Updated****16/3 i've got one! I'm stressed, can't find anything to buy

spirit

I'm not overly fussy either, all I want is a 2 or 3 bed semi with driveway and garage. There must be hundreds of them in the area I'm looking in but they are just not up for sale!

My buyers only put in an offer on my house 10 days ago and have already had their survey done here. So I have to get a wiggle on.

I'm constantly badgering the agents to see if they are taking anything on. I saw a house today but it's just too much work, kitchen, bathroom, fascias etc etc. Also it's a non standard construction which for me is a deal breaker.

My mortgage is all ready, i'm just porting this one over and have been in to the BS today to get everything ready.

I just need a house now

Rant over

tootsmyboots

can you rent for 6 months to take the pressure off? We did just that and the rent was cheaper than our previous mortgage. We could then look without pressure and were in a better position with no chain below us? Just a thought, it worked for us cos we bought a house that needed work and did it up while we finished our rental period.

If you are under pressure to buy you might rush in and buy one "that will do" rather than the house for you which might not even be on the market yet. Spring is around the corner and new houses seem to be coming on every day round our county right now.

just a thought. mortgages often allow you to have a period where they will honour your rates etc if you buy again within a certain timescale

spirit

I think i might struggle to find something to rent as i have 3 cats. I agree that for many renting would make sense but not for me unfortunately.

I do have to be careful not to jump into the next available house. the agents keep sending me totally unsuitable stuff like mid terraces and not so nice roads simply because that's all that's left round here.

Hey ho, something will come up I hope.

angel1976

I'm with you! Should we start a support thread?

We ARE fussy. We are moving from a starter 2-bedroom home and we want a family home for the next 10 years (no pressure then!). There's nothing available. An average of one house a week that fits our criteria is going on the market and most are not suitable. We need to be near a good state primary school as we now have two little boys.

Our buyer has already had the survey done too. Yikes!

tootsmyboots

well I guess you can just keep your buyers up to date with your search and then they will know you are seriously looking. Just make sure you dont settle. Compromise is fine, but not settle when you have to live there for however long to come. I'm a big believer in gut feeling when you walk into the right house, as long as you second view and check everything out again. I said in another post, I had written off the house I am sat in right now, but my agent persuaded me to have a look and here I am! Good luck, just look at everything in and just above your price range.

We had a cat when renting and initially we agreed to have the carpets prof cleaned etc, but then we found somewhere with a warm secure outbuilding and put her in that. She didnt mind at all, we made it very cosy for her.

harmy

spirit wrote: »

I'm not overly fussy either, all I want is a 2 or 3 bed semi with driveway and garage. There must be hundreds of them in the area I'm looking in but they are just not up for sale!

My buyers only put in an offer on my house 10 days ago and have already had their survey done here. So I have to get a wiggle on.

I'm constantly badgering the agents to see if they are taking anything on. I saw a house today but it's just too much work, kitchen, bathroom, fascias etc etc. Also it's a non standard construction which for me is a deal breaker.

My mortgage is all ready, i'm just porting this one over and have been in to the BS today to get everything ready.

I just need a house now

Rant over

where are you located? not wearside by any chance?

poppysarah

You could do a leaflet drop on the streets you like

SuzieSue

poppysarah wrote: »

You could do a leaflet drop on the streets you like

Yes, there was a thread on here a few weeks ago with tips. You should try and find it.

SuzieSue

Here you go:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3045234

spirit

angel1976 wrote: »

I'm with you! Should we start a support thread?

We ARE fussy. We are moving from a starter 2-bedroom home and we want a family home for the next 10 years (no pressure then!). There's nothing available. An average of one house a week that fits our criteria is going on the market and most are not suitable. We need to be near a good state primary school as we now have two little boys.

Our buyer has already had the survey done too. Yikes!

It's quite disheartening isn't it angel. Last night another agent told me about a house they have just taken on so I walked round to look at it. It sounded just the thing when he described it to me. It is in a nice road with nicely looked after houses in it But, the house is on the 'wrong' side of the road. It sits right on the busy road I'm trying to get away from, in fact that house sits outside the 30mph zone that mine is in. why oh why couldn't it have been one of those on the other side of the street!

I'm actually downsizing from a 3 bed semi to a 2 bed so really to a FTB type property. To the poster who asked where, I am in Berkshire.

hazyjo

All I can suggest is to try a different area.

We were absolutely set on one estate in one town, but we lost two houses there (firstly we couldn't sell in time, then when we did find another one, the chain collapsed and we lost it). Then the house prices rose so much that we just couldn't afford it (yes, this is still the case there in 2011!).

We decided to incorporate another area into our search, and found something perfect immediately.

Any other towns you've previously had as a maybe which would now be worth a look?

Failing that, I agree with renting. I've got two cats and said a flat no to renting, but if we'd not found this house and we got a buyer, we would have done. The market was far worse than I'd anticipated, and it would have had to be our next step/compromise. A lot of LLs allow cats but not dogs - worth looking into. Don't accept what the EA tells you either (if you use one to find a rental), make sure you actually get to see a lease or contract before you get too far down the line with it!

Unless houses in your area/street are flying off the shelves, you should think very carefully before risking losing your buyer.

We had a buyer then the top of our chain collapsed, and we were told by the EA she was happy to hang on until the people we were buying off found somewhere else. Then out of the blue, she pulled out on us and we were back to square one. Not a nice feeling, and a pain in the proverbial having to go through the viewings again, keeping the house tidy... not to mention taking a huge whack off our asking price and accepting a much lower offer than before.

Jx