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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:
Tryingtomoveisdrivingmecrazy · 10/06/2023 15:18

mnahmnah · 10/06/2023 14:00

@Tryingtomoveisdrivingmecrazy

Our mortgage application has already been submitted for that address though. Can you change the address in the middle of an application? Or if the purchase price is different?

Yes, you definitely can. I just had to pull out of a purchase as there were problems shown up from the searches. I put an offer in on another property, rang the building society and told them what had happened and they just re-did the application with a different address and purchase price. It was very straightforward as they already had most of my details.

instantpotnoodle · 10/06/2023 15:47

mnahmnah · 10/06/2023 14:00

@Tryingtomoveisdrivingmecrazy

Our mortgage application has already been submitted for that address though. Can you change the address in the middle of an application? Or if the purchase price is different?

Depends on your lender. The 4 x ours have fallen through, we’ve had to get a new mortgage

mnahmnah · 10/06/2023 16:47

@instantpotnoodle

Nightmare!

Another one has also come on the market that’s even more on our budget and the right location. I can’t believe it. As soon as we actually compromise, get an offer accepted and apply for a mortgage - the right houses finally pop up.

Tryingtomoveisdrivingmecrazy · 10/06/2023 17:21

mnahmnah · 10/06/2023 16:47

@instantpotnoodle

Nightmare!

Another one has also come on the market that’s even more on our budget and the right location. I can’t believe it. As soon as we actually compromise, get an offer accepted and apply for a mortgage - the right houses finally pop up.

Sounds like you need to get viewing again next week!

mnahmnah · 10/06/2023 17:40

@Tryingtomoveisdrivingmecrazy

Did it cost anything to change it?

The one i viewed this morning is apparently holding out for offers over our limit. So that one is out. The other one that just came on the market has an asking price that is our max budget, so there is a chance we would get it. When we I ring to view any property, they seem to book them on for a week’s time! Why go on the market and then make people wait to view?!

Tryingtomoveisdrivingmecrazy · 10/06/2023 18:49

mnahmnah · 10/06/2023 17:40

@Tryingtomoveisdrivingmecrazy

Did it cost anything to change it?

The one i viewed this morning is apparently holding out for offers over our limit. So that one is out. The other one that just came on the market has an asking price that is our max budget, so there is a chance we would get it. When we I ring to view any property, they seem to book them on for a week’s time! Why go on the market and then make people wait to view?!

Oh how frustrating. But it sounds like you really ought to see it before you get much further with your current purchase. It’s such a big thing, finding a house, it’s worth waiting to get the right one.

Unfortunately my purchase all went wrong after I had the mortgage valuation survey, so obviously I lost that, and the issues arose from the searches, so I lost the money for those too 😩 But that was all, and better to lose the money on those than spend hundreds of thousands on the wrong house.

boboshmobo · 10/06/2023 19:38

We have just been to view another amazing house .. lots to think about ! 🤓🤓

mnahmnah · 11/06/2023 12:16

Amazingly, I have a response from the estate agent in the newly listed great house. On a Sunday! He’s asked if I can go in an hour. DH can’t go, but at least I can see it.

My mortgage advisor messaged me at 11.00 last night as well, to say it may be possible to alter the application.

poppym12 · 11/06/2023 16:11

How did it go @mnahmnah ?

We had a second viewing yesterday of a possible one and looked at 3 more.

The possible one is still the best we've seen but not quite right. Not sure whether to accept that I'll never find exactly what I want or to keep looking.

mnahmnah · 11/06/2023 18:51

@poppym12

Immaculate house in a great location. However… they have knocked the downstairs through so it is all one room - living, dining and kitchen. The kitchen space itself is tiny with only plumbing for a washing machine. No space for a dishwasher or dryer. You would be sat in the living room to the sound of cooking and washing machine. Also, next door have built a conservatory so the windows are directly in this garden. As in, they are the boundary. The fence stops and the conservatory takes over. How did they get away with that?

BlueMongoose · 11/06/2023 21:07

I looked for a couple of years, while we were planing to, but not yet ready to move. That meant I had a pretty good idea what was around where we were moving to and what a fair price was; I knew what we had to look for which was fairly specific. Once we got so we were ready to go, I had some still available I'd already looked at in detail and some new to the market which by then I could filter very quickly and efficiently, and that's the point I got DH involved in any detail. I showed him the best few, and we took it from there. He didn't get overloaded with all the ones that I weeded out because they failed major requirements. It worked best for just one of us to 'specialise' and take that search on until it was narrowed down to a handful of possibles.

