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Original poster

Did you fall in love with your house when you viewed it?

28 replies

Candlewiff · 30/03/2024 09:04

We’ve seen a house that fits our brief exactly (rural, land, commuting distance), however it is at the top of our budget and the layout is crazy so we would have to do some renovations long term, for example bathroom is downstairs and kitchen is too small.
Just trying to figure out if it’s worth it, as the renovations would have to happen over time, plus there are a few 2’s on the home report for damp we need to get looked at.
Do we need to love it to get over all of this?
Has anyone moved into somewhere that was perfect on paper but in reality wasn’t?

OP posts:
sweetpickle2 · 30/03/2024 09:09

Sounds like its not perfect on paper nor fits your brief exactly if you have to do a lot of work to it to make it what you want.

That's not to say you can't and shouldn't buy it, but just pointing that out!

Could you afford to do the renovations if its at the top of budget? I'd be more concerned about those sorts of questions than whether or not you "love " it.

Spoonthief · 30/03/2024 09:15

Could you ask for the 2’s to get looked at before you buy?
We did that when we bought our current house.
It was before Home Reports became a thing but surveyor report showed damp.

We put in an offer subject to it getting sorted.

Part of it was done before we moved in. The damp course was done just after we moved in but was booked and paid for by previous owner.Was all done with lawyers made aware etc.

As for the layout , it’s deemed your personal choice. Maybe get prices for the alterations and see if it’s worth it .

Original poster
Candlewiff · 30/03/2024 09:22

I think getting the damp looked at is essential if we put offer in.
The more I read what I’ve wrote I think I’m talking myself out of it. The renovations would have to wait as we just wouldn’t have money to do them yet.
I think the issue is there is just so little on the market I’m trying to make it fit as it ticks boxes with regards to having land and being easy to commute to work.

OP posts:
Churchview · 30/03/2024 10:12

I've moved into somewhere that was perfect on paper but didn't speak to my heart. There was very little on the market at the time so I ignored the fact that I didn't really love the house. I didn't think it would matter and tried to be practical.

I knew from the day I moved in it wasn't a home I could love. I then had to spend a year doing all the renovations to it knowing all that work wasn't for me and I would sell it on. It was a shame, disappointing and I had to force myself to be motivated about the project. It made every day seem temporary as I couldn't settle.

I sold up and then found the house I live in now. It doesn't tick any of my boxes, is smaller, has a tiny kitchen and no garage, is semi when I was insistent on detached, but the minute I saw it I fell totally in love. It needs work doing but I don't feel a pressing need to crack on with it as the house is just blooming lovely and I can do it in time and enjoy the process.

Now I sit in the garden looking at the house and can't believe my good luck. I hope I'll be here forever.

I'd say don't do it OP. Wait for something that feels worth the effort.

MrsSkylerWhite · 30/03/2024 10:13

Current one, no. Been here nearly 15 years. Had to move quickly and it was alright. Still don’t “love” it.

Flat we’re moving too hopefully shortly, YES! Second we walked through the front door.

baubletits · 30/03/2024 10:16

Yep, its our first flat that was a complete throw back to the 70's and has needed a heck of a lot of updating (half way through now, new kitchen is half fitted)

I just got a really cosy feeling being there(probably because they had left the heating on the entire time the flat was empty!) and it felt like home.

NewFriendlyLadybird · 30/03/2024 10:18

Ours was a fixer upper but, yes, we did love it. We viewed many houses that fitted our brief on paper but this was the only one (apart from one that was way over budget) that we really loved, and loved enough to live through nearly two years of renovations.

TodayForTomorrow · 30/03/2024 10:18

I did. The location and layout were exactly what I wanted with a couple of things I didn't think we would have got for our budget in this area.

It was dressed OK, if a bit dated, but the survey revealed a few horrors and it's not been looked after for a long time. We negotiated on the price and bought it.

10 years on and I still love it. We're slowly improving and have plans to extend so that we never have to move. It'll be worth far more than we have paid for it.

muddyford · 30/03/2024 10:20

Yes, same here. Layout doesn't really work and don't love it enough to change. Hoping to move in the next year.

CettePersonne · 30/03/2024 10:21

For the practicalities alone op this doesn't sound like the house for you. If you loved it you might chose to overlook that, but I don't think I would do that for something I couldn't really afford to renovate. There are always other houses, it doesn't have to be perfect (they never are!). Good luck!

almostspring2024 · 30/03/2024 10:27

I first saw my current house during lockdown so a very brief and uncomfortable viewing. The owners were an older, academic couple who were very frightened of Covid and the house was cluttered with books on shelves on every single wall(literally over four floors)and really smelly, grubby and just worn out looking. I knew if I bought it I'd have not a penny left to change anything except obviously clean and paint it. But I knew I loved it and would live there the second I saw it. I was the same with five previous houses I bought. I also know immediately when I don't like a house, I've never had to think about it
4 years on I adore it even more, it has my colours and my furniture and my smell. It's by far the 'perfect' house but it's perfect for my needs right now

Fluffycloudsfloatinginthesky · 30/03/2024 10:35

I've only bought two places and both I knew they were right when I walked in.

