Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

Original poster

House searchers thread

152 replies

Dinkler · 18/05/2023 10:35

Anyone out there searching and want to join me before my DH kills me for talking about the topic too much 😔how is everyone doing? We have a viewing on Saturday but we keep getting outbid or a builder buys the property.

I'm in the SW, searching 6 months. How long has everyone else been at it?

OP posts:
KievLoverTwo · 18/05/2023 11:07

2 years and 5 months.

Now we are buying from friends. It's really frigging expensive and we are having to get a 33 year mortgage (which would have cost £650pm less a year ago) but it's also in an area that increases at least 7% in value every year.

There has been so little on the market that we have liked.

It needs a lot of work and it's a bit scary, but I am quite relieved.

I am sad my friends can no longer afford to live in their lovely house though.

Original poster
Dinkler · 18/05/2023 13:31

@KievLoverTwo :O I bet you are relieved.

Same here, such a small pool of houses so we are up against it.

OP posts:
kidcrazy · 18/05/2023 21:35

KievLoverTwo · 18/05/2023 11:07

2 years and 5 months.

Now we are buying from friends. It's really frigging expensive and we are having to get a 33 year mortgage (which would have cost £650pm less a year ago) but it's also in an area that increases at least 7% in value every year.

There has been so little on the market that we have liked.

It needs a lot of work and it's a bit scary, but I am quite relieved.

I am sad my friends can no longer afford to live in their lovely house though.

Sounds like Bernie Madoff sets the house prices there…

mnahmnah · 18/05/2023 21:51

Hello! I have found my people.

You have all been looking longer than us by far, but yes, DH is sick of me already! We have been looking for four weeks - since we accepted an offer on ours. We have offered in three houses. Two were rejected, but they were way over our budget. One was under budget, but for many reasons we didn’t want to go up to full asking.

We’re viewing one on Saturday, which looks nice, but wrong location. Then on Tuesday we’re looking at one that is the perfect location, with a good garden and layout etc. but is a wreck and needs completely doing up. This seems to be the problem - right house, wrong location, or right location, wrong house. Fed up!

Original poster
Dinkler · 18/05/2023 22:01

@mnahmnah Welcome, pull up a seat with me Grin Brew

Same here it's either wrong location but right house or vice versa too! It's hard to get one that ticks all the boxes isn't and then when you do it's whether it will get accepted, what to bid etc.

It's such a small pool here so each time we find one that even ticks a few it feels like we are in a long line. Last 2 houses the vendor sold to 'friends'. It's frustrating.

We have 2 viewings on Saturday too. One a dream house but feel it will go to a bidding war due to area and low stock. The other ticks most of our boxes but a few compromises; overlooked garden and permit parking.

Good luck with your viewings, post back!

OP posts:
RoxieLoxy · 18/05/2023 22:11

Hi everyone! My DH doesn't want to dicusss it either so I'll be glad to chat about it here! We have been looking since last year. Viewed one today which I practically moved into in my head (awful habit).and then was horribly disappointed when we looked round as the road was so loud 😩

Seen another but DH isn't keen as it's brand new and also top of our budget. Oh and it would be a 20 minute drive to school every morning. But I just don't know whether to rule it out before even seeing it. There's just so few houses coming on the market.

Original poster
Dinkler · 18/05/2023 22:21

@RoxieLoxy Welcome Brew I think I'll be saying the same as you on Saturday, lovely house that ticks a lot of our boxes but near a busy road.

We also a lovely one at the top of our budget just come on but just too far away from where we need to be. It's an annoying limbo and I keep doing the same, I get excited and start to mentally move in although I'm getting better at not doing that after each disappointment!!

OP posts:
mnahmnah · 18/05/2023 22:23

@RoxieLoxy

We negotiated on a house for a week, with 5 days waiting on our final offer. I had it all designed in my head, what we would do with it. I kept telling myself not to get carried away, but couldn’t help thinking about it! Then rejected yesterday. Grrr.

Have any of you been buying house magazines? I have a pile now! DH rolls his eyes at them 😀

RoxieLoxy · 18/05/2023 22:35

@Dinkler if nothing else it might confirm for you that you need to find somewhere without road noise - it's now top of the list of don'ts for me. But hopefully it won't be so bad when you view it. Ours was next to an A road so just constant noise.

@mnahmnah it's so tricky isn't it as you need to feel really really keen to want to buy a house but that involves imagining living there (I even started browsing tiles for the hallway 😬). Yes re magazines - spent £6.50 on a pack with Ideal Homes and two others in. Haven't read them yet but I know all that's going to do is make me want to move even more!!

RoxieLoxy · 18/05/2023 22:37

Also is anyone else constantly refreshing Rightmove with the 'Last 24 hours' box ticked? Actually becoming obsessed 🤣🤣

Original poster
Dinkler · 18/05/2023 22:40

Haha, yes to all of those. I've got my period house (in my dreams where I live!) magazines and garden magazines in a pile 😅and I'm also a rightmove refresher. I think I dream of bloody refreshing that site.

OP posts:
Playgrind · 18/05/2023 22:45

Same here, we are FTB finally ready to buy but barely anything for us to view. If only we had been ready to buy before covid, our budget would have given us a lot more choice. Am hoping we can get a good deal buying a former let from a landlord in a hurry to sell.

mnahmnah · 19/05/2023 06:38

I’ve taken our a subscription for Ideal Home - 6 issues for £6! Bargain

mnahmnah · 19/05/2023 06:40

Also, i’m getting regular emails from my solicitor to complete documents on the portal. ‘You still haven’t done this’ type. I know! Because I haven’t found a bloody house yet! Stop reminding me!

Original poster
Dinkler · 19/05/2023 09:21

Morning everyone, lets see what Rightmove drops today for us 😎

OP posts:
mnahmnah · 19/05/2023 11:29

Fingers crossed there’s something!

Is anyone else having a battle like i am with DH - he is all about the house, I’m all about the location!

Original poster
Dinkler · 19/05/2023 11:33

@mnahmnah You too! Luckily me and DH are the same priority wise for a house! Makes it a bit easier I guess. 😆

OP posts:
Mooserp · 19/05/2023 11:57

I've been looking for over a year now 😭Can't believe how difficult it's been.

I'm living with family after selling my house and I am so desperate for a place of my own.

I've been outbid on several properties, had a few that I never got a chance to see before they were sold. I've viewed a lot and the majority have needed too much working doing for my liking (with building costs as they are now). Mostly probate sales.

I start each week feeling optimistic and it gradually declines as the week goes on. Then I start feeling irrationally annoyed at home owners who aren't putting their houses on the market...

RoxieLoxy · 19/05/2023 14:30

Has anyone thought about doing a leaflet drop in the houses you like the look of? We may end up doing that but I feel a bit awkward about it. I'm also not sure where to start as we have a fairly big search area.

Nothing new at all on RM today within 10 miles of our search area. Ugh.

Original poster
Dinkler · 19/05/2023 15:00

Mooserp · 19/05/2023 11:57

I've been looking for over a year now 😭Can't believe how difficult it's been.

I'm living with family after selling my house and I am so desperate for a place of my own.

I've been outbid on several properties, had a few that I never got a chance to see before they were sold. I've viewed a lot and the majority have needed too much working doing for my liking (with building costs as they are now). Mostly probate sales.

I start each week feeling optimistic and it gradually declines as the week goes on. Then I start feeling irrationally annoyed at home owners who aren't putting their houses on the market...

I feel you on this. Me and DH say that we are going to rock up the local pub of the area we love and try and cause divorces in order to get a house, joking of course but it lightens the load Grin

OP posts:
Original poster
Dinkler · 19/05/2023 15:01

@RoxieLoxy We were thinking of it but same as you feel a bit awkward.

OP posts:
mnahmnah · 20/05/2023 08:04

We’re looking at a house this morning - it’s not the ideal location, but it’s in budget and just looks like it needs a kick of paint. Nice garden and kitchen, bathroom is ok. Bedrooms not huge but better than some we’ve seen. It would just mean DC have to have a lift to school instead of being able to walk with friends. In fact, a lift for most things. It’s only a five min drive from where we want to be. But not handy for walking. Wish us luck!!

Ccvyvyan · 20/05/2023 20:25

@mnahmnah How did it go? Ours was a no. Lovely period house in lovely condition but mega noisy area unfortunately.

mnahmnah · 20/05/2023 20:38

@Ccvyvyan

Nice house, wrong location. Gave it a chance, but it just felt a world away from where we are now. We love the area we are in, schools, friends etc are all in walking distance and it’s a desirable area. Unfortunately that means the next step up for us is a stretch!

However, there is one that I think we’re going to go back to with full asking place. It’s the very edge of the area we want to be, but the exact style of house we love and under budget. The only issue is that DH has seen it, but I haven’t! They’re being very difficult about viewings (tenants) until they have moved out

dreamersdown · 21/05/2023 13:23

When we were getting desperate we talked to a private property agent who specialises in finding off market properties to buy. Her main strategy was to write notes and put them through the doors of houses that fit the criteria. Quite a few of the local estate agents have said that now around 25% of sales don’t ever go onto Rightmove and my next door neighbour has just sold her house privately through an estate agent without it ever going on Rightmove (she wanted discretion). If we hadn’t found the house we are hopefully soon to exchange on we would definitely have done notes through the door.

If you don’t live in the area you are focused on, you can engage a local leaflet drop company to drop them through doors in specific postcodes for not that much money.

Swipe left for the next trending thread