Is anything more stressful than house selling/buying?

correll

Hanpop, I agree. It is the stress of being at the mercy of other people.

since our first buyers pulled out a month after we should have exchanged we have been very stressed

when we got our 'cash buyer' we thought it would be a quick sale till the surveyor turned up for the mortgage valuation.

we now just panic that our vendor will get fed up of waiting

Albala

Last time, bought and sold together, a few hiccups in a fairly long chain and a switch of property at one point due to a bad survey, but no worse. I'd say, probably normal w.r.t. stress for a chain. Could have done without the stress, but nothing too awful.


This time, one transaction, no chain either side, no lender, and a complete ******* nightmare. So far, nearly seven months. We are nearly done, but there is still a lingering possibility of trouble. I have hated it. Even today another irritation cropped up about it. I'm just about at the end of my tether tonight. As it is with most of us, it's not the only stressful part of my life either. If we'd been selling at the same time, we'd have had to have walked away months ago. If it hadn't been the right house for us, I'd have told everyone involved on the 'other side' to go forth and multiply long since.



We still have to sell, but we have a little more control over that (I hope).

Moneysaving222

Your kid being ill is more stressful

phoebe1989seb

Another who hasn't found the process particularly stressful here, but then I'm a weirdo who always enjoyed exams, lol

We've bought and sold several times (eight?) and usually it's been pretty straightforward, I think like a previous poster because we price realistically even though we tend to be selling properties we've invested a lot in - both financially and emotionally - as most were purchased as fixer uppers.

The time before last (2014) was harder than some as both our dads had just passed away and my mum was also very ill. Nonetheless we managed to go from on the market to completion on new (to us) home 200 miles away in about 14 weeks. Admittedly it was a chain of only four.

Our most recent move was what most would call the sale/purchase from hell, as we put our home into auction where despite masses of interest/viewings and a rock bottom price (considerably less than we'd paid) it failed to sell. We were looking to relocate long distance (again) and had really believed it would sell on the day and we'd be in our new home by Christmas. In the end we sold to a couple who'd wanted it when we purchased and who loved it so much they paid above the auction reserve. We just had to wait a bit longer. Then the house we wanted fell through and we completed with nowhere to move to.

In the end we bought a [STRIKE]wreck[/STRIKE] repossession, the process of which came with its own set of issues and although it all went through quickly (cash buyers), we moved into a property with no water supply, amongst other things. For the first three months - till we had a borehole installed - we were filling water bottles in the stream for flushing the loo, lol, and it was eight months before we brought our stuff out of storage.

If it wasn't for the fact we love it here, I'd be happy to do it all again tomorrow :eek:

Davesnave

I didn't find buying/selling our first two houses stressful.

Selling the 3rd house was stressful due to the Crash, which kicked-in when we lost our first buyers to the Northern Rock implosion.

Suddenly, we were inside this weird world of tanking prices, drunken, sobbing estate agents and scary newspaper headlines. In the agent's back office one afternoon, he declared, "We're all nice blokes, but just bottom-lickers really; none of us has a clue when it comes to selling. Houses here have always just sold themselves!"

Unsurprisingly, the agency folded, but we learned much about other agents and the local scene in that final, crazy week; none of it making us feel good.

Long story short: 3 sales and 2 purchases fell through.

It was very frustrating, but we didn't need to sell, so our situation was easier than that for those who did. However, with the world in financial turmoil, we reasoned there'd be exceptional opportunities, if only we could steer through the chaos. Eventually, we did a deal with a couple who were also trapped, both of us taking serious price hits to get the chain together.

With a general dearth of the property we sought, rented accommodation followed. That wasn't in the original script either.

So, yes, it was stressful and we became wiser people as a result, but still easier than several other life events.

oystercatcher

I've found family health problems / imminent bereavement / bereavement far more stressful than house moving. It kind of puts it all into perspective. As long as there is no risk of homelessness then what does it matter which home you sleep in. I would give up my home anytime if I could have my child back .....

But yes, moving home is stressful, feel blessed you haven't experienced the worse stress !!

