House Prices #2 Property market, buying and selling

[Shaunaftw]

Agreed. This is actually Ikea View attachment 1459747

I wouldn't say that looks like an expensive kitchen at all, the thickness of the worktop definitely makes it look cheap.
Has anyone fitted a DIY kitchen? I was pottering online earlier and managed to get what wrens supply quote to us was 6.5k for 2700. Thicker units too, wren were supplying 19mm and DIY kitchens are 22mm..

 

[veryfondoftea]

I wouldn't say that looks like an expensive kitchen at all, the thickness of the worktop definitely makes it look cheap.
Has anyone fitted a DIY kitchen? I was pottering online earlier and managed to get what wrens supply quote to us was 6.5k for 2700. Thicker units too, wren were supplying 19mm and DIY kitchens are 22mm..

I’ve used diykitchens and would definitely recommend.

 

[Former_Antelopee]

I wouldn't say that looks like an expensive kitchen at all, the thickness of the worktop definitely makes it look cheap.
Has anyone fitted a DIY kitchen? I was pottering online earlier and managed to get what wrens supply quote to us was 6.5k for 2700. Thicker units too, wren were supplying 19mm and DIY kitchens are 22mm..

I know someone who used it and they recommended it

 

[Branched]

Hi all, hope you don't mind me jumping in here. I'm a first time buyer looking for a flat in London but it just feels like there's nothing out there in my area.

Anything that's actually on the market seems to have some kind of issue - really tiny, leasehold about to expire, fifth floor with no lift, ridiculously overpriced etc. Occasionally a nice place will hit Rightmove and be marked as sold within literally 2 hours, so I guess they're selling before they're marketed. Mostly just nothing decent becomes available at all.

I don't know how long it typically takes to find a house but I'm getting really fed up and disheartened. I'm refreshing Rightmove every hour and have instant email alerts set up. I've been into all the local estate agents, let them know I'm looking, got on their mailing lists and asked to be called if anything suitable comes up. I like to think I'd be counted as a serious buyer - no chain, good budget, 50% deposit with an AIP. I live locally so I know the area already and can be flexible on viewings. I know what I want and I'm willing to put an offer in very quickly for the right place.

Is there anything else I can/should be doing? I've heard about people dropping leaflets on their favourite streets, that's always seemed a little bold for me but I'm wondering whether to try it?

If I'm a bit more patient is it likely that more will become available once summer is over and people are back from holidays?

Any advice at all would be greatly received, or if not then it was nice to have a little moan!

 

[champagne_supernova]

Hi all, hope you don't mind me jumping in here. I'm a first time buyer looking for a flat in London but it just feels like there's nothing out there in my area.

Anything that's actually on the market seems to have some kind of issue - really tiny, leasehold about to expire, fifth floor with no lift, ridiculously overpriced etc. Occasionally a nice place will hit Rightmove and be marked as sold within literally 2 hours, so I guess they're selling before they're marketed. Mostly just nothing decent becomes available at all.

I don't know how long it typically takes to find a house but I'm getting really fed up and disheartened. I'm refreshing Rightmove every hour and have instant email alerts set up. I've been into all the local estate agents, let them know I'm looking, got on their mailing lists and asked to be called if anything suitable comes up. I like to think I'd be counted as a serious buyer - no chain, good budget, 50% deposit with an AIP. I live locally so I know the area already and can be flexible on viewings. I know what I want and I'm willing to put an offer in very quickly for the right place.

Is there anything else I can/should be doing? I've heard about people dropping leaflets on their favourite streets, that's always seemed a little bold for me but I'm wondering whether to try it?

If I'm a bit more patient is it likely that more will become available once summer is over and people are back from holidays?

Any advice at all would be greatly received, or if not then it was nice to have a little moan!

Sounds like you're doing all the right things. A leaflet drop wouldn't harm I suppose?
My friend found her house on a Facebook group - are there any in your local area or perhaps start one?
One of the estate agents local to me markets their houses to locals first to give them 'first dibs'. A lot of investors were coming out of area and snapping houses up, I thought that was a very good thing for the estate to do

 

[hydeist]

Hi all, hope you don't mind me jumping in here. I'm a first time buyer looking for a flat in London but it just feels like there's nothing out there in my area.

Anything that's actually on the market seems to have some kind of issue - really tiny, leasehold about to expire, fifth floor with no lift, ridiculously overpriced etc. Occasionally a nice place will hit Rightmove and be marked as sold within literally 2 hours, so I guess they're selling before they're marketed. Mostly just nothing decent becomes available at all.

