What do you do if you cant find a house you like (& youve sold yours...)?

love_lifer

as in the title, my sale is moving ahead nicely but I cant find something I love/like. I've viewed about 15, offered on 2, and withdrawn when i realized they weren't suitable and i was panicking. Im leaving the area not my house, so everything seems less lovely than my current home.
my options are: panic buy; rent with acquaintance; get a camper van or caravan; other I've not thought of


I have 3 cats 2 dogs so that makes it tricky re renting. or impossible


any thoughts? anyone else been in a similar position?

Daerve

Renting is possible but obviously your choices are greatly limited. Dogs trust has a page about renting with pets.

I would not panic buy, ever. A tent would be preferable to panic buying.

How flexible is your buyer? They may be happy to wait.

love_lifer

thanks. yes I know I shouldn't panic buy its just ive not moved for over 20 years and im completely out of practice. I haven't discussed with the buyer- I don't want to lose him, and he wants to move quickly. will talk to the estate agent again

Daerve

love_lifer wrote: »

thanks. yes I know I shouldn't panic buy its just ive not moved for over 20 years and im completely out of practice. I haven't discussed with the buyer- I don't want to lose him, and he wants to move quickly. will talk to the estate agent again

I suppose it depends how sellable your house is, if you believe it won't be a problem finding another buyer then tell them wait or walk away.

If the market your way is hard then I'd be very wary of losing a committed buyer.

G_M

love_lifer wrote: »

as in the title, my sale is moving ahead nicely....

I'm assuming your title is therefore actually misleading.You have not sold your house.

What do you do if you cant find a house you like

Clearly you stay where you are.

jackomdj

It is getting out of season now, are there any holiday lets that you could rent for a period of time (OH's Aunty did just this in Jan/Feb for about 7 weeks).

Doing this means the sale goes through and you aren't tied to a long let. If you are moving areas you are probably keen not to lose the sale.

Davesnave

love_lifer wrote: »

I have 3 cats 2 dogs so that makes it tricky re renting. or impossible


any thoughts? anyone else been in a similar position?

We were in a similar position, but with 2 cats and 2 ferrets. Even in the city, we found 3 rental properties that suited in 24 hours, thanks to a liberal 6 months rent up front and an offer of extra deposit for the cats. (Ferrets live outdoors, but they give the wrong message to some people ;-) We visited all the agencies in person to show them we were very normal and nice! :cool:

Two of the properties weren't great cosmetically, but they were adequate, and both were huge enough to avoid storage fees; a definite plus.

We expected to be in the rental for > 6 months as our buying criteria were pretty far-ranging. However, we also hoped the cost would be cancelled-out by doing a good deal as proceedable buyers. This is what happened, as we found someone with a suitable property who needed to sell quickly to relocate for a new job. Total time in rental = 9 months.

love_lifer

thanks for the helpful comments. im in an area where prices are dropping so im wary of losing this buyer and he's ready to move asap (1st time buyer)
I've googled for pet friendly lets and turned up nothing. think I have to suck it up and rent with acquaintance. not ideal for many reasons but beggars cant be choosers


I think this has raised for me also how ambivalent I feel about the city I live in- Bradford. its heading down the pan but ive spent more than half my life here and am reluctant to start again somewhere new

Davesnave

love_lifer wrote: »

I've googled for pet friendly lets and turned up nothing. think I have to suck it up and rent with acquaintance. not ideal for many reasons but beggars cant be choosers

You can't do it all on the blimmin' computer!

This is why I emphasised the need for personal visits to agencies. Most of them write 'no pets., no DSS,' or whatever, but the reality can be different, at their discretion.

Obviously, someone who turns up in slashed jeans, covered in tattoos and trailing a staffie is going to be wasting their time, as is someone who wants a newly decorated place with cream carpets, but there's wriggle room....sometimes.

I'm not saying it will work for you, but it worked for us, and I'm talking 3 different agencies in 24 hours, posh city, way out of Bradford's league.

jamei305

Don't do what I did which was rent but end up renting for two years in order to find somewhere suitable meanwhile watching house prices in the local area surge by 25%.

love_lifer

ok. so visits to agents are worth it. I haven't moved for 24 years so I am out of practice. and I have a staffy so lets hope the prejudice is limited. unlikely sadly


ha jamei i'm watching prices rise already, so yes I heed your warning and hope you're happy in your new place