NeilCr

Davesnave wrote: »

I didn't find buying/selling our first two houses stressful.

Selling the 3rd house was stressful due to the Crash, which kicked-in when we lost our first buyers to the Northern Rock implosion.

Suddenly, we were inside this weird world of tanking prices, drunken, sobbing estate agents and scary newspaper headlines. In the agent's back office one afternoon, he declared, "We're all nice blokes, but just bottom-lickers really; none of us has a clue when it comes to selling. Houses here have always just sold themselves!"

Unsurprisingly, the agency folded, but we learned much about other agents and the local scene in that final, crazy week; none of it making us feel good.

Long story short: 3 sales and 2 purchases fell through.

It was very frustrating, but we didn't need to sell, so our situation was easier than that for those who did. However, with the world in financial turmoil, we reasoned there'd be exceptional opportunities, if only we could steer through the chaos. Eventually, we did a deal with a couple who were also trapped, both of us taking serious price hits to get the chain together.

With a general dearth of the property we sought, rented accommodation followed. That wasn't in the original script either.

So, yes, it was stressful and we became wiser people as a result, but still easier than several other life events.

Pretty much this.

The house I bought with my ex and the flat I purchased after separating were stress free.

This house was completely different. It was empty (so no chain that end) and my best friend was buying my flat. It took seven months and was really stressful. It wasn't helped by the selling EA ringing me late on Fridays (normally when I was standing on Charing Cross station) telling me that if I didn't exchange on that day the house would be back on the market on Monday.

It's put me off thinking about moving again - although I am very happy here so it's not an issue

mpr87

6 months into buying our first home and the stress is starting to hit now.



Like others have said it is insignificant when you consider other things that happen in life and I've been there myself but I'm starting to mentally crack now.



We have done everything asked of us upto this point but at the bottom of the chain and absolutely no control with a chance that things are going to fall through is really starting to get to me now.


Our ea has basically said if completion doesn't happen on 21st our chain will collapse, through no fault of our own, we haven't even sent funds to our solicitor yet as we haven't been instructed to. It's the only thing on my mind right now. Not something I want to go through again in a hurry.

ProDave

I have sold 4 houses so far. (one still left to sell) Only 1 of those sold quickly and easily.

First one, late 1980's I wanted to move up frm my cheap 1 bedroom "starter home" to something more like a proper house. First attempt gave up after a year with no buyer. Waited a year and tried again. Still not many buyers. To compound it, I didn't just want to move up to a 2 bedroom box on an estate, I wanted something better, space to build a garage, non estate etc. Eventually I found a run down 1930's semi on a nice plot in a nice village, that was stressfull because I found the new house before I had a buyer and had to wait for an eventual buyer before I could proceed, and I knew if it fell through, I would struggle to find anything acceptable if I lost the house I was trying to buy,

Next move, we had bought a plot to build a house. Put the old house on the market in 2003, 1 week later Iraq war started. No buyers came to look for 6 months. First buyer then pulled out 1 week before exchange. Took another 3 months to find another buyer.

We then had a couple of buy to lets. First one, I tried to sell in 2010. Housing market still stagnant after the 2008 crash. That took nearly 2 years to sell.

the only one that sold quick was the other buy to let, and only because the next door neighbours mother wanted it so right house in right location for her.

TIP Do NOT put your house on the market if I have one for sale, I seem to be able to pick the worst possible time to sell,

DrSpendLittle

It's all relative, really. Depends on what other life events you've experienced or worry you might experience.

For me, it's the uncertainty that is driving me insane. We're pre-exchange. I'm catastrophising about losing our buyer and then losing our dream home. I think it's because this house move means so much to me. It's symbolic of moving forward. Moving on. Starting the life I've been waiting to live. It's my fault - I've made it about more than bricks and mortar. I've got too emotional about it - leaving this house and moving into the (fingers crossed) new one.

The actual process is going fine, if a bit slow due to our dimwit of a conveyancer.

I've definitely realised how much of a control freak I am :rotfl: