Thread 3: "Anyone not being picky - and STILL can't find anything?"

[RidingMyBike]

Thread 3 ready to go.
Link to thread 2:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/property/4450168-Thread-2-Anyone-not-being-picky-and-STILL-cant-find-anything?pg=1

[RidingMyBike]

That's wonderful news @Paddingtonthebear I'm so pleased for you!

[Starseeking]

Wonderful news @Paddingtonthebear, well done! I bet you can't believe it's real! Congratulations and enjoy settling on to your new home

[Paddingtonthebear]

Thanks, keys are in hand!

[LightHousePanda]

@Paddingtonthebear well done! Sounds like you've gone through a lot!

[Paddingtonthebear]

Just coming back to say that after nearly 2 years, 38 house viewings and 4 fallen through sales, we are due to complete our purchase today! Just waiting for the phone call 🥳

[areyouhavingagiraffe]

@Starseeking, that will give you lots of time to plan. No renovations needed here, the extension is quite large and was done 5 yrs ago. I would like to update the decor upstairs, and maybe new bathroom (it is modern but very dark and I don't like it). But nothing urgent needed. I would like to do a loft conversion in the future though.
Saying that, the boiler (which was in the loft) started leaking about 2 weeks after I moved here. It was old and I knew I would have to change it. But new boiler is in new, and moved downstairs into the utility room, which saves me heading into the loft in case of any other issues. The new boiler also leaked but that is another story! All good now, and wishing you the best of luck with those pesky tradespeople

[Paddingtonthebear]

Yes we pulled out of that one as no PP or building regs. Found something else, all systems go, got the searches done and then the vendors had their mortgage offer withdrawn so they can’t sell and we are back to square one. Loads of reductions in our area but everything for sale in our budget is basically the dregs. Need to complete by March otherwise we lose our mortgage rate. No pressure 😂

[treaclepumpkin]

@Paddingtonthebear You guys had the great house, with the dodgy extension right? Wishing you luck with the search. 18 months is a blooming long time x

[Mooserp]

I've been looking for over 5 months which I thought was a long time. I've now completed my sale and am staying with family.

[Paddingtonthebear]

18 months down the line, 3 failed purchases, we are still looking 🥴

[Starseeking]

Thank you @areyouhavingagiraffe, we both had a hard slog getting there, it's wonderful we both managed to complete purchases before our properties fell through (again!). I'm in a West London suburb.

My latest issue is trades coming in and giving ridiculous quotes, so I haven't been able to make the place as homely as I'd like, as quickly as I'd like. That said, the big jobs (extension, loft conversion) are a couple of years away, so I'm happy enough, really just glad to have completed!

How are your renovations going?

[areyouhavingagiraffe]

@Starseeking , so happy to read this!!!! Congratulations!!!! Were you looking in East London, I seem to recall we were near eachother?

[dubyalass]

Thank you @treaclepumpkin @Starseeking and @IndigoTinsel - I am keeping my fingers crossed! I feel like a passenger in the whole thing - I've tried to be as proactive as possible but getting past the gatekeeper estate agents and trying to get them to chase up the vendors' solicitors has been tedious and things only got moving when I had a hissy fit and said I was going to start looking at other houses. I've been extremely patient while nobody told me what was going on, but now I just want it over with. The vendors are now saying they're keen to complete ASAP but where were they when the various solicitors were dragging their heels?

I too am worried that I'm overpaying, but I've got a pretty good fixed rate for five years so like @IndigoTinsel it should work out in the long run. If I could be in by end of Nov I'd be delighted, but I'm wary of yet more delays.

[treaclepumpkin]

@Starseeking that's amazing! Congratulations! That was a really long slog, so glad you got there - and at such a good rate too.

If this one doesn't work out for us, we will have a couple of months to try and find something else and the letters in the neighbourhood approach is something we have been thinking about. Because I suspect there may be people now who want to sell, but perhaps wary of coming to the market in the current climes. But let's see.

Congrats again. I love a happy ending!

[Starseeking]

I finally completed on 30 September exactly 15 months after selling my previous property which I owned jointly with my EXDP when we split.

My first attempted purchase collapsed after 7 months conveyancing when my elderly vendor changed her mind. In desperation I wrote to about 20 houses in the vicinity, and am now lying in the bedroom of one house whose owner responded to my letter, having completed this purchase on the day my extended mortgage offer was due to expire. Fixed at 1.99% for 5 years, and was terrified my lender would pull the deal before completion, but they honoured it.

I honestly never thought it would happen, but here I am living in my dream house.

Good luck @treaclepumpkin and @dubyalass, you WILL get there!

[IndigoTinsel]

Can't remember what name I used when I posted before or maybe it was this one anyway but I've followed the thread from the start. Due to exchange in next three weeks I think.. I get scared we are over paying sometimes but I want to be in our own home and it's the general area I want to be in so we plough on and hoping for the best. Mortgage offer wasn't as low as would have liked if we had found something a year ago but still better than current rates so tell myself that what we are maybe over paying by we will save in mortgage interest. Crossing everything for you @treaclepumpkin and @dubyalass!

[treaclepumpkin]

@dubyalass This stuff just seems to take ages, right? I can't believe we are still (technically) going after all this time either.

Anyway, I hope things really do get sorted this time for you. Fingers crossed

[dubyalass]

My purchase is still ongoing - my post above turned out to be bollocks, but the issue is now almost resolved. We haven't done searches yet though, so there's still time for it to all go tits up.

If it doesn't go through I need to have a big rethink about next steps and will probably wait until the new year.

[treaclepumpkin]

How did everyone get on in the end? Found houses and managed to complete before everything went really downhill?

Our buyers pulled out on us a couple of days before exchange at the end of August. But persevered and we're getting so close to that point again, but our new lender has downvalued what we are buying by a good 10%. Not a difference we can afford to make up and what we can add doesn't seem like is going to be enough for the vendor to accept.

On the positive side, we are now chain free buyers and houses feel like we are in a better position versus sellers than we were a few months back, so will give one last shot at trying to find something, else before our mortgage offer runs out. If we can't, we will just stay put for the next few years.

[dubyalass]

Good luck @areyouhavingagiraffe ! My purchase is finally progressing after long delays with the Land Registry. Am daring to think about possible exchange and completion dates.

[RidingMyBike]

Oh wow good luck for today @areyouhavingagiraffe

[areyouhavingagiraffe]

@Starseeking , completing today. Hopefully! Really not sure how I will feel, bet it will be an anti climax. The last 18 months have been so hard, I feel like this has had an impact on my physical and mental health. But I also feel like this is the right house and I understand why I didn't get the others, or other purchases didn't work out! There are a few compromises with this house but the location is amazing. Hope I don't get buyers remorse 😁
You will get there!

[Starseeking]

@areyouhavingagiraffe have you completed??? How are you feeling if so? I can't wait to get to that point!

[RidingMyBike]

@EmmaH2022 was it this thread?

[areyouhavingagiraffe]

@Starseeking , great news that you have managed to renew your offer and you are doing the right thing in keeping looking. I was also doing the same. I will keep my fingers crossed for you. One thing I have realised is that when things start moving along, they move quickly.
I am feeling really anxious about my completion, just worried that it is too early to celebrate (we have exchanged), or worried that there will be some other crisis! Need to try and stop worrying, but the last two years have been pretty horrendous, as I am sure you know. Sending lots of good luck your way.