I don't know how long it typically takes to find a house but I'm getting really fed up and disheartened. I'm refreshing Rightmove every hour and have instant email alerts set up. I've been into all the local estate agents, let them know I'm looking, got on their mailing lists and asked to be called if anything suitable comes up. I like to think I'd be counted as a serious buyer - no chain, good budget, 50% deposit with an AIP. I live locally so I know the area already and can be flexible on viewings. I know what I want and I'm willing to put an offer in very quickly for the right place.

Is there anything else I can/should be doing? I've heard about people dropping leaflets on their favourite streets, that's always seemed a little bold for me but I'm wondering whether to try it?

If I'm a bit more patient is it likely that more will become available once summer is over and people are back from holidays?

Any advice at all would be greatly received, or if not then it was nice to have a little moan!

We had the same problem (but in Scotland). Eventually we just had to seriously drop our expectations and start considering the places with issues and having a conversation about what we could live with, what we could resolve ourselves, and we did actually end up getting somewhere with really good potential without paying much over the HR value. Here at least, people don't seem to want to buy places that need any work doing - including us

I'm definitely not saying buy somewhere with no roof and the leasehold expires in a week, but if somewhere ticks a lot of other boxes maybe there being no lift is something you can live with, or a crappy kitchen is something you can eventually fix.

 

[Megansnarkle]

Hi all, hope you don't mind me jumping in here. I'm a first time buyer looking for a flat in London but it just feels like there's nothing out there in my area.

Anything that's actually on the market seems to have some kind of issue - really tiny, leasehold about to expire, fifth floor with no lift, ridiculously overpriced etc. Occasionally a nice place will hit Rightmove and be marked as sold within literally 2 hours, so I guess they're selling before they're marketed. Mostly just nothing decent becomes available at all.

I don't know how long it typically takes to find a house but I'm getting really fed up and disheartened. I'm refreshing Rightmove every hour and have instant email alerts set up. I've been into all the local estate agents, let them know I'm looking, got on their mailing lists and asked to be called if anything suitable comes up. I like to think I'd be counted as a serious buyer - no chain, good budget, 50% deposit with an AIP. I live locally so I know the area already and can be flexible on viewings. I know what I want and I'm willing to put an offer in very quickly for the right place.

Is there anything else I can/should be doing? I've heard about people dropping leaflets on their favourite streets, that's always seemed a little bold for me but I'm wondering whether to try it?

If I'm a bit more patient is it likely that more will become available once summer is over and people are back from holidays?

Any advice at all would be greatly received, or if not then it was nice to have a little moan!

If nothing decent is coming up then is your budget an issue? Could you afford more with less of a deposit? How long have you been looking?

 

[Branched]

Sounds like you're doing all the right things. A leaflet drop wouldn't harm I suppose?
My friend found her house on a Facebook group - are there any in your local area or perhaps start one?
One of the estate agents local to me markets their houses to locals first to give them 'first dibs'. A lot of investors were coming out of area and snapping houses up, I thought that was a very good thing for the estate to do

Facebook is a good shout, I'm a member of a few local groups so will try there. Leaflet dropping just seems so cringey to me but I think I will need to get over it and get out there if I want a chance at finding somewhere nice. I keep reminding myself what's the worst that will happen - people will just bin the leaflet if not interested!

I feel like our estate agents are doing the bare minimum at the moment since supply is short and demand is hot in this area particularly. I only ever seem to be getting calls about properties that have been on the market for weeks and are, to be frank, a bit grim. It's such a frustrating process.

We had the same problem (but in Scotland). Eventually we just had to seriously drop our expectations and start considering the places with issues and having a conversation about what we could live with, what we could resolve ourselves, and we did actually end up getting somewhere with really good potential without paying much over the HR value. Here at least, people don't seem to want to buy places that need any work doing - including us

I'm definitely not saying buy somewhere with no roof and the leasehold expires in a week, but if somewhere ticks a lot of other boxes maybe there being no lift is something you can live with, or a crappy kitchen is something you can eventually fix.

I definitely think I'm going to get to that stage soon! I never really expected to find anything that fits every single box but it's so tricky knowing what I could live without. I would have so many more options if I was willing to buy somewhere with no outside space but I think I'd be miserable! And it's not something you can exactly fix after moving in. Although maybe my opinion is skewed because of the sunny weather recently...

If nothing decent is coming up then is your budget an issue? Could you afford more with less of a deposit? How long have you been looking?

I don't think budget is the issue - I've seen quite a few properties listed on Rightmove this year (all sold now) within budget that were what I was looking for. I'm kind of hoping one of the sales falls through and I can sweep in. I wouldn't really want to increase my budget, so the other option would be moving to a less expensive area.

