House Buying - Regrets & Boo-boos

Saga

Looking back, what big house-buying mistakes have you made and regrets that you have, particularly as a FTB, which with hindsight you would avoid now?

Davesnave

Regrets? I've had a few, but there again, too few to mention.


If I'd my time again, I'd not buy a doer-upper on a pension!

missypuff19

Private shared driveway! Never again.

sst1234

When climbing the housing ladder, go big early. Being risk averse and moving from starter home to intermediate to forever home is costly.

RelievedSheff

Buying semi detached. Never again!

Davesnave

RelievedSheff wrote: »

Buying semi detached. Never again!

Many people say that on here, but there are probably very many more who've had no issues, so have nothing of substance to report.

The option to buy a detached of suitable size in a reasonable area probably wasn't there when you bought your semi, or you'd have done it.

We bought two semis and lived happily, without incident, for 30 years in them. When we bought a detached, with over 5 acres of 'buffer zone' we had issues within weeks. They're all long resolved, or we wouldn't still be here, but nothing to do with being detached, or semi, in a 'bad area,' or whatever.

RelievedSheff

Davesnave wrote: »

Many people say that on here, but there are probably very many more who've had no issues, so have nothing of substance to report.

The option to buy a detached of suitable size in a reasonable area probably wasn't there when you bought your semi, or you'd have done it.

We bought two semis and lived happily, without incident, for 30 years in them. When we bought a detached, with over 5 acres of 'buffer zone' we had issues within weeks. They're all long resolved, or we wouldn't still be here, but nothing to do with being detached, or semi, in a 'bad area,' or whatever.

The option was there we just didn't know it at the time.

We could have bought a detached property on one of the (at that time) new build estates near where we live now and have had change from what we paid for the semi we bought in a grotty area of Sheffield with the neighbours from hell.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

And regardless of whether we had good or bad neghbours in a semi the concern is always there that you may disturb them. We now have none of that and never will again. We will never move back to an attached property.

elsien

I had to make compromises I'd really rather not have done (separate garden, anyone) but given the available options in my price range, no regrets. It was still the best of the lot. Given my minuscule budget it was that or a flat and after years of renting flats that was a definite no.
What I wish I had done is clarified more about access to the air raid shelter that straddles two gardens and which I've never been able to get into.

[Deleted User]

You need access to an air raid shelter?

Saga

RelievedSheff wrote: »

Buying semi detached. Never again!

Surely not everyone has nightmare neighbours?

lees80

Saga wrote: »

Surely not everyone has nightmare neighbours?

Indeed. 4 years into our semi-detached fixer upper and neighbours have been fantastic, couldn't ask for better to be honest.(that is even with the ongoing work we've had done on the house, so a fair bit of disruption especially in the early days).

Detached or not, if a neighbour is going to be a numpty, they will be.