Third viewing has left me worried about completing on this house

[Goldengamer]

We’ve been to view the house we are well on the way to completing on , surveys done, searches done etc .
It’s a 3rd viewing , we viewed for the 1st and 2nd time a couple of months back, this time was really to have a closer look. My goodness, it was filthy , cupboards dirty , floors not cleaned or swept . Unfinished DIY we hadn’t noticed first time round etc etc . The kitchen although newish has been very badly fitted and we are going to have to rip it all out . The survey picked up a few things but not the standard of work or cleanliness of the place . We are nearing retirement and it’s really daunting knowing we will have to start working on the house when we move in . Surely she will have to leave it clean and tidy when she moves out ? …. I’m sure when I filled in my forms for the sale of my house one of the questions was that it had to be left in a clean state . when my buyers dropped in to do a last viewing of our house it was spotless . I’m really having second thoughts but husband said don’t worry we can get a cleaner in to give it the once over before we move in but it’s the cost of renewing everything is bothering me . I’m 62 and really don’t want to be having to start again when I’m leaving a lovely house that’s been looked after. Can’t believe I didn’t notice it first time round . What do others think I should do ?

Visiting family / friends or going away on holiday must be quite difficult for you @Apprentice26 💐

Perhaps you don’t ever. But just stay at home. All the time.

Living with all that dirt must be quite disgusting for you. You’ve admitted that you do, at least if I only have to tolerate it it’s temporary. That’s your life surrounded by dirt 🤮🤮 and paying a premium for other people’s muck 🤮🤮🤮

Anyway, back to the OP do let us know whether you decide to go ahead, we’re all on the edge of our seats

Oh dear. I’d love to see you say that to a friend or family member that doesn’t lift up all great condition carpets just to avoid the skin cells of previous occupants.

better yet… start a thread and see what mumsnetters say! 😆

So sad that you must stay most of your life in your small terrace having spanked £30k on a repaint and carpets 💐

We employed a cleaning company for
14 hours to do a deep clean before we moved in. We stayed at my daughters why it was getting done

As I say it’s better than rolling around in other people’s filth like a pig in a sty doesn’t matter how much it cost. Filth is filth.

And it sounds like tradesmen are completely taking advantage of your vulnerability if you’ve spanked £30k on new carpets and paint for a small terraced property. I hope someone advocates for you @Apprentice26 xx

tad over dramatic
just get stuck in and give it a clean

Wow! Are you ok @Apprentice26 ? That is quite a bleak view of other people.

Not bleak
I’ve often lifted carpets that look in great condition but underneath the stains and filth of gross
whatever it was
are definitely worth getting rid of

Especially if you have kids crawling around or your walking in bear feet.

We all read on here of people moving in and finding filth and stuff Brocken. We have no idea who we are buying from.
So what’s the big deal

If you are happy with what you see just on the surface….fine
If you aren’t and have experience of whats hidden get rid of it

Each to their own
We make a home what we want it to be. Not what others want.

I got the impression that poster thought everyone who didn’t do this was a pig living in filth

and see as the overwhelming majority won’t do this - it did seem a rather bleak outlook to me

Oh wow , didn’t realise my post would have escalated this much, but some really valid points and also similarities between me and other mumsnetters in the same situation .
I think we have decided to go through with buying it . Basically it’s had a huge extension on the back done 3 years ago, new kitchen , etc . I also have had a new kitchen fitted 3 years ago but the comparison between the two is so far apart. We spent a fortune having ours professionally designed and fitted . They have done it themselves, the worktop doesn’t fit in places , but things have been strategically place to hide the bad bits and the whole house follows this theme . We just needed to give it all a closer look which we did and it was not great . If you look at the house listing complete with show home type video the estate agent took and put on instagram you woukd think wow what a lovely house as we and quite a few viewers has put but in reality it was far from it , which was why we didn’t really look properly the 1st time, the second was to show my daughter and she said it was nice. On this 3rd viewing it was like a different house we were seeing . The bad bits were easy to see and the work is far more than we anticipated .
The kitchen we thought because it is relatively new but not designed very well , we could re use some of the units and redesign it with an island, but it really will have to all be ripped out and replaced and it’s a huge kitchen .
But the bare bones are there and I think maybe a year down the line we will be hopefully be living in a beautiful home , well on the way to having the bodged bits put right .
And I had to laugh at the carpet replacement comments . There luckily is no carpet anywhere, it’s actually cheap badly fitted laminate . That doesn’t bother us in the least , my husband works in flooring and we can get LVT like Amtico cost price , also carpets cost too , my son is a fitter so at least our flooring is gonna be posh once we’re sorted it all .
But thanks again for all the brilliant comments , I’ve just been laughing my way through .

