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 ?

Intrigued with this thread; it took 2 years for my last house to sell (marital home post divorce). It had to be pristine all the time, which was exhausting, but also basic stuff like clean kitchen and bathroom, yeah I thought that was essential. The people we sold to eventually only got a good deal as we were at the end of our tether. I imagine when all the furniture was out, after 30+ years, it didn't look so great but they didn't really seemed concerned about the "look" of it and I've since heard that they ripped everything out in any case regardless of how old it was.

But viewing as a buyer has been completely different. Not even basic cleanliness in many properties; you literally cannot understand why someone would try to sell their house with a large selection of moulds in the bathroom, all colours of the rainbow, chipped laminate, black paintwork and so on. So who sets the standards for cleanliness? Surely an estate agent should say look I suggest you do A, b and C before we have the first viewings.

Generally though, I'd say if you want the house, you want it - location, size etc, can't be changed but stuff can be cleaned. If you feel it needs a new kitchen and you don't want to buy one then definitely pull out. But if you feel the freezer needing defrosting being a good reason then I think you'd be better off getting a new build!

Yes id be worried.

I'm sick to the back teeth of DIY, we had to rip out the kitchen, the whole place was filthy etc etc when we moved in, and we have 2 young children so it's been a mission.

It's a basic thing to clean before a viewing.

You've worked hard for your money, if you don't feel right, leave it and walk away. Find somewhere else that needs no work.

Sounds like a lot of very poor standard 'do it yourself' work has been done and you're going to have to spend a lot of time, energy and money putting it right if you continue with the purchase.

This.
When I moved into my current house, I was astounded by how dirty it was. How did the previous owners allow it to get like that (they are young and active)?
I hadn't noticed it on the 2 previous viewings. My family and I got to work on the cleaning and I am very pleased that I bought it.
When I moved out of my previous home, I ensured that it was thoroughly cleaned.
I simply don't understand why someone would leave a home that they are vacating in an unclean state.

I just think you’re getting the last minute colliwobbles. We are moving and I’m the same. DH is super keen but I have a crisis every now and then that it’s the wrong house and we are making a mistake. Fortunately he won’t let us back out as he loves the house. I’m sure once you are in and make it your own you’ll be very happy.

Really just sounds like you're looking for someone to back you up on being a nightmare buyer who comes up with all sorts to drop the price at the last minute, counting on the pressure to get the seller to agree. If you were my buyer I'd pull out unless you offered me more for the hassle of dealing with you.
There's really no excuse for your behaviour, you've had 2 visits and a survey already (or did you just get the cheapest kind because you sound like that?) so your nit picking now is just tacky and common.

I think cleanliness is fine- you can get a cleaner in.
kitchen is bigger problem.. is it really that bad or are you just catastrophising? X

We viewed 3 times before completing on our current home. It was much older and quirkier than our previous home and beautifully, though not obviously, staged. We'd arranged to have the carpets cleaned before moving in but until we were actually in didn't notice how grubby it was. Not absolute filth but guessing, apart from floor cleaning and a wipe around the shower, very little proper cleaning had been done for maybe a couple of years. Yet we didn't notice! And the kitchen wasn't perfectly fitted.

We just set about cleaning when we had the time and energy to do so. If we'd had the funds we would have had cleaners in.

Good luck.

YES!! Of course it should be clean fgs.

She could, but a thorough decent clean of a property of around 1400sq ft would be around £1200 - £1500, and why should op be unexpectedly out of pocket when it is stipulated in the contract that the property be left in a clean condition?

What survey did you have? If it was a decent survey it would pick up anything structural. If it is just dirty and you cannot face this, then the obvious option might be to hire a cleaner as a one off and get them to go all the way through, taking out anything beyond repair such as badly soiled carpets. If you basically think they are unreliable sellers, then pull out, but a bit of dirt would not put me off. I would have just factored it into my offer.

Meh, I wouldn't worry about the cleanliness (or lack thereof), I'd expect to have to do a deep clean on any new house. Kitchen can surely be fixed? But bottom line, if you're having serious doubts then you can still back out.

Walk away. You don’t need that shit.

The person might have got some life threatening illness so that's why they didn't clean. It's only dirt.

How much money would it cost you to have professionals clean it? As for the kitchen being poorly fitted, well you saw it twice before.

Why are you leaving your lovely house?

Op it sounded like you didn’t want to have to do diy/ work on it- just remember contrary to what a lot of people say it’s never too late to pull out- you sounded like your gut was telling you it wasn’t what you thought it was. Never be afraid to listen to your gut, I know too many people now trying to sell a house/ apartment they jumped very quickly for

Agree with this. Most kitchens have wear and tear after three years - I know mine does, despite my best efforts to keep it absolutely perfect. An iced-up freezer isn't a serious problem. When I moved into this house, it needed a lot more work than I expected (complete rewiring for a start, all carpets replacing, completely repainting, new kitchen, new bathroom) but it was still a good house for the price and I am glad I bought it. It sounds like you're actually looking for reasons to drop out of this sale, OP.

I had similar. By the time I got to the kitchen I was teary as I loved it. Only viewed once and moved in six months after viewing. 100s of miles move. So many things to sort, not clean, make do DIY. But, I've been in a year. I've done lots, still loads to do and I've made peace with it. It will get done and if not, I'll prioritise.

We once bought a house and had to spend about a month deep cleaning every room. It was disgusting. The strange thing was, the vendors were only moving literally next door (into a smaller house) so they could see us day after day cleaning. I would have been mortified in their shoes but they didn't care.

That said, I wouldn't not buy a place because of a bit of cleaning, but I would worry that you haven't picked up the state of the kitchen and DIY before now. Sounds like you might be ending up with a project you hadn't planned on.

I’m not sure if my comments will be particularly helpful, but I wanted to give a slightly different perspective.

I was selling my house due to divorce, I’d left him due to DA and so he was still living in the house whilst I was sofa surfing and living out of boxes, as was our DD. I think the fact she didn’t have a “proper” bed was a bargaining chip to convince me to go back home tbh. I used to go round and clean/tidy before viewings because he didn’t, he used to do things like not even bother to empty the cat litter tray and leave dirty casserole dishes in the oven that had started to go mouldy.

When the house sold he gave up even more (he’d moved his new girlfriend in at this point and I often wondered what the hell she thought of everything). When I was going round to start packing my things there’d be random bad “surprises” like the toilet bowl cracked, the kitchen sink blocked, or damp in the bathroom so he’d obviously not bothered to turn the extractor fan on. The garden was a jungle, I paid a gardener a couple of times when it was still for sale to just try and make it look decent. And he practically banned me from the house towards the end because I was a “vile, toxic woman and he was so much better without me and he hoped one day I looked in the mirror and realised what I’d thrown away”.

I was honestly petrified my buyers were going to pull out, and I sent them a message after apologising because I couldn’t believe how dirty it was on moving day. I posted a thread on here at the time because I was even off work with the stress of it because he just didn’t seem to want to pack, and I wasn’t welcome in the house, it was one of the worst times of my life. Either I did something really good in a past life to pull it off, or they did something really bad in a past life to deserve it haha, but they got a bargain. It’s an absolute tragedy really, because the house was at one point gorgeous, when the estate agent valued it she said it had a very “unloved” feeling to it.

I’m not saying you HAVE to go through with it, but if it’s mainly that it’s dirty I’d probably just hire a cleaner to do a deep clean. And I just kinda wanted to say people are weird, is she purposely not cleaning anything because she doesn’t want to move out and it’s rebellion against her ex?

If you think about the cost of moving then cleanliness really isn't an issue. You could pay for a cleaner to do the whole house deep cleaning for less than the cost of your survey or the searches. The standard of diy and the kitchen is more concerning. If you genuinely will have to (be honest with yourself) rip it out and replace then that's an expensive job. However, if it's actually some niggles (wonky cupboard doors etc) then a good handyman will sort it out, again that will be a bargain compared to a survey, for example.
You are totally able to negotiate now, I wouldn't raise cleanliness though. I'd raise jobs you'll actually need to do e.g. kitchen work, fixing diy etc.
No, she doesn't have to leave it clean (nor does he if he lives there) and I always factor in a full house deep clean either done by me or a cleaner if budget allows. Yes they can't have totally fabricated/destroyed something but it can be (and will be) a bit grubby. Don't panic, it always looks bad on move in day where furniture has left marks, movers have trodden through dirt, fittings have been removed or taken down, art has gone from the walls - it soon sorts itself out once settled in

Honestly, walk. My partner has bought another home, 2hrs drive away. We knew it needed a lot of work but the reality is just horrible. As well as it being hard to find tradesmen who are available and as we're finding out, finishing the work and we've not anywhere near us being able to decorate and make it liveable yet.

We're nearing retirement and I think this house is going to take 2 years to make it home. Yes, my partner regrets it because there's one thing on picking stuff up on viewing and surveyor, it's quite another once there and time to inspect. There's loads more wrong with it than original thought and it's having a snowball effect. If your home is full of bodge jobs, I bet there are many more you don't know yet.

I think you need to sit down and make a list of pros and cons and look at the following questions.

How much will you lose if you pull out now?

What else is on the market that might suit?

Even if the vendor cleans, it probably won't be to your standard, how much for a professional deep clean?

How much for a new kitchen? Do you have a good builder? How long will it take?

Only you and your DH know how much extra work and stress you are prepared to put up with, or how much it will annoy you to buy the wrong place.

We are in a city in a long Victorian terrace , never able to park outside and HMOs popping up everywhere. It’s a long road of 300 houses either side .
My mobility isn’t great I’ve had a knee replacement , lots of arthritis and a brain disease which causes a lot of pain so on medication . I’m due to retire in 5 years and I’ve had an inheritence which means we can now move to somewhere quieter with a drive for our cars, and an easier lifestyle heading towards retirement , it’s also closer for my husband for his job.

I am a clean but sometimes untidy person as I have ADHD , but also am slightly OCD which obviously adds to my anxiety about the dirt .
The house is a bungalow with a converted roof , it ticked all the boxes of what we were after . I’ve been wanting to move for years but never had the money what with kids growing up and us struggling for money We have been here 30 years and it’s going to be a wrench .Someone touched on the fact about having doubts and it being normal , glad I’m not the only one .
I did expect a comments either way, some agreeing with me it's reasonable to expect someone to clean up a bit before your buyer was coming back , but to seemingly not clean or tidy it after our second viewing and let everything go knowing we were coming to check it over with the survey and H10 list (which tells you what they are taking and leaving) is a bit strange ….maybe not?
As I said before , we can overlook everything and put money into it , it’s got the extension we wanted and enough room to have our family round . We did pay the going rate for the house , in fact it was a bit more than what we were looking at , I think if we had seen the hidden work that needed doing we would of offered less but we are not going back now .
Thanks for the mostly helpful and constructive comments , a few from people who just like to be nasty and hurtful but if that’s their personality I guess it makes for an interesting debate .

Honestly I would think very carefully about whether you want to take on this property. If they've bodged the kitchen then it makes me wonder what other dodgy DIY shortcuts are waiting to be discovered once you're in there.

It being dirty is easily fixed but it does all add up to the property not being especially well cared for.

Not sure how long it is since you fitted your kitchen but just to warn you, everything has got a lot more expensive in the last few years. I was quite shocked at how much our new kitchen cost in the end.

It's definitely a buyer's market at the moment so remember that puts you in a strong position.