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Original poster

Almost 2 years. Still can't find a house.

65 replies

Jooolz1 · 09/04/2023 09:40

DP and I accepted offer on our house June 21, completed Sep 21 and moved in to rented. Thought it would take 6 months to find a house. Looking for our forever home. as don't want to move again. There are certain things we can't compromise on and some we can.Search area is large but quite rural. We have 70% deposit and ready to go.
We are buying 90 miles away from where we live now and have been outbid 3 times and pulled out of one due to costly damp issues found on survey.
Now feeling very frustrated so we are considering 2 houses even though neither is really what we wanted but there's very little else on.
One is on edge of a village and is good house but has road noise. Other has no road noise but everything needs doing and neighbours extension blocks light to the only place we could add a sun room - which is a must have. Would you go for one of these or wait longer for the right house to come along?

OP posts:
YukoandHiro · 09/04/2023 09:41

Wait for longer in your position. Prices will drop for the next 24 months.

TizerorFizz · 09/04/2023 09:44

A sun room is a must have.? Really?

TizerorFizz · 09/04/2023 09:47

If there is a shortage of property, prices won’t drop. That’s also not the issue. It’s quantity of properties for sale. Rural will always have fewer properties. How busy is the road if it’s rural?

Original poster
Jooolz1 · 09/04/2023 09:47

A sun room or conservatory is a must have for us, yes. Realise its not for everyone though.

OP posts:
TizerorFizz · 09/04/2023 09:51

That’s odd in this day and age. Most people don’t want the heat loss in winter. Also, I have an orangery kitchen and mist light comes from the sky! You could build a detached one in the garden. Does the house get overlooked in all areas?

QueenCamilla · 09/04/2023 09:52

2 years - it's not a house issue, it's a you issue (I don't mean it in some bad way, just factually)
You might be too inflexible
You might be unrealistic
You might have not enough money
You might be scared to "pull the trigger"

Unless your deposit is considerably increasing each month I wouldn't wait to buy. The interest rates and the massive inflation will be equal if not above any price-drop gains.

Out of interest - what was the costly damp issue that stopped you from proceeding?

Mimosa08 · 09/04/2023 09:52

Sun room a must have?
OK.
So you'll need to wait 🤷‍♀️
Plenty of houses will be coming on the market this year - probably in Q3/4
Debt, death and divorce never go away, sadly

Original poster
Jooolz1 · 09/04/2023 09:55

The road runs through a village but is quire busy. When we viewed, it sounded really loud. But apart from a few layout modifications the house has everything we wanted.

OP posts:
GoodChat · 09/04/2023 09:56

OP can you tell us area, requirements, budget and location? I bet we'll find you 100 houses you might not have otherwise considered.

OliviaFlaversham · 09/04/2023 09:56

We had to look out of area to find something suitable for us. We have kept looking at the market (out of nosiness) and in over a year, nothing has gone on in the area we were looking at that would have been right. If you want the conservatory, I wouldn’t go for the one where that cannot happen as the neighbour’s position won’t change. Is the road noise at the first too loud for you to enjoy the garden?

Original poster
Jooolz1 · 09/04/2023 09:59

Think we going to go have another look. Stand and listen in the garden and see if we can put up with it.

OP posts:
3luckystars · 09/04/2023 10:00

Call Phil and Kirsty

WandaWonder · 09/04/2023 10:10

2 years? Either there have only been 5 houses eg in that time for sale or you need to not be as fussy

SleepingStandingUp · 09/04/2023 10:18

I think you're looking for something you'll never find. It sounds like you've got a clear list of what you want, a good area and plenty of cash but if nothing has been good enough in two years, you need to consider your essentials.
Things like road noise, can you hear it inside the house or conservatory? Is it general rumble nosie which you'll adjust to or a set of traffic lights where big lorries stop and start (def didn't get used to the sound of them stopping and starting outside my bedroom window), a noisy crossing etc?

