Buying my first home | part 4

Hello May - is this the month I successfully buy a house? Time will tell! I know it's not been long since I posted a house-buying diary post but sooooo much has happened since my last update. Let's go!

Viewing houses

 

So I mentioned I was going to see a house which was up for £90k - and then a house came on the market for £75k, a little two up-two down in my ideal area. I viewed both on the same day and fell in love with the £75k house; it needed a lot doing to it (hello polystyrene ceiling tiles I'm looking at you...) but I could really envision myself living there. It was well within budget and just so lovely. I liked the £90k house too but it was at the wrong end of the street - closer to the 'rough' part of town - although it was much bigger with a hallway and larger garden & plenty of storage space.

 

I stopped looking at Rightmove after I'd seen these two, and had a big decision to make...

Putting an offer in

 

Armed with my mortgage in principal, I put an offer in on the £75k house. I knew I'd have to offer over the asking price with it being such a bargain so I spoke to a few people, asking their opinions and so on. This was on the Friday/Saturday, and the estate agent said they wanted all best and final offers in by the Monday afternoon. So I put an offer in of £82,500 - and waited.

Then I flew off to Hamburg on Wednesday, and the estate agent said it would be Thursday afternoon when I would hear anything. Sure enough at around 3.15pm my phone rang; I assumed it was good news, because it was a phone call, but alas it wasn't meant to be. There was one offer which was slightly higher than mine and the sellers had chosen to accept that. If the house falls through it'll be straight to me - I was and still am gutted, but fingers crossed it means something better is just around the corner.

 

Back on the horse

When I got back off holiday I was straight back onto Rightmove; I arranged to view a flat, which isn't ideal as they're harder to sell on, but clearly beggars cannot be choosers with the housing market right now. I've seen the flat and it was lovely - big and spacious with high ceilings and lots of potential, but I don't love it and it's on for £100k which personally I do feel is excessive. One of the estate agents rang me about another little two up-two down in my ideal area, which isn't on the market yet - I'm going to see that on Tuesday (today, actually, as this post goes live) so we'll see about that!

Keep your fingers crossed for me as I keep viewing houses, keep adding strawberry patterned towels into my Shein basket and keep scouring Rightmove...