreShitheads · 13/02/2022 19:15

What about looking at properties which aren't top of your budget but need some work?

We viewed a house on Saturday and it's an utter shit hole. Think gouged window sills, doors with scribbles on and a kitchen that was probably there when Queen Victoria was on the throne (I jest....but it IS old and crap).

I don't love it at all. But.....it sits on a corner plot and has incredible space. A massive south-facing back garden. If we put an extension on the back there is room to completely remodel everything. I could have a big kitchen. I'd also need a few thousand to sort out the window sills and doors etc. Once all done, it has the potential to be utterly, utterly stunning.

It's around £70k below our top budget - space was a priority for us and this is about 400sq ft bigger than top budget houses. It's tons cheaper, needs a lot of love but it could be our long-term home.

I have two autistic DC - having to do work isn't something I especially relish (noise, people in the house, change etc all difficult) but a bit of short-term pain for a beautiful house for the longer term is worth it imo.

Figure out your priorities - is it overall space? Is it a big kitchen? Utility room? Decent size third bedroom? There is something kind of exciting about being able to plan how you want to change a house rather than buying one that's already done....

Kshhuxnxk · 13/02/2022 19:24

Shared driveway would be immediate no.

Kite22 · 13/02/2022 19:25

I think if you are serious about buying, I'm surprised you have only seen 10 - 12 houses in a year.
I have been supporting someone who has bought recently and they viewed about 20 in the space of about 5 weeks.
I think it is different how you feel about a property when you are in it, as opposed to looking on line, so you need to get out there and really get a feel for what is important to you.

It is a massive investment if you have decided you don't like it before you even move in and find other things that might annoy you.
Do go and look at "better" houses in "less ideal" areas and confirm which is more important in reality. Once you are in houses, it clarifies what you really want, rather than what you initially think you want.
If you leave it to drift on and on, you'll just be paying more and more rent, as house prices go up and up. So no, I wouldn't buy somewhere I didn't like, but I'd be really focused on finding somewhere I did like (or was happy to live with, having discovered that I can't afford what I would really like)

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