I think two posters have been at odds on here for a while about this

Views become more extreme perhaps when faced with derogatory remarks

Their first post was more surprise. They assumed removing carpets was standard. With a ?

Ignore the mess/cleanliness entirely, just plan to have a deep clean done on the house before you move in, even if that means you need a day staying elsewhere - so much easier before you move in and just don’t trust them to do it.

With the things that will need replacing: how quickly will that work need to happen and can you afford it?

If things look poorly finished on the surfaces, it means no jobs/maintenance have been done to a decent standard. That alone would have me walk away.

Our house was in poor cosmetic condition as it had been rented for numerous years, and we were aware of that. However it was also a nightmare in terms of the stuff we had to do under the surfaces. We've both joked that we'll only downsize into a new build for this reason.

OP, considering the state of the place, insist on a walk about before you close.

Don't trust that the place will be left clean and not full of their shit.

I would be so wary of a house that has been thrown together badly.

Have you really looked at the cost of replacing so much bad work?

It could be eye watering.

Awww glad you feel better about it now. I am one of those that leaves houses sparkling upon sale with a card and bottle of fizz. I would die rather than leave my dirt for someone else.

With this one - expect it to be utterly filthy but nothing that can't be cleaned /changed. A son who fits amtico could also fit a new worktop and "hack" the kitchen so it feels much much better.

We have bought a house that was really quite grotty - although at first seemed pukka. Each time we do a room and rip out an old smelly carpet it becomes more & more truly ours. Good luck with the move :))

Even if a house looked spotless when I viewed it I’d certainly be cleaning it from top to bottom before I actually moved my furniture in! Rather precious of anyone to demand that the previous owners deep clean before moving out IMO.

This is ridiculous. You are not buying her cleaning skills, you are buying her bare walls, when she goes she will take all her crap with you and sure she can dust and sweep a bit but still you have to start from scratch

We moved in february this year, when we moved out my house was spotless, i had 4 of us cleaning it room by room, top to bottom, emptied a room cleaned it with in an inch of its life.... Move into our new home and it was manky everything needed cleaned... and on further inspection needs a new kitchen and new bathrooms... we didnt really inspect it fully when we viewed it so i can totally understand..

Just read your update op. I’m glad you’ve decided to go through with the purchase. The issues you described seem mostly cosmetic and in my experience pretty normal unfortunately. Average Joe lives like this and probably cares even less once the house is sold.
Remember the reasons you bought it - location, layout etc are more important than cosmetic stuff and cleanliness.

You can soon hire a team of cleaners.

In Scotland you wouldn't get to view the property again until the contracts were in place. The reason for this is so that buyers don't see things they missed previously and pull out.

I agree with this wise comment.

I think 3 viewings is a bit excessive if I’m honest. Were currently selling ours and have the couple buying visiting again soon and I’ve said to them please excuse the mess as we’ve already started packing ( we get keys to new place sooner than having to sell ours).

Im going to leave a paint chart with the colours I’ve painted as it is a ready to move into house we’ve spent a fortune on everything, but no doubt in the time from the first viewing to now it will have some marks and might not be as tidy as I kept it for viewings.

You clearly loved the house, go with it as I’m sure you’ll have the same experience with another house I’ve never moved into a perfectly ready house, it’s always needed cleaning and touch ups.

Good luck. It is stressful but try think of why your buying it in the first place x

Don't buy it then and walk away. Simple solution.

Next time you buy a house get a proper survey and open all wardrobes and cupboards.

Stop wasting time and money and other people's time and money. You'll be down about 5 grand but chalk it up to experience

OR

You could just go ahead with the sale. With no further deductions.