I've been looking for around 6-7 weeks now, although it feels much longer. Appreciate that it's not even that long but I was hoping to find somewhere relatively quickly to potentially avoid needing to find another rental (current landlord is hoping to sell). I think I'm more frustrated that I haven't seen anywhere I'd even want to offer on yet.

 

[Megansnarkle]

I don't think budget is the issue - I've seen quite a few properties listed on Rightmove this year (all sold now) within budget that were what I was looking for. I'm kind of hoping one of the sales falls through and I can sweep in. I wouldn't really want to increase my budget, so the other option would be moving to a less expensive area.

I've been looking for around 6-7 weeks now, although it feels much longer. Appreciate that it's not even that long but I was hoping to find somewhere relatively quickly to potentially avoid needing to find another rental (current landlord is hoping to sell). I think I'm more frustrated that I haven't seen anywhere I'd even want to offer on yet.

That's basically no time to be honest. Assuming your budget is realistic (and those properties weren't optimistically priced to get offers over) then I'd expect to find something within a year in a specific postcode, less if your area is much wider. You're looking at at least 12 weeks from offer to completion in any event at the quickest, so factor that in. Remember that your landlord has a lot of hoops to jump through to get you out.

 

[hydeist]

I definitely think I'm going to get to that stage soon! I never really expected to find anything that fits every single box but it's so tricky knowing what I could live without. I would have so many more options if I was willing to buy somewhere with no outside space but I think I'd be miserable! And it's not something you can exactly fix after moving in. Although maybe my opinion is skewed because of the sunny weather recently...

Outside space was the only thing I wasn't willing to give up after years in a flat with no balcony or garden! Definitely don't compromise on something that big when you can't fix it after buying, you'd regret it.

 

[Branched]

That's basically no time to be honest. Assuming your budget is realistic (and those properties weren't optimistically priced to get offers over) then I'd expect to find something within a year in a specific postcode, less if your area is much wider. You're looking at at least 12 weeks from offer to completion in any event at the quickest, so factor that in. Remember that your landlord has a lot of hoops to jump through to get you out.

You're definitely right. It's just disheartening to hear friends/family finding their dream houses in a matter of weeks and meanwhile I've seen absolutely nothing of interest.

I'd told myself I'd look for 3-4 months before I either dropped some requirements or widened my search area, but I feel like I've become so much more impatient now that I'm seriously looking.

Outside space was the only thing I wasn't willing to give up after years in a flat with no balcony or garden! Definitely don't compromise on something that big when you can't fix it after buying, you'd regret it.

I've had lots of estate agents tell me that I don't need outside space if I'm living 10 mins from a park, so it's reassuring to hear I'm not being too stubborn! I'd settle for a tiny balcony, all I want is somewhere I can sit outside with a cup of coffee or a book.

 

[Bobbleowl90]

Facebook is a good shout, I'm a member of a few local groups so will try there. Leaflet dropping just seems so cringey to me but I think I will need to get over it and get out there if I want a chance at finding somewhere nice. I keep reminding myself what's the worst that will happen - people will just bin the leaflet if not interested!

I feel like our estate agents are doing the bare minimum at the moment since supply is short and demand is hot in this area particularly. I only ever seem to be getting calls about properties that have been on the market for weeks and are, to be frank, a bit grim. It's such a frustrating process.


I definitely think I'm going to get to that stage soon! I never really expected to find anything that fits every single box but it's so tricky knowing what I could live without. I would have so many more options if I was willing to buy somewhere with no outside space but I think I'd be miserable! And it's not something you can exactly fix after moving in. Although maybe my opinion is skewed because of the sunny weather recently...


I don't think budget is the issue - I've seen quite a few properties listed on Rightmove this year (all sold now) within budget that were what I was looking for. I'm kind of hoping one of the sales falls through and I can sweep in. I wouldn't really want to increase my budget, so the other option would be moving to a less expensive area.

I've been looking for around 6-7 weeks now, although it feels much longer. Appreciate that it's not even that long but I was hoping to find somewhere relatively quickly to potentially avoid needing to find another rental (current landlord is hoping to sell). I think I'm more frustrated that I haven't seen anywhere I'd even want to offer on yet.

we have been looking for 13 months! It’s so stressful so I totally get you. We have changed our requirements and still nothing. Expecting baby no.2 now so desperately need sometbing to come up before the end of the year.

 

[JoeBloggs]

I've been looking for around 6-7 weeks now, although it feels much longer. Appreciate that it's not even that long but I was hoping to find somewhere relatively quickly to potentially avoid needing to find another rental (current landlord is hoping to sell). I think I'm more frustrated that I haven't seen anywhere I'd even want to offer on yet.

