In budget..at last.

lostinrates

oldMcDonald wrote: »

Ok, I thanked all your posts on this thread, hopefully it will help your thanks / post ratio

I understand exactly what is going through your mind. After putting a lot on hold in order to get some decent savings behind us I am so peed at all the government is doing at the moment - buying a house and being able to step back from all of this seems so tempting, I am feeling very uncomfortable about inflation, QE....I'm sure you know the thoughts I have!

I'm going to admit to something now....we very, very nearly bought a house (well, bungalow) last week. 500 mile round trip to view it - that's how serious we were! We spent all last weekend talking the property up and then talking it down again! It took us three days to realise that, for us, it was a panic reaction and that this property was not 100% for us.

What I am trying to say is (I have had a couple of glasses of wine and know I am probably rambling here!), that for us, we were seriously looking at a property that did not tick all our 'boxes' as we were worried about inflation, QE etc., not because it was a reasonable compromise.

I'm not going to say if I think that it would be right or wrong for you to buy the property you have looked at, only you are able to truely know that, but I do think you should be very careful that you are not just falling into the same 'panic' that we did.

ROFL, thanks for the thanks.

500 miles round trip is a long way from your''own little world'location...are you particularly looking in a location so far from current home?

Its very possible thats what we are doing. Its very easy to be aware that fear might risk talking yourself out of something, less so to remain aware to it talking you INTO a urchase in this climate I guess. I felt quite confident on reading arguments that dragging our heels was right year ago. Now I don't know...deflation, hyperinflation, devaluing of the pound but the euro weakening further. I don't understand it and I'm frankly astounded at those who feel they do.

re the perfect house...I don't think the perfect house exists, really, but while I aspire to it I recognise that within reason a property can be altered, but getting a location, and for us the land, that is right and beautiful enough is important. I'm very good at home making, undaunted by living somewhere 'ugly' while paying it off content in the knowledge I can make it beautiful when we have reestablished some financial strength. I'm not scared of dirt or sledge hammers or builders, or even building, if in the meantime I can put the land and garden appropriate with minimal money I'll be happy for a good while

LydiaJ

lostinrates wrote: »

Many thanks. Personal threads are always tricky, especially in this subforum, and its hard when you feel someone might be risking a lot and you want to push them out of the path of danger

Yes, this subforum is not an easy place for a personal thread, but thank you for posting it despite that. It's ended up being a great thread on two levels - your personal dilemma about housing, but also your situation as an example of what so many other people (including me) are thinking and feeling and trying to make choices about.

I was on the point of deciding not to bother with this subforum for a while, but this thread has made me feel I don't want to give up on it altogether quite yet.

lostinrates

LydiaJ wrote: »

Yes, this subforum is not an easy place for a personal thread, but thank you for posting it despite that. It's ended up being a great thread on two levels - your personal dilemma about housing, but also your situation as an example of what so many other people (including me) are thinking and feeling and trying to make choices about.

I was on the point of deciding not to bother with this subforum for a while, but this thread has made me feel I don't want to give up on it altogether quite yet.

Thank you, what a very lovely thing to have said.:o The problem is the more of the 'good' people that give up on the forum the more likely it is to make an utter decent. I have only ever reported one post..its a hassle if you haven't got outlook or similar set up....but if I did have an easier way to report posts I think, although I'd not have said this even two months ago, I'd be repoting like crazy to try and get this board back to how it was...when I used to say to was mean but educational.

hundredk

lostinrates wrote: »

The current 'dream' house we have a 13% deposit for, at a so big I don't dare type it mulitple BUT would also lend itself to a business oppertunity for me AND DH and I could actually live together.

In the current climate, 13% equity now may well be zero equity in the not too distant... and with a new businesses too :eek:

Dan:_4

hundredk wrote: »

In the current climate, 13% equity now may well be zero equity in the not too distant... and with a new businesses too :eek:

Maybe so, maybe not. But does it really matter if your not planning in selling it for a few years?

Martinslovechild

LostInRates,

You know in your heart-of-hearts that house prices are likely to fall further in the short term. Likewise, the home of your dreams may not come around again for a fair old while.

Go with your gut instinct and best of luck with whatever you decide to do...

Davesnave

Woooow, I wouldn't like to call on this one either!

Like Old Mc D, we're being tempted now as never before, though the box-ticking isn't too great just at the moment, as one or two we might have fancied have gone under offer. DW is obviously serious though, as she actually looks through Rightmove at least once a week at the props I've saved, but I'm moving towards cautiousness. It's taken us years to get this far and I want to savour it!

