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Original poster

The 'We want to buy a house' support group

245 replies

fruitstick · 16/09/2009 22:55

For like minded souls who are having trouble buying a house even though the property market is supposed to be on its knees.

We've had a vendor pull our, been gazumped and are horrified by the complete lack of any houses for sale at all.

So come share your woes here.

OP posts:
Original poster
fruitstick · 16/09/2009 22:59

I had an interesting conversation with an estate agent today (I am coming to know them all very well ).

Essentially he said that there are 5 couples in the area all in our position (renting, big deposit) who are all after exactly the same house in the same price bracket. 2 of these couples have bought something recently so that only leaves 3. Hopefully they too will start to fall by the wayside which will just leave us!

There are no houses coming onto the market as people are having valuations but then are disappointed with the result and so choosing to wait a bit longer. Any house that does come on the market is either snapped up immediately or noone wants it and it hangs around for months.

He also said that a property sale with another estate agent had recently fallen through because the surveyor had valued the property at £90k less than they were offering so they walked away.

At the end of all this I think I might actually become an estate agent!

OP posts:
Rox73 · 17/09/2009 11:51

Hi, we're in a similar boat, we've had our first buyers pull out, we've now exchanged on our house, been gazumped, found a second house but now the survey report has come back with lots of problems with the house and also the sellers are stripping the place! So a house we thought we were paying top dollar to live in relatively problem free is turning into a money pit with problems we'll need to fix straight away.

I don't know if we should stay with it or pull out and rent.

Scottie22 · 17/09/2009 13:50

It's all good fun isn't it

We've been trying to buy a house for years but keep getting put off by the economic uncertainty and by stories of people in NE that can't afford to sell or move. It's all very frustrating as all we want is a roof over our heads that is not dicatated by a landlord - not really too much to ask is it??

We live in a village and there is nothing on the market other than a few very overpriced houses on a new development (horrible!)

Think the next few months will prove very interesting for the housing market - I just wish we could find something suitable and get on with our lives!!

rebl · 17/09/2009 18:33

Solicitor telling me that our sale is progressing fine. They're an odd couple but nice and seemingly more money than sense in that they've now had 3 surveys done! Giving us no pressure at all which is nice and good considering the purchase!

Purchase, still no draft contract received. Survey back and more investigations needed. I think we're going to be renegiotiating purchase price and that makes my heart sink considering how long it took to get this price agreed in the 1st place. Still, onwards until we're either upwards or at a brick wall I guess .

plus3 · 17/09/2009 18:42

hello would love to buy a house,but are in SE with not a big enough deposit Saving madly, but fear everything will go escalate again before we are ready.

Umlellala · 18/09/2009 09:49

Ohhh can I join...

Our vendors wanted to move beg of September. So we rushed through the lease extension on our place (spending over £2,000 more for the privilege) but their solicitor neglected to read any bloody forms and talk to them about implication of not having building regs or landlord consent (is a leasehold house). And it has taken two months to get the correct consent on all their alterations. Solicitor is telling them it is us being fussy and overheard them calling us a 'pain-in-the-neck' but thankfully we have a good relationship with the vendors (estate agent useless) and it has been

ME, ME, ME

keeping it all going.

Now hoping to exchange next week - aaaghhhh. Am soooooo stressed with it.

rebl · 18/09/2009 09:58

Its so stressfull isn't Umlella.

One to make you all laugh though. This is written in our home buyers survey:
There is a wasps nest in the roof space which appears to be empty and should be cleared out.

Seriously!!! They could have removed it faster than it took to type it into the report!

NoseyHelen · 18/09/2009 10:41

Can I join in too.

We sold our house and are now in rented - which is surprisingly nice.

We were buying but we pulled out because the survey came back with c.£40k + severe asbestos contamination which was a further £17k. We had been offering our absolute maximum budget (to the penny) but when the vendor tried to squeeze a bit more out of us despite hime being aware of these additional costs, most of which we weren't trying to get off the asking price, we told him to stuff it - well we told the EA and it would be great to have heard how vendor responded.

So 20 months on and £3k down (or £6.6k down if you count the mortgage redemption we had to pay for not transferring our mortgage to new home we are back to square 1. I called 10 estate agents on Tuesday - no one has any 4 bedroom detached houses on or coming up.

MrsToffeeCrisp · 18/09/2009 11:16

Let me join you!

we accepted an offer on our house within a week, v exciting but struggling to find anywhere to move to.

We're going to rent our move in with my parents to let this sale go through quickly.

like you nosey, there seems to be a shortage of three/four bed detached properties in our area.

Feeling bit anxious about being stuck at my parents for any length of time with DH 3DC and cat and dog!!

MrsToffeeCrisp · 18/09/2009 11:17

BTW, suspect my parents are prob a bit anxious too!!

Rox73 · 18/09/2009 13:19

Where is everyone looking? I'm looking in SW London and whilst there is property for sale, they aren't close enough to feel reasonably assured that I'd get my DD1 into the nearest local school, which has put us off a number of nice houses.

noddyholder · 18/09/2009 13:21

Don't rush prices are due to rise in a bit of a mini boom with the QE amnd low interest rates staying until after the election.Then the prices will probably take a sharp fall again.Houses here in Brighton seem to have recovered their prices somewhat and are selling there aren't many on but those that are are snapped up and close to asking.