Currently one met the brief of being Victorian terrace but had a downstairs bathroom and no fireplace which were on my must not list.

Still bought it and here 19 years later.

Put back the fireplace and did loft conversion so have upstairs and downstairs bathroom.

DuesToTheDirt · 30/03/2024 10:35

I fell in love with ours. Much to DH's frustration, I turned down dozens that were basically OK but I just didn't love.

twiddlingthumbs69 · 30/03/2024 10:36

Yes I did. Got the feeling as soon as I walked through the door, hadn't even seen the rest of it. No idea what that feeling was. It was a kind of coming home feeling

MumChp · 30/03/2024 10:38

No. But we could afford it. Worked out well.

Highfivemum · 30/03/2024 10:39

As the saying goes. Location location location. Is the key.
sounds like it ticks those boxes. The rest can be changed over time. I know what I would do. I would buy it and slowly change things to your dream house. The location is the most important. What’s the point of having a dream house in not the right location.

Dfg15 · 30/03/2024 10:41

I didn’t love it, but liked it a lot. It fitted my budget and the location was where I wanted to be. 3 years later, absolutely love it.

Churchview · 30/03/2024 10:43

twiddlingthumbs69 · 30/03/2024 10:36

Yes I did. Got the feeling as soon as I walked through the door, hadn't even seen the rest of it. No idea what that feeling was. It was a kind of coming home feeling

I had the coming home feeling too. As soon as I opened the gate I got a feeling that a part of me had known the place all my life.

Meadowfinch · 30/03/2024 10:44

I was in the same situation 13 years ago. Ds was three, I needed to get him into catchment for a decent school. We'd been served notice on our rented flat.
The house I found was too big and needed renovations but it's worked out. Still going with the renovations (almost there). 😀Schools have been good. Ds has had a good childhood.
it's been a lot of work but a good financial investment too.

Have you done a renovation before?

KeenGoldCat · 30/03/2024 12:11

We bought our first two homes because we loved them. We bought our current home because it was one of only about 5 for sale in our budget at the time, and ticked a load of boring practical boxes - garage, drive way, detached, porch for wellies, downstairs toilet, en suite, one street over from the train station. And 5 years later we LOVE it! It just needed our nice decor and furniture.

Youdontevengohere · 30/03/2024 12:13

No I didn’t fall in love with our house. It was just the practical choice… right area, right price, right number of bedrooms etc. I’ve never enjoyed living here so wish I’d held out for something I loved!

CoffeeWithCheese · 30/03/2024 20:47

First house we bought was the OK-est option we could afford in an area we knew well (we rented a house three doors down the street). INCREDIBLY dated decor (talking avocado bathroom suite with carpet in there level dated) but structurally a decent enough house.

We lived there about 12 years perfectly happily - fell out of love with the place mainly during the pandemic when we were all on top of each other constantly.

Current house we were meh with over the Rightmove photos (the hallway in particular does not photograph well) - but the period features in it and room sizes are incredible - although it's a bit fur coat and no knickers in terms of the finish of some of the rooms. Location is less amazing for us (the kids bloody love it though being in walking distance of the local town centre), and it's on a busyish road - but the house itself is amazing - it's on a street of early 1900s houses that are lovely and grand, all different looking and I don't get tired of looking at the different architectural details on them all.

BlueMongoose · 30/03/2024 21:33

Loved the last one. Over 30 happy years spent there. This one, nobody could love it the state it was in. I'm not sure I even loved what I thought we could make of it. But it was unusual in that it ticked all the boxes for space, and we thought we could make it work, so we went for it, and it's getting there now. Not a love match, more of an arranged marriage, but based on compatibility. The house and us are gradually getting to trust each other and I think in the end it will be a good marriage...

Original poster
Candlewiff · 02/04/2024 08:33

We decided not to go ahead and offer on the house. Just didn’t want to spend many years working to fix it up when maybe a smaller house with better layout may appear.

OP posts:
Rosesanddaisies1 · 02/04/2024 08:36

No, I didn’t love it. We knew it ticked enough boxes and was in our budget. I think you have to be very practical with houses, if you get too emotional you’re likely to overpay or overlook issues that come up.