So my only contribution is this little story:

Back in late '07 when we thought we'd sold and there was still some serious competition, we put a bid in on a property that ticked all the boxes, except it was in the 'wrong' place. We thought we'd get over it, not being where we'd planned to buy, but a day or two later, a new property we just couldn't ignore popped-up in our usual search area. Being naughty people, we went to see the new place and found it was a great buy for someone, though not us, so it was back to the original plan.........except....

Driving home, I had this 'Road to Damascus' moment. I looked at the wonderful landscape we were passing through and thought: 'I don't care how good that other place is; I'm not living there. I want to live here!' And that was it. When I said this to DW she replied, 'Thank God, I've been thinking the same thing!' so we 'phoned up the next day and pulled out.

As it happened, we lost our buyers, so it was all academic, but the salient point is that we'd given ourselves a 'cooling off period' and, in the current climate, I think that's what we'd do with anything we got really excited about.

Somehow, no matter how logically I try to think about things, when they are 'new' I just can't get my head around them. It was the same at college, writing essays, where all the info had to do something in my subconscious for a week or two till I could get what I thought onto the page.

Now, I'm not suggesting you wait a few weeks, but sleeping on your options for a day or two makes sense to me.....but then, I've never come across that place which gave me the 'right' feeling inside and was also within my 'sensible' budget.

Good luck with it though, whatever you decide!

lostinrates

Davesnave wrote: »

Woooow, I wouldn't like to call on this one either!

Like Old Mc D, we're being tempted now as never before, though the box-ticking isn't too great just at the moment, as one or two we might have fancied have gone under offer. DW is obviously serious though, as she actually looks through Rightmove at least once a week at the props I've saved, but I'm moving towards cautiousness. It's taken us years to get this far and I want to savour it!

So my only contribution is this little story:

Back in late '07 when we thought we'd sold and there was still some serious competition, we put a bid in on a property that ticked all the boxes, except it was in the 'wrong' place. We thought we'd get over it, not being where we'd planned to buy, but a day or two later, a new property we just couldn't ignore popped-up in our usual search area. Being naughty people, we went to see the new place and found it was a great buy for someone, though not us, so it was back to the original plan.........except....

Driving home, I had this 'Road to Damascus' moment. I looked at the wonderful landscape we were passing through and thought: 'I don't care how good that other place is; I'm not living there. I want to live here!' And that was it. When I said this to DW she replied, 'Thank God, I've been thinking the same thing!' so we 'phoned up the next day and pulled out.

As it happened, we lost our buyers, so it was all academic, but the salient point is that we'd given ourselves a 'cooling off period' and, in the current climate, I think that's what we'd do with anything we got really excited about.

Somehow, no matter how logically I try to think about things, when they are 'new' I just can't get my head around them. It was the same at college, writing essays, where all the info had to do something in my subconscious for a week or two till I could get what I thought onto the page.

Now, I'm not suggesting you wait a few weeks, but sleeping on your options for a day or two makes sense to me.....but then, I've never come across that place which gave me the 'right' feeling inside and was also within my 'sensible' budget.

Good luck with it though, whatever you decide!

Thank you Davesnave...place is so important isn't it? Maybe its partly because so much interest for you and I is what is outside and what grows and the landscape has such an impact on that that it also impacts on our souls? I have to admit its the place that is right about this. Its a reasonable location ...but proximity to a station or London wouldn't cut it if it were ugly, especially out of budget, especially out of budget by so far.

I never play the lottery and gripe a bit at DH and my mother who love to buy to buy their weekly tickets, but this weekend...oh crikey, I almost cried when we didn't win, lol.

oldMcDonald

lostinrates wrote: »

500 miles round trip is a long way from your''own little world'location...are you particularly looking in a location so far from current home?

Yes, the area we went to look at is the area we are planning to move to! It was a b***er of a drive with two Springer Spaniels and 5 kids - you only do that kind of thing if you are serious!!

oldMcDonald

LydiaJ wrote: »

I was on the point of deciding not to bother with this subforum for a while, but this thread has made me feel I don't want to give up on it altogether quite yet.

Even though there is a lot of 'heated discussions' and many accusations of sock puppeteering (sp? looks wrong!) here, there are also many helpful and informative posts that make this subforum worth not giving up on:)

*Edit to add - sorry for the two posts, one after the other. I have no idea how to quote two users posts in one of my own - anyone care to PM me a quick 'how to'? I would appreciate it!