We were looking for two years, before we gave up to get married and then found our dream house by fluke (one bored lunch break).

Get yourself on a few local estate agents books, they can then put you forward before it goes live and possibly get you an off the market sale or put you forward for a sale that had fallen through.

Get everything in place, mortgage in principle etc so you are a great choice for a seller.

 

[rainbowlemon]

You're definitely right. It's just disheartening to hear friends/family finding their dream houses in a matter of weeks and meanwhile I've seen absolutely nothing of interest.

I'd told myself I'd look for 3-4 months before I either dropped some requirements or widened my search area, but I feel like I've become so much more impatient now that I'm seriously looking.


I've had lots of estate agents tell me that I don't need outside space if I'm living 10 mins from a park, so it's reassuring to hear I'm not being too stubborn! I'd settle for a tiny balcony, all I want is somewhere I can sit outside with a cup of coffee or a book.

Don’t back down on the outside space.

I live near two parks: one is a pocket and I can walk there in less then 5 mins and another maybe a 12 min walk.

It’s nice to have your own space away from other people.The first is over run with yummy mummies and toddlers. Second is larger with more space but you will still occasionally get a dog or toddler coming up to you if you’re on the grass with a picnic blanket .

 

[epl000]

Don’t back down on the outside space.

I definitely echo this! We live really close to quite a big park but it isn't the same as being able to step out into your garden or balcony on a nice day. We lived in a flat before that had a communal courtyard garden but it was in shade 75% of the day even in the height of summer because of the orientation/height of the building which made it quite cold and dark. I think having some outside space is even more important if you work from home at all.

@Branched don't get disheartened at all, I'm sure that something right will come along, it might just not be exactly what you think you're looking for. Sounds like you're being really proactive so hopefully it will pay off soon.

 

[Anne1448]

Same here! I've been looking for over a year and even put an offer but the sellers were so greedy that I withdrew it.

I am hoping that the recession will push prices back to reality and that the hoarders will finally put their 2nd and third home on the market.

 

[JoeBloggs]

Same here! I've been looking for over a year and even put an offer but the sellers were so greedy that I withdrew it.

I am hoping that the recession will push prices back to reality and that the hoarders will finally put their 2nd and third home on the market.

If we do go into one.

 

[HoGi]

Same here! I've been looking for over a year and even put an offer but the sellers were so greedy that I withdrew it.

I am hoping that the recession will push prices back to reality and that the hoarders will finally put their 2nd and third home on the market.

Even if prices drop 20% in my area that wouldn't even be back to pre covid levels

So it would have to be some pretty hefty drop

 

[Notworthy]

Facebook is a good shout, I'm a member of a few local groups so will try there. Leaflet dropping just seems so cringey to me but I think I will need to get over it and get out there if I want a chance at finding somewhere nice. I keep reminding myself what's the worst that will happen - people will just bin the leaflet if not interested!

I feel like our estate agents are doing the bare minimum at the moment since supply is short and demand is hot in this area particularly. I only ever seem to be getting calls about properties that have been on the market for weeks and are, to be frank, a bit grim. It's such a frustrating process.


I definitely think I'm going to get to that stage soon! I never really expected to find anything that fits every single box but it's so tricky knowing what I could live without. I would have so many more options if I was willing to buy somewhere with no outside space but I think I'd be miserable! And it's not something you can exactly fix after moving in. Although maybe my opinion is skewed because of the sunny weather recently...


I don't think budget is the issue - I've seen quite a few properties listed on Rightmove this year (all sold now) within budget that were what I was looking for. I'm kind of hoping one of the sales falls through and I can sweep in. I wouldn't really want to increase my budget, so the other option would be moving to a less expensive area.

I've been looking for around 6-7 weeks now, although it feels much longer. Appreciate that it's not even that long but I was hoping to find somewhere relatively quickly to potentially avoid needing to find another rental (current landlord is hoping to sell). I think I'm more frustrated that I haven't seen anywhere I'd even want to offer on yet.

What and where are you looking and how much. A friend is renovating a very small property in Dulwich 5 mins from high street and it has enough outside space for a table and chairs but not much else

ETA Have a friend that works for a bank (quite high up) and they are expecting atleast a 10% fall in the next year but they are also pricing in interest ratea at 3 to 5%,

 

[Shaunaftw]

What and where are you looking and how much. A friend is renovating a very small property in Dulwich 5 mins from high street and it has enough outside space for a table and chairs but not much else

ETA Have a friend that works for a bank (quite high up) and they are expecting atleast a 10% fall in the next year but they are also pricing in interest ratea at 3 to 5%,

Glad I fixed for five years