Higher mortgage, higher debt and a shell of a house.

tesuhoha

I know that I am relatively lucky compared to others but I am not feeling very happy tonight. Today we went to see the house we are moving to in about 3 weeks time. I had only seen it once before on a winter's day and I assumed that was why it was so dark. However, today it was a bright summer day and that house was dark, chill, dirty. We came back here and the house is full of light. To cut a long story short, this area is known as Stab City and noone wants to live here. It has gone down dramatically. When we moved here 19 years ago, it was a reasonable family area and this house in those days was worth more than the house we are buying. Over the years OH has done this house up and its beautiful, if you could see it, well, its got solid wood flooring throughout, new windows, lovely well proportioned rooms, a beautiful fully tiled kitchen and bathroom. Fitted wardrobes in every room. Everywhere is neutral with splashes of vivid colour and plants. We have a huge lawned garden full of mature trees. However, the area has got so bad its taken us a year to sell this house. The estate agent overpriced it and its a long story. Anyway, we are about to sign the contracts for the sale and so we decided to go and have anotehr look at the house and I felt so depressed when I went in there. Its in a very good area, but the garden is small and unattractive, North facing. The house needs everything done to it, a total rewire, replumb, new floors, it has no kitchen, no internet connection, no cable tv, the bathroom is for a geriatric, I dont know how the old woman managed to live, the decor is drab, horribleand it smells. It feels small and poky. The third bedroom is like a cupboard. It needs 2 extensions. I dont like it at all. So anyway when I got home I suggested to OH that we stay here and not buy the house at all and pay off all our debts in a year and then move. He got very angry and said that its taken this long to sell the house, next year we may not be able to sell at all. He said the area is going down, the yobbos outside all have knives and we wont get as much by this time next year. The sellers pack is coming out next year which will make it even harder to sell in this area. He said weve hardly got any equity as it is and we're not getting any younger, if we dont move now we will never get out of here. Whats more the house we sold to move here is now out of our range. (we came from Letchworth in Hertfordshire). I wrote down the extent of our debt and told him that it would increase to £21,000 with the move and we wont have any money to renovate the house. He said that I had agreed that we would not do any work to the house till all the debts were paid off; we will just have to live like it but I feel like I cant bear to live like that for 2 years and then to have to suffer all the building work (we've done it twice already from scratch, but moved not for profit, but because the first time was because of debt and OHs job and this time we feel driven out, too frightened to stay.) I will have to get rid of all the food in the house because I cant put any food in that kitchen; we will just have to live from day to day. We've looked and looked on the internet but we feel that after all the hard work we have done on this house, that we should at least be getting something as good as this, but there is nothing. Because this area is so bad, other far inferior houses are fetching more in better areas and we just dont feel like starting all over again with a not so good house. OH said the one we are buying is a bargain because the guy just wants his inheritance so he did not stick out for the higher price he could have got. There is nothing else around which is so good. I am probably going to get a lot of stick for this and I know I am selfish but I feel I am trapped in a no win situation. OH wont move anywhere else or stay here and we will have a higher mortgage, more debt and a really cr......y house for years because we have no money. However, as I speak I can hear someone moving around in the garden and it is really giving me the creeps. I can hear lots of strange noises. All in all I am feeling pants.

tesuhoha

PS I'm not looking for sympathy; just wanted a moan.

CLAPTON

we moved into a house that was dark drap dismal and as young son said 'smells'

it now full off light, laughter and happiness and if it smells, it smells of us.

hope the same for you

sophiesmum_2

hi Tesuhoha
Seems like you are in a bit of a no win situation at the moment.
The new house is probably feeling a little neglected if an old lady has been living there alone. Once you move in you will be able to put your own stamp on the place and brighten it up. It doesn't sound like you are happy where you are at present - at least you will have peace of mind in the new house,and the rest you can fix as you go along.
Good Luck
sophiesmum

CosmoCat

sometimes putting your own stamp on a property doesn't require any money at all, it just requires you living there and bringing your spirit into the home.

if you move there, please move there with a light and happy heart, eyes firmly fixed on your goals. that positive energy will soon infuse the house with all the light it needs.

(((((hugs))))) to you while you're feeling down.

Orchid

hi Tesuhoha

How about still selling the house but instead of buying, then rent until you find a house you like?

Just bank the equity from the sale in a high interest bank account, you will bwe treated as a cash buyer for the next house and in a much stronger bargaining position.

Good luck

gallygirl

tesuhoha wrote:

To cut a long story short, this area is known as Stab City and noone wants to live here. ... as I speak I can hear someone moving around in the garden and it is really giving me the creeps. I can hear lots of strange noises.

Tes, that says it all. The new area will be safe and you can make it a home.

I know you don't want to take on more debt, but with your MSE attitude you'll be able to do it all for much less than before. I've lived in a bad area, and sometimes I was relieved when a fight started, cos at least I wasn't lying there wondering when it WOULD start.

I can't guarante you won't regret moving, you may or may not. But I CAN guarantee you WILL regret it if you DON'T move. It may take 2 years to do what you wnat to do to it, but I feel those 2 years will pass a lot more quickly than if you stay where you are.

Chin up, hopefully things will look better this morning. Go for another drive round today, look at all the lovely houses and picture yours looking like that soon.

ali x

summerday

Hi hun,

People always say its best to live in the worst house in the bast street, than the nicest house in a bad area. My personal opinion is that you should go ahead with the move. As other posters have said, you could transform this house- it's amazing what a new househould and a few licks of paint can do. Don't overwhelm yourself too much with all that needs doing- try to see it all as an exciting project to make this a beautiful house, take lots of 'before' pics when you first move in and as you make improvements you will get a huge sense of satisfaction in seeing how creative and clever you've been.

Best of luck, you can do it!
Sarah x

in*the*red_6

Tes, reading your post what Orchid has said what what I was thinking too. If you have a buyer and your area is as bad as you say, I would definitely cut and run now. But... can you really live in that house for 2 years in the state it is and then save to do the renovations? I would say no way. We moved from a new house with everything done to one that needed a lot of cosmetic work and new heating, new doors etc (but kitchen, bathroom etc were ok). That has cost us a lot as it is. For ages after we moved in I absolutely hated the place because of the decor etc and there are still areas e.g. my brown lounge that get me down because I'd just love to have the money to do it all up. 20 months on I'm happier but that is only because we have spent the money we have and I know I can now wait until the debt's paid off to do anything more.
Hope this makes sense (it's still early) but I would think about finding somewhere to rent short-term and look for a better house that needs less work to buy.

halloweenqueen_2

Get in open the windows, feel safer and buy a big tub of magnolia!! Maybe some of it is to do with leaving what you know and love. Give yourself 3 years, if you still feel the same in 3 years then think about moving again.

chatty123

we too had lived in our previous home for 21 years, had done everything possible to the house and were very happy..also we were looking forward to being mortgage free in a couple years..over a few months we began to see the area surrounding us deteriorate rapidly and sometimes felt afraid to venture out after dark.. we decided then to sell up whilst we had a chance and get out..our new home tripled our mortgage and had no heating, needed rewire, new bathroom, new kitchen etc. but from the day we moved we could honestly say it felt like home.. to be able to sleep peacefully and not have to worry about what was happening outside with the only sound to wake you up was the birds singing .. well that is priceless..GO FOR IT AND TAKE THAT MOVE BECAUSE IN A FEW MONTHS THE OLD HOUSE COULD BE WORTHLESS.