I'd take the noisy house

Geneticsbunny · 09/04/2023 10:20

For a forever home, damp issues are fixable. Might take a while to resolve but worth it.
Like others have said I think you need to make more of a compromise.

Ifailed · 09/04/2023 10:21

If you can't find a house you like in 2 years maybe you should consider building one you do like. As PP has pointed out, your deposit is loosing value thanks to 10% inflation and your rent is also eating into your capital.

boboshmobo · 09/04/2023 10:27

You can add a conservatory to any house easily . Most people don't put them up anymore in favour of extensions .
You are seriously limiting yourself!

Amazongirl9 · 09/04/2023 10:27

Does it have to be fully formed? Couldn’t you add a sun room to an otherwise perfect house? Deal breakers surely should be things that you can never change such as proximity to a road/railway, location etc.

Original poster
Jooolz1 · 09/04/2023 10:29

Thanks everyone. This was my first MN post and grateful for your comments.

I know it sounds we are overly picky but the houses do exist in our budget as we lost out on 3.

It's the East Riding of Yorkshire and very beautiful. Just recently there's been a lull in houses coming on the portals. We are registered with all the agents in the area too.

OP posts:
Persipan · 09/04/2023 10:49

If you've been outbid three times, then were they really in your budget, though?

My advice would be to let go of the idea of a 'forever home', which is an unreasonable amount of pressure to put on a house hunt, and instead think in terms of it being a long-term home. Prioritise the stuff that can't be changed or improved, but work on the principle that you're going to be there a long time and can gradually change things to suit you.

KievLoverTwo · 09/04/2023 10:49

That sounds really frustrating. I can understand not wanting to compromise on things that are really important to you though.

1.5 million are expected to remortgage this year. I expect we will see more movement when the shock of new mortgage rates hit.

Also, spring is a popular time to sell when gardens start looking at their best, hopefully that will help.

Re noise house, is triple glazing not an option, or would the garden be unbearable?

Have you considered putting letters through doors of roads you would especially like to live on?

CellophaneFlower · 09/04/2023 12:24

boboshmobo · 09/04/2023 10:27

You can add a conservatory to any house easily . Most people don't put them up anymore in favour of extensions .
You are seriously limiting yourself!

OP clearly states she's looking to add a sun room, not discounting houses because they don't have them.

I feel your pain OP. I was lucky to get most of my wants when I bought 6 years ago. I've kept my alerts and never found another that comes close, so assume I'd have had to compromise somewhere.

Pinkdelight3 · 09/04/2023 12:56

I know it sounds we are overly picky but the houses do exist in our budget as we lost out on 3.

Sounds like a contradiction surely? If you could have afforded those three, you would have bid higher and got one of them. So you need to spend more or compromise more/require less.

TizerorFizz · 09/04/2023 14:22

My kitchen with a big glass roof faces North and east. It is wonderfully light. Sun makes it too hot! We get Sun in the summer over our own roof.

RollerCoaster2020 · 09/04/2023 14:42

Jooolz1 · 09/04/2023 09:40

DP and I accepted offer on our house June 21, completed Sep 21 and moved in to rented. Thought it would take 6 months to find a house. Looking for our forever home. as don't want to move again. There are certain things we can't compromise on and some we can.Search area is large but quite rural. We have 70% deposit and ready to go.
We are buying 90 miles away from where we live now and have been outbid 3 times and pulled out of one due to costly damp issues found on survey.
Now feeling very frustrated so we are considering 2 houses even though neither is really what we wanted but there's very little else on.
One is on edge of a village and is good house but has road noise. Other has no road noise but everything needs doing and neighbours extension blocks light to the only place we could add a sun room - which is a must have. Would you go for one of these or wait longer for the right house to come along?

Yeah, similar situation here post divorce. Feels like prices are coming down but may take one or two or three years to reach something affordable on an income which is single.