Really confused about what I want :(

Thrugelmir

danlightbulb said:

Tiglet2 said:

With respect, danlightbulb, you have been asking for advice on this subject, on this forum, since around March 2019.  By now you could have been midway through some renovations as well as increasing your equity with every mortgage payment in your own home.  I think the EA have got wise to you and are no doubt aware that they are not going to be earning their commission by encouraging you to view any houses on their books.

None of the agents round here do call backs, at least in my price range. They just say to monitor rightmove. There is no personal service here.

Agents get paid for selling houses. Staff themselves may be indirectly rewarded. After over 18 months of trying to assist you, they've most likely decided that they've committed enough time and cost. Better things to do and with customers who are focussed on buying. 

danlightbulb

Thrugelmir said:

Agents get paid for selling houses. Staff themselves may be indirectly rewarded. After over 18 months of trying to assist you, they've most likely decided that they've committed enough time and cost. Better things to do and with customers who are focussed on buying. 

They haven't been trying to assist me for 18 months though? Ive spotted a few houses I liked (small number), phoned up and asked for a viewing, sometimes got one sometimes not. Of the ones I have viewed I would say about five have been with Dubberley, one with Your Move, Two with Purple Bricks and one with Skitts. Two of those don't do the proactive thing at all to my knowledge. Connells is the only other big agent round here and I've never viewed with them, and they don't get many houses to sell here either as Dubberly gets 80-90% of the listings I reckon.

Surely these agents must have lots of people who view and don't offer on any one single property? I can't be being singled out here it doesn't make sense.

fleur8 said:

This is a real get your popcorn ready thread. I’m very impressed with every excuse OP has to literally everything that’s suggested. 

Genuinely beginning to wonder if this a troll thread to wind everyone up. Certainly gained *a lot* of attention. 

Thanks. I don't see them as excuses and Im not trolling. They are genuine beliefs within my head and I am trying my best to challenge them with the help of this forum today. 

I need to find a way of coming to terms with my compromises, and then I need to find houses which suit my new list. This is not going to be easy is it? Perhaps you think it should be easy.

danlightbulb

fleur8 said:

Hmm. So, looking back on the past 14 pages, what progress do you think you made?

Its difficult to say in honesty.

I do recognise that my budget doesn't allow for all the things I want. I think the main thing is I have to walk away from the 'vision' I have in my head of the more traditional/picturesque style of house because that is holding me back from buying. Im judging all the houses I see against this fairytale picture I think. I don't know however, if when it comes to the crunch that I'll be able to push the button on something that doesn't fit that image I have. Its going to be really hard to give up on that vision.

I will also have to see what's available in a wider area however this has its own questions, how far away can I cope with? Will I be able to go through with it if its a few miles away? 

I don't think Im doing anything seriously wrong with the agents. Ive not viewed excessive amounts of houses with them. The only factor is they will see i've been on their books for a couple of years but there's nothing I can do about that now is there.

On price I will probably need to stop worrying about paying too much. This is going to be hard as well because on the whole I think things are excessively priced, as do many people not just me.

Ive been waiting for the right house to come up rather than just buying the best that's available right now. Again, that is going to be hard to change direction on because what if you don't like any of them? Like I said, the good ones sell so fast the amount of choice and time available to make a decision is so limited. There isn't time to go and browse say 5 to 10 good houses that are for sale all at the same time then pick the best one.

Tiglet2 said:

Dan, do you realise that properties on Rightmove, Zoopla and Onthemarket take about a week after instruction to go live?  If the house represents good value in a good location, the chances are that it will already be sold subject to contract?  

I don't see what I can realistically do about this? All I can do is monitor rightmove and phone up straight away to get a viewing. I can't make the agents proactively call me. You may be right that they think Im a timewaster (it will only be dubberly that think this, the others ive hardly dealt with), but if they do then that's not something I have any control over at this point is it.

theoretica

I have a suggestion - come at this from the opposite side.  Don't look at what is available for sale.  Find half a dozen properties - maybe friends' houses, ones you walk past, rentals, ones already sold - that you would like to live in and why.  Then work out their likely values - if they all come out unaffordably high you have confirmation of one problem (but look if they have smaller similar properties nearby).  If you can't find half a dozen properties you would like to live in you have a different problem. 

Once you find some you would like to live in and think you could afford if only they were on the market, you can then look very closely at other properties on those streets/estates. Specifically ask estate agents if they have anything coming up on X or Y street.

robatwork

You don't need estate agents. You've had expert, personalised advice over 2 threads on this forum full of "real" people with no axe to grind and no commission to make, just a desire to help you.

robatwork

Oh I didn't mean "real" as in people on here are virtual although some are unreal - more that it's a broad cross-section of society who don't know you.

Tiglet2

robatwork said:

You don't need estate agents. You've had expert, personalised advice over 2 threads on this forum full of "real" people with no axe to grind and no commission to make, just a desire to help you.

It's more than 2 threads.....

hazyjo

theoretica said:

I have a suggestion - come at this from the opposite side.  Don't look at what is available for sale.  Find half a dozen properties - maybe friends' houses, ones you walk past, rentals, ones already sold - that you would like to live in and why.  Then work out their likely values - if they all come out unaffordably high you have confirmation of one problem (but look if they have smaller similar properties nearby).  If you can't find half a dozen properties you would like to live in you have a different problem. 

Once you find some you would like to live in and think you could afford if only they were on the market, you can then look very closely at other properties on those streets/estates. Specifically ask estate agents if they have anything coming up on X or Y street.

I usually say something similar.

Adjust rightmove price brackets. Add 50 grand or more. If what you're looking for is there, you can't afford it!

Caramac

This newbuild looks if it’s in your budget
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-75162594.html

danlightbulb

I had a look back through the houses I had saved on rightmove. A few I viewed, and offered on, most I didn't. I think looking back I should have viewed them as some of the ones I had saved are now, in hindsight, far better than what's available at the moment.

Some links no longer work but some still work for comparison purposes:
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/62131899#/ i offered asking price on this and didn't get it. I like the estate that this house is on, but prices have risen £20k in the past year there.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/71738599#/ i offered £4k over asking on this one too in a best and final situation, and it went for £7k above the asking price. Same estate as the one above.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/74493178#/ i offered asking price on this and lost out because I wasn't first. It wasn't ideal this one, very small driveway and I have a large car, and parking is a problem down that road generally.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/75440494#/ i offered on this one but got cold feet due to the work involved in it and some personal issues I was having at the time made me very stressed out. Nice large house, nice location, father away from where Im looking now though.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/76353799#/ this was one I was really quite keen on but I felt it was overpriced, having been bought only a small number of months earlier for £60k less. So I didn't view it. I also felt the internal layout could have been better especially as they had the opportunity to do that during the modernisation. It sold though at asking, it is in a very nice location. Again its a few miles further away from my core area. The house next door later came on the market for £210k I think, but was better as it was bigger and had a garage. That sold quickly too but was out my range anyway.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/72264681#/ i viewed this one and was initially keen. But it was on an unadopted road, right near the canal in a not so great area (potential for crime problems), it had a big water main going through its back garden, and it needed some money spending. All in all I decided it was not right.