MrsToffeeCrisp · 18/09/2009 15:01

I'm in Bedfordshire. School catchments are high on my list too. I think ultimately I'm probably looking at quite a restricted area within our town and also have ruled out semis as thats what we're selling. Really narrows things down. Looked at a new build today with HUGE cracks and it looked like the staircase could collapse any minute and still found myself considering it!!

Feel a bit scared of selling at low price and if I wait too long house prices rise and we're in a tricky position.

Interesting to hear your advice noddy, if you're right it would def pay to rent something and wait.

HouseHunting · 18/09/2009 21:16

Ok, I will throw in my two penneth...

We accepted an offer mid May & since then have offered on 3 houses, which we did not get because:

  1. the OP were in rented (we had both offered asking price)

  2. our maximum offer was too low but we were encouraged by the EA to offer our maximum

  3. the OP had a 90% deposit whereas we had a 50% deposit (we had both offered the same via sealed bids)

Am totally fed up with it all. Family houses are getting snapped up in my area as there are an abundance of 2 beds but not as many 3/4/5 beds. Hence you pay a premium & the credit crunch has not affected the sale price. Looking at a 4 bed detached tomorrow but it is on a main 30mph road & we would prefer a quiet road but will have to compromise somewhere. It is within the catchemnt area for great schools.

Our buyers are being a pain in the ar*e - they have been a nightmare to get hold of each time & we are still trying to agree a completion date - if they do not get in touch tomorrow we are going to put our house back on the market next week.

jenniepanda · 19/09/2009 14:15

Can I join to? We have been on the market since June 07. We are relocating from Lancashire to Cambridgeshire. Accepted an offer in Oct 07 and found a beautiful house and all was fine til our buyers buyer pulled out and the chain collapsed. Have had very few viewings since and have just had a man from Romania making 3 very low offers, but have declined them all due to the risk of dealing with a foreign buyer.

I am soooooo fed up. We were supposed to be starting our new life nearer my family 2 years ago. Now DD1 is at school and reloating is more difficult and I only have 12 months before I have to apply for schools for DD2.

We are in a lovely 4 bed family house and I just dont understand why people don't want it!!!

Original poster
fruitstick · 21/09/2009 10:10

Viewed another house on Saturday which was lovely but had no garage and a tiny garden - so at least DH and I would both be unhappy

OP posts:
ABetaDad · 21/09/2009 10:19

WE have been looking to buy a house for 20 years. Just never found the right one.

SIgned a 2 year lease just a few months ago so Out of the market until March 2011 and will look agaIn then.

HOuses are stil far too expensive compared to wages. If people contineu lose their jobs, have no bonus or overtime is paid or their basic wage is falling as is the case for many people then I just cannot see house prices rising.

On top of that banks are less willing to lend to people who are already indebted or need a very high loan to value ratio.

It is just a case of waitng as annoying as that is. A lot of older sellers living in family sized houses now their kids have left home will eventually become forced sellers as they become ill, their partner dies or they run out of pension money.

plus3 · 21/09/2009 10:23

Absolutely agree that houses are still far too expensive compared to wages.

puffylovett · 21/09/2009 10:27

My house has been on the market for 3 weeks now, and not a sniffter. We're desperate to move

But we live in an area where not much has sold for 2 years and it's rural too so whilst desirable, not THAT desirable !

So can I join in ? I keep seeing houses on line that I love - but not in a position to even view them

globex · 21/09/2009 11:04

I want to buy a house - and I'm trying to - but the vendor is being weirdly evasive and seemingly doesn't want to sell to me!

Despite neither of us being in a chain.

Despite both of us being ready to move at any time.

Despite us paying the asking price.

ABetaDad · 21/09/2009 13:23

globex - is your seller is really still looking and has not found a house he/she really wants and until that happens they will not agree to sell to you?

Had that experience ourselves.

BroodyChook · 21/09/2009 13:34

Can I join? Our house went on the market last week. We are seeing houses we love within budget, but have to convince someone to buy ours first. We live in an area with a lot of similair properties to ours (detatched, new build), and luckily have a good sized plot. However, it's also an area with a high level of recent redundancies, so we may be up for a while

monkeychambers · 21/09/2009 13:51

Can I join also? I am going through a manic phase of clearing out all our clutter so that we can hopefully be on the market at the end of the month. (Hoping to move asap! aren't we all) Currently waiting for a couple of quotes to come through about some damp that needs resolving (post strike not helping.

A quick question for those ahead of me - how did you do your Hip Packs. I have found a company on-line that do them for £160 approx. This seems cheap and I'm worried that there is a catch.

Anyone willing to point me in the right direction?

Rox73 · 21/09/2009 14:00

we used an online company to do the hip for around the same price and they were fine.

there was a thread on online hips a couple of months ago.

we used hips4u.com

puffylovett · 21/09/2009 14:03

monkey - i'd go for it, the only catch being that it might take longer for it to be done. I went with Hips4U they were fine, but charged an extra £20 to get the HIP done within a week

Abetadad - that seems odd, given that most people won't want to accept an offer on a property unless they know their buyer has a firm sale in place ! Although I suppose it really depends on your location, it seems like things are moving a lot faster in the south.

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