BlueMongoose · 11/06/2023 21:11

mnahmnah · 11/06/2023 18:51

@poppym12

Immaculate house in a great location. However… they have knocked the downstairs through so it is all one room - living, dining and kitchen. The kitchen space itself is tiny with only plumbing for a washing machine. No space for a dishwasher or dryer. You would be sat in the living room to the sound of cooking and washing machine. Also, next door have built a conservatory so the windows are directly in this garden. As in, they are the boundary. The fence stops and the conservatory takes over. How did they get away with that?

Not being snarky- but was a lot of that not visible in the photos? (I do know some agents take lousy photos).
We didn't view anything until I had wrung every bit of detail out of any infomation I could find. I must have ditched dozens on that basis over the years, even before Ye Internet when it was just one Polaroid on a paper sheet. This last time, we only needed to view this one, but I had filtered out many dozens. Mind you, we were living some way away, and visits would have meant a long drive. But that's lots of our time and vendors' time we didn't waste. And hopes we didn't raise.

mnahmnah · 11/06/2023 21:13

@BlueMongoose

The garden picture was from the house looking down the garden, so no, didn’t show the conservatory next door. I knew the downstairs was one room, but it felt so small once I was in there, especially the kitchen. It was only looking that I realised there was no space for a dishwasher or dryer. I now realise there was no space for a fridge freezer either! It was just a handful of cupboards and space for a washer

mnahmnah · 11/06/2023 21:14

I should add - it’s now under offer!

Tootootoot · 11/06/2023 21:29

mnahmnah · 11/06/2023 21:14

I should add - it’s now under offer!

A lot of people who viewed our house said they would have wanted to knock everything through. I couldn't live like that personally but it's extremely popular.

poppym12 · 11/06/2023 23:08

mnahmnah · 11/06/2023 21:14

I should add - it’s now under offer!

You're going for it? It sounded like you were disappointed with the viewing.

mnahmnah · 12/06/2023 06:35

@poppym12

No no - somebody else. I just meant it’s been snapped up quick!

Tryingtomoveisdrivingmecrazy · 12/06/2023 07:23

mnahmnah · 12/06/2023 06:35

@poppym12

No no - somebody else. I just meant it’s been snapped up quick!

So are you going to stick with the original house now, or has seeing a couple of potentially better houses made you rethink things?
it seems a really difficult balance doesn’t it - do you wait for the perfect house and potentially end up never moving, or go for the compromise and then have the potential regret of missing out on something better?
I feel I’ve had to compromise somewhat on every house I’ve bought, but the one that seemed the biggest compromise at the time turned out to be the best house I’ve ever lived in!

mnahmnah · 12/06/2023 07:32

@Tryingtomoveisdrivingmecrazy

We went for another drive round to e village that the house we had our offer accepted on is. If anything, I feel happier about that one. It’s a lovely village and only a five min drive. DC seemed a bit happier about it too. Still not where we actually want to be logistically, but it is a very desirable village around here. So we’re sticking with it!

Original poster
Dinkler · 16/06/2023 11:01

How is everyone getting on, everything going okay with ours, just a little slow but still early days.

OP posts:
mnahmnah · 16/06/2023 13:14

Still waiting for our mortgage application to be approved! Yet the lender has instructed a surveyor to do the full survey, not just the valuation. Surely they wouldn’t do that unless it was getting approved?!

poppym12 · 16/06/2023 16:43

Meh. Getting disillusioned. 3 more viewings tomorrow but I don't think either will be right (apart from possibly the one that is over budget but we're seeing it in case it gets reduced). Bonus is that we've found an excellent cafe/deli near to where we're searching so lunch will be nice.

mnahmnah · 17/06/2023 19:27

@poppym12

How did the viewings go?

poppym12 · 17/06/2023 22:12

The first was lovely but needed updating. Bathrooms, kitchen, patterned artex ceilings.

Second had an amazing terrace but it was way too small and the 2 double bedroom description was dubious. They'd put a partition in a good sized room, even splitting the window in half Confused.

Third was in possibly the ugliest building in the area and there was no lift as advertised. However, it had amazing space, new bathrooms and kitchen and a sea view. Outside space was small but you can walk to the sea front in minutes.

I think we have a number one. It's over budget but currently empty.

Thank you for asking @mnahmnah .

mnahmnah · 17/06/2023 22:23

@poppym12

Well that’s exciting! That you